Attendees at the February 2009 Young Alumni Reunion admire the new Triton statue.

Ask any graduate of the University of California, San Diego to share their fondest student memory and the answers could range from a sunset hike to Black’s Beach, to the pungent smell of eucalyptus, to a favorite professor or an inspirational classmate, and more. Alumni from every class of the university’s nearly 50 years will have an opportunity to relive those memories when they come back to campus again during the university’s inaugural Alumni Weekend, Thursday, June 4 through Sunday, June 7.

“Alumni Weekend is an opportunity for all UC San Diego alumni to reconnect with former classmates, celebrate the history of the university and return to the place they called ‘home’ for a few memorable years,” says Armin Afsahi, ’90, executive director, UCSD Alumni Association. “We hope alumni will return to experience the best of UCSD and pride in their alma mater, as they gain a renewed sense of community and network with their fellow Tritons.”

UC San Diego alumni are encouraged to bring future Tritons to the upcoming Alumni Weekend.

All UC San Diego graduates are invited to come back to campus for Alumni Weekend, an exciting new tradition featuring reunions, lectures, tours, receptions, exhibitions, performances and an awards gala. The university’s more than 127,000 alumni represent an outstanding group of individuals who have gone on to very successful careers including: Khaled Hosseini, physician and best-selling author of the book and movie The Kite Runner; Megan McArthur, an astronaut slated to fly on NASA’s final repair mission to the Hubble Space Telescope; Michael Robertson, CEO and founder of MP3.com; Maurizio Seracini, art diagnostician and bioengineer known as the “Da Vinci Detective;” and David Warthen, founder of the Internet search engine Ask Jeeves.

The UCSD Alumni Association has planned a full slate of activities for alumni and their families to showcase the best of their alma mater.  Highlights of Alumni Weekend include:

• Happy hour with UC San Diego faculty
  Thursday, June 4 at 5 p.m., UC San Diego Faculty Club
  Alumni can reconnect with influential professors and meet today’s faculty.
• Alumni and Family Night at Birch Aquarium
  Friday, June 5 at 6 p.m., Birch Aquarium
  A private evening for alumni, family and friends to explore the wonders of the ocean at Birch Aquarium.
• Destination UCSD
  Saturday, June 6 at 12 p.m., UC San Diego Campus
  A host of family-friendly recreational activities and historical campus tours are offered.
• Annual Alumni Awards for Excellence
  Saturday, June 6 at 6 p.m., San Diego Marriott Del Mar
  This annual celebration honors outstanding alumni, faculty and graduating students for their leadership, advocacy and service. Proceeds benefit undergraduate scholarships. Honorees include:
  • Donald W. Murphy, ’75, Outstanding Alumnus of the Year, chief executive officer for the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and former deputy director of the National Park Service;
  • Abbie Clinker, ’80, Professional Achievement, a pioneer in late-stage discovery and development of protein therapeutics and building biologics-focused businesses;
  • Jeffrey Rabin, Ph.D., Distinguished Teaching, UC San Diego professor of mathematics and former co-director of the Algebraic Thinking Institute;
  • Gary Curtis, ’69, Distinguished Service, entrepreneur and biomedical pioneer, scholarship supporter and Trustee of the UC San Diego Foundation; and
  • Wayne Kennedy, Honorary Alumnus, senior vice president emeritus from the University of California and former vice chancellor, UC San Diego.
• Alumni brunch and concert

Alumni from every class of the university’s nearly 50 years are invited back to campus June 4-7.

Sunday, June 7 at 11 a.m., UC San Diego Conrad Prebys Music Center
Attendees will experience the music of UC San Diego’s stellar faculty, student and alumni musicians at the new Conrad Prebys Music Center.

Several special-interest and affinity reunions are also planned for Saturday including Associated Student Presidents, Associated Student Commissioners of Programming and Greek Alumni.

For more information and to register to attend Alumni Weekend, please visit www.alumni.ucsd.edu/alumniweekend. For more information about the Annual Awards for Excellence or to purchase tickets, visit www.alumni.ucsd.edu/awards or call (858) 534-3900.

 

Additional contact:
Malinda Danziger, mdanziger@ucsd.edu, (858) 822-0063