Stella Lorence (COM’22) warming up with Rhett before embarking on a 5K Fun Run through the Charles River Esplanade during last year’s Alumni Weekend.

Alumni Weekend

Celebrate Alumni Weekend 2024 with These Six Community Events

From trivia to arts to inauguration, this year’s program is packed with Terrier pride

Last year’s Alumni Weekend was a whirlwind celebration on an unprecedented scale, marking the event’s 75th anniversary, the 150th anniversary of the College of Arts & Sciences, and a return to fully in-person events. This year’s festivities are no less exciting, with a three-day University-wide bash that boasts 50 on- and off-campus events celebrating BU’s alumni community.

“We’re excited to build on momentum from 2023 to create an energetic weekend that truly offers something for everyone, whether it’s networking, professional development, alumni artwork, Sunset Cantina nachos, or a game at Fenway,” says Hannah Gathman (CAS’09, MET’12), director of alumni programs and events.

The timing of this year’s Alumni Weekend couldn’t be better—on Friday, September 27, BU President Melissa L. Gilliam will be inaugurated as BU’s 11th president, with a ceremony at Agganis Arena. 

“We’re honored to host President Gilliam at multiple events during her first Alumni Weekend and cheer her on during the inauguration activities,” Gathman says.

Those who would like to attend the inauguration ceremony can learn more here.

On Saturday, the BU Alumni Association will present five outstanding alumni with its highest honor, the Distinguished Alumni Award: Uzo Aduba (CFA’05), an Emmy-winning and Tony-nominated actor; Kate Barrand (Questrom’85), president and CEO of the nonprofit Horizons for Homeless Children; Michelle Hurd (CFA’88), an actor and activist who has twice been honored as a distinguished alum of the College of Fine Arts; Daniel Levy (CAMED’80), a professor of epidemiology and preventive medicine at the BU Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine and director of the Framingham Heart Study, the nation’s longest-running study of heart disease. In addition, Em Nguyen (COM’15), vice president of the Washington, D.C., chapter of the Asian American Journalists Association, will be honored with the Young Alumni Award. 

There’s plenty of Terrier pride to go around this year, so be sure to check out these six free community events.

Black Media Symposium

The theme of the third Black Media symposium, “Pioneers Then and Now,” is a tribute to pathbreaking Black media icons and an appreciation of today’s titans of the field. As such, the event has a special guest: Dorothy Butler Gilliam, a former editor, columnist, author, educator, the first Black female journalist hired by the Washington Post—and mother of BU President Melissa L. Gilliam. The symposium, hosted by the College of Communication, will also feature alum speakers whose work has impacted the fields of journalism, public relations, marketing, advertising, and film. 

Saturday, September 28, 8 am to 5 pm, at the Howard Thurman Center for Common Ground, 808 Commonwealth Ave.

School of Visual Arts Alumni Exhibition

From BU Art Galleries and the College of Fine Arts School of Visual Arts comes an opportunity to take in the community’s diverse creative talents. The exhibition Group Crit shows works by more than 50 1969-to-2024 master’s program graduates. At 10 am, join Marc Schepens (CFA’12), director of the School of Visual Arts and a CFA lecturer in painting, for an exhibition discussion.

Saturday, September 28, 9 to 11:30 am, at 808 Gallery, 808 Commonwealth Ave. 

Back to BU Beach Festival

Open to all, this “beach” bash is Alumni Weekend’s largest event, with local beers, balloon animals for the kiddos, activity booths, and plenty of swag and prizes. The highlight of the festival is the performance lineup, which features all manner of campus groups—the Dear Abbeys, Liquid Fun, Inner Strength Gospel Choir, the BU Pep Band—and a few special alumni guests.

Saturday, September 28, noon to 3 pm, at the BU Beach, 270 Bay State Road

Historical Campus Walking Tour

Join Daryl Healea (STH’01, Wheelock’11), assistant dean for curriculum and enrollment services at the College of Arts & Sciences, for a jaunt around the century-old Charles River Campus. Healea will discuss its evolution, from the early 1900s through the midcentury, its development into a world-class city campus, and the fascinating architectural features woven into the eclectically beautiful stretch of Comm Ave we all know and love.

Saturday, September 28, 12:30 to 1:30 pm, departing from 30 Bay State Road

Taproom Trivia at Sunset Cantina

It’s a Terrier takeover! Join the BU trivia crew at a fully rented-out Sunset Cantina for an evening of rapid-fire questions about Boston and your 17 schools and colleges. Grab a team of fellow brainiacs and munch on free nachos while you compete for BU swag, and of course, bragging rights.

Saturday, September 28, 7 to 10 pm, at Sunset Cantina, 916 Commonwealth Ave.

BU Symphony Orchestra Concert

Conducted by Sarah Ioannides, a CFA School of Music associate professor in orchestral conducting and director of orchestral activities. This concert, her BU debut, is the first of the 2024-2025 season and is presented in honor of President Gilliam’s inauguration. The evening program includes Joan Tower’s “Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman No.1,” Bedřich Smetana’s The Moldau, Florence Price’s Ethiopia’s Shadow in America, George Gershwin’s An American in Paris, and the first movement of Antonin Dvořák’s Cello Concerto, performed by Minyung Suh (CFA’24), winner of the 2023 BU Concerto Competition.

Saturday, September 28, 7:30 pm, at the Tsai Performance Center, 685 Commonwealth Ave.