Top Five Reasons to Register for Homecoming & Family Weekend
Countdown begins for Oct. 23-25 event
The countdown is on! This year’s Homecoming & Family Weekend runs from Friday, Oct. 23, through Sunday, Oct. 25. Whether you’re a Dickinson parent, eager to see your student’s world up close, or you’re excited to reconnect with fellow alumni, this is a perfect time to deepen your ties to the college community.
1. Barbecue, big games and tailgating
Saturday’s All-Campus Barbecue brings everyone together for good food and fun. That vibe continues at the Tailgate & Resource Fair, where we’ll serve up tasty treats along with useful information about campus life today.
Come to Biddle Field early to see Dickinson field hockey spar with Franklin & Marshall College. Then cheer on Red Devils football as they battle McDaniel College. The nearby Kline Center is the place to root for Dickinson volleyball as they take Haverford College to the net.
2. Insider’s views
Campus tours, info sessions and open houses bring Dickinson alumni and families in touch with the people who shape campus life.
Dickinson’s director of academic and emerging technology will let you peek behind the AI curtain with "AI in the Dickinson Classroom: What Does It Actually Look Like?" Sessions hosted by the Center for Career Development and the Burgess Institute for the Global Economy will focus on how Dickinson is preparing students for impactful careers.
Dickinson leaders, including President John E. Jones III ’77, P’11, will share the college's latest news and initiatives during Saturday’s Presidential Leadership Panel & Breakfast. The informal discussion will be moderated by Parents Leadership Council Chairs Bryan ’98, P’27, and Heather Kurey ’98, P’27.
3. Celebrating one of our own
One of the weekend’s most anticipated events will be a homecoming in the truest sense. Dickinson parent and alumna Laura Kamoie ’92, P’26, will return to the place where her family’s Dickinson story began to give a reading and discussion of her newest novel.
A Founding Mother is a July 2026 selection for actor Reese Witherspoon’s book club, and it appears on three major bestseller lists. A book sale and signing will immediately follow the reading and discussion. During her campus visit, Kamoie will also discuss her path from Dickinson history major to novelist through small-group meetings with students and professors.
4. A strong sense of community
The Asbell Center for Jewish Life will host a Shabbat service and kosher dinner and a bagel brunch. Fabulous food and fellowship are also on the menu for the Culture Cookout, hosted by the Popel Shaw Center for Race & Ethnicity alongside partnering campus and alumni groups. All alumni, students and families are welcome to these events.
Sunday morning's Run for Steph unites Dickinsonians around a common cause.
Three major Dickinson groups are celebrating major anniversaries to celebrate this year.
- The college will host a 55th-birthday party for Delta Nu on Saturday. All current and alumnae sisters are invited.
- The Alliance for Aquatic Resource Monitoring (ALLARM) marks 40 years of empowering communities to monitor, protect and advocate for their waterways with a dinner and toast.
- Dickinson Christian Fellowship marks its 75th-anniversary year during a Saturday-afternoon event in the Stern Center Great Room.
5. Get back to class!
Select Friday classes will be open to alumni and families, offering rare chances to see the Dickinson education in action. Examples will include “Understanding Cancer: New Hopes and Challenges,” led by a Dickinson professor on the leading edge of cancer research. Other lifelong-learning opportunities include the Roberts Lecture series with acclaimed classicist and author James Romm.
Dickinson’s talented musicians take center stage through faculty and student performances. You can also take in an opening reception and exhibitions at The Trout Gallery.
And there’s still more to explore! So mark your calendar, browse the full schedule and register today.
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Published September 18, 2026