Schedule

Homecoming Spirit Week
Monday, September 30 – Friday, October 4

Campus offices and departments will be encouraged to decorate their spaces in purple and white by Monday. There will be coordinated dress-up days all week, ending with Purple Day on Friday.

Homecoming High School Visit Day (for high school-age children of alumni and siblings of current students)
Welcome Center, Union Lobby

There will be opportunities to attend classes, tour campus, interact with a student panel of current students and stay overnight in a residence hall (optional and if conditions allow at that time).

 Registration required at goshen.edu/visit.

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9:30 – 9:45 a.m.

Meet and Greet
Welcome Center, Union Lobby

Meet and greet for prospective students, grandparents, parents and siblings of current students. Coffee available.

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10 a.m.
Homecoming Convocation
Church-Chapel, Sanctuary
This special convocation will feature 2024 alumni award recipients.

Culture for Service Awards
Charles Hostetter ’63, San Francisco, California
Adam Tice ’02, Goshen, Indiana

Young Alumni Servant Leadership Award
Samita Thapa ’13, Turin, Italy

Champions of Character Awards
To be announced

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10:45 a.m.
Reception for Alumni Award Recipients
Church-Chapel, Fellowship Hall

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12 – 1 p.m.
Student Music Recital
Music Center, Rieth Recital Hall

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1 p.m.
Alumni and Family Bicycle Ride
Meet at Schrock Plaza fountain

Ride Goshen’s Pumpkinvine Bike Trail with other alumni, friends and families. Choose rides from a few miles to up to 35 miles. Groups will form going different speeds and distances. Registration encouraged.

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1 – 4 p.m.
Attend Class

Parents and grandparents may choose to attend a class with your current student during this time. As a courtesy to professors and to ensure there is room for visitors, your student will need to speak with the professor about your classroom visit ahead of time or you can connect with the admissions office to see a list of available classes.

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1 – 2:40 p.m.
Campus Tours
Welcome Center

New to campus or just want to see what has changed? Join us for a 40-minute walking tour of campus, which leave at 1 and 2 p.m.

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1 – 5 p.m.
Road Trip to Goshen College’s Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center
Welcome Center, leaving from the South end of the Union Building

Ride in a GC bus to Merry Lea and tour some of the Merry Lea facilities and learn more about all of the amazing programs that are part of this GC gem. Bus will leave from campus at 1 p.m. and return by 5 p.m. or you can drive on your own, if you’d prefer. (2 emails to Jason, last on 4/24/24)

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3:30 – 4:30 p.m.
Nyai Oyer Gamelan Demonstration
Union building, Gamelan Room

Marcia Yost, director of the arts, will provide an introduction to our Indonesian gamelan. This beautiful set of instruments was gifted to the college in memory of Duane Gingerich ‘69 and in honor of Dr. Mary Oyer ‘45. Come learn more about the journey that brought this gift to Goshen, the instruments, and GC’s plans for it. You will even have a chance to play it.

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4:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Class of 1974 – 50th Anniversary Dinner
Church-Chapel, Fellowship Hall
Cost: $25, Registration required

Celebrate 50 golden years! We will be taking your class photo at 4:45 pm, so come in time for that. This is a chance to connect with your classmates over dinner and a short program. President Stoltzfus will be there to welcome you.

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5 – 10 p.m.
Goshen First Friday
Downtown Goshen

Stroll the streets of Downtown Goshen and visit shops, restaurants and art galleries at this monthly celebration of all that is good about Goshen. Learn more: downtowngoshen.org

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7:00 p.m.
Lavender Jazz Big Band Concert
Downtown Goshen, Goshen Theater

Come see GC’s big band in the beautifully restored auditorium of the historic Goshen Theater. Feel free to come and go as you enjoy First Friday, or enjoy the whole set. The concession stand will be open. (Waiting on plans from Eye Dart)

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8 p.m.
One Act —A Comedy Renaissance (Un Renacimiento de la Comedia)
Umble Center             

Cost: $6, free for GC students/faculty/staff

Tickets can be purchased at goshen.edu/tickets or by calling 574.535.7566. The Umble Center ticket window will open at 7 p.m. for ticket purchase or will call. Click here for more information about the show. (email sent to Amy on 4/24/24)

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8:30 p.m.
Homecoming Pep Rally, High Park Plaza (patio area northwest of the RFC)

The pep rally is a celebration of athletics at Goshen College. Fall sports teams will be acknowledged and we’ll celebrate Dash’s 1st birthday. Afterward, current and prospective students are invited to stay for outdoor activities and snacks. (Meeting with Adela on 4/24/24)

8 – 9 a.m.
Restored GC Labyrinth
North of East Hall

Join Campus Pastor, Jen Shenk ’94, at our recently restored GC labyrinth. Constructed in 2003, it is a replica of an ancient labyrinth in the stone floor of the Chartres Cathedral in France. The Class of 1962 and 2012 each donated the landscaping around the labyrinth. Come walk the labyrinth – using it as a place for prayer, meditation, and solitude.

