By Julia Kramer · News Editor
Grove City College celebrates a century of Homecoming with new events and old favorites centered on ensuring past and current students feel at home.
Following a growing trend occurring across American colleges, Grove City conducted its first Homecoming in 1926. While small and relatively simple, this first Homecoming created several of the core traditions still observed today, such as the dance and football game.
This weekend, however, will see a slight shift in these traditions. As Senior Director of Alumni and College Relations Melissa MacLeod noticed, the days’ previous structure, which centered on events happening on lower campus, often kept students and alumni from integrating, or really engaging, within the college.
“We really wanted to celebrate our community, our people,” MacLeod said. “That’s actually why we decided to change the schedule up a little bit this year. … We wanted to keep everyone on campus a little more and celebrating together.”
Changes to the schedule include lengthening the parade and starting it later in the day, increasing the time attendees can engage with the event and interact with one another without feeling rushed. From faculty lectures to Greek Village now happening on upper campus, the college hopes to remove the disjointed atmosphere and keep Homecoming 2026 a connected community event.
With registration also showing increased attendance, the college has spent time finding new ways for people to engage with the college and learn about its history. Prompted by its 150th birthday celebration this spring, the college created a virtual campus tour. This tour, accessible through QR codes near campus landmarks like Rainbow Bridge or Harbison Chapel, has videos about each location’s unique history.
The tour features a dozen stops that the college website says “exemplify the College’s growth over a century and a half.”
The tour is also part of a scavenger hunt meant to keep younger families entertained throughout the busy day as they set out to find the selected locations across the college’s 180-acre campus.
While operational since the beginning of 2026, the tour is not the only Homecoming event happening before Saturday.
On Friday night, Howard E. Winklevoss ’65, Doug Wicker ‘88, Troy Demmer ‘11 and Jake Loosararian ‘13 will receive theJack Kennedy Memorial Alumni Achievement Award for accomplishing distinct success in their fields. Recipients this year come from a range of fields, from risk management to robotics, and each was personally nominated under the award’s criteria for an “extraordinary commitment to bettering the world around us.” The ceremony has awarded over 200 recipients since its establishment in 1964.
Friday night will also see alumni couple Tom and Lila Riley, who graduated in the late 1970s, [OE1] receiving the David Rathburn Distinguished Service award. Hosting club events at their home and mentoring students for years, the couple has been praised for their “exemplary service.” Created less than 30 years ago, the award is not bestowed annually and is reserved for individuals deemed truly worthy.
For both events, MacLeod highlighted that students are encouraged to attend.
“It’s not just for alums to come home. It’s about our community.” MacLeod said. “We really hope that students feel like they can be a part of Homecoming and that they can celebrate.”
Senior education major and member of the sorority Alpha Beta Tau, Molly Miller, has experienced finding Homecoming community firsthand.
“I rushed (Alpha Beta Tau) largely due to seeing everyone coming back in their letters for homecoming,” Miller said. “I feel like one of the coolest aspects of Greek life is it connects you to a long legacy of alumni and it’s so beautiful to see that at Homecoming and meet so many people from your group.”
“There’s been a real marked effort to grow the Homecoming experience,” MacLeod said, calling the event’s attendance “remarkable” regarding Grove City’s relatively small student population. The college’s goal for this reunion weekend, however, is not just to bring in more people, but to offer a compelling experience for both previous and current students.
“We want our alums to come back and feel like this place still means something to them,” MacLeod said. “It models for our students what they can have in the future.”
For Miller, this is exactly what Homecoming has shown her.
“I absolutely plan on coming back for Homecoming as an alumna,” Miller said. “I think it will be so sweet to come back and see old friends, and the old friend that is the campus itself.”
