Every year, Samford students, faculty, alumni and friends of the university look forward to celebrating homecoming.
This weekend, Nov. 1-2, the entire Samford community has the special opportunity to come together to fellowship and celebrate being a part of Samford. The alumni classes of 1974, 1999 and 2014 will all be returning to celebrate their 50, 25 and 10-year reunions.
Homecoming will be a packed weekend full of events for everyone in the Samford community to attend. Friday will see the return of two events from last year, those being the Alumni Lecture Series and Homecoming Quad Party. Saturday will host tailgates, the Bulldog Walk and Samford’s Homecoming football matchup against Wofford.
Allison Toomey, Samford’s Director of Special Events and Communication for the Alumni Association, is a key player in planning any events for alumni throughout the year.
“Homecoming is the largest gathering of all of our Samford Bulldogs together in one spot,” Toomey said. “We look forward to the energy and camaraderie of having all of those alums back on campus. It’s great for them to connect with people they may not get to see throughout the year but can see during Homecoming weekend.”
Connecting with alumni is one of the main goals of the Alumni Association.
“Having an engaged alumni base is beneficial for any university. It develops brand recognition, pride in our school, more interested students, career opportunities and connections, and it shows our alumni we care about them,” Toomey said.
Throughout the weekend, the University will also host a variety of other events, such as open houses, a worship service, events for families and a meet and greet with the recently crowned Miss Samford.
“We want our alumni to know that we don’t stop caring about them after they graduate. You’re a student for a season, but you’re a Bulldog for life,” Toomey said.
She also encourages students to connect with alumni this weekend.
“Getting to engage with students is one thing our alumni really enjoy. If you see an alumnus on campus or have the opportunity to talk to one, it means a lot to the alumni to have that connection,” Toomey said.
Casey Ramey, Executive Director of Alumni and Philanthropic Engagement for the Alumni Association is another mind behind Homecoming this year.
“It’s a great time for alumni, parents, students, and friends of Samford to gather on the quad for great food and fellowship, preparing to cheer on the Bulldogs together!” Ramey said. “The tailgate, Bulldog Walk, and football game are all parts of the weekend that anyone in the Samford community will not want to miss.”
While Samford seeks to promote the flourishing of its students, it does not want that to stop after graduation.
“Being a part of Samford is a lifelong thing.” Ramey said. “Samford allows you to have something be a part of your life long after your four years in school. Homecoming allows alumni to stay connected to Samford and see all of the wonderful things their alma mater is doing.”
For more information on Homecoming, students can go to samford.edu/alumni/homecoming for a detailed schedule of all of the events.
Staff Writer