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9:30 – 11:30 a.m.
Free Time
Opportunity for parents and grandparents to spend time with your college student. Leaf Raker Cafe will open at 9 a.m. for continental breakfast or head off campus to one of our great local restaurants.

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9:15 – 11:30 a.m.
Preschool childcare (3-5 yrs.)
Church-Chapel, Nursery Rooms 124

Snack provided. Pick up your children by at least 11:45 a.m. Registration required.

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9:15 – 11:30 a.m.
K-6th Grade Activities
Rec-Fitness Center, Lobby

A variety of age-appropriate activities are planned, including a chance to learn about and play GC’s gamelan. Snack provided. Mark Daniels ’00 will be here to draw caricatures for interested children.

Please pick up your children by 11:45 a.m. No fee. Registration required.

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9:30 – 11:30 a.m.
Alumni Class Reunions

Baked goods, coffee and tea will be served at 9 a.m. in the College Mennonite Fellowship Hall and the Newcomer and Music Center Lobbies. We will not be holding 5th or 15th year class reunions (class of 2019 and 2009) in 2024.

• 65th — Class of 1959: Location TBD
• 60th — Class of 1964: Location TBD
• 55th — Class of 1969: Location TBD
• 50th — Class of 1974: Location TBD
• 45th — Class of 1979: Location TBD
• 40th — Class of 1984: Location TBD
• 35th — Class of 1989: Location TBD
• 30th — Class of 1994: Location TBD
• 25th — Class of 1999:Location TBD
• 20th — Class of 2004: Location TBD
• 10th — Class of 2014: Location TBD

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11 a.m.
Intersquad Men’s Basketball Game
Recreation-Fitness Center, Gunden Gymnasium

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11:30 a.m.
Lunch: Food Trucks
Parking lot South of the Union Building

Enjoy lunch from local food trucks. No registration required, food can be purchased directly from the vendors. Mark Daniels ’00 will be available in the Welcome Center lobby to draw caricatures for children and the young at heart.

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12 – 1 p.m.
Champions of Character Reception
Church-Chapel,  Fellowship Hall

This reception will honor Melissa Gillette ’05 and Geof Landis ’76, our 2023 Champions of Character awardees. Melissa and Geof will both give brief remarks.

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1 p.m.
Alumni, Friends and Current Student Intramural Kickball Tournament
Kratz-Miller-Yoder Lawn

Do you want to relive your intramural glory day or make new athletic memories? Now’s your chance to see how you stack up against those whippersnapper GC students. The class of 2023 have committed to bring a team. Will you bring a team to take them on? Click here for more details and to register for the tournament.

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1 – 2 p.m.
Biological Sciences Dessert Reception: “Marine Biology — New Spaces and Faces”
Science Building, Room 106

Meet the new director of the marine biology program and hear updates about the Biological Sciences Department and opportunities for alumni engagement.

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1 – 3 p.m.
Alumni Book Signing
Hunsberger Commons, The Union Building

If you are an alumni author and would like to sell a recent book, you are welcome to reserve a table in the Union. You will need to bring your own books and sell them yourself. Email alumni@goshen.edu if interested or with questions.

Participating authors include:

Krista Danielle Fliger, Ivan Ray Mast Jr . ’84, Katie Mast ’85. Orange Roses: A Memoir on Mental Health from One Family’s Perspective.

Ervin Beck ’59. MennoFolk3: Puns, Riddles, Tales, Legends.

Celeste Kennel-Shank ’05. What You Sow Is a Bare Seed: A Countercultural Christian Community during Five Decades of Change.

Michele Hershberger ’83. Why Did Jesus Die and What Difference Does It Make?

Trinda Herschey Bishop ’69. Everything is Fine with Me… a “Big Red” Soldier Chronicles His Survival in WWII.

