OXFORD, Miss. — University of Mississippi students, alumni and friends
look forward to an array of activities Friday and Saturday (Oct. 16-17)
during Homecoming Weekend, planned around the theme “Ole Miss: An
Experience That Lasts a Lifetime.”
“Homecoming Week is a special time on campus and a tradition that the
Ole Miss family looks forward to each fall,” said Jennifer Taylor,
campus programming director. “The Student Programming Board sponsors a
variety of activities at the Student Union throughout the week. The
week culminates with the annual homecoming parade traveling through
campus and to the Oxford Square.”
Highlights include the
Alumni Awards Ceremony, Fall Visit Day opportunities for prospective
students and a gridiron match with the University of
Alabama-Birmingham. “We are looking forward to all the homecoming
activities we have planned this year,” said Bradley Baker, campus
programming coordinator for student affairs programs. “We are
especially looking forward to the pep rally on the Square following the
parade on Friday.”
Weekend activities get underway at 5:30 p.m. when the Pride of
the South Band strikes up for the parade, beginning on campus at the
Lyceum Circle and continuing on University Avenue to the Oxford Square.
A pep rally is scheduled at the end of the parade route.
A free, public reception Friday at 6 p.m. at The Inn at Ole Miss
honors the six outstanding people who are to receive the university’s
highest alumni award, the Ole Miss Alumni Hall of Fame, and recipients
of the Alumni Service Award and the Outstanding Young Alumni Award.
Following the reception, the awards will be presented at a ticketed
dinner for the honorees in the Gertrude C. Ford Ballroom at The Inn.
Fall Visit Day is set for Saturday, with activities planned for
prospective students to introduce them to campus life. Registration
opens at 9 a.m. in front of Martindale Student Services Center. Campus
tours and maps are to be available, along with a schedule of the day’s
activities.
“Fall Visit Day provides the perfect opportunity for prospective
students and their families to get a firsthand look at Ole Miss,” said
Jody Lowe, associate director of enrollment services. “Representatives
from academic programs, student organizations, student life and
academic support services will be on hand to talk with visitors. We
look forward to showcasing the many amazing opportunities the
University of Mississippi has to offer.”
The new alumni award honorees also are to be presented at the
annual meeting of the Alumni Association at 10 a.m. Saturday in the
Gertrude C. Ford Ballroom at The Inn. New Alumni Association officers
are to be elected at the meeting, which is open to members of the
Alumni Association.
Inductees into the Alumni Hall of Fame are John Warner Alford
Jr. of Oxford, John “Kayo” Dottley of Vicksburg, George E. Hilliard of
Memphis and William W. Parsons Jr. of Merritt Island, Fla. David E.
Brevard of Tupelo will receive the Alumni Service Award for service to
the university and the Alumni Association. Tamara Yvette Crawford of
Arlington, Texas, will receive the Outstanding Young Alumni Award.
Pregame ceremonies at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium begin at 5:30
p.m. and include the introduction of Alumni Hall of Fame inductees and
recipients of other alumni awards. Miss Ole Miss and Colonel Rebel also
will be introduced before kickoff. They are Carmen Rae Musgrove of
Brandon and Steven Nelson of Hattiesburg. The Ole Miss Rebels take on
the UAB Blazers at 6 p.m. Halftime ceremonies feature the crowning of
the 2009 homecoming queen, Hart Wardlaw of Belden.
For more information or assistance related to a disability, call
Student Programming at 662-915-1044 or the Alumni Association at
662-915-7375. For more information about the UM Alumni Association,
visit http://www.alumni.olemiss.edu/.