Recreating a Special Moment
Dear Colleagues,
As you know, this Friday’s Convocation ceremony marks the beginning of Utica University’s 80th academic year – a milestone we look forward to celebrating in many ways throughout the year.
Some of you may know that the University’s actual birthday is September 30, the day in 1946 when Utica College held its inaugural Convocation at Plymouth Church. But as Professor Emeritus Virgil Crisafulli recalled in Reflections: The Early Years of Utica College, that was, in fact, the second of two opening ceremonies, the first being a Community Dinner held at Hotel Utica two weeks earlier, when those who brought us into being – some five hundred original Pioneers – gathered to celebrate the opening of the city’s first four-year college.
Now, eighty years later, we are recreating that first Community Dinner with a special gathering on Wednesday, September 30 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the DoubleTree by Hilton Historic Hotel Utica – the very place where our story began. Our modern-day Community Dinner will bring together local officials, business and community leaders, faculty, alumni, and friends of the University to raise a glass to eight decades of achievement and a future full of possibility and promise.
Please consider joining me for this special celebration. Tickets are $250, with all proceeds supporting student activities, conference attendance, and other student programming. Thanks to the generosity of a wonderful group of sponsors – including the Hayner Hoyt Corporation, First Source Federal Credit Union, the Bank of Utica, GPO Federal Credit Union, and the Utica University Board of Trustees – the full cost of the evening has been covered, allowing every dollar of ticket revenue to directly benefit our students.
For more information or to register, click here or call the Office of Advancement at (315) 792-3053.
This event is more than a commemoration. As we gather to recognize the enormous impact Utica University has had on the life of this community, we will also look ahead to all the good things that lie before us. After all, the best birthday celebrations aren’t simply about looking back. They’re about celebrating where you are and getting excited about where you’re going.
I hope to see you there.
Sincerely,
Stephanie R. Nesbitt
President