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1 – 3 p.m.
GC Thrift Fair!
Union Building, Hunsberger Commons

Alumni, current students and GC friends are invited to bring their well-loved GC gear — old or new — to share with other generations! T-shirts, jackets, hats, sweatshirts, mugs or other memorabilia in any condition are welcome. For a small donation to the GC Fund, anybody can score a piece of GC history!

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2 p.m.
Men’s Soccer Game vs. Indiana Wesleyan University
GC Soccer Field

At half-time we will recognize the 50th anniversary of the 1973 men’s team going to nationals.

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2 p.m.
Men’s Alumni Basketball Game
Recreation-Fitness Center, Gunden Gymnasium

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2 – 3 p.m.
Homecoming Hymn Sing
Church-Chapel, Sanctuary

Led by Dr. Scott Hochstetler ’97, professor of music, and H. Roz Woll, assistant professor of music. 

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2 – 3 p.m.
Tour of the Center for Communication Studies
Northwest end of Newcomer Center

Jason Samuel ’93, WGCS general manager and assistant professor of communication, and student leaders will guide you through the new center.

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3 – 4 p.m.
Behind-the-scenes Tour of the Goshen College Music Center

Learn about the construction of the facility, how it was built to have amazing acoustics and see some of the areas of the center that many do not get to see. Meet in the Music Center lobby.

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3 – 4 p.m.
“A Cabinet of Curiosities: Quilts, Clocks, Ceramics, Fraktur” — Gallery Talk
Good Library Gallery (basement)

Ervin Beck ’59, professor emeritus of English, will present a gallery talk about the current exhibit. Learn more here.

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4 p.m.
Women’s Alumni Basketball Game
Rec-Fitness Center, Gunden Gymnasium

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4 p.m.
Tour of the Goshen Printmakers Guild
213 S. Main Street, Goshen (enter in the back, off public parking lot B, next to Fables Books)

Meet the owners of Goshen’s new Printmakers Guild, learn about the old-school presses and other equipment, and see the English Department’s Vandercook press in action! Join us on location or catch a ride at the south end of the Union in a GC van at 3:45 p.m.

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4 p.m.
Demonstration of the Nyai Oyer Gamelan
East end of Union Building

Marcia Yost, director of the arts, will give a brief introduction to the instrument and you may even have a chance to play it.

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4 p.m.
One Act — A Comedy Renaissance (Un Renacimiento de la Comedia)
Umble Center
Cost: $6, free for GC students/faculty/staff

Tickets can be purchased at goshen.edu/tickets or by calling 574.535.7566. The Umble Center ticket window will open at 3 p.m. for ticket purchase or will call. Click here for more information about the show.

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5:30 – 7 p.m.
Art Exhibit Reception, “Sense of Place” Music Center, Hershberger Gallery

Come see an exhibit of work by Sara Method, assistant professor of art. There will be an artist talk at 6:15 p.m. Learn more about the exhibit here.

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7 p.m.
Women’s Volleyball Game vs. Indiana University — South Bend Rec-Fitness Center, Gunden Gymnasium

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7:30 p.m.
Homecoming Music Gala
Music Center, Sauder Concert Hall
Cost: $8, $6 for seniors and free for GC students/faculty/staff

The Music Department presents its annual showcase of student and faculty musicians.

Tickets can be purchased at goshen.edu/tickets or by calling 574.535.7566. Ticket window will open at 6:30 p.m. for ticket purchase or will call.

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9:00 p.m.
Homecoming Trivia Night for Students and Alumni Newcomer Center, Room 19 

Bring your friends and your thinking caps for a chance to win some prizes and the honor of schooling the other teams. You can bring a team of up to six participants or you can come alone and we’ll add you to a team. Special call out for any alumni team willing to take on current students and stay up past your bed time! Time to relive those sleep deprived college years. Snacks will be served.

9:30 a.m.
Worship at College Mennonite Church Church-Chapel, Sanctuary

Join us for worship. President Rebecca Stoltzfus ’83 will be preaching. Pre-service singing starts at 9:15 a.m.

Other local churches will also warmly welcome you back. For a complete list of local congregations, visit: goshen.edu/faith/church-directory

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2 p.m.
One Act —A Comedy Renaissance (Un Renacimiento de la Comedia) Umble Center             Cost: $6, free for GC students/faculty/staff

Tickets can be purchased at goshen.edu/tickets or by calling 574.535.7566. The Umble Center ticket window will open at 1 p.m. for ticket purchase or will call. Click here for more information about the show.