Alumni Weekend
Thank you for joining us for Alumni Weekend, March 28-29, 2025!
Take a look back with these photo albums:
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Schedule at a glance
$ indicates that there is a cost for this event. The nominal fees charged cover food, beverage and entertainment.
Alumni Luncheon with Retired and Current Faculty and Staff, 12:00 – 1:30 p.m.
Honoring retiring professors: Dr. Brent Runnels, Senior Lecturer of Music and Director of Music and Lee Knippenberg, Lecturer of Theatre and Core Studies
Join the Alumni Association in the Lupton Auditorium to reconnect with past and present faculty and staff. A special program is planned in honor of Dr. Brent Runnels and Lee Knippenberg. All retired and current faculty and staff are invited. This is your chance to thank your favorite professor or staff member for their time, commitment, and dedication to Oglethorpe.
Alumni Awards and Athletics Hall of Fame Reception and Ceremony ($), 6:00-8:30 p.m.
Congratulate our 2025 Alumni Award winners and Athletic Hall of Fame inductees during a pre-ceremony reception, with drinks and hors d’ouevres. The ceremony begins at 7:00 p.m. and is followed by a dessert reception.
Class of 2000 and Friends Reunion Event ($), 7:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
It’s a special reunion year for the Class of 2000! It has been 25 years since they graduated. They will be hosting a special party at HOBNOB Neighborhood Tavern (Brookhaven) where there will be plenty of food, drinks and fun for their class and their friends.
Host committee: Blake Stabler, Jonathan Dickson, Katie Jefferies, Lucia Jennings, Misty Hood Whitlock
Alumni Board Annual Meeting, 9:15 a.m.
All alumni are invited to attend to hear updates from the board and elect the 2025-26 Alumni Board.
Back to the Classroom Speakers, 10:00 a.m.
Three exciting topics offered by our current faculty and staff members will take you back into the classroom.
- Evolving yet Constant: 80 Years of the Core – Eli Arnold ’06
Learn about the history of Oglethorpe’s core program over the last eight decades from its origins with Philip Weltner to what’s going on in today’s classes. Come and be prepared to learn about Oglethorpe’s signature program and share your own Core moments. - Science, Technology, and the Future of Humankind – Dr. Jeffrey Collins, Professor of Art History & Anthropology
This seminar will discuss the meaning of the 21st century as a transitional period in human civilization. Students will discuss topics such as new energy sources, AI, the genomic revolution, space exploration, nanotechnology, fusion of humans and machines, singularity, and transhumanism. What is a human, really? Where do we wish to go? What will be our future values? How do we move beyond our present problems? Who will benefit from what technologies?
Petrels with the President, 11:15 a.m.
Join President McClymond to hear about university updates including highlights on academics and student life. There will be an opportunity to ask questions and meet members of the Senior Administrative Leadership Team.
Golden Petrels Lunch and Induction Ceremony, 12:30 – 1:30 p.m.
Welcome the Class of 1975 as they celebrate their induction into the Golden Petrel Society with a special luncheon honoring all Golden Petrels in the Philip Weltner Library.
QuadFest Picnic ($), 12:00 – 2:30 p.m.
Petrels of a feather will reconnect back on the quad for an afternoon picnic! We will have your favorite picnic food as well as lawn games, music, and photos with Petey! This is a family friendly event complete with a bounce house and kids crafts. Lunch will be served until 2:30 p.m.
Oglethorpe University Museum of Art, 12:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Visit the museum anytime during Saturday afternoon’s festivities to see the Alumni Art Showcase.
Carillon Ceremony, 1:00 – 2:00 p.m.
Facilitated by the Alumni Association, the Carillon Ceremony honors members of reunion classes with an opportunity to climb a narrow, spiral staircase to the top of the bell tower and have their photos taken ringing the Carillon bells.
Alumni Basketball Game, Men’s and Women’s, 2:00 p.m.
Join your teammates for some hoops on Pinholster Court! All are welcome to play or cheer on alumni basketball players as they relive their glory days. Locker rooms will be open for showers, and you’ll get your own shower caddy.
20th Annual John P. Salamone ’86 Alumni Soccer Tournament, Men’s & Women’s, 2:00 p.m.
Calling OU soccer players of all ages! It’s time to put on your cleats or cheer on players and visit with friends on the sidelines. Players receive a t-shirt. Locker rooms will be open for showers, and you’ll get your own shower caddy.
