SMSU alumni from the region and across the country will return to campus Sept. 26-Oct. 1 to celebrate “Mustangs Unleashed,” the theme of the 2016 Southwest Minnesota State University Homecoming.

Numerous events will be held during the week leading up to Homecoming, including movies, live entertainment, coronation, residence hall decorating and karaoke.

Coronation of the Homecoming king and queen is at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 29 in the Conference Center Lower Ballroom.

Five alumni and one community member will receive Alumni Association awards at the Friday, Sept. 30 noon luncheon in the Conference Center Ballroom.

SMSU alumnus Nicholas Schleif’s artwork will be prominently displayed in the new U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 18 when the Minnesota Vikings host the Green Bay Packers in the first regular-season home game in the $1.2 billion facility.

An art collection estimated in value at several million dollars is included in the stadium, and was unveiled recently. Stadium and Vikings officials commissioned the art through Sports and the Arts. Most of the 104 artists featured are from Minnesota — including several past Vikings themselves.

Schleif has four pieces that will hang in the stadium. The crown jewel of the four is called “Purple Reign,” a 4 1/2-by-7 ½-foot acrylic on canvas painting in which Schleif re-created an image of Prince using words from the lyrics of Prince songs.

The lyrics line up horizontally across the painting, but also stack up vertically so that, like a crossword puzzle, they spell out key words from Prince’s life, words such as Revolution, Time, Royalty, First Avenue and Paisley Park.

Six individuals will receive Alumni Association awards at  a Sept. 30 noon luncheon in the Conference Center Ballroom on the campus of Southwest Minnesota State University.

The event is part of Homecoming 2016, with a theme of “Mustangs Unleashed.”

Alumni Achievement Awards are presented to alumni in recognition of professional success and the positive reflection made on the university and fellow alumni. Alumni Achievement Award recipients include Jerry Bly, ’71, a retired agricultural representative for several companies and his wife, Ricke, ’73, a retired elementary school teacher; Bill Fenske, ’84, Chief Financial Officer at Rice Memorial Hospital in Willmar, Minn.; and Ann Roemen, ’84, Executive Director of Independent Healthcare Associates and Chief Executive Officer of AccoCare, both in Sioux Falls, S.D.

Honorary Membership Awards are presented to individuals who are not SMSU graduates, but who give their time, talent and enthusiasm to the university. The Honorary Lifetime Membership Award recipient this year is Marilyn Strate, an Associate Professor of Education within the PE Program.