First-ever virtual Homecoming engages alumni worldwide

Nearly 2,000 alumni and friends participated in the University’s first-ever virtual Homecoming — a week of video premieres, speaker events and interactive experiences held Oct. 12-18. Because Homecoming provided multiple opportunities for alumni to plug in from wherever they happened to be, it went far beyond its customary existence as a campus-based event to being a global celebration of Binghamton pride.

Each year, Homecoming enables alumni to see the newest additions to campus as well as places they fondly remember. In lieu of in-person tours, Homecoming 2020 had a virtual tour taking alumni inside the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Koffman Southern Tier Incubator and University Downtown Center. The tour also showed designs for the future baseball complex made possible by an anonymous $60 million gift.

This year’s Homecoming TIER Talks speaker event featured four faculty members — two of whom are Binghamton University alumni — engaged in work supported by the Harpur College Advocacy Council Faculty Development Endowment. This grant program is funded by alumni donations and makes possible a wide range of research and creative projects by Harpur faculty.

Other Homecoming events included a fireside chat with President Harvey Stenger, panel discussion on issues affecting LGBTQ+ alumni, 5K run/walk, mixology and cooking demonstrations and Netflix watch party. Homecoming culminated with a video honoring the 70th anniversary of Harpur College of Arts and Sciences.

“It was an amazing week,” said Lisa Abbott, MBA ’93, Alumni Association president. “It was a different kind of Homecoming but a special time nonetheless. We can’t wait to see our alumni on campus again.”

See Homecoming videos at our archive.