On Sept. 29–30, North Central will be celebrating one of the biggest weekends in its history, combining three major events: Presidential Inauguration, Homecoming, and the 50th Annual Partners for Progress gala.
Inauguration
The inauguration ceremony for Scott Hagan, North Central’s seventh president, will take place on Friday morning in the Lindquist Sanctuary on North Central’s historic downtown Minneapolis campus.
This formal installation of the president, who officially began his duties in June, will feature a procession of faculty, administration, delegates representing colleges and universities from Minnesota and elsewhere, and representatives from the Assemblies of God (A/G), the fellowship with which North Central is affiliated.
The featured speaker will be the Reverend Dr. Charles Crabtree, a personal mentor to President Hagan. Crabtree has had a long and varied career as an ordained minister of the A/G, and served as president of Northpoint Bible College (formerly Zion College) in Massachusetts.
Homecoming
A Homecoming celebration, billed as The Great NCU Get-together, begins Friday, Sept. 29, at 6 p.m. with NCU’s Got Talent, a students-vs.-alumni talent competition. It will be immediately followed by The Social, a major gathering of alumni, faculty, staff, students, and the extended university family in the school’s gymnasium.
In addition to being a Homecoming tradition, this year The Social also serves as the North Central community celebration for the presidential inauguration. The event provides a chance to meet and greet President Scott Hagan and his wife, Karen (including photo opportunities), enjoy gourmet treats, and participate in activities for all ages.
Saturday Homecoming events include a visual history of North Central, men’s and women’s soccer games, and an array of food trucks on Elliot Avenue for guests to purchase food as they wish.
Partners for Progress
The 50th Annual Partners for Progress event takes place off campus on Saturday, Sept. 30, at 6:30 p.m. at The Depot Hotel in Minneapolis. North Central’s annual fundraising dinner will be emceed by alumni Terrence Talley and Ali Carr and includes music from the NCU Chorale, interviews with President and Mrs. Hagan, and a talk by the new president.
Partners for Progress registration, available at northcentral.edu/partners, is $30 per person; the registration deadline is Sept. 25.
So much happening!
Dozens of North Central employees and students have been working on the details for the last several months, and they are eager for the extended university family to come to campus to enjoy the fruit of their labors.
Aimee Robertson, administrator for University Relations, oversees the Homecoming events and said, “It’s a thrill to put together these events for our alumni and others to enjoy. As an alum who gets to work here, I stay well connected to my alma mater, but these events will provide the chance for our alumni to return and see what’s happening and what’s new at NCU.”
North Central’s leadership is enthusiastic about these three events coming together. “This was an intentional choice,” said Vice President for University Relations Andrew Denton, noting that they moved the Partners event from its traditional October time slot.
“We have talked for a couple of years about combining Partners for Progress with Homecoming to make it more feasible for our alumni—especially those from out of town—to attend,” Denton said. “The inauguration provided an opportunity to do that, and in turn create one incredibly significant weekend for our community to enjoy.”
For links to more information about all of these events, visit northcentral.edu/ncuweekend.
