Uni to host first-ever Alumni Week in April

April 6 will mark the start of Uni’s first Alumni Reunion Week. According to Assistant Director of Advancement Joshua Hall, the event will encompass all of the reunions of Uni classes that would otherwise happen earlier or later in the year.

Although it is termed a “week”, the event will actually only take place over three days, from Thursday to Saturday. It was created in response to reunions typically taking place during summer, when more alumni are available but also when there’s much less activity in the building.

It will begin on the afternoon of the 6th, with what Hall calls Alumni Agora Day. The day will be modeled after the annual Agora week in February, in which students and Uni-affiliated individuals can teach for four days on topics they’re knowledgeable about. The same concept will apply to this Alumni Agora Day, only the teachers will be limited to alumni and it will only be held for a single day. Hall says this gives alumni an opportunity “to talk about their careers, hobbies, and paths since Uni.” He said that several people were slated to speak at the moment, ranging from “talking about Donald Trump’s language to being a doctor.” He also said the idea was developed because alumni wanted to engage with the students during their time back at Uni.

The Agora Day will be followed by a school tour the following Friday, from 12:30 to 2. Later in the day, the classes of 1967, 1977, 1987, and possibly 1997 and 2007 will hold their reunions. Also, alumni from the entire decade of the 1950s will have a single reunion.

The week will conclude with a formal dinner known as the Gala from 5-9 p.m. that Saturday at the Hilton Garden Inn. While some of the events, like the Agora Day, are new, the Gala has been taking place for “7-10 years” according to Joshua Hall and is the main fundraising event for the Alumni Association, with tickets being $100 each. All the proceeds go to Innovations in Learning, so the dinner will feature discussion about the various new projects.

The dinner will also feature a Madrigals performance as its main event. The performance will not only be from current Madrigals, but also Madrigal alumni, in honor of the 70th anniversary of the Madrigals. Callie Bruce and Madie Gardner, the executive president and vice president of Student Council, will give speeches about their experiences at Uni. Also featured will be the top 5 pieces from an art competition held by Ms. Evans voted on by the alums, a demonstration by the robotics team, and subbie engineering project organized by Dr. Denos.