Peru, Nebraska – Peru State College will hold its 2023 Homecoming festivities on September 29th and 30th on the “Campus of a Thousand Oaks.” The theme “Cats from the Past” will focus on past decades. All students, alumni, family, and friends are invited to gather and celebrate Nebraska’s first college.
“The Student Senate and Campus Activities Board worked together to come up with the homecoming theme this year,” said Becky Hupp, Student Senate President. “It was selected because of the belief that students and alumni will enjoy the decade-themed festivities. Student Senate plans the homecoming parade, the half-time coronation, and homecoming representative elections. The Campus Activities Board plans the fun events throughout the week.”
The Campus Activities Board is planning numerous student activities. “Each day’s event focuses on a specific decade’s events that are inspired by the 50s through the 90s,” said Carrie Burnham, Director of Student Activities and Programs. “They will involve disco balls, sock hops, aerobics, and maybe even some slime.”
Weekend Homecoming activities kick off on Friday, September 29th, with alumni and guest registration from 3 to 5 p.m. at the library. Campus tours will be offered from 3:30-4:30 p.m. The alumni reception will be held at the President’s house from 4:30 to 5:45 p.m. To conclude the day, the all-college and reunion banquet will commence at 6 p.m. in the Student Center. It will feature a special music presentation by Dr. Dan Holtz, a former Peru State English professor.
The all-college reunion and banquet will honor the class of 1973 and its affiliated classes of 1972 and 1974. The classes of 1963, 1983, 1993, 2003, and 2013 will also be honored.
“We recognize the individuals from their respective classes and present them with a memento to commemorate their reunion,” said Ted Harshbarger, Peru State College Foundation Director. “The 50-year class (1973) receives a medallion based upon a drawing by the late Dr. Leland “Shorty” Sherwood, a former beloved art professor. The late Dr. Jerry Gallentine, president in the 80s, felt the College and Foundation should do something special for the 50-year graduates and worked with Dr. Sherwood to develop/design the medallion.”
Saturday’s activities will start with the homecoming parade at 10:00 a.m. The Bobcat volleyball team will host Culver-Stockton at 11:00 a.m. in the Al Wheeler Activity Center which includes a recognition of the team members and coaches from the national tournament qualifying 1993 volleyball team. A tailgate party and mini-carnival, compliments of the College and Foundation are free to attendees. It will be held on the lawn of TJ Majors from 11:00 a.m.-1:30 p.m. The Peru State Jazz Band will add live music to the festivities. The Bobcat football team then takes on Missouri Valley at 2:00 p.m. at the Oak Bowl, with the coronation of the 2023 King and Queen at halftime. Andrew Black Elk and Daniela Lagunas were the 2022 King and Queen, respectively.
“Homecoming is a week that helps bring the campus closer together,” said Burnham. “We want the events to include faculty, staff, and students getting in the spirit of Homecoming and gearing up for the festivities on Saturday. Our Campus Activities Board and Student Senate will work hard this next month planning the events together so students can have a great week and even learn some new things from the “past.”
For more information, or to register for the all-college reunion banquet, see https://www.peru.edu/foundation/events/homecoming/
Nestled in the hills of historic southeast Nebraska, Peru State College offers a mix of innovative online and traditional classroom undergraduate and graduate programs, including online graduate degrees.
Established in 1867 as Nebraska’s first college, Peru State has transformed over the past century and a half into a state-of-the-art institution offering diverse, multifaceted educational programs annually to nearly 2,000 students.