Purdue Northwest announces fall Homecoming events
The bold and fearless mascot of the PNW Pride, Leo, is ready to celebrate Homecoming 2023 with a week of events culminating in the annual Sports Fest.
The spirit and pride of Purdue University Northwest (PNW) will flourish anew with a reimagined approach to its annual Homecoming activities for the university community and general public.
Between Sept. 1 and Sept. 9, annual campus traditions will showcase PNW’s communal energy and competitiveness of Pride Athletics. Events will draw on Student Life, philanthropy, career-building and networking, recreation and sporting events.
“PNW and the alumni engagement team are looking forward to celebrating Homecoming,” said Katie Holderby, director of Alumni Engagement at PNW. “This will be the first year Homecoming is in the fall compared to previous years. Students will have a jam-packed week of Homecoming activities throughout the week.”
PNW Homecoming gets underway Sept. 1 with “Decorate the House,” where the campus community is invited to draw spirited messages on designated campus building windows.
The annual Chancellor’s Cup Challenge draws in strong support, and healthy competition, from university student organizations and business units to ultimately benefit the PNW Food Pantry. Groups gather in-need food, toiletries and hygiene products to stock the pantry shelves and help alleviate food insecurity. The challenge runs from Sept. 5 through Sept. 8. Over 2,300 items were collected during the previous challenge.
Pride Professional Development Night returns on Sept. 6. The event is biannually hosted by PNW’s Career Center as an opportunity for current students and alumni to engage in and improve their professional networking. Event features include a diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) panel; resume reviews; mock interviews; professional portrait photography; and an employer-student networking suite. PNW alumni interested in attending, as well as volunteering for the DEI panel, resume reviews and mock interviews can contact Joelynn Stephen, director of Career Services.
The campus community and general public are invited to get blasted with color on Sept. 7 at PNW’s annual free Pride Stride 5K Fun Run/Walk. The event takes place at PNW’s Westville branch campus, 1401 S. U.S. 421, Westville, IN. Participants are provided white t-shirts and doused with color powder at select spots of the 3.1-mile course. Check-in starts at 4 p.m., and the race commences at 5 p.m.
The culminating event will be the seventh annual Sports Fest on Sept. 9 from noon to 4 p.m. Eight Pride Athletics teams will be in action in the sports of baseball, ice hockey, soccer, softball and tennis. Family-friendly activities, music and games will also be available. All events will take place at Dowling Park in Hammond, Indiana.