With Homecoming 2009 fast approaching, I invite you to join us for another memorable weekend at Christopher Newport University. Homecoming is the perfect opportunity to renew wonderful college relationships, show your school spirit and celebrate with other members of our CNU family. As alumni, your personal and professional success sets a standard of excellence that honors your alma mater and inspires our current students to greatness.

I hope you will take time during the weekend to walk this campus and share fond memories of your college days with family and friends. The remarkable physical transformation of CNU continues, and we invite you to visit some of our stunning facilities. The Trible Library has become the academic center of campus, a great place to grab a snack and a Starbucks, and home to The Mariners’ Museum Library (the Western Hemisphere’s largest maritime collection). The David Student Union provides an amazing site for student life and activity outside the classroom. The Ferguson Center for the Arts continues to serve the University and all of Virginia as a remarkable performance venue for world-renowned entertainers and our own talented CNU student-artists. You will also want to check out the construction progress on our new McMurran Hall - future home for all the liberal arts, the new integrated science building, and The Freeman Center expansion!

We have scheduled many festive activities for alumni and students alike. You won’t want to miss our spirited Homecoming parade, our first-ever cornhole tournament and our annual “Alumni Alley” tailgating. Then bring your CNU spirit and pride to POMOCO Stadium at 1 p.m. as the fighting Captains take on the Battling Bishops of North Carolina Wesleyan College in exciting gridiron action. Join your fellow alumni, the CNU cheerleaders, the Marching Captains and the Silver Storm dance team as you cheer your alma mater on to victory.

When you return to campus, we encourage each of you to bring another CNU graduate with you. Let’s make this year’s Homecoming the highest-attended in our history. Don’t miss this great opportunity to reconnect with friends, classmates and the CNU community. Come share your family with our family at Homecoming 2009!