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 (1 p.m. in the atrium of the Engineering, Computer Science and Visual Arts Integrated Complex, 1515 Ste. Catherine St. W.).

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 collect pledges that go towards bursaries and scholarships.

The Fab Four are also making an appearance at Homecoming — sort of. Craig Morrison, a Concordia music instructor, will deliver a September 28 lecture on the Beatles (6 p.m., J.A. de Sève Cinema, 1400 De Maisonneuve Blvd. W.). That same evening, the Stingers face off against les Carabins de l’Université de Montréal (7 p.m., Concordia Stadium, Loyola Campus, 7200 Sherbrooke St. W.).

Sports fever spreads as part of the Concordia Football Champions Dinner on September 29 (6 p.m., Holiday Inn Montreal-Midtown, 420 Sherbrooke St. W.). The fundraiser will celebrate championship teams from 1962, 1972 and 1982 with proceeds going towards tuition awards for deserving student athletes.

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 will include a cocktail reception, 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 at Loyola Campus on Sunday, September 30, (11 a.m. to 4 p.m., 7200 Sherbrooke St. W.). Among the highlights will be 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 (6 p.m., D.B. Clarke Theatre, Henry F. Hall Building, 1455 De Maisonneuve Blvd. W.). Lorenzo DiTommaso, a doomsday scenario expert and professor in Concordia’s Department of Religion, will discuss apocalyptic scenarios and the ancient Mayan prophecy that a global calamity will occur December 21, 2012.

The final Homecoming event will be the “Up close and personal” lecture and interview with graduate Julien BriseBois, EMBA 07, assistant general manager, Tampa Bay Lightning on October 11, 2012 (6 p.m., BMO Amphitheatre, MB 1.210, John Molson School of Business Building, 1450 Guy St.). The event will be moderated by CTV Montreal sports anchor Randy Tieman.

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 J. 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 taken advantage of several Homecoming opportunities since graduating. She attended a lecture and the last three Family Fair Days. She 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.”