Campus is quieter on this snowy Friday than it was just one week ago, when more than 1,600 alumni and CC community members came together for Homecoming and our 150th commemoration. The Sesquicentennial drew many back to CC — in fact, alumni attendance for this year’s Homecoming was up 50% over last year. This annual event not only provides a chance for alumni to reconnect with former classmates, it’s also an opportunity to engage them in the life of the college today. The bonds our alumni share – with one another, our faculty, and the college – form the foundation for lifelong, mutually beneficial relationships.
The Office of Advancement leads all things Homecoming, working with alumni to organize 10 separate reunions and class gift projects in addition to designing, promoting, and executing the weekend itself. To date, the 2024 reunion classes have committed more than $1.4 million in philanthropic support to CC, with class gift efforts continuing through December 2024. I want to thank my Advancement colleagues for their tremendous efforts.
An event of this scale, however, is only possible with the support of our entire campus community.
Thank you to the staff who supported Homecoming as part of your core roles, often working late nights and early mornings — including Facilities, AV, Campus Safety, Sodexo, Bon Appétit, Communications, Athletics, and the FAC, which hosted a major Día de Muertos community event during an already busy weekend. I also want to recognize the library staff for welcoming alums and their guests into their building for Homecoming check-in. A very special thank you, too, to the 60+ staff and faculty who volunteered outside of your core roles to support Homecoming events, from driving golf carts to staffing reunion dinners.
To our faculty, who opened your classrooms to the Board of Trustees last week, lent your expertise (along with staff) to lead 17 different micro-blocks, and welcomed alumni for 17 academic department reunions, thank you. Alumni often tell us their relationships with faculty are a leading reason they stay connected to CC long after they graduate.
To our students, thank you for your engagement with alumni and for welcoming such big crowds into the spaces where you live and learn. Your graciousness did not go unnoticed.
Finally, I want to thank Professor Mike Taber and members of the 150th planning committee for your vision, ingenuity, and commitment to honoring CC’s rich history throughout the Sesquicentennial—and we’re not done reflecting on 150 years yet!
As a token of our appreciation, CC is offering faculty and staff complimentary tickets to the CC Hockey games against St. Cloud State on Friday, Nov. 22, at 7 p.m., and Saturday, Nov. 23, at 6 p.m., both at Ed Robson Arena. Save the date, and stay tuned for a message next week with more information about how to claim tickets!
On behalf of the entire Office of Advancement, thank you CC faculty, staff, and students. We are grateful and proud to be part of this tremendous community.
