MACON – Mercer University will welcome thousands of alumni and friends to the Macon campus this weekend for Homecoming 2018. Returning to this year’s schedule of activities is the popular Friday night bonfire.
The Office of Alumni Services, in partnership with other University entities, is offering dozens of events Nov. 2-3 ranging from the annual Friday night pep rally to class reunions, award presentations, arts performances and much more.
A sell-out crowd is anticipated for the annual Homecoming football game, as the Bears host Southern Conference opponent ETSU at Five Star Stadium on Saturday at 3 p.m.
“Homecoming is an ideal opportunity for the entire Mercer family to come together. That includes alumni, friends, sponsors, donors, staff, faculty, community members, sports fans and prospective students and their families – everyone who makes Mercer the special place that it is. Many of this year’s events are free, and we invite the community to join us on the historic Macon campus for Homecoming 2018,” said Jill Kinsella, associate vice president for the Office of Alumni Services.
The seventh annual Alumni Career Speaker Series kicks off activities on Friday with presentations by Jake Dickson, EGR ’07, Sheri Salter Lilley, BUSM ’87, Bryce Quillin, CLA ’97, and Dr. Stanley Jones, CLA ’92, MED ’96, at locations across campus beginning at 10 a.m.
The Office of Admissions is offering a program called College Bound: An Inside Look at Admissions for alumni, faculty, staff and their college-bound students in grades 9-12 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. in Connell Student Center.
The University will hold a dedication ceremony at 1:30 for the new Bill of Rights Eagle Statue on Cruz Plaza, near the entrance to Jack Tarver Library. Cast in bronze, the eagle has a wingspan of 6 feet and served as the Cathedral studio and understudy model for the “Soaring American Eagle” with a wingspan of 18 feet that is permanently placed in the U.S. Department of State North Courtyard.
Knight Hall, Room 203 will be dedicated in honor of Dr. Jim Cox, the first chair of the Political Science Department at Mercer who taught political philosophy, constitutional law and Christian ethics in the College of Liberal Arts for 38 years. The dedication will take place in the classroom from 4-4:30 p.m.
The fourth annual Alumni Awards Dinner will begin at 6 p.m., and will recognize Athletic Hall of Fame inductees, Alumni Chapter leaders and the recipients of the three traditional University awards – the Distinguished Alumnus, Meritorious Service and Thomas Sewell Plunkett Young Alumnus awards.
This year’s pep rally will reintroduce the traditional bonfire and will take place from 8:30-9 p.m. on the parking lot behind OrthoGeorgia Park and Claude Smith Field, featuring head football coach Bobby Lamb and the Bears, as well as the announcement of the winners of the 2018 Greek Challenge, and fireworks.
Saturday’s events begin with the return of the Homecoming 5K. The 10th edition of the race through the University’s beautiful campus will begin at 8 a.m. inside Five Star Stadium.
An alumni tailgate tent and photo bus will be set up from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. on Black Field. Members of the anniversary classes of 1968, 1978, 1988, 1993, 1998 and 2008 may stop by for a free T-shirt.
A crowd of several hundred guests is expected at 10 a.m. for the Half Century Club brunch. The event welcomes alumni who graduated 50 or more years ago and will take place in the University Center, downstairs on the intramural courts.
The Townsend School of Music will host its annual Kaleidoscope Concert, a free, fast-paced musical offering featuring students and faculty, from 11 a.m.-noon in Fickling Hall.
Gates will open at 1:30 p.m. at Five Star Stadium, followed by kickoff of the football game at 3 p.m.
To view the complete Homecoming 2018 schedule, visit homecoming.mercer.edu. Registration instructions vary by event, so guests are encouraged to consult the online schedule before arriving on campus.
Join in the fun on social media by using the University’s official hashtags for Homecoming 2018. They include #mercerHC18, #mercerUalumni and #gobears.
