Homecoming: A parade, a 5k and the president in a boat

Central Michigan University alumni returning to campus for Homecoming will find new ways to celebrate their connection to the university while enjoying old traditions.

• This year marks 50 years for Wayside Central. To celebrate that, alumni are taking it over. Mix and mingle with old friends and make new connections.
• Students in the Integration of Science, Technology and Engineering program challenged President Neil MacKinnon and Wiline Pangle, InSciTE director, to cross the Rose Ponds in boats they made. Will they get wet?
• One of Homecoming’s biggest events is the parade, which will start at 11 a.m. in Lot 22 before winding its way into downtown Mount Pleasant. This year’s grand marshal is the McGuirk family.
• The CMU Homecoming 5K Run/Walk is another tradition, dating back more than 35 years. This year, more than 250 participants are expected. Proceeds benefit Special Olympics Michigan.
• No Homecoming weekend is complete without football. CMU takes on the University of Massachusetts at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday.
• A slideshow of photos from campus in 1975 will highlight this year’s Celebratory Alumni Breakfast, which will feature a 50-year reunion for the Class of 1975. All alumni and friends are welcome to attend.

CMU has also profiled the successes of its alumni recently.

• Adam Jaksa fulfilled a lifelong dream working play-by-play for part of a Detroit Tigers game.
• A former Centralis scholar overcomes obstacles to coach collegiate basketball.
• An alumnus from 2007 wins a major prize for music composition.