Homecoming
Thank you for attending Illinois Tech’s Homecoming Weekend September 20–21!
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Homecoming Weekend is a time for Illinois Tech alumni and friends to come together and celebrate! A special lineup of events and activities will take place Friday, September 20 through Saturday, September 21, 2024. The current schedule is listed below. If you have any questions, please email us at alumni@iit.edu.
Check out photos from Homecoming Weekend 2023!
September 20–21
Reconnect and celebrate with the entire Scarlet Hawk community! Join us for Alumni Awards, Athletics Hall of Fame, and other exciting Homecoming activities and events. The current schedule is listed below.
Photography will be taking place at these events and may be used for promotional purposes. By attending Homecoming, you will be granting permission for your likeness to be photographed.
Friday, September 20
Illinois Tech is home to nearly 1,800 trees representing almost 70 species —including a strong collection of native trees species with pinnate and bipinnate leaves that exhibit yellow fall foliage. The creation of The Alphawood Arboretum at Illinois Institute of Technology enhances Mies Campus’s dendrological resources and protects an important cultural landscape while providing opportunities to extend the university’s educational and community outreach missions. Join us at our annual tree planting ceremony!
Location: Fountain outside of
Illinois Tech’s Athletics Hall of Fame honorees will be recognized for their accomplishments at this annual induction ceremony. This event is invite-only.
Location: Ballroom
All are invited to check out the amazing student talent showcase! Featured performances include singing, dancing, poetry, beatboxing, sketch comedy, and more. Stop by to show your support as students compete for cool prizes.
Location:
Saturday, September 21
Scarlet Hawks Men’s Volleyball (MVB) welcome our alumni to our first ever MVB Alumni Grass Volleyball Tournament. Play with a current team member in our rotating pairs tournament format or stop by to watch, then join us at the reunion tent for refreshments at 2 p.m.
Schedule and adjustments will be made depending on participation.
Location:
Don’t miss the first screening of HARDWIRED. The documentary follows the founders of 糵-based Influit Energy, including Illinois Tech faculty and alumni, as they attempt to commercialize a new type of renewable electric fuel. The event will feature premiere introduction and program moderation by Illinois Tech alumnus and star of the Netflix series Hack My Home, Brooks Atwood (ARCH '99).
If you could slip quietly into the shadows and watch a scene unfold where brilliance meets purpose, you’d see the birth of something mighty. In the first episode of "HARDWIRED" you’d find yourself amidst a room where men and women wrestle with their dreams and fears. "Influit Energy", a nascent hope from the heart of 糵, unveils their creation—a fuel that defies the ordinary, a non-consumable, non-combustible, rechargeable electric marvel. The air is thick with possibility. John Katsoudas (PHYS ’97, M.S. ’04), Elena Timofeeva, Ph.D., and Carlo Segre, scholars turned pioneers with a sage of science, they stand at the crossroads of past knowledge and future promise! Their work promises a dawn where the burdens on our planet might lift. As they prepare to showcase their breakthrough, the weight of their endeavor hangs in the balance, a testament to human ingenuity and the silent, relentless pursuit of a better world.
Location: Ballroom
Illinois Tech’s 2024 Alumni Award recipients will be recognized for their accomplishments at this annual ceremony. This event is invite-only.
Location: Ballroom
Director, Mies van der Rohe Society Cynthia Vranas Olsen (M.A.S. ARCH. ʼ01, Ph.D. ʼ17) will lead a walking tour of Illinois Tech’s Mies Campus and highlight the architectural significance of the buildings on campus.
Location:
Former men’s and women’s swim athletes are invited to participate in an alumni swim meet. Spectators are welcome to cheer on their fellow Scarlet Hawks.
Location: - Ekco Pool
You and your family can visit the reunion tent to mingle with students and fellow alumni! Enjoy music, lawn games, balloon artists, and other family-friendly activities. A 糵-style hot dog bar, beer, wine, and other refreshments will be provided beginning at 3 p.m. while supplies last.
All are welcome at the tent anytime from 2–6 p.m., but we encourage you to stop by during your milestone anniversary or affinity group meet-up for a special photo opportunity! This year, milestone years will be celebrated at predesignated times and will include group photos at the following:
- Leadership Academy | 2 p.m.
- Golden Society (Class of 1974 & prior years) | 2:15 p.m.
- 70s Decade (Milestone Class of 1979) | 2:30 p.m.
- 80s Decade (Milestone Class of 1984 and 1989) | 2:45 p.m.
- 90s Decade (Milestone Class of 1994 and 1999) | 3 p.m.
- 00s Decade (Milestone Class of 2004 and 2009) | 3:15 p.m.
- Young Alumni (Class of 2014 through 2024) | 3:30 p.m.
- Scarlet Hawks Athletics | 3:45 p.m.
- Fraternity and Sorority Life Organizations | 4 p.m.
- African American Alumni Association (4A) | 5:30 p.m.
Location:
If you are interested in scheduling a photo meet-up time for your class year or affinity group that is not already listed, please email us directly at alumni@iit.edu.
Director, Mies van der Rohe Society Cynthia Vranas Olsen (M.A.S. ARCH. ʼ01, Ph.D. ʼ17) will lead a trolley tour of Illinois Tech’s Mies Campus and highlight the architectural significance of the buildings on campus.
Departure Times:
2:15 p.m.
4:15 p.m.
