A robust set of activities will provide abundant fun and a ceremonial flair as Tusculum University celebrates its annual homecoming.
Homecoming will be held Wednesday, Oct. 10, through Sunday, Oct. 14, and will feature events for students, alumni, faculty, staff and the community. The majority of activities will take place Friday and Saturday, and virtually all of them will occur on campus.
This year, homecoming will feature two special events – the inauguration of Dr. James Hurley as Tusculum’s president and the newly created President’s Gala.
“We’re excited to showcase Tusculum and provide opportunities for people from all sectors of the university to connect,” said Angelo Botta, president of the alumni executive board. “It’s a pleasure to speak with alumni who share stories about their Tusculum experience and see firsthand the progress occurring on campus. We also enjoy watching everyone at Tusculum and from the community absorb the vitality on campus through homecoming activities.”
Preregistration for homecoming is strongly encouraged and is available at go.tusculum.edu/homecoming/2018-registration/. Registration packets will be available from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Thursday and from 8-10 a.m. and 2-4 p.m. Friday in the lobby of Annie Hogan Byrd Fine Arts Center and from 8-10 a.m. Saturday in the living room of Niswonger Commons.
Homecoming will kick off Wednesday with the Let’s Glow and Run President’s 3K walk and run. Registration for this free event is at 7:30 p.m. in front of Rankin Hall, with the run and walk beginning at 8 p.m. The route will be confined to the campus, and the first 100 people to register will receive a free T-shirt.
Thursday’s activity will be the Tusculum Homecoming Golf Tournament at Graysburg Hills Golf Course in Chuckey. Lunch and registration for this event will be at 11 a.m., with a shotgun start to the 18 holes of golf occurring at noon. The cost is $75 for alumni and $100 for nonalumni.
Sponsorships for the tournament and holes are still available. Anyone who is interested should contact Randy Loggins, associate athletic director, at rloggins@tusculum.edu or 423-636-5292.
Dr. Hurley’s inauguration at 11 a.m. in the Pioneer Arena will begin Friday’s activities. The alumni homecoming picnic lunch, held under a tent at Pioneer Field, will follow from 12:30-2 p.m. The day will conclude with the President’s Gala reception and the President’s Gala.
Tusculum will host a bevy of activities Saturday, starting with an alumni memorial service on the lawn behind McCormick Hall from 8-9 a.m. The Alumni and Sports Hall of Fame breakfast will take place from 8:30-9:15 a.m., followed by the Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony, both in Chalmers Conference Center.
The day continues with the alumni softball game at 10 a.m. at Red Edmonds Field and the sixth annual Pioneer Lacrosse Classic at 11 a.m. at the lacrosse practice field. From 10:30-11:45 a.m., the alumni awards and annual alumni meeting will take place in Chalmers. Campus tours and an information session will be held from 11:30 a.m.-12:45 p.m., starting in the Virginia Hall lobby.
Class photos will be available at noon in front of Niswonger Commons. Also at that time, alumni who were in the student support services program or the Adults Reaching Career Heights and Educational Success program are invited to a cookout and other festivities at the Patton House.
The homecoming parade will be held at 1 p.m. between the Charles Oliver Gray Complex and Pioneer Park and lead directly into the alumni and Pioneer Club tailgate. At 3 p.m., the Tusculum Pioneers football team will play fellow South Atlantic Conference member, the Newberry Wolves, at Pioneer Field.
The day’s events will conclude in the evening with the alumni baseball game at 7 at Pioneer Park and the alumni dinner and dance from 7-10 p.m. at the General Morgan Inn.
Homecoming ends Sunday with the opportunity to attend the church of one’s preference. First Presbyterian Church. 110 N. Main St., serves as Tusculum’s mother church, and worshipers are welcome at the 8:30 a.m. early service, Sunday school at 9:30 a.m. and the traditional service at 10:45 a.m.
For more information about homecoming, please contact Nicole Rader at nrader@tusculum.edu or by calling the Tusculum Institutional Advancement office at 423-636-7303.