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Homecoming 2011: Get into a 'Seminole State Of Mind'

Homecoming at Florida State University has always been an exciting time for returning alumni to join current students in celebration of an extraordinary institution and its unconquered spirit. Homecoming 2011 aims to keep that spirited tradition alive and well.

This year, the weeklong slate of Homecoming events will begin with a community service-themed 5K Run/Walk on Sunday, Nov. 13, and culminate on Saturday, Nov. 19, at the Homecoming game when the Florida State Seminoles take on the University of Virginia Cavaliers at Doak Campbell Stadium. (A kickoff time announcement is expected by Nov. 13.)

"Seminole State of Mind" is the Homecoming 2011 theme. Among the Homecoming Week highlights:

Homecoming Parade:

As always, game day is preceded by Friday afternoon's Homecoming Parade (view the route map here), which is scheduled to start rolling at 2 p.m. on Nov. 18. Everyone is invited to watch the parade's customary colorful array of floats from more than 100 campus organizations and community groups. On hand will be Osceola and Renegade, FSU cheerleaders, the Marching Chiefs, and the candidates for Homecoming Chief and Princess.

This year's Parade Grand Marshal, Gene Deckerhoff, is instantly recognizable to sports fans statewide. He has been calling FSU football games since 1979 and FSU basketball games since 1974, and is one of only four announcers ever inducted into the Florida Sports Hall of Fame. Joining Deckerhoff will be the parade's 2011 Faculty Marshal — FSU School of Dance Artist-in-Residence, Jawole Willa Jo Zollar. The university's 2011-2012 Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor, Zollar is a celebrated choreographer and the founding and artistic director of internationally renowned New York dance company Urban Bush Women.

FSU Alumni Association Homecoming Awards Breakfast:

On game day, the Alumni Association will bestow a plethora of awards on an esteemed group of individuals at its annual Homecoming Awards Breakfast. The Nov. 19 breakfast will be held in the Alumni Center Grand Ballroom (1030 W. Tennessee St., Tallahassee). Doors open at 8:30 a.m., and the awards program will commence at 9. Tickets are required ($15 per person) and must be purchased in advance by Thursday, Nov. 10. To purchase tickets online, visit the Alumni Association website. For additional information and assistance, contact Whitney Powers of the Alumni Association, (850) 645-9530 or wpowers@fsu.edu.

Student-led Homecoming activities featuring service to the community:

  • The 11th Annual FSUCares Homecoming 5K Run/Walk on Sunday, Nov. 13, promises to be a high-energy reminder that service to the community is a recurring Homecoming theme at Florida State. The run/walk will begin at 9 a.m. at the FSU College of Medicine, which is co-hosting the event with FSUCares. Alumni, students and the general public are encouraged to participate. All proceeds go to FSUCares' medical philanthropic efforts. Online registration is available here.
  • The celebration continues into the night on Nov. 13 with Warchant, scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. on Langford Green. Performing this year: musician Citizen Cope. The concert is free, but each attendee is asked to bring an item of gently used or new clothing for the Student Alumni Association clothing drive, which will benefit the Salvation Army and Lighthouse Children's Home.
  • Community service continues on Thursday, Nov. 17, with Renegade Recess, slated to begin at    3 p.m. in the Oglesby Union ballrooms. FSU students will supervise playtime fun, including numerous circus-themed booth activities, for about 150 elementary school-age students from the local Boys and Girls Club.

Also on the roster of student-led events:

For a complete schedule of student-led events, click here. For the names and contact information of the event leaders, click here, or contact Allison Black, FSU's staff adviser for student Homecoming events, at (850) 645-7364 or asblack@admin.fsu.edu.

Among the Alumni Association's Homecoming festivities (in addition to Awards Breakfast):

A complete list of Alumni Association-sponsored Homecoming events can be found here. Questions? Contact Whitney Powers of the FSU Alumni Association at (850) 645-9530 or wpowers@admin.fsu.edu.

Homecoming Week also celebrates FSU faculty and staff:

  • Faculty and Staff Reception (4:30-6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17; Miller Hall, University Center C): All FSU faculty and staff are invited to attend the reception, which honors the contributions they make to the university community. RSVP to James Maloney, Homecoming director of university outreach, at jpm09e@fsu.edu.

Other 2011 Homecoming events:

  • 17th Annual Clock and Seal Leadership Banquet (Begins at 5:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 18; Tallahassee-Leon County Civic Center): Sponsored by Burning Spear — an organization that promotes and supports outstanding members of the FSU community that help strengthen campus traditions — the annual banquet brings together past and present student leaders, university administrators and university supporters to celebrate FSU Homecoming. The scheduled keynote speaker for this year's banquet is former Seminole football and NFL star Terrell Buckley, FSU's all-time leader in interceptions and interception return yards and one of only nine Florida State players in history to have his jersey (No. 27) retired. Tickets to the banquet are $40 per person or $300 for a table seating eight people. Space is limited.  Purchase banquet tickets online here, or make checks or money orders payable to Clock and Seal and mail to: Clock and Seal, P.O. Box 1197, Tallahassee, FL 32302. For more information, contact Melanie Cabassol at (936) 499-9589 or clockandseal@burningspear.org.
  • FSU Panama City Campus 23rd Annual 'Nole Fest (6-8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 18; behind the Holley Academic Center on FSU's Panama City campus): Free and open to the public, this Homecoming tradition is geared to the entire family and includes entertainment, live music from the band Acoustix and great food. The event also will feature the lighting of the bonfire and the 23rd annual Torch Run, a Panama City campus tradition. To learn more, contact Heather Ricketts, Panama City campus event coordinator, at (850) 770-2155 or hricketts@pc.fsu.edu.
  • Omicron Delta Kappa (ODK) National Leadership Honor Society 2011 Initiation Ceremony (slated to begin promptly at 7:15 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 19; Rendina Room, FSU Alumni Center): This brief initiation ceremony for the 55 new members of the FSU Circle of ODK will be held on game day immediately prior to the Alumni Association's Homecoming Awards Breakfast. All ODK Circle members, including alumni and faculty, are invited to attend. The event is free; no advance reservations are required, though seating will be limited. To learn more, contact FSU Circle of ODK president Megan Thompson at (407) 797-6365 or mat08@my.fsu.edu, or e-mail ODK's FSU faculty adviser, Laura Osteen, at osteen@fsu.edu.
  • For information on any Homecoming activities that individual FSU colleges may be organizing for their own alumni/students, click here to find links to each of the college websites.

For a map of the FSU campus, click here.

For more information on Homecoming, contact Allison Black, staff adviser for Homecoming events, at (850) 645-7364 or asblack@admin.fsu.edu; Whitney Powers of the FSU Alumni Association at (850) 645-9530 or wpowers@admin.fsu.edu; or the Student Homecoming Executive Council at 850) 644-9166 or sgahomecoming@admin.fsu.edu.

By Libby Fairhurst
9 November 2011

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