Harold DuFour-Anderson (COM’75, Wheelock’78) picks out a Class of ’75 shirt at a Golden Terriers celebration during Alumni Weekend 2025. Photo by Jake Belcher

Alumni Weekend

Three Things to Know About Alumni Weekend 2026

Thousands of Terriers will return to campus this weekend for reunions, awards ceremonies, arts events, and panel discussions

Alumni Weekend—an annual Boston University tradition that brings approximately 3,000 visitors to its campuses—is always packed with events for alums and the BU community. 

This year, the festivities take place from September 17 to September 20, and have more than 65 events on tap, including awards ceremonies, concerts, meetups, discussions, screenings, and parties. A complete list of events is here.

“This year’s Alumni Weekend sees the return of our most popular annual events,” says Hannah Gathman (CAS’09, MET’12), BU’s director of alumni programs and events. “The Back to BU Beach Festival and Taproom Trivia at Sunset Cantina will once again bring together alumni from all schools and colleges and generations. This year’s weekend programming feels special in all the opportunities to connect with programs across campus,” such as the University Libraries and campus art galleries. 

Here are three things to know about Alumni Weekend 2026.

1. The University will celebrate exceptional alumni

The BU Alumni Association will confer its highest honor, the Distinguished Alumni Award, on four outstanding alums on September 19. This year’s honorees are Bob Hines (ENG’97), a decorated US Air Force colonel who took part in NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 mission in 2022, spending 170 days aboard the International Space Station; Dushanka Kleinman (SDM’76,’76), president of the Santa Fe Group, a think tank focused on improving lives through oral health, who, after 28 years in the US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, retired as rear admiral and assistant surgeon general; Karen LaFrazia (SSW’89), president and chief executive officer of St. Francis House, New England’s largest day shelter for people experiencing homelessness; and Kevin Lofton (Questrom’76), CEO emeritus of CommonSpirit Health, one of the nation’s largest health systems. 

The 2026 Young Alumni Award will be presented to Ixchel Lemus-Bromley (CGS’17, COM’19), who has worked with companies such as Nordstrom and Brooks Running to promote human rights, transparency, and accountability, and is founder of Free 2 Fly, a running community that connects visually impaired athletes with sighted guide partners.

2. It’s an immersive arts weekend.

The weekend offers a host of opportunities to take in arts and culture on campus, from performance art workshops to gallery exhibitions to a special film screening. 

Alums can catch two of the exhibitions September 17 to 19: The Boston Printmakers 2026 North American Print Biennial at 808 Gallery and Between the Bylines, which features works about, inspired by, and critical of the legacy of the newspaper at the Faye G., Jo, and James Stone Gallery. A special viewing for alumni of The Trail is Calling, an exhibition of entries from the BU Global Programs’ annual photo contest, is September 18 and 19 at the Sherman Gallery. 

At the College of Fine Arts School of Theatre Next Stage Workshops, undergraduates and grad students are showcasing new and undeveloped works in a joint production of the school’s New Play Initiative and CFA’s playwriting program. They take place September 17 to  19 at the David Copeland Black Box Theatre, 855 Comm Ave, Room 354. 

And the event Poetry Is the Culture of a People: A Celebration of Nikki Giovanni on September 17 features an exhibition showcasing the work and influence of the poet and activist, as well as a screening of Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project and a discussion with the filmmakers. A reception and poetry reading will follow the screening.

Details for all of the arts events are here.

3. A slate of panel discussions will inform.

Several panel discussions are scheduled, including Catalyst Summit 2026: Decoding Everyday Health, which will bring together leaders across healthcare, academia, and industry to discuss the rapidly transforming health landscape. The two-day event, September 17 and 18 at the Duan Family Center for Computing & Data Sciences, will feature a conversation between BU President Melissa Gilliam and Noubar Afeyan, founder and CEO of Flagship Pioneering, as well as presentations, networking opportunities, and panel discussions with guest speakers from companies such as Takeda Pharmaceuticals, WHOOP, and Oura. 

And Scott Taylor, dean of the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies, will moderate the panel discussion Foreign Policy and the Midterm Elections on September 19 at 9:30 am at Pardee. He’ll be joined by Mark Storella, a retired ambassador and Pardee professor of the practice of diplomacy;  Vesko Garčević, a retired ambassador, Pardee professor of the practice of international relations, and director of the Center for the Study of Europe; and Shoshana Chatfield (Pardee’88), a retired US Navy vice admiral and former US representative to the NATO Military Committee.