Pioneer Spirit thriving as alumni return to MVNU for Homecoming

MOUNT VERNON, Ohio — Few things are as steeped in tradition as Homecoming. However, for 2019, Mount Vernon Nazarene University invites its alumni back to campus Nov. 15-16, with a twist on the traditional.

A highlight of Homecoming 2019 will be the Pioneer Spirit Reunion. Volunteers from the classes of 1970-1975 have spent months coordinating this special event that will highlight the alumni, faculty and staff that were here when Mount Vernon Nazarene College was forming. All MVNU Alumni and their families are invited to hear the stories of our Pioneers and talk with them about their journey.

“I am looking forward to Homecoming 2019. It’s been 50 years since I came to Mount Vernon Nazarene College to enroll as a freshman,” said Annie (Richey) Morrison (’71). I had lived my previous 17 years as a missionary kid in the Philippine Islands. I was scared and definitely in ‘third culture kid’ shock.”

Morrison offers a special invitation to all of those in the Pioneer classes.

“You befriended me and welcomed me. One classmate even gave me my first coat,” she said. “So many memories. I am looking forward to seeing you again and learning what God has done in your lives since then. Special events are planned for those of us who were students of the two-year school and had to transfer to further our education. Please come!”

MVNU President Dr. Henry W. Spaulding II, invites alumni, faculty, staff, parents and the community to start Homecoming with the President’s Prayer Breakfast on Friday, Nov. 15. The breakfast is a time to reconnect and pray for the university. Other activities on Friday will include: School/department open houses, Homecoming Chapel, Alumni Celebration and Men’s Cougar Basketball featuring the Queen’s Coronation.

Saturday, alumni will enjoy a Reunion Brunch, Class Gatherings, the 5K Run/Walk, Affinity Group Gatherings, Men’s Basketball Alumni Game, Alumnus David Sapp ’87 poetry reading and the Pioneer Spirit Reunion, among other events.

“For many of us, MVNU was a safe place where we could try our hand at being adults, at owning our faith,” said Kelly (Fig) Smith (’99). “We were surrounded by faculty and staff who cared for both our academic and personal success. Homecoming is a way to remember where our journey began, an opportunity to re-connect with those who journeyed alongside us and to say thank you to the vast number of people who poured their lives into ours.”

Registration, a full schedule, and further details are available at homecoming.mvnu.edu.

Mount Vernon Nazarene University is a private, four-year, intentionally Christian teaching university for traditional age students, graduate students, and working adults. With a 327-acre main campus in Mount Vernon, Ohio, and several convenient Graduate and Professional Studies locations throughout the state, MVNU emphasizes academic excellence, spiritual growth, and service to community and church. MVNU offers an affordable education to more than 2,200 students from 31 states and 22 countries/U.S. territories.

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