SMSU ‘Mustangs Unite’ Homecoming at SMSU Oct. 7-13

Published Friday, September 27, 2019

The Homecoming parade will be held at 11 a.m. on Oct. 12

Mustang alumni will converge on Marshall for Homecoming 2019 at Southwest Minnesota State University, which will be held Oct. 7-13 with a theme of “Mustangs Unite.”

Many student-centered events are held during the week, including the Chartwells Stampede Feed on Oct. 7; Candidate’s Night, featuring hypnotist Freddie Justice, on Oct. 8; Mustangs Got Talent on Oct. 9; and Coronation and Take 2 Improv on Oct. 10.

The SMSU Planetarium will host two shows, a Beatles-inspired Laser Light Show on Oct. 11, and a Planetarium Star Show, “The Eagle Has Landed: A Trip to the Moon,” on Oct. 12.

Alumni Association Awards will be presented to five individuals at a noon luncheon Friday, Oct. 11 in the Conference Center Ballroom. Alumni Achievement Awards will be presented to Phyllis (Ostergaard) Hitchcock, a 1977 alumna who taught for 40 years in the Centennial (Minn.) School District; Brian Luke, a 1975 alumnus now in his 45^th year as the boys’ and girls’ swimming and diving teams coach at Stillwater (Minn.) High School; and Kristi Mukomela, a 1980 alumna and the President and CEO of Novation Credit Union, based in the Twin Cities. The Honorary Membership Award will be presented to Karen Sweetland, an avid SMSU supporter and the wife of the late SMSU President Doug Sweetland. The Graduate of the Last Decade (GOLD) Award will be presented to Megan Seppmann, Vice President of Sales for the Wisconsin Center District, Milwaukee’s premiere event campus.

The University Gala will take place on Oct. 11. This annual fundraiser has raised over $900,000 to date, and supports scholarships and programs at SMSU. It has funded 1,450 student scholarships over the years.

There will be several athletic events on Homecoming Day, Oct. 12. The SMSU women’s swimming and diving team will take on Iowa Lakes Community College at 1 p.m., the first competition for the team since it was announced as a new Mustang sport a year ago. The football Homecoming game begins at 3 p.m. against Bemidji State.

The Lions Club Pancake Feed will kick off Homecoming Day at 7 a.m. at the Fire Hall. The Veterans Club will host the Legacy Homecoming 5K/10K Run at 8 a.m., with registration at 7:30 a.m.

The annual Homecoming parade will run its usual route down Main Street starting at 11 a.m.

Dueling Pianos will be held at 9 p.m. on Oct. 12 at Bello Cucina. A Mustang Pub Crawl will be held downtown that evening, starting at 6 p.m.

An Alumni Brunch will be held Sunday, Oct. 13 at the Campus Restaurant.

A tour of the university will be offered to those who wish to see first-hand the many changes to the institution over the years. The tour starts from Founders Hall at 1:30 p.m. on Oct. 12.

A complete list of events:

Tuesday, October 1

Noon

SMSU Faculty/Staff Alumni Luncheon
Conference Center Upper Ballroom

Monday, October 7

8 a.m.
Donut Drop, sponsored by STAT

Bellows Commons

5-7 p.m.
Stampede Feed, sponsored by Chartwells

Alumni Plaza

Tuesday, October 8

King & Queen voting opens

10:45 a.m.