06/09/2010
Nearly 600 alumni and friends are expected to enjoy class get-togethers, parties and other activities on campus during the 2010 Alumni Reunion Weekend from July 16-18.
“We are excited to once again host Arethusa as one of our featured sororities,” said Erin Boylan, associate director of alumni affairs. “We also, for the first time, look forward to hosting Sigma Delta Phi sorority. We hope that they will enjoy the weekend as much as the Greeks we have invited to past reunions.”
Reunion Weekend opens Friday, July 16, with a golf tournament held at Walden Oaks Country Club Golf Course. The sororities and the Classes of 1955 and 1960 can enjoy a boat cruise on one of the Finger Lakes.
Also on Friday afternoon, the SUNY Cortland Alumni Association, the Cortland College Foundation and President Erik J. Bitterbaum will host a special reception for the Reunion Committee members in Brockway Hall Jacobus Lounge. The Class of 1960 will celebrate their 50th reunion with a dinner held at the Lynne Parks ’68 SUNY Cortland Alumni House. Friday’s activities culminate with a reunion party in the Corey Union Function Room.
Saturday’s events include campus tours, a hike of Hoxie Gorge, tours of the Alumni House and photographs. Participants include the Half Century Club, comprised of everyone who graduated more than 50 years ago; the Classes of 1950, 1955, 1960, 1965, 1970, 1975, 1980, 1985, 1990, 1995 and 2000; members of Arethusa and Sigma Delta Phi sororities and Ballroom Dance alumni. Members of Nu Sigma Chi sorority will sponsor an alumnae tea from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at their house on 52 Prospect Terrace. For the first time, the Alumni Association is partnering with the Cortland Downtown Partnership to allow alumni to participate in the “Taste of Downtown.” Participants will enjoy food and beverage samples from more than 20 city eateries and be given a commemorative wine glass.
The SUNY Cortland Alumni Association will present its highest honor, the Distinguished Alumna/Alumnus Award, to three graduates during the Alumni Reunion Weekend luncheon. The luncheon begins Saturday at noon in the Corey Union Function Room and honors reunion classes and this year’s Distinguished Alumni Award recipients.
Immediately following the luncheon, the Alumni House will host numerous gatherings. Members of Alpha Kappa Phi/Agonian, Sigma Sigma Sigma, Sigma Rho Sigma sorority will gather for their annual meeting. The Nu Sigma Chi Legacy Fund will again underwrite an All Greek Reception. Sigma Delta Phi will be lauded for their fundraising efforts and a fireplace will be named in their honor.
Individual class dinners will be held Saturday evening at various campus and downtown locations. Arethusa and Sigma Delta Phi will celebrate their reunions with dinners planned by reunion committees at the Alumni House. Following their dinners, alumni will have the opportunity to enjoy a concert featuring The Joleo Band, as classic/southern rock band, with opening act, Mickey Sometimes, in downtown Cortland. The band is cosponsored by the Alumni Association and the Cortland Downtown Partnership.
On Sunday, a farewell breakfast is scheduled for 9-11 a.m. at the Alumni House. Arethusa and Sigma Delta Phi will enjoy breakfasts in Corey Union. The reunion activities conclude with a memorial service held in honor of George Fuge ’49, emeritus director of the Outdoor Education Center at Raquette Lake and SUNY Cortland Distinguished Alumnus and Hall of Fame member.
The campus community is encouraged to attend Alumni Reunion Weekend. For more information or to register for the weekend, contact the Alumni Affairs Office at (607) 753-2516 or visit the website at www.cortland.edu/reunion.