There's no place like Homecoming
It’s time to don maroon and gold — Concordia’s official colours — as Homecoming unfolds September 28 to October 11.
Homecoming 2012 kicks off with the Shuffle on Friday, September 28. Now in its 23rd year, the annual Shuffle is a walkathon between the Sir George Williams and Loyola campuses that gives students, staff, faculty and alumni an opportunity to raise pledges that go towards bursaries and scholarships.
What: 23rd annual Shuffle
When: Friday, September 28 at 1 p.m.
Where: Atrium of the Engineering, Computer Science and Visual Arts Integrated Complex, 1515 Ste-Catherine St. W.), Sir George Williams Campus
The Fab Four are also making an appearance at Homecoming — sort of. Craig Morrison, a Concordia music instructor, is delivering a September 28 lecture on the Beatles. That same evening, the Stingers face off against the Université de Montréal’s Carabins (7 p.m., Concordia Stadium, Loyola Campus 7200 Sherbrooke St. W.).
What: The Beatles and the Montreal Connection
When: Friday, September 28 at 6 p.m.
Where: J.A. DeSève Cinema (1400 De Maisonneuve Blvd. W.), Sir George Williams Campus
What: Concordia Stingers versus Université de Montréal’s Carabins
When: Friday, September 28 at 7 p.m.
Where: Concordia Stadium, Loyola Campus (7200 Sherbrooke St. W.)
Sports fever spreads as part of the Concordia Football Champions Dinner on September 29. The fundraiser is celebrating championship teams from 1962, 1972 and 1982 with proceeds going towards tuition awards for deserving student athletes.
When: Saturday, September 29 at 6 p.m.
Where: Holiday Inn Montreal-Midtown (420 Sherbrooke St. W.)
75th anniversary of first graduating class
Homecoming 2012 marks the 75th anniversary of the first graduating class of Sir George Williams University, one of Concordia’s founding institutions. The diamond anniversary is being fêted as part of the President’s Reunion Gala on September 29 and will be emceed by Global News anchor and Concordia grad Jamie Orchard, BA 91.
Held at the Westin Hotel in Old Montreal, the President’s Reunion Gala includes a cocktail reception, a four-course meal and tributes by class representatives. Guests will enjoy live music and dancing and have a chance to win a Caribbean cruise for two, sponsored by Voyages Groupe Ideal and Azamara Cruises. The President’s Reunion Gala also reunites the following classes: pre-1962, 1962, 1967, 1972, 1977, 1982, 1987, 1992, 1997, 2002 and 2007.
Family Fair Day, a perennial favourite, occurs on the Loyola Campus on Sunday, September 30 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.. Among the highlights are circus performers, face-painting, arts and crafts.
Public talks are a central draw of Homecoming 2012, such as The Last Lecture? Apocalypse Then and Now on October 3. Lorenzo DiTommaso, a doomsday scenario expert and professor in Concordia’s Department of Religion, discusses apocalyptic scenarios and the ancient Mayan prophecy that a global calamity will occur December 21, 2012.
When: Wednesday, October 3 at 6 p.m.
Where: D.B. Clarke Theatre, Henry F. Hall Building (1455 De Maisonneuve Blvd. W.), Sir George Williams Campus
The final Homecoming event is the Up Close and Personal lecture and interview with graduate Julien BriseBois, EMBA 07 and assistant general manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning on October 11. The event is moderated by CTV Montreal sports anchor Randy Tieman.
When: Thursday, October 11 at 6 p.m.
Where: BMO Amphitheatre, Room MB-1.210, John Molson School of Business Building (1450 Guy St.), Sir George Williams Campus
Homecoming through the years
Since its inauguration in 1990, Concordia’s Homecoming festivities have welcomed more than 40,000 alumni and members of the general public.
Sharon Fraenkel, Concordia’s director of Alumni Relations, Events and Sponsorships, says relationships are the raison d’être of Homecoming: “It’s an opportunity to welcome alumni back to their alma mater to reconnect with former classmates and professors and witness how the institution has progressed,” he says. “Through lectures and Family Fair Day, Homecoming is a way to introduce the university to the local community.”
Véronique Tokateloff, BEng 05, is president of Concordia’s Engineering and Computer Science alumni chapter (ECAC). Tokateloff has attended the last three Family Fair Days and has also volunteered at the ECAC’s Are You Curious booth, conducting fun experiments to explain the world of engineering to visitors. “It’s a great opportunity to educate kids — and their parents,” she says. “It’s also been a good chance to interact with alumni chapter members and network with engineering graduates and other alumni.”
Related link:
• Concordia Homecoming 2012