Approximately 550 Goshen College alumni returned to celebrate Homecoming Weekend 2026.

This year’s homecoming celebrations started with the presentation of alumni awards, including the Culture for Service, Young Alumni and Champion of Character awards.

Jonathan Shenk ’88 and Stephanie Rogers ’01 won the Culture for Service Award, Edgar Saucedo-Davila ’11 won the Young Alumni Award, and Bruce Kooker ’76 and Lynda Nice ’91 won the Dr. Roman Gingerich and Dr. Ruth Gunden Champion of Character awards, respectively.

The Culture for Service and Young Alumni awards are decided by the Executive Committee of the college’s Alumni Council, based on nominations from any member of the community. The Champion of Character awards are decided by the Maple Leaf Athletic Club.

On Friday evening, Lavender Jazz performed at a combined event at the Goshen Theater, celebrating the $76.8 million raised through the Connected Cause campaign, as well as a trivia competition.

One exciting part of the weekend for the classes of 1980-94 was the signing of the college’s graduate registry. The registry is a large leather-bound book students have signed at graduation most years since 1910.

Between 1980 and 1994, the book was set aside unknowingly due to some faculty transitions occurring. The tradition was revived in 1995.

Sue Conrad Howes, the director of alumni engagement, set out to fill the missing gap. “I want to encourage those alumni who graduated between 1980-1994 to sign the book, so this year I took the registry to the class reunions of 1981, 1986 and 1991 and invited those present to sign,” she said. 

“They were really grateful to be a part of GC history in this way, most not even knowing about the book,” she said.

Sports were another integral part of the homecoming experience. In addition to the alumni games offered for various sports, women’s volleyball and women’s soccer both played games over the weekend. 

The soccer game in particular was especially popular because it was also senior night and against rival Bethel University. “I was really impressed with the turnout, especially because there were so many Bethel fans there,” said Kate Bodiker, the director of athletic communications and gameday operations.

“It was definitely the most packed I’ve seen a soccer game in a couple years,” she said. “I was excited by how many alumni were getting involved in … chanting.”

On Sunday morning, some alumni gathered at College Mennonite Church for the world communion sunday service. Three stories were shared, and all were invited to share communion.

Jodi Beyeler, the vice president for institutional advancement, said that, from her experiences, this year’s homecoming was a hit. “I heard over and over again how much our alumni enjoyed being back on campus, seeing all of the improvements, hearing about what the college is like today, attending fun events and catching up with old friends,” she said.

Conrad Howes said, “We received a lot of positive feedback on how nice the campus looked by many alumni. People really appreciated the new signage around campus as well as the new Welcome Plaza, even though it is still not fully completed.”