2015 Goshen College Homecoming Weekend, Oct. 2-4
Goshen College’s annual Homecoming Weekend will take place Oct. 2-4, and alumni and friends are warmly welcomed back to campus for the annual event. The weekend will be an opportunity for alumni to reconnect with friends as well as attend various events put on by the college and community including alumni awards, an alumni bicycle ride, Goshen’s First Friday activities, an alumni breakfast, book signings, a homecoming hymn sing, one act plays, art exhibits and a music gala.
The following is a schedule for Homecoming Weekend events, which are free unless otherwise noted. (See full schedule)
Friday, Oct. 2
10 a.m., Homecoming convocation and 2015 Culture for Service, Decade of Servant Leadership and Champions of Character award presentation, Church-Chapel
Sponsored by the Goshen College Alumni Board.
Culture for Service Award: Kathy Short ’75, of Tucson, Arizona
Culture for Service Award: Aliko Songolo ’68, of Madison, Wisconsin
Young Alumni Servant Leadership Award: Sonia Graber ’00, of Denver, Colorado
The Dr. Ruth Gunden Champion of Character Award: Alice Gunden Bender ’80 of Goshen
The Dr. Roman Gingerich Champion of Character Award: Ken Pletcher ’70, of Goshen.
10:45 a.m., Reception for award recipients, Church-Chapel Fellowship Hall
1 p.m., Alumni bicycle ride, meet at Goshen College Good Library fountain
Ride Goshen’s Pumpkinvine Trail with other alumni. Choose rides from a few miles up to 35 miles. For details, please contact Keith Miller at kamiller@maplenet.net.
4 p.m., “Life on the margins.” A Presentation by Aliko Songolo ‘68, 2015 Culture for Service awardee. Newcomer Center, Room 17
4 – 7:30 p.m., Class of 1965 – 50th anniversary banquet, Greencroft, Senior Center
Cost: $25. Registration required.
5 – 10 p.m., First Friday activities, downtown Goshen
Stroll the streets of downtown Goshen and visit shops, restaurants and art galleries. Listen and swing dance to GC’s Lavender Jazz Band.
8 – 9 p.m., One Act Play: Bombers, Umble Center
Play by Jonathan Graham, directed by Nick Peebles
A re-staging of the 1998 Goshen Peace Play prize winner, Bombers is frightfully more relevant today than it was at its world premier.
Cost: $5
Saturday, Oct. 3
8 – 9:30 a.m., Alumni breakfast, Church-Chapel Fellowship Hall
All alumni are invited to start the day with a buffet breakfast, a warm Goshen College welcome from President Jim Brenneman and some words from Kathy G. Short ‘75. Buffet is open 7:45 – 8:30 a.m. Program begins at 8:30.
Cost: $13. Registration required.
9:30-11:45 a.m, Preschool childcare (ages 3-5), Church-Chapel, Nursery Rooms
Includes snack. Please pick up your children at 11:45 a.m.
Registration required.
9:30 – 11:45 a.m., K-6th grade activities, Recreation-Fitness Center, Room 106
A variety of age-appropriate activities are planned. Includes snack. Please pick up your children at 11:45 a.m.
Registration required.
9:30 – 11:45 a.m., Middle and high school students, Java Junction
Chill, chat and chai with GC students. Admission staff available and tours offered.
9:45 – 11:45 a.m., Class reunions, various locations around campus
Classes of 1950, 1955, 1960, 1965, 1970, 1975, 1980, 1985, 1990, 1995 and 2005 will have class reunions.
12-1 p.m., Lunch with current and retired faculty. All alumni and families are welcome to have lunch in the dining hall with current and retired professors from your department. Pay at the door. No registration required. Westlawn Dining Hall
12 – 2 p.m., Biological sciences luncheon, Newcomer Center, Room 19
All alumni from the department of biological sciences are welcome. Hear a panel of recent biological sciences alumni talk about their experiences in graduate school.
Cost: $15. Registration required.
Noon, Champions of Character Luncheon, Rec-Fitness Center, Rooms 104-105, no registration required.
1 p.m., Groundbreaking for new athletic’s gate and naming of the ball fields, South of the Rec-Fitness Center
1 p.m., “Opening up our classrooms to the world through literature.” A Presentation by Kathy G. Short ‘75, 2015 Culture for Service awardee, Church-Chapel, Koinonia, Rooms 300-301
1 – 3 p.m., Ultimate Frisbee tournament, North field in front of the Rec-Fitness Center
No cost. Alumni, students and friends are invited to play Ultimate Frisbee, whether you are an experienced or first-time player. Registration encouraged.
1:30 – 3 p.m., Book signings, GC bookstore
“Helping Youth Grieve: The Good News of Biblical Lament,” by Bob Yoder, campus pastor
“Kissed by a Fox: And Other Stories of Friendship in Nature,” by Priscilla Stuckey ‘79
“MacDowell,” by E. Douglas Bomberger ‘81
“Meeting Jesus: Common People…Uncommon Stories,” by Donald Blosser ’59
“True Confessions of a God Killer, A Postmodern Pilgrim’s Progress,” by Emily Hedrick ‘13
2 p.m., Men’s soccer vs. Taylor, GC soccer field
Come cheer on the Maple Leafs women’s soccer team!
2 p.m., Alumni Basketball Game, Rec-Fitness Center, Ruth Gunden Gymnasium
2-4 p.m., Helicopter rides (pay cash on-site), North end of the Eigsti Track infield, weather permitting
2:30 – 3:30 p.m., Homecoming hymn sing, Music Center, Rieth Recital Hall
Enjoy hymn singing at its finest, led by Dr. Beverly Lapp ‘91, professor of music, and Scott Hochstetler ’97, associate professor of music.
3-5 p.m., Presentation and tour about Sustainable Agriculture at GC, Newcomer Center, Room 17
Will carpool to local organic farm after brief presentation
4 – 5 p.m., One Act Play: Bombers, Umble Center
Cost: $5
4:30- 7 p.m., Presentation, art exhibition and reception: Ann Marie Nafziger ’95, Music Center, Hershberger Art Gallery
5 – 6:45 p.m., Homecoming picnic, Church-Chapel, Fellowship Hall
Everyone is welcome to enjoy a great picnic.
Cost: $14 for adults, $7 for children ages 5-12, FREE for children under 5
7:30 – 8:30 p.m., Homecoming music gala, Music Center, Sauder Concert Hall
The music department presents its annual showcase of students and faculty.
Cost: $8, GC students free
Sunday, Oct. 4
9:30 a.m., President Brenneman will preach at College Mennonite Church, Church-Chapel
2 – 3 p.m., One Act Play: Bombers, Umble Center
Cost: $5
For more information about Homecoming Weekend, to order event tickets or to register, call the Alumni Office at (574) 535-7565 or visit www.goshen.edu/alumni/Homecoming.