Spring Break
Bicentennial celebration expands beyond Oxford
Kristen Hetland
Issue date: 12/5/08 Section: Campus
As Miami University's Bicentennial committee plans its celebration of the university's 200th birthday in Oxford, Miami's department of alumni relations is working to expand the celebration across the country and around the world.
On Feb. 21, 2009, Millett Hall's Charter Day Ball will be just one of nearly 30 venues around the globe holding celebrations for Miami's bicentennial. From Los Angeles and New York to London and Luxembourg, thousands of Miami alumni will join together to celebrate the university's history.
"This is such a unique moment in time," said assistant vice president of alumni relations Raymond Mock. "It is the celebration of 200 years in history. Very few public universities have reached this landmark, and we want to give alumni everywhere the opportunity to celebrate together."
With a few Charter Day celebrations scheduled for cities like Houston, Boston, Tampa, Fla., Kansas City, Mo., and Chicago, the department of alumni relations hopes to attract Miami alumni from all across the country, assistant director of alumni relations Steve Warden said.
"This is a historic event and we want to get as many alumni together as possible," said Warden. "We didn't want to limit celebrations to just Oxford. The charter day ball is a fantastic opportunity for the students, but we have over 140,000 alumni across the country and we want to give them an opportunity to celebrate this special night as well."
Warden explained that the Charter Day events are organized and run by volunteers from Miami's alumni chapters around the country. The funds needed to run these events are provided by the ticket sales to the events.
According to Mock, Charter Day events across the country will differ from city to city. While some celebrations will be more formal with a banquet hall, a sit-down dinner and a live band, other chapters will be hosting casual dinners at local restaurants to celebrate.
Even though the venues and festivities may differ from place to place, Warden said each group will have the opportunity to show a video presentation celebrating Miami's history. He said the video has not yet been completed, but will include pictures of the university through its history with a special focus on structural changes made to the campus.
On Feb. 21, 2009, Millett Hall's Charter Day Ball will be just one of nearly 30 venues around the globe holding celebrations for Miami's bicentennial. From Los Angeles and New York to London and Luxembourg, thousands of Miami alumni will join together to celebrate the university's history.
"This is such a unique moment in time," said assistant vice president of alumni relations Raymond Mock. "It is the celebration of 200 years in history. Very few public universities have reached this landmark, and we want to give alumni everywhere the opportunity to celebrate together."
With a few Charter Day celebrations scheduled for cities like Houston, Boston, Tampa, Fla., Kansas City, Mo., and Chicago, the department of alumni relations hopes to attract Miami alumni from all across the country, assistant director of alumni relations Steve Warden said.
"This is a historic event and we want to get as many alumni together as possible," said Warden. "We didn't want to limit celebrations to just Oxford. The charter day ball is a fantastic opportunity for the students, but we have over 140,000 alumni across the country and we want to give them an opportunity to celebrate this special night as well."
Warden explained that the Charter Day events are organized and run by volunteers from Miami's alumni chapters around the country. The funds needed to run these events are provided by the ticket sales to the events.
According to Mock, Charter Day events across the country will differ from city to city. While some celebrations will be more formal with a banquet hall, a sit-down dinner and a live band, other chapters will be hosting casual dinners at local restaurants to celebrate.
Even though the venues and festivities may differ from place to place, Warden said each group will have the opportunity to show a video presentation celebrating Miami's history. He said the video has not yet been completed, but will include pictures of the university through its history with a special focus on structural changes made to the campus.
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