OHIO’s Black Alumni Reunion 2025 planning committees announce dates, share guiding principles and goals

OHIO Alumni look over a photo at the 2022 Black Alumni Reunion

UPDATE: The 2025 Black Alumni Reunion, originally scheduled for April 10-13 in Athens, has been placed on hold. 51�� and the Alumni Planning Committee are pausing the event to assess the impacts of the recent federal guidance as well as proposed State of Ohio legislation. The Alumni Planning Committee will meet over the coming months to evaluate next steps.

“We are always eager to welcome our graduates back to campus, so we are disappointed that we need to place this gathering on hold,” said President Lori Stewart Gonzalez. “As I shared with our University community earlier this week, in light of changes to federal and state guidance, we will need to think differently about some of the ways that we live out our mission and vision, and I’m incredibly thankful for the Planning Committee’s willingness to work with us to reimagine this event moving forward.”

Read the full announcement

51��’s Black Alumni Reunion (BAR) will return to the Athens Campus in spring 2025. The BAR 2025 Alumni Committee, Campus Committee and the 51�� Alumni Association are working closely together to plan a reunion that will welcome more than a thousand alumni and friends for the triennial celebration in Athens, Ohio, from Thursday, April 10, through Sunday, April 13, 2025.

The BAR 2025 Alumni Committee identified the spring weekend after thoughtful discussion and with input from partners across campus and the Athens community.

“The BAR Alumni Committee considered every April and September weekend and discussed the potential for summer dates,” said Alumni Committee Co-Chair Jillian Causey (BSH ’13). “Our guiding principles of encouraging intergenerational connections and providing meaningful experiences for alumni and students were central to selecting the April weekend, when students will be able to participate.”

Immediately following BAR 2022, a fall weekend was tentatively set aside for 2025. When that weekend was later announced as when the OHIO Bobcats would take on The Ohio State University Buckeyes in an away football game, BAR organizers began to consider alternative options for the reunion.

“A tradition that dates back to the 1980s, BAR originally was a spring reunion, with alumni gathering in Athens in May to connect, celebrate excellence, and engage with campus,” said Alumni Committee Co-Chair Terry Frazier (BS ’99, MEd ’00). “After the University switched from quarters to semesters in 2012, the reunion was moved to the fall to be inclusive of students and faculty. Planning committees over the decades have prioritized connecting Bobcats of all generations throughout the reunion weekend.”

The Alumni Committee kicked off its work in March and identified the following principles to guide their planning, as well as that of the Campus Committee and the OUAA:

Connection
Experience
Communication/Transparency
Influence/Advocacy
Intergenerational

The Alumni Committee also outlined three primary goals for BAR 2025:

Reconnect with one another and OHIO.
Celebrate amazing alumni.
Connect with and mentor current students and one another.

“The Alumni Committee, Campus Committee and the OUAA are working in close partnership to plan a spring weekend that will connect Bobcats from across the decades in meaningful ways that inspire and encourage future generations,” said 51��’s Interim Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion and Campus Committee Co-Chair Russell Morrow (BSC ’12, MEd ’14). “Programming will be designed to welcome the University’s alumni and to celebrate the Black alumni community and their ties to OHIO.”

The weekend will feature a mix of casual and formal events – from networking and learning opportunities to entertaining and festive occasions.

“The OUAA is committed to hosting events that foster positive connections with the University community and our alumni,” said Associate Vice President of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving and the Executive Director of the OUAA Jennifer Bowie (BSJ ’94, MSC ’99). “I’m grateful to the BAR volunteer planning groups for their commitment to delivering engaging programming and to focusing on guiding principles that will ensure a memorable weekend for alumni, students, and our entire Bobcat community.”

Visit the BAR2025 website to share your Black Alumni Reunion ideas and to watch for updates and details as they become available. And, check out these Frequently Asked Questions for information and details.

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