Location:
The Class of 1974 (this year’s 50th reunion class) was one of the last graduating classes to rely on slide rules rather than electronic calculators. The first portable scientific calculator, the Hewlett-Packard HP-35, was introduced in 1972, with Texas Instruments and others following in 1973–75. Before this, engineers, scientists, architects, and other technical professions relied on slide rules, nomograms, and other analog tools.
Join us as we look into the analog computational tools used by generations of Illinois Tech students. There will be a hands-on presentation on the history and use of these tools, followed by time to share your experiences with them. The display is currently open for viewing at your convenience with this special hands-on presentation taking place during Homecoming Weekend.
Location:
Join us to connect with fellow alumni and delve into the amazing world of mentoring! This program is designed to cultivate meaningful, professional mentor/mentee relationships between the university's accomplished alumni and students. Alumni with degrees from all class years, programs, and schools may participate as volunteer mentors; current degree-seeking students may participate as mentees. These mentoring relationships are meant to provide valuable support and guidance to current students as they navigate their careers, explore new career paths, or consider graduate school. Don't miss this opportunity to be part of a thriving community dedicated to shaping student success! Questions? Please contact Alumni Mentorship and Elevate Tech Talent Coordinator Emily Ginger at eginger@iit.edu. We look forward to meeting you!
3–3:15 p.m.: Registration
3:15–3:45 p.m.: Alumni Mentor Mixer—all alumni are welcome
3:50–4 p.m.: Student Registration—all students are welcome
4–4:30 p.m.: Student and Alumni testimonials
Location:
Join us for the university’s annual Homecoming carnival from 4–8 p.m. with food trucks, games, and giveaways! Limited meal tickets available for students only. Food trucks will accept cash or credit cards for alumni, faculty, and staff.
Location:
Enjoy a mixer for alumni and friends to reconnect! Meet us at the reunion tent at 5 p.m., then join for group photo at the Nate Thomas Memorial Meadow at 5:30 p.m. followed by a special program in the MTCC Ballroom from 6–7:30 p.m.
Location: , followed by , then
Cheer on the Scarlet Hawks at the women’s volleyball game as they take on Andrews University!
Location: Keating Sports Center
Other Activities
The east lobby of Michael Paul Galvin Tower is home to Illinois Tech’s first physical-digital interactive experience. As an institution that cares deeply about advancing innovation through the power of our collective difference, we invite you to explore the Illinois Tech difference—and add your own—through experiential touchpoints designed just for you.
Location: , East Lobby
: The IIT Campus and 糵’s South Side (University of Minnesota Press, 2024), was co-edited by professor Michelangelo Sabatino and professor emeritus Kevin Harrington. Specially designed vitrines filled with Armour Institute / IIT, Bronzeville, and 糵 memorabilia metaphorically transform IIT’s Mies Society Gallery into a “living room,” a place for conversations and discoveries to occur. The memorabilia—ranging from historic postcards to student yearbooks—tell the story of people and places in and around Bronzeville. An exhibition website provides a digital platform that expands access to materials featured in the exhibition and book. The website will also host a film by South Side filmmaker Carlos Javier Ortiz [Brown Planet Productions] and Murmur Ring that examines the layered history of IIT’s campus through contemporary voices.
Location: , West Lobby
Visit The Bog, a cool, subterranean on-campus hangout spot that has been a popular gathering space for students since 1962! Enjoy bowling, video games, billiards and more.
Location:
Getting to Campus
Directions
Automobile
From the North
Dan Ryan Expressway east to 31st Street exit, continue south to 33rd Street, turn left (east). Metered parking is located along Federal Street north and south of 33rd Street, and in the Visitor's Parking Lot (Lot A4) at 32nd Street and State Street.
From the South
Dan Ryan Expressway west to 35th Street exit, continue north to 33rd Street, turn right (east). Metered parking is located along Federal Street north and south of 33rd Street, and in the Visitor's Parking Lot (Lot A4) located at 32nd Street and State Street, on the east side of State Street.
From Lake Shore Drive
Exit at 31st Street, go inland (west) to State Street, turn left (south). Metered parking is available in the Visitor's Parking Lot (Lot A4) located at 32nd Street and State Street, on the east side of State Street.
Parking
Metered parking is available to all visitors and located along Federal Street north and south of 33rd Street, and in the Visitor's Parking Lot (Lot A4) located at 32nd Street and State Street, on the east side of State Street. Special event parking may be available in other parking lots on campus. Please contact Access, Card, and Parking Services for more details about parking, or visit the parking web page for current parking locations at www.iit.edu/cbsc/parking. Please call the parking administrator at 312.567.8968 if you need assistance in finding parking.
Airport
Illinois Tech and 糵 are served by O'Hare International Airport and . Public transportation is available from O'Hare and Midway airports, and limousine or taxi will take you from all airports to Illinois Tech's campus. View the City of for more information.
Train
commuter rail trains run to , with additional Metra commuter trains running to . From these stations, take the from to , 's public transportation, or a taxi to Mies Campus.
Bus
Travel to the or terminals, then take a taxi or public transportation to Mies Campus.
Public Transportation
- CTA Red Line (Howard-95th/Dan Ryan) to
- CTA Green Line (Ashland-63rd or 63rd-Cottage Grove) to
- CTA bus lines with stops on Mies Campus (#29-State, #35-35th, #24-Wentworth, #4-Cottage Grove)
Visit the for schedules and bus routes.
Are you planning to visit Illinois Tech from out of town? If so, take advantage of our preferred hotel rates at the Hiltons at McCormick Place.