Visit MBU Homecoming 2017 website to register, plan your visit, and view the entire schedule of events.
175 Acts of Good
Don’t forget to bring canned goods to the Alumnae House to support MBU’s yearlong campaign to complete 175 community service projects. This project will benefit the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank.
Back to the Classroom
As you map out your back-to-campus weekend, consider going back to class:
Jennifer Hancock, assistant professor of health science at Murphy Deming College of Health Sciences, will present “Healthcare Access and Outcomes Across the Globe” on Friday, April 21. In this timely lecture, Hancock will discuss the current state of healthcare in the United States when compared to other countries around the world.
Louise Freeman, professor of psychology, will discuss “Applied Behavioral Analysis at MBU: How a High-Demand Credential Emerged from Our Liberal Arts Heritage” on Saturday, April 22. Freeman will revisit past professors’ legacies and examine how their influence continues to be felt in the modern psychology major. Specifically, how Jerry Venn’s enthusiasm for behaviorism and Jack Kibler’s passion for the experimental approach equipped Mary Baldwin to offer a high-demand certification in applied behavioral analysis, part of a joint effort of the psychology department and the College of Education.
Downtown Staunton Celebrates
Just as a reminder, many Downtown Staunton merchants will stay open late on Friday night and offer special Sunday hours to welcome Homecoming attendees. A complete list of participating merchants will be included in your registration packet.
Also please be aware if you purchase more than $25 at a participating shop you will be entered into a drawing for the Gift Basket Give-Away to include items from both downtown Staunton merchants and Mary Baldwin University. The winner will be announced at 8 p.m. Saturday with a drawing on the President’s Lawn during the All-Alumni Tent Crawl.
Parade Update
Susan Myers ’72 and her parade planning committee remind you to please plan to participate in the Parade of Classes. Prepare to sing, chant, shout, and celebrate your class in front of the official reviewing stand, where President Pamela Fox and a host of other Mary Baldwin luminaries will cheer you on. Myers and her team promise that there are surprises are in store, so you won’t want to miss this long-standing Mary Baldwin tradition.
To take part, plant to meet at Wilson Terrace at 10:20 a.m. (just after the Bloody Mary Reception on Page Terrace), and look for the special Squirrel signs to find your class’s position in the parade line-up. The 50th Reunion Class from 1967 will lead the parade, followed by subsequent reunion classes (1972, 1977, etc.), but all alumni are encouraged to march representing their classes.
Gladys Makes An Appearance During Our All-Alumni Homecoming Weekend
Gladys the Squirrel will appear at many events as possible during the All-Alumni Homecoming Weekend so there will be many opportunities to be pictured with her.
Community Service Projects
Join us Saturday as we gather to plant perennials and mulch the Page Memorial Garden outside of Pannill Student Center for Beautifying the Page Garden. Dedicated to Gordon Page, the MBU Choir Director, and his wife, “Mopsy” (alumna of MBU Class of 1942), the garden needs some freshening up, and we plan to restore it to its original glory. Wear clothes that you don’t mind getting a bit dirty, and please bring gardening gloves and a hand trowel if you have them (and aren’t flying on an airplane to get here!). Please meet outside the Pannill Student Center, by the Page Garden at 2 p.m. Maximum 15 people.
Founded with participation by the former director of Mary Baldwin University’s Spencer Center for Civic and Global Engagement, Project Grows is a non-profit farm located in August County that is producing a new generation of farmers and community builders through a focus on food production, food access, and food education. During the Project Grows service visit, we will drive to the farm, take a tour of the facility and then participate in a project such as transplanting starts, planting seed potatoes, or planting onions. Please dress in something that can get dirty, and if it’s sunny bring hats, water, and sunscreen. Please meet in the lobby outside of the Spencer Center inside Wenger Hall at 2 p.m. Nell Desmond, director of the Vantage Point, will lead the group to Project Grows. If you are willing to drive, please park close to Wenger Hall so we can easily depart together. Maximum 15 people.
Overview of Civic Engagement Programs and Development of New Service Programs
Join us for a conversation and provide us with input and suggestions about current and potential future civic engagement initiatives at MBU. We will share an overview of the recent film Threads of History that was produced through a collaboration between MBU students, faculty, administrators, and local Staunton residents, and will also overview some current service programs. Then, we will solicit your input regarding our current strategic planning process, including your feedback about possible options for deepening engagement of MBU with the local community. Please meet in the Spencer Center at 2 p.m.
Concerned About Getting Around Campus?
Arrangements are being made again this year to have shuttle service both on campus and to the Stonewall Jackson Hotel. Information about the shuttle service times and the shuttle stops as well as a shuttle map will be indicated on your weekend schedule in your registration packet. Please note, however, the shuttle will not run on a timed schedule due to some special stops that will need to be made during the weekend.