Erskine Alumni Weekend 2019 planned for March 29-30

Erskine Alumni Weekend 2019 is set for this weekend, Friday and Saturday, March 29-30, a month earlier than has been usual for the past several years.

A Friday evening concert by the Choraleers precedes a slate of Saturday activities planned by the alumni office team, headed by Paul Bell. Bell, who became executive director of alumni relations and strategic giving in January this year, is a 1984 graduate of Erskine College who lives in Due West with his wife, Jeanne Neely Bell ’92, and their children.

“I think every alum agrees that the relationships we formed here—with students, faculty, administrators, and townspeople—are what make us so passionate about Erskine,” Bell says. “This weekend is about reconnecting with people who have shaped who we are and about celebrating the great things that continue to take place at Erskine.”

Alumni and friends are asked to register Saturday morning from 8 to 9:30 a.m. to receive name tags as well as meal tickets. A complimentary breakfast (provided by the Renaissance) will be offered to ticket holders in the Founders Room of Moffatt from 8 to 9:30 a.m.

The Alumni Association will meet at 9:30 a.m. in Bowie Chapel this year. Following the meeting, several activities will be available, including Ruth Burton’s “guided tour” of the Baldwin Music Box Collection, a Philo Alumni Tea, and a chance to go “Back to Class” with veteran professors.

Live music performances by Erskine students on the Watkins Student Center porch will be presented from 10:45 until noon; campus walking tours will be offered in the morning and afternoon; and the cabin across from Belk Hall will be open for “Stories by the Student Cabin” from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

“This event is intended to be a big family reunion. We’ve concentrated our events on the Mall so that people can visit more easily,” Bell says.

Lunch will be served in Moffatt Dining Hall from noon to 1 p.m., and will be free for those with meal tickets (available at registration).

During most of the day, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., the bookstore will be open, Due West Robotics will present demonstrations, and children’s entertainment, including inflatables, face painting, cornhole, and football toss, will be offered on the Mall.

Members of student art and education organizations are volunteering to help with children’s activities.

In the afternoon, two alumni games—women’s and men’s basketball—are planned, and the Erskine baseball and softball teams will be playing doubleheaders. An opportunity to “Meet the Fleet,” a panel discussion with Erskine’s newest coaches, is planned for 1 p.m. Class reunions also take place in the afternoon, with reunion classes posing for group photos. A scavenger hunt for children will begin at 2 p.m. on the Mall.             Erskine’s Model A and the Flying Fleet biplane will be available as photo backdrops for groups and individuals.

Erskine’s staff, including the maintenance and dining services staff will be working hard to make it an enjoyable weekend for everyone, Bell says.

“It’s that Erskine family tradition of caring about people and working together. Come and enjoy it with us!”

See the Alumni Weekend 2019 Schedule here.