BEYOND THE HOMECOMING CELEBRATION What HBCUs Need from Their Alumni and Supporters Now BY DR. MICHAEL L. LOMAX
Students are back on campus and settling into the rhythm of the fall semester, which also means schools are putting finishing touches on their homecoming plans. Students are back on campus and settling into the rhythm of the fall semester, which also means schools are putting finishing touches on their homecoming plans. Each one of our institutions carries its own storied traditions, many stretching back more than a century. Over the years, homecoming has expanded well beyond athletics to a full weekend of pageantry, arts and culture and reunion. I’ve watched this unfold my entire life and certainly over the last 30 years as a college president and during my time as CEO of UNCF. And I’ve come to understand homecoming is something more than nostalgia. It is, for most HBCUs, the single most important fundraising catalyst for the year. Alumni issue “class challenges” to their fellow graduates. Philanthropic partners time their major gifts to the moment. Thousands of alumni inject capital
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