Ivey’s 2023 Centennial Homecoming Weekend was one for the books, with more than 840 alumni and guests registered to take part in a memorable lineup of events worthy of a 100th anniversary celebration.
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The highlight of the weekend was undoubtedly the Saturday night gala held at RBC Place London. The evening kicked off with a Roaring 20s cocktail reception with live jazz, an old-time photo booth, and a performance from two-time Juno Award winner Bob DeAngelis. Alumni also enjoyed dinner and a show with professional dancers taking guests through various hits of the past decades. Going out with a bang, the after party included indoor fireworks, sparklers, aerialists, and edible balloons.
“Ivey’s Centennial has brought fantastic opportunities for alumni to connect and celebrate this year,” said Director of Alumni Relations, Jenni Denniston, HBA ’04. “And this Homecoming Weekend was the perfect way to honour Ivey’s legacy and celebrate with our amazing alumni community. It was so rewarding to see alumni from across degrees and programs come together Saturday night for such a special event. I am extremely grateful to our staff, faculty, and alumni for going above and beyond to make Ivey’s Centennial Homecoming Weekend unforgettable!”
In addition to the traditional weekend programming – 25+ Class reunion gatherings, the Golden Alumni Breakfast, Pledge Ceremony, an Ivey Academy interactive simulation, Mustangs football game, and Open House – four alumni teams took on a fun game of Ivey Family Feud hosted by Darren Meister, Associate Dean, Faculty Development. Teams went head-to-head in Ivey trivia, with the winners going up against a team of faculty all stars for ultimate bragging rights. The HBA Class of ’93 made it to the final round, but it was Ivey’s faculty all-star team who claimed the top spot.
Also worth noting, this year’s reunion classes raised an impressive $1.56 million to support various Ivey priorities. The MBA Class of ’93 was honoured with the Reunion Fundraising Excellence Award for most funds raised, contributing $450,192.
Recognizing remarkable commitment to the Ivey community
The weekend also celebrated this year’s Distinguished Service Award recipient, Gary Svoboda, MBA ’83, and the Faculty Service Award recipient, Associate Professor Tony Frost. And, unique to this year’s celebrations, the Alumni Network marked Ivey’s centennial with two special Lifetime Achievement Awards, honouring alum Donald K. Johnson, MBA ’63, LLD ’07, for his extraordinary contributions to and unwavering advocacy of the School, and Retired Professor Kathleen Slaughter for her ongoing connection to the School and alumni long after retirement.
Save the date for Homecoming 2024 to take place the weekend of September 27-29.
