Photos by Brookelyn Davis
Article by Mia Takahashi
NEWBERG, Ore. – Families from the past, present and future of George Fox University (GFU) gathered for Homecoming and Family Weekend from Oct. 9-11. While the weekends were once held together, GFU separated the two events as the college expanded, so this year's integration of the two marks a return to antiquity.
Although the events were separate, they always fell in the same month, with similar goals, events and departments contributing to them; because of this, Megan Fisher, director of student and family care, as well as Britnee Ely, director of alumni and community engagement, decided to combine both weekends to create a more complete experience.
The idea to combine the weekends first came up around Dec. 2025, the final decision being made around early January. Throughout the planning process, the campus community was very supportive. To Ely, this was a breath of fresh air.
Another benefit of combining the two events is that Family Weekend will now occur earlier, as it usually occurs about two weeks after Homecoming. Fisher's office advises parents during Welcome Weekend to encourage their students to remain on campus eight to ten weeks before visiting home. So, for families following this advice–and who do not or cannot visit sooner–this change in scheduling reunites parents, students and siblings much quicker.
When creating the schedule, Fisher and Ely wanted to ensure it was balanced and had an activity for everyone. They wanted both events that people could do together as well as special times for specific groups, such as class reunions. Doing this provided a broad offering of events, allowing all to participate in something they love about GFU.
When the weekend of these two events came, the turnout was amazing, especially for Saturday activities. Ely said: “There was a level of joy and excitement on campus that I hadn’t felt or seen necessarily before, which was really exciting.”
Overall, the weekend was a time of unification. Amanda Wells, an attendee said, “[it was] really neat to see the past, the present, and even the future students [at GFU].”
Fisher and Ely hope to continue the unification of Homecoming and Family Weekend in the years to come. Fisher said: “We want this to also be something that’s just as important to someone who’s here right now, living it, as it is to those … who either have lived those experiences or are seeing it through a different lens than their own.”
