Most CSU freshmen have several classes on their schedules with names such as MATH 101, ECON 11, and POLS 101. Part of the all-University core curriculum, these courses ensure that all CSU students share a common foundation of knowledge.
Outside the classroom, Ram Orientation and Ram Welcome events unite students as members of the proud CSU community through hikes to the “A,” raucous renditions of the fight song and “Proud to Be a CSU Ram” chant and Convocation. Before their first classes even started, new students – whether they’re freshmen, transfer, international, online, or non-traditional – feel part of the Ram family.
It’s been 101 years since CSU celebrated its first Homecoming, the perfect time to come back to campus for “Homecoming 101,” your core curriculum in Ram pride, reunions, weekend and game-day festivities, and a reintroduction to a campus building on its success through historic transformation.
We can thank Colorado Agricultural College President Charles A. Lory for the first-ever alumni reunion n 1914. He organized a football game pitting the present team against the alumni. The alumni won, 3-0. I the 1930s the celebration expanded to include a Homecoming dance and decoration competition. Over the decades the parade, lighting of the Aggie “A,” and bonfire evolved from student events to University traditions. In 1980, Parents Weekend made it a family affair. One year later, the community was invited to participate in the parade and the runners and walkers laced up their kicks for their first Homecoming 5K race.
Bigger and better
Since then, Homecoming has gotten bigger and better, expanding into several days of events uniting alumni, students, parents and friends And while Homecoming 101 will again honor its heritage with pomp and reverence, it will also cast forward glance.
CSU’s future is now. From the revitalized Lory Student Center — venue for reunions, the Distinguished Alumni Awards dinner and perhaps the best view of the bonfire and fireworks on Friday evening — to construction zones for the stadium, Aggie Village and a new parking garage at College Avenue and Pitkin Street, change is evident.
Most of all, CSU’s future is evident in the faces of the students. This year’s freshman class is the largest and most diverse in University history They are optimistic, energetic and innovative. The campus transformation reflects their drive and enthusiasm. Homecoming 101 is about recapturing the spirit of what it means to be part of the Ram family. As President Tony Frank likes to say, “We are all CSU.”
Join the fun at the Festival on the Oval, Homecoming Parade, Friday Night Lights, and of course, the Ram Rally and football game against Air Force. Welcome home!
