Homecoming 2018

Welcome

The Homecoming Organization Committee is excited to welcome you for this year's Homecoming from 21^st -23^rd of September on campus. The Committee is working day and night to make this one of the most unforgettable weekends in recent Jacobs memory.

Many aspects will remain as in earlier years, most notably the combination of Homecoming with the Career Symposium on Friday and the Jacobs Games (formerly Olympix). We are excited to host this year’s Gala Dinner at Jacobs University in the Campus Center’s East Wing. Like last year, the dinner will be open to all Alumni, regardless of their graduating class. As it was last year, the Alumni Association General Assembly to Saturday Afternoon – allowing all of us to enjoy a calm Saturday morning on campus and to be well rested for the Homecoming “Blast to the Past” party on Saturday night.

Please note that the general assembly will be live-streamed. More information can be found on the livestream page.

Ticket sales

The ticket sales are currently open! You can buy tickets on EventBrite. Association Members can find discounted tickets by logging onto the membership portal. There are three ticket options – from the full package to the basic ticket for just a few Euros. Unfortunately, there will be no rooms to stay on campus this year because of a very big incoming Class of 2021. We recommend to search for Airbnbs, alumni living in the area, and hotels nearby.

Career Symposium

We are also pleased to invite you to the Jacobs Career Symposium 2018, organized by the Career Services Center in close cooperation with the Alumni Association. You can use this opportunity to enlarge your network, meeting Jacobs Alumni as company representatives and other top representatives of amazing corporates. The panel discussion will be followed by a networking event with students, alumni, faculty and company representatives. Snacks and drinks will be provided. A separate registration on EventBrite is required for this, as name tags will be prepared for you.

Agenda

Friday:

• In the afternoon, there will be several open lectures. For a complete overview of topics, times and locations, a course schedule will be provided.
• Get your Welcome Package in Campus Center Foyer and greet incoming fellow alumni there
• At the Career Symposium, organized by the Career Service Center of Jacobs, selected alumni speakers and other company representatives present their companies and participate in a panel discussion. Continue the discussions over some snacks and drinks right after the Symposium. Make sure to bring your business cards!
• Alumni/Facult-only Bar Chill Out in The University Club after the Symposium. Drinks are included in the tickets.

Saturday:

• Various Major Homecomings are being planned for this morning. This will be a wonderful chance to connect with alumni, faculty and students of your major. Detailed schedules will be posted on this page.
• This year’s lunch is again planned to be a “Chill and Grill“-event by the Campus Center. Drinks are included in the tickets.
• For the General Assembly of the Jacobs Alumni Association both university representatives and board members of the association give updates and ask for feedback of alumni. Also, the results of the Board Elections will be announced here.
• Fancy some coffee after the BBQ? Looking for an alumni meeting spot? Then check out the Alumni/GSA Lounge. There are comfy couches and some free hot drinks waiting for you.
• All alumni are invited to the Gala Dinner in the East Wing of the Campus Center.
• The Jacobs Games (formerly Olympix) are held during the weekend, culminating in the Cheerleading Finale.
• The Saturday night party – or the “Blast to the Past“ party will combine the sporty spirit with some summer party tunes. Drinks are included in the ticket. Be sure to dress up like your favorite time era for the party!
• A professional photographer and a filming crew will be present during the day, capturing all the wonderful moments.

Sunday:

• Meet in the servery of College Three – for the Farewell Brunch and make sure to say good bye to new and old friends. Brunch vouchers need to be separately purchased in the shop.

FAQs

I am not part of Class of 2008 or 2013. Can I still join the event?

Absolutely! Homecoming is an event for all Jacobs alumni – and their partners and children. That includes recent graduates and also exchange students. As in the previous year the Gala Dinner at East Wing will be open to all alumni. Everybody can purchase tickets for Homecoming, however being a member of the alumni association will allow you to buy them at a discounted price.

What will happen at the Gala Dinner?

This year’s Gala Dinner will happen in the East Wing of the Campus Center, which will open its doors at 6pm on Saturday for a champagne reception. At 6:30pm the agenda will begin with a welcome address, after which the grand buffet will be opened, we will enjoy a three-course dinner. All drinks are included in the ticket price. And yes, you can bring your partner along. This year we will also have some musical performances by Pablo Ochoa! The new scholarship recipient will be introduced, and we will feature the first-ever student art auction to raise money for the Alumni Scholarship Fund. Please note that participation is only included in the full ticket.

Will there be any sports activities?