Taste of Oglethorpe ($), 5:00 – 6:30 p.m.
Enjoy a taste of Oglethorpe as you sample food and beverages around the Quad while learning about student activities and departments on campus that make the Oglethorpe experience unique.
Stops include:
- Academic Showcase: check out what current students are researching and studying in their classes. Enjoy a Petey’s Paloma (non-alcoholic) while checking out what students are learning in the classroom through an academic showcase. From c elegans to crisis communication plans, OU students are covering it all.
- CORE Program: Celebrate the 80th anniversary of the CORE program at OU by learning about the newest updates and meeting few faculty, while sipping on a “Don Quixote” cocktail.
- Student Organizations: Oglethorpe students are busy enjoying all college life has to offer. Enjoy a canned non-alcoholic beer and see the impact the leaders of various organizations are leaving on campus.
- Alumni Art Showcase: Sip a bourbon smash while viewing the artwork submitted to the alumni art showcase.
The 20/20 Experience: Class of 2020 5-Year Reunion Event ($), 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
It’s a special reunion year for the Class of 2020! It’s been five years since they graduated. They will be hosting a special party with an opportunity to ring the Carillon Bell alongside their friends. This party will be held in Hearst Hall. There will be plenty of food, drinks, music, photo ops and fun for you to enjoy. There will be also be surprise guests from faculty and staff! Stay tuned to figure out who will be joining them.
Faculty and Staff Special Guests: Dr. Janelle Pham, Dr. Seema Shrikhande, Dr. Matthew Wild
Host committee: Autumn Johnson, Coyvan Greer, Ferrin Tinter, Glenn Kaiser-Deepak, Ruby Philippaerts, Justine Tchouaffe, Melody Confer
Class of 80s Reunion Event: Four Decades of Fun ($), 6:30 – 8:30 PM
It’s a special reunion year for Oglethorpe alumni of the 80s! It’s the 40th reunion for the Class of 1985 and they want to celebrate with all of their friends from the 80s, from 1980 to 1989. This special gathering will be held in the Turner Lynch Campus Center Atrium and will have food, drinks, music, and nostalgic photos and yearbooks. Faculty that taught in the 1980s will join the festivities as our special guests. Be sure to check back in to see who will join us!
Faculty and Staff Special Guests: Dr. Vicky Weiss, Dr. Bill Shropshire, Dr. Mike Rulison, Jim Owen, Jim Bohart, Dr. Phil Zinsmeister, Lee ‘ 82 and Dr. Joe Knippenberg, Dennis Matthews, Dr. Paul Hudson ‘72, Dr. Jay Lutz, Dr. John Orme, Chuck Wingo, Dr. Bill Brightman
Host committee: Chris Fulton ‘80, Chris McFadden ‘80, Leslie Jones Thomas ‘80, Bob Kane ‘81, Marnie Ellis Fulton ‘82, Sharon Rudy Moskowitz ‘82, Mark Moskowitz ‘82, Don Henry ‘83, Joanie Kelley Reinheimer ‘84, Craig Reinheimer ‘84, Dan Duncanson ‘85, Barbara Bessmer Henry ‘85, Sherry Rosen ’85, John Winecker ‘85, Stacy McDonald Soloway ‘86, Deborah Cardone Chosewood ‘87, Ruth Ritch Winecker ‘87, Scott Soloway ‘87, Charis Andrews Hanberry ‘88, Dwayne Hanberry ‘88, Kathleen McDermott Kraynick ‘88, Ron Kraynick ‘89
All Alumni Celebration and Stomp the Lawn ($), 6:30 – 10:30 p.m.
Join us for drinks, dinner, and conversation with all alumni on the Quad to wrap up the weekend. Celebrate our reunion classes and award winners as we stomp the lawn with an outdoor party, including dinner, dessert and bar, under the lights with a live DJ!
Class of 2015 and Friends Reunion Event ($), 8:00 – 10:00 p.m.
This party for the Class of 2015 will be held at Time to Escape (Brookhaven), where there will be plenty of food, drinks, and unlimited escaping for them to enjoy. The Class of 2015 invites flanking classes to join them in reconnecting and reminiscing with friends!
Host committee: Anthony Maccaglia, Brian Cornelius, Emmanuel Brantley, Edmund Smith, and Lolita Honkpo