Southeast Missouri State University invites alumni and students to celebrate We Are One with a full week of events Oct. 9-14 as the campus marks this fall Southeast tradition.
Our alumni theme reminds our graduates that regardless of who they are, where they live, when they graduated and what careers they pursued in the years since they left Southeast, we are all one when it comes to our alma mater and the shared experiences we had as students here. Homecoming is a chance for our alumni to reconnect with their past, to enjoy the present and look forward to our future together, said Jay Wolz, director of Alumni Relations. Homecoming is a time to reunite with our alumni as well as celebrate with the current community.
Highlights during the week include presentation of the Universitys Man and Woman of the Year, the Copper Dome Society and Merit Award Dinner, All Alumni Breakfast featuring the presentation of Distinguished Service Awards and the 2017 Distinguished Young Alumni Award, the Homecoming parade and football game.
Visitsemo.edu/homecomingfor a complete schedule of events.
Southeast students have chosen the theme, Dreams Come True at Southeast, which will be reflected in this years Homecoming parade.
The student parade theme lends itself very well to Homecoming floats and other parade entries and also conveys the sentiment that Southeast can serve as a launching pad for students to follow their dreams and pursue whatever career path they wish to follow; from here, dreams really can come true. Anything is possible, Wolz said.
Man and Woman of the Year Presentation
Events get under way on Oct. 9 with campus-wide online voting through Oct. 11 to select the 2017 Man and Woman of the Year. Students can place their vote via the Southeast portal, portal.semo.edu/. For more information, contact Kyle Dudley at kjdudley1s@semo.edu.
A Homecoming Talent Show is slated for 7 p.m. Oct. 9 in Academic Hall Auditorium. Southeast students are encouraged to cheer on their friends as they vie for cash prizes in the annual show. This years show will be emceed by comedian Rubyn Warren. For more information, contact Trysta Guebert at tcguebert1s@semo.edu.
A number of other events and celebrations are planned during Homecoming week. On Tuesday, Oct. 10, retired faculty, staff and their guests are invited to the annual Homecoming brunch from 9:30 to 11 a.m. in the Barbara Hope Kem Statuary Hall in the Aleen Vogel Wehking Alumni Center. R.S.V.P. by Oct. 6 by calling (573) 651-2332.
On Thursday, Oct. 12, students and alumni will have the opportunity to engage with employers who are actively recruiting candidates for full-time and part-time employment opportunities as well as internships at the fall 2017 Career Expo from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Student Recreation Center. Participating students will learn more about future opportunities with specific companies, identifying personal career goals and building a professional network. For more information about the Career Expo, visit www.semo.edu/careersor call the Office of Career Services at (573) 651-2583.
Field Day also is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 12, in Houck Field House. Students compete in various events inspired by this years theme, including tug-of-war, unscramble the word, Hercules relay race and Yzmas Ka-Broom.
Homecoming – Parade, November 5, 2016
A Spirit Rally, featuring the marching band, Sundancers and cheerleaders, will immediately follow the Field Day activities. Students are encouraged to participate in the costume contest and dance competition. For more information on Field Day or the Spirit Rally, visit the Southeast Homecoming Facebook page, www.facebook.com/SoutheastMissouriStateHomecoming/.
Throughout Homecoming week, the University will observe TAG (Thank A Giver) Day to celebrate the generosity of Southeast alumni, parents, faculty and staff who have made so many opportunities possible for students.
Homecoming weekend kicks off with an endowed scholarship reception on Friday, Oct. 13, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at the Show Me Center.This invitation-only event is an opportunity for endowed scholarship donors to meet the students who benefit from their generosity. For more information, contact the Southeast Missouri University Foundation at (573) 651-2332.
Over the past four or five years, this has grown to be one of our biggest Homecoming events, Wolz said.
Southeast will celebrate the Vets Corps 50th Anniversary Reunion from 6 to 10 p.m on Friday, Oct. 13. The Southeast Missouri State Universitys Veterans’ Corps was established in 1967. To commemorate the group’s establishment, all alumni who were members of the Vets’ Corps over the past 50 years are invited to a free reunion and mixer at the Cape Girardeau VFW Post 3838. For more information, contact Walt Wildman, (573) 579-8626, or Tom Meyer, (573) 334-2875.
Also on Friday, the Copper Dome Society Dinner and Merit Award presentations will take place at 6 p.m. in the Show Me Center.Members of the Universitys Copper Dome Society are invited to this annual dinner during which the Alumni Associations 2017 Alumni Merit Awards will be presented along with the 2017 Faculty Merit Award. These awards have been presented annually since 1958 to Southeast alumni who have brought distinction to themselves and the University.