We are lucky to have Olympix – now “Jacobs Games” – taking place on the same weekend as Homecoming. Alumni are invited to join the “graduate teams” and be once again part of this crazy competition. Sports alumni can join are the following: Basketball, Football, Dodgeball, Volleyball, Tug of War, E-sports. You may already voice your interested in joining any sport by writing to alumni@jacobs-university, but we will also send out a survey for this purpose closer to the events once also the grad captains are settled. The main venue of the Jacobs Games will be the Sports and Convention Center, where there are also showers available. A detailed schedule of the event can be found at the bottom of this page when it becomes available. One event that we would like to point out here, though, is the Cheerleading Finale right after the Gala Dinner on Saturday. An alumni group will be performing (out of competition), too!

Where can I RSVP for Homecoming and check who else is coming?

To RSVP for Homecoming, please visit the Facebook page of the event. Also note that RSVPing on the Facebook page does not officially register you for the event.

What ticket options are there and what are the prices?

There are three ticket options: The basic ticket that gives you access and drinks for the Friday night Bar Chill-Out and the Saturday night theme party. The half-ticket which on top of that includes the Saturday Chill&Grill-BBQ (incl. drinks). And the full-ticket which includes the former as well as the formal Gala Dinner Saturday evening. For transparency purposes, we would like to make sure you understand the composition of costs of the packages. Due to the generous subsidy by the University, Alumni Association Members enjoy a considerable discount on ticket prices - see below:

For Alumni Association Members:

• Dance for the Memories (basic ticket): 10 EUR
• Meet Me Halfway (half ticket): 20 EUR
• Take Me All the Way Back (full ticket): 32 EUR
• check the Membership Portal for link and discount codes

For Non-Alumni Association Members:

• Dance for the Memories (basic ticket): 25 EUR
• Meet Me Halfway (half ticket): 50 EUR
• Take Me All the Way Back (full ticket): 85 EUR
• check EventBrite for ticket purchasing

Please note that participation in the Alumni Association General Assembly, which will take place during homecoming, is possible for free without a ticket, and only possible for association members. A seperate invitation will be sent to all association members via email.

How can I make donations?

Donations will be possible during the Gala Dinner through credit card payment as well as paper forms (Einzugsermächtigung). Additional fees might apply when paying through credit card.

Can I cancel my ticket purchases?

All tickets are fully refundable until a week before the end of the sales period on September 14. No refunds will be given upon cancellation of late registrations.

Can I get accommodation on campus?

Unfortunately, this year there is no on-campus accommodation available. Even the Guest House is fully booked. The rooms in College Nordmetall will be filled up with freshmen – a large class is expected this year. If you decide to be a guest at any student’s dorm, be sure that the student informs the security team in advance!

What about accommodation off-campus?

You can of course book accommodation in any hotel there is in Bremen, preferably well advance, as rooms are booked out quickly. We encourage you to also get in touch with your former host family in Bremen. Maybe you can arrange a night or two with them.

I am staying not too close to campus. Can I store luggage and change on campus?

Since this year there will not be any on-campus accommodation available due to the large incoming student batch, we are making every effort to mitigate any inconveniences caused especially for those staying further away from campus. In particular, on Saturday there are two dress codes, casual for the day and formal for the evening, and going back to your hotel to change might not be feasible. We put a slot in which you can change, from after the General Assembly at 16:30 to the beginning of the Gala Danner at 18:30. However, if this is to short you can bring the outfit for the evening to campus (or any other belongings) and store it in the Alumni Lounge (see map in agenda), which is open between 10:00 and 20:00. This is a general alumni meeting spot that will be looked after by a student assistant. You can change in the bathrooms there or go over to the Sports & Convention Center and use its changing rooms. Any stuff that you want to leave for the night, you can leave at the Alumni Lounge, which will be closed for the night and re-opened the following morning. You may also bring any belongings to the party, which has a cloakroom set up. Please note that any of those storing services are at your own risk and that we cannot be held liable for any damage or loss that might occur to your belongings.

Where can I get my Welcome Package and what is in it?

The Welcome Packages will be ready in the foyer of the foyer of the university Campus Center. If you are arriving late, you can also pick them up Saturday during the Chill&Grill-BBQ. The package will include your wristband for the BBQ, Gala Dinner and party, meal vouchers, prints of all schedules.

At a Glance

• Dates: 21st – 23rd September, 2018
• Ticket Purchases:
  • check Membership Portal for discount codes (for association members)
  • EventBrite (for non-association members)
• Registration: Until September 14th, 2018 (full refund only when cancelled before)
• Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1582892138492190/
• Accommodation: On-campus housing not available.
• Open lectures schedules: TBA
• Career Symposium: Separate registration necessary
• General Assembly: See separate invitation via email
• Jacobs Games schedule: TBA