This year, Traditional Reunion Weekend, for those alumni celebrating their 40-, 45-, or 50-year reunions, will be held the weekend of June 3–6 on the University Park campus. Arts Festival Alumni Weekend will also welcome alums back to Happy Valley on July 7–11. Both weekends will offer the opportunity for alumni to return to campus and relive some of their Penn State experiences.

While some alumni remember a campus size of 10,000, others were one of 40,000 or more. There are alumni who don’t remember a time when Penn State was not in the Big Ten, and others who remember when a spaghetti dinner at the Tavern cost only 90 cents. There are many experiences, however, that may be shared among generations of those who have spent time in Happy Valley, including football games, the Lion Shrine, the Creamery, Greek life, or just sitting on the lawn of Old Main in the warm weather studying or chatting with friends. These are the kinds of things that shape memories and keep alumni forever connected to Penn State—no matter where they roam.

The reunion planning committees for Traditional Reunion Weekend have many special events lined up to welcome back their classmates. The 54th Annual Alumni Institute is among the activities. This free event allows those interested to reconnect with Penn State faculty by attending classroom sessions, which span a broad spectrum of academic disciplines including science, engineering, hotel restaurant management, landscape architecture, anthropology, nutrition, and journalism. There will also be a session with the Alumni Association’s own Bernie Ryan, a retired navy commander and director of the Grassroots Network, entitled “The Privatization of Penn State: What Can We Do?”  In this session, Ryan will address the topic of decreased state funding of higher education in Pennsylvania and what it means for the future of public higher education as well as the preservation of Penn State’s land-grant tradition.   

Commemorative photographs will be taken at the Lion Shrine. College open houses, and tours of campus, Beaver Stadium, the Palmer Museum of Art, Pattee Library, Paterno Library, and Old Main will also be offered. On Saturday morning at the Hintz Family Alumni Center, Dan Stearns, Penn State professor of landscape contracting, will offer a preview of the Alumni Gardens of the Hintz Family Alumni Center. The Alumni Center will also host an ice cream social and open house on Saturday afternoon.

Arts Festival Alumni Weekend, July 7–11, is a great opportunity for alumni of all ages to come back to campus. The festival kicks off on Wednesday, July 7, with Children’s Day. Families can enjoy the sidewalk sale, children’s workshops, face painting, and performances. Thursday is check-in day for those choosing to lodge in one of on-campus residence halls. This year, alumni will be given the opportunity to stay in either Hamilton Hall or Thompson Hall in West Halls where they can enjoy breakfast daily and participate in the general Arts Festival sidewalk sales, food, and live musical performances.