2016 Homecoming Parade
This years alumni recipients are: Glenn Campbell, 87, of Cape Girardeau, Missouri, co-founder of LIDS; Dr. Maude Harris, 85 and 95, of Sikeston, Missouri, health education specialist with the Missouri Extension Office in Scott County, Missouri; Suzan Noel Knese, 93, of Waterloo, Illinois, chief operating officer with Osborn + Barr Communications in St. Louis, Missouri; Dr. Shelton Butch Smith, 67, 73 and 78, of St. Louis, Missouri, professor and director of educational leadership programs at Missouri Baptist University; Steve Taylor, 81, of Cape Girardeau, Missouri, president, chief executive officer and chairman of the board of First Missouri State Bank in Cape Girardeau; and Dr. Mark Wildhaber, 81, of Columbia, Missouri, research ecologist and quantitative ecology section chief with the U.S. Geological Survey.
Receiving the Faculty Merit Award will be Dr. Jeremy Barnes, Southeast professor of health, human performance and recreation. The Faculty Merit Award is presented for excellence in teaching.
The ceremony will include the showing of a Merit Award recipients video. Reservations are required. Admission is complimentary for Copper Dome Society members and $25 for others. For more information, contact the Southeast Alumni Relations Department at (573) 651-2252.
Finally, also on Friday, Oct. 13, come support the womens soccer team as they face Eastern Illinois University at 6:30 p.m. at Houck Field. To purchase tickets or for more information, visitwww.gosoutheast.comor call the Redhawks Ticket Office, (573) 651-2113.
Saturday, Oct. 14, is jam-packed with events throughout the day. Start Homecoming morning with the All Alumni Breakfast at 7 a.m. in Barbara Hope Kem Statuary Hall in the Aleen Vogel Wehking Alumni Center. This buffet breakfast will feature presentations of the Alumni Associations 2017 Distinguished Service Awards and the 2017 Distinguished Young Alumni Award. Limited seating is available. The cost is $15 per person payable at the door. Breakfast sponsorship has been provided, in part, by Nationwide, the official property and casualty insurance provider of the Southeast Alumni Association.
Recipients of this years Distinguished Service Awards are Vicki Boren and Forrest and Ernestine Kidd, all of Cape Girardeau, and TG Missouri of Perryville, Missouri. Boren is a retired vocal music teacher and served as president of the Southeast Alumni Association Board of Directors from 2013-2017. Forrest and Ernestine Kidd are the owners of Kidd Oil Co. and Kidds Convenience Stores. TG Missouri is Toyoda Gosei North America’s largest operation and most advanced chrome plating operation. Distinguished Service Awards are presented to individuals and organizations that have made lasting contributions to their communities and to the University.
The Distinguished Young Alumni Award will be presented this year for the first time to Nicholas K. Maddock. The award honors an individual alumnus or alumna under the age of 37 for their outstanding service to and support of the University. Maddock graduated Summa Cum Laude from Southeast in spring 2014 with a Bachelor of Science in economics and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, majoring in finance and management, entrepreneurship option. Now a Washington, D.C., resident, Maddock is employed by Capital One as a caf launch manager, where he travels the United States facilitating the launch processes for new Capital One cafes.
The Homecoming parade begins at 9:30 a.m. at Capaha Park and travels east on Broadway to Main Street and then south on Main Street. This years parade marshal is Janie Hequembourg Barker, Southeasts oldest living Sagamore Queen. Crowned in 1944, Barker is a Charleston, Missouri, native who has resided in Jacksonville, Florida, for many years. The parade will feature student-created floats, marching bands, student organizations and community entries.
After the parade, alumni can visit the recently-renovated Academic Hall Dome from 10 a.m. to noon to learn about the history of the Universitys landmark administration building and sign their name alongside those of hundreds of other alumni who left their signatures inside the dome over the past century. Visitors may enter through the main entrance of Academic Hall.
Football tailgating will begin at 10 a.m. in front of Houck Field and on various parking areas near the Aleen Vogel Wehking Alumni Center and Houck Field House. The tailgate will feature live music, refreshments and appearances by the Southeast Marching Band, Sundancers, cheerleaders and Rowdy as they lead the football team in the Redhawk Walk down Bellevue and into the stadium. Personal tailgating space is available on a first-come, first-served basis in the Aleen Vogel Wehking Alumni Center parking lots. Alumni Relations and University Foundation staff members will give away free hot dogs and chili dogs, while supplies last, at theAlumni and University Foundation Hospitality Tenton the corner of Bellevue Street and Houcks Place in front of the stadium. Support for the Hospitality Tent is provided by Wings, Etc., and Nationwide Insurance.
The Homecoming football game kicks off at 1 p.m. when the Southeast Redhawks take on their Ohio Valley Conference rivals, the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles, at Houck Field. Tickets start at $11 for adults and $6 for fans age 14 and under and can be purchased through the Southeast Athletics office, 1221 Broadway St. in Cape Girardeau. Tickets will also be available, while supplies last, at the ticket booths in front of Houck Stadium on game day. For more information or to purchase tickets call 866-SEMO-TIK or (573) 651-2113. Student admission is free with a valid Redhawks ID, and students are encouraged to cheer on the team in the Redhawks Nest student section. The University’s 2017 Man and Woman of the Year will be announced during halftime.
For more information about Homecoming 2017, visit semo.edu/homecoming or contact the Southeast Alumni Relations office at alumni@semo.edu.