Written by Doug Goodnough
If you’re asking, “What is White & Blue Weekend?” you’re missing out on something big and getting bigger. In fact, we had more than 500 people attend this year’s event—which was held June 27-30 on campus. That’s TWICE the amount of people who attended last year.
White & Blue allows alumni and their families to have an extended stay on the Hillsdale campus. Set up like Homecoming, it’s stretched out over 3-4 days instead of Homecoming’s 1½ days. The important point to note: people can stay on campus the entire time, unlike at Homecoming, where finding lodging around Hillsdale can be as scarce as a mid-July Michigan snowstorm.
Now situated in June, White & Blue provides a great window of opportunity for alumni to bring their families with them—or not. And once you get here, we have plenty of things for you to enjoy. For example:
- Check out the Halter Shooting Sports Education Center, which is a U.S. Olympic training center. It’s one of the top facilities of its kind in the world, and you have a chance to experience it. If you ask nicely, we may even allow you to shoot.
- For around $100, you get your lodging, plus most of your food, drink, and activities during your time on campus. That includes a pizza and salad dinner on Thursday night, a hog roast on Friday, food and drink at the very chic Chargerpalooza, and a plated dinner at the Alumni Awards Banquet. If you don’t think you’ll get your money’s worth, I’m not sure what else to tell you.
- Of course, one of my highlights is bringing some of our retired professors back to campus to teach a class to attendees. Again, I had the pleasure of taking a trip back in time to sit in on Dr. John Willson’s class as he walked us through his experiences with “Family, Church, and Local Community.”
- This year, we added an Admissions presentation for parents of prospective Hillsdale College students, and that was well-received. If you’re thinking, “I could never get into Hillsdale now,” you may be right. However, if you want your children to have that opportunity, let’s help you start on the process as early as possible.
- Speaking of children, they were a sight to see at White & Blue Weekend. We had a dedicated and trained group of current Hillsdale College students at the ready to help entertain and supervise the hordes of children who invaded campus. While parents could kick back at the “adult” events, the children were occupied with games, movies, and all sorts of fun activities. I’m not sure our students have recovered yet, but they have the rest of the summer for that.
- As I mentioned earlier, in my mind the Alumni Awards Banquet is the “crown jewel” of the weekend. Being able to honor and celebrate our distinguished alumni during this time is truly a special experience.
Have I convinced you to come to the next White & Blue Weekend yet? I guess we still have 10 months or so to work on that. In fact, we are setting the dates for the 2025 rendition of White & Blue Weekend, which will again happen in June.
If not, we’ll see you at Homecoming (October 11-12) or at one of our events on the Alumni National Tour!
Doug Goodnough, ’90, is Hillsdale’s director of Alumni Marketing. He enjoys connecting with fellow alumni in new and wonderful ways.
Published in July 2024
