Thousands of alumni will convene on the Stanford campus this weekend for Reunion Homecoming, which takes place Thursday through Sunday. More than 7,660 alumni and guests from around the country and world have registered for the event, with final attendance expected to be around 8,000.

Every fall, the Stanford Alumni Association (SAA) hosts reunions for alumni classes marking five-year milestones. This year’s reunion welcomes back class years ending in 0s and 5s. It will be their first formal reunion in a decade; their 2020 reunion was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Approximately 225 unique events and over 250 mini reunions are planned throughout the weekend. Programming is more than a year in the planning, said Victor Madrigal, ’94, director of Reunion Homecoming at SAA, and relies on the help of many alumni volunteers. “We engage hundreds of volunteers throughout the year to plan parties, panel discussions, tailgates, and more. We’re grateful for their help and collaboration.”

More than 200 additional staff volunteers from multiple departments, including SAA, the Office of Development, and External Relations, help make Reunion Homecoming a success.

Intellectual opportunities

The celebration kicks off on Thursday. After checking in at the Ford Center on Galvez Street, alumni and guests can participate in events and programming designed to rekindle the connections and intellectual curiosity they enjoyed as undergrads.

Notable events include welcome remarks by President Jonathan Levin, ‘94, on Friday, followed by three microlectures with faculty on sustainable technologies, social norms, and women artists of the Renaissance.

That afternoon, President Levin will host a special Signature Class Without Quiz (CWOQ) lecture on the future of higher education. He will be joined by university leaders, including Condoleezza Rice and board of trustee member Peter Salovey, ‘80. They will explore the pressures facing universities today, how academic institutions can continue to serve the greater good, and what it will take to sustain academic excellence, equity, and public trust in the years ahead.

On Saturday, Fei-Fei Li, professor of computer science, and Lily Sarafan, ’03, MS ’03, chair of the Stanford University Board of Trustees, will host a discussion on the frontier of artificial intelligence. Other CWOQs will address topics including human longevity, education policy, threats to global safety, the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and the role of politics in education.

Signature events

Dinner on the Quad, a traditional highlight of Reunion Homecoming weekend, will convene generations of alumni for an al fresco dinner under the stars. The ticketed event is Thursday at 6 p.m. and begins with Palm Drive Spritz cocktails in Memorial Court.

On Friday, the Multicultural Alumni Hall of Fame reception and ceremony will celebrate four individuals for their distinguished service to their communities and society at large. Honorees are selected by the Asian American Activities Center, the Black Community Services Center, El Centro Chicano y Latino, and the Native American Cultural Center. The ceremony will take place Friday in the Oak Lounge at Tresidder Memorial Union.

Reunited, and it feels so good

Mini reunions for individual class years will be held across campus throughout the weekend. Notably, at least 115 alumni and guests of the class of 1955 will celebrate their 70th reunion with a luncheon celebration at Bing Concert Hall on Thursday.

Other events include a musical performance by the Class of 1985 student band the Kartoonz, and a storytelling soiree at the Old Union Clubhouse ballroom for sharing 10-minute stories on the theme “A Work in Progress.”

On Saturday evening at the Harry Elam Theatre at Roble Gym, Dr. Ricardo Rosenkranz, ’85 – an assistant professor in clinical pediatrics at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine who is also known as the “physician magician” – will showcase his rare and beautiful illusions.

New this year is the Homecoming Hangout, an informal gathering space at Koret Plaza for Stanford alumni and their families to relax between events. No tickets or reservations are required and drop-ins are welcome.

Go Card!

On Friday, Andrew Luck, ’12, MA ’23, will reflect on his journey from Stanford quarterback to NFL Pro Bowler to his current role as Stanford Football General Manager with a CWOQ called Stanford Football: Past, Present, and Future. He’ll also offer insights into the evolution of college football, the challenges and opportunities facing Stanford today, and his vision for the program’s future.

On Saturday, Stanford Football will face Florida State at Stanford Stadium. Kick-off is at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available at gostanford.com. Alumni and guests are invited to tailgate before the game and connect inside the stadium at the new Reunion Zone, located at The Archway. A 25th reunion tailgate will be held inside the stadium.

The weekend wraps up with a farewell brunch on Sunday. See the full schedule of events and get details about registration, check-in, parking, golf carts, shuttles, and other logistics on the Reunion Homecoming website.