Alumni Weekend brings food, graduates, spirit to campus

Alumni Weekend will feature a full weekend of activities set for Thursday–Saturday, April 22–24.

Alumni and friends will be back to mingle with notable graduates, enjoy locally sourced food and drink, connect back to campus, work out their Crazylegs and show off their Badger spirit.

Alumni Weekend is hosted by the Wisconsin Alumni Association (WAA). New events for 2010 include a daylong Food Summit and the launch of Crazylegs World, as well as traditions, such as the Distinguished Alumni Awards and Spirit Day.

The weekend starts early with the Distinguished Alumni Awards ceremony at 5 p.m. on Thursday, April 22, in the Wisconsin Union Theater at Memorial Union. Five alumni will receive WAA’s highest honor, bestowed upon graduates who have made extraordinary contributions in their life and work in the spirit of the Wisconsin Idea.

The 2010 honorees are: Robert Barnett ’68, a leading representative of authors, television news professionals, and government officials; Rita Braver ’70, an award-winning senior correspondent at CBS News Sunday Morning; Haynes Johnson MS’56, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and commentator; Kathryn Oberly ’71, JD’73, an associate judge on the District of Columbia Court of Appeals; and Arnold Weiss ’51, LLB’53, a retired investment-bank attorney and decorated World War Ⅱ veteran whose efforts led to the capture of Hitler’s last will, now in the National Archives.

Free and open to the public, the awards ceremony will feature a musical tribute performance by coed a cappella group Redefined. Tickets to a reception and dinner to follow, featuring a sustainable and locally sourced menu, are $65.

The Food Summit, on Friday, April 23, will feature a series of lectures and discussions that extend the campus discussion on a wide variety of topics surrounding food, including a keynote address by former Sen. George McGovern, who was instrumental in passing federal school lunch legislation. Other speakers at the summit will include Madison food writer Michelle Wildgen ’97 and UW faculty experts in biochemistry, food science, nutrition and consumer science.

The Day on Campus: Food Summit will be at Memorial Union, and sessions are free and open to the public. Tickets to the Food Summit luncheon are $25. The Food Summit is co-sponsored by the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences.

Also debuting on April 24, alumni anywhere can join in the fun of Crazylegs World, an effort to get Badger enthusiasts everywhere out and running in support of UW Athletics. The Crazylegs Classic has been an annual road race and fundraiser for the Athletic Department since 1982. This year, WAA is working with alumni to create parallel races in cities around the globe, which can be held anytime, anyplace.

Alumni Weekend begins as students on campus will be finishing a week of celebrating All-Campus Party, making April 23 one of the most spirited days on campus.

A full schedule and registration is available at Alumni Weekend.