Dickinson College Celebrates Milestones, Connections and Leadership During 2019 Homecoming & Family Weekend
Photo by Joe O'Neill.
Dickinsonians connect during three-day weekend packed with fun and informative events
by MaryAlice Bitts-Jackson; Video by Joe O'Neill
For alumni, Homecoming & Family Weekend is an opportunity to catch up with longtime friends, make a few new ones and plug in to what’s happening at their alma mater today. For Dickinson families, it’s a chance to have some quality time with their students, get to know mentors and friends and check out their loved one’s undergrad home. And for alumni who are also Dickinson parents? It’s all of this, times two.
Dickinsonians came to campus from far and wide to attend Homecoming & Family Weekend, a three-day event packed with gatherings for all members of our diverse and multigenerational community.
The time-honored highlights were the all-campus barbecue, tailgate and Homecoming game—this year, the Red Devil football team sparred against Johns Hopkins, while men’s soccer took on McDaniel. All were invited to join in a halftime salute to the newest inductees of the Athletics Hall of Fame:
- the 2006 football team
- Ana Sokol Bullock ’09, lacrosse
- Eric Dube ’08, football
- Katie Austin Bundy ’07, field hockey and lacrosse
- Matt Liebal ’07, cross country and track and field
- Callie Bradley ’04, cross country and track and field
- and Darwin Breaux, in recognition of years of success in coaching.
The 2019 Homecoming & Family Weekend also saw the launch of Dickinson’s first Women’s Leadership Summit, an opportunity for alumni, parents, faculty and staff to come together for professional and personal enrichment. And it was a big weekend for the Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues, which celebrated its 25th-anniversary year with a happy hour; the Africana-studies department, which hosted a 10th-anniversary dinner; and the Run for Steph 5K, which marks its 15th anniversary this fall.
The learning continued during the annual Roberts lectures, ALLARM LeTort Spring Run Nature Trail Walk, Trout Gallery exhibitions and a Rwanda Mosaic photography exhibit, showcasing the work of 23 students who traveled to Rwanda to study the 1994 genocide and document community-strengthening efforts in the years since. Fall Fest at the Farm, an a cappella breakdown and a Campus Inclusion Week party on Britton Plaza also brought Dickinsonians together to celebrate and connect, while special events, like the Sorority & Fraternity Pancakes on the Plaza, Alumnae of Color reception and Swimming Alumni Meet, united alumni and students with shared experiences.
Families and alumni caught a glimpse of what’s happening on campus during a Saturday-morning President’s Breakfast, which included updates on the college’s new Center for Advising, Internships & Lifelong Career Development, and during the Campus Expo, which offered an insider’s peek at Dickinson departments and centers, and a chance to chat with students, faculty and staff about their latest work.
These opportunities struck a resonant chord with alumni who are also parents of current students. That includes Tom and Tania Adams Pineo, both of the class of ’92, who met when they were first-years, started dating during junior year and married one year after graduation in front of Old West. Their daughters Elizabeth and Emily are in the classes of ’21 and ’23, respectively.
"Since becoming Dickinson parents, our expectations have been exceeded and we have a renewed excitement about the educational experience available at Dickinson,” said Tania, noting that they are pleased with President Margee Ensign’s leadership, and they appreciate the college’s commitment to sustainability and carbon neutrality.
“It’s so wonderful having Dickinson in common with Ainslie,” said Julie Sasitz Davi ’94, P’22, who also met her husband, Mike ’95, P’22, at Dickinson; the couple also returns to campus for special events and to volunteer. “We know that Ainslie is being cared for, and that her professors are invested in her, as she is invested in what she's learning. And knowing that we will all be alums someday and continue to share college experiences is heartwarming.”
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Published September 29, 2019