MACON – Mercer University will hold its fifth fall Homecoming this year with an action-packed slate of events for Mercerians of all ages Nov. 9-11. Thousands of Mercerians will make the pilgrimage back to campus to celebrate Homecoming 2012 with current students in a weekend series of events, culminating with the Second Annual All Class Party in Penfield Hall at 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 10. Headlining this reunion event is Party Nation, a premier party band playing music of various genres and eras.
“Homecoming 2012 promises to be the most exciting and best-attended yet,” said Jill Kinsella, associate vice president for alumni services. “Our alumni from all over the country will get to see the recent campus expansions, watch the new football team in action, and celebrate with fellow Mercerians.”
In the days leading up to Homecoming, students will participate in events on campus to show their spirit and support of the Bears as the men’s and women’s basketball teams prepare to tip off their seasons with games during the weekend. The highlight of these events during the week is a concert by Corey Smith at the Macon City Auditorium on Wednesday, Nov. 7. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the opening act by Stevens Layne, featuring Mercer alumna Molly Stevens, begins at 7:30 p.m. Sponsored by QuadWorks, Mercer’s student activities board, the concert is open to the community. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster for $12. Mercer students, faculty and staff may purchase discounted tickets at the Campus Life Office.
The weekend will also feature several athletic events, including a dedication ceremony for Mercer’s new Drake Field House at the Moye Football and Lacrosse Complex on Friday Nov. 9, at 2 p.m. Basketball season will also begin as the Mercer women play Brevard College at 7 p.m. Friday, and the Mercer men host the University of the South for a 4 p.m. tip-off on Saturday. Prior to the men’s game, Mercer will publicly dedicate Hawkins Arena in the University Center and raise a banner to commemorate last season’s CIT Championship. In addition, the football team will play an intrasquad Orange and Black scrimmage at 10 a.m. Saturday on Bear Field, marking yet another milestone as the University prepares for the return of intercollegiate football in the fall of 2013.
After the women’s basketball game Friday night, events continue outside at Bear Hill, the green space across from the Hilton Garden Inn, where there will be a student skit competition at 9 p.m. Then, the night’s festivities will climax at 9:45 p.m. with the traditional bonfire and pep rally – featuring Mercer’s pep band, cheerleaders and a pep talk by men’s basketball head coach Bob Hoffman – before concluding with a dazzling fireworks display.
Saturday is packed with events, beginning with a 5K Road Run at 8 a.m., followed by an Orange Pancake Breakfast at 8:30 a.m. to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
After the breakfast, alumni may participate in campus tours and affinity group reunions. The tailgating lunch begins at 12:30 p.m. on the University Center patio before everyone makes their way into Hawkins Arena for the men’s basketball game at 4 p.m. The afternoon and evening schedule features several new activities, including a corn hole competition, a dean’s fair for prospective students and pony rides for children. On Sunday, there will be a performance of Cirque Mechanics in the Grand Opera House at 2:30 p.m.
The Saturday schedule will conclude with the All Class Party, featuring Party Nation, at 8 p.m. in Penfield Hall.
Attendees are required to register online at homecoming.mercer.edu. For a full schedule and more information on individual events, please visit homecoming.mercer.edu.
About Mercer University
Founded in 1833, Mercer University is a dynamic and comprehensive center of undergraduate, graduate and professional education. The University enrolls more than 8,300 students in 11 schools and colleges – liberal arts, law, pharmacy, medicine, business, engineering, education, theology, music, nursing and continuing and professional studies – on campuses in Macon, Atlanta and Savannah – and four regional academic centers across the state. The Mercer Health Sciences Center launched July 1, 2012, and includes the University’s medical, nursing and pharmacy schools and will add a fourth college – the College of Health Professions – on July 1, 2013. Mercer is affiliated with four teaching hospitals — Memorial University Medical Center in Savannah, the Medical Center of Central Georgia in Macon, and The Medical Center and St. Francis Hospital in Columbus. The University also has educational partnerships with Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex in Warner Robins and Piedmont Healthcare in Atlanta. It operates an academic press and a performing arts center in Macon and an engineering research center in Warner Robins. Mercer is the only private university in Georgia to field an NCAA Division I athletic program. www.mercer.edu
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