by Georgette Vigil
Director of Alumni Relations and Community Outreach
Next week we will kick-off NAU Homecoming for our students, alumni and friends. We are fortunate to have more than 88,000 alumni who call Arizona their home and approximately 145,000 alumni nationwide, many of whom will celebrate with us from near or afar.
Homecoming is a 90-year tradition with multiple family activities scheduled throughout the weekend. A personal favorite is the Homecoming Parade, which takes place at 10 a.m. on the streets of downtown Flagstaff. This year’s theme is “Axe of Kindness,” selected by students to represent what it means to be of service and help others. Homemade floats, student clubs and the NAU Marching and Alumni Bands will make this a celebration not to be missed. After the parade, head over to the Skydome for an afternoon of Lumberjack football. The Jacks will take on Eastern Washington at 12:40 p.m. Join other jacks to tailgate before the big game and make sure to wear your True Blue colors.
Each Homecoming gives us the privilege to recognize our Alumni Association Award Winners and the Blue and Gold 40 Year Reunion (Class of 1974). We love hearing their stories and recollections of campus memories. This year we have added an Alumni Recognition Dinner at the High Country Conference Center following the football game. The fall-themed meal will be served family-style. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet our Award Winners from the W.A. College of Business, the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences and the College of Education, as well as mingle with graduates from the Class of 1974.
NAU’s student newspaper, The Lumberjack, celebrates 100 years during Homecoming weekend with a schedule of events at the School of Communication. When the paper debuted in October 1914, it was called The Pine. It was renamed The Lumberjack in 1946.
Please join me and our staff and faculty in welcoming alumni and friends of NAU. Let’s celebrate the many “Axe of Kindness” that make our community a wonderful place to live.