There’s no coming home this year for NCC alumni and students. As COVID-19 continues to impact the school, NCC has made the call to forgo the Homecoming celebration. Illinois is currently in Phase 4 of the reopening plan, but this limits gatherings to a maximum of 50 people.
Unfortunately, this includes many popular traditions, including the Homecoming Reunion Celebration, Outstanding Alumni Awards ceremony, the Athletic Hall of Fame, the 50-Year Club Induction Ceremony, the Homecoming Concert and individual class and affinity reunions.
The past several years of Homecoming have seen exciting revolutions for the college. In 2018, the Center for Social Impact opened its doors for the first time. Last year marked NCC’s rebranding, including a new school slogan and the addition of blue into the school colors. Now, the 2020 100th NCC Homecoming may be infamous only in its absence.
In addition, all fall sports have postponed conference competition and championships. As a result, NCC is not participating in intercollegiate athletic competition. “Homecoming wouldn’t be the same without the weekend’s much anticipated athletic events, including the football game,” said Executive Director of Development and Alumni Affairs Adrian Aldrich.
A tentative schedule was originally set for Oct. 9-11, but this has since been canceled. NCC hopes to recognize alumni through social media and the North Central Magazine.
“No matter how creative we tried to be, the idea of hosting our traditional Homecoming events while trying to maintain a safe and healthy environment became too difficult,” says Aldrich. They instead will turn their attention to 2021.
