Albany State University celebrates Homecoming Week

ALBANY — As vendors’ tents begin to pop up around the city, it can mean just one thing — it’s homecoming week for Albany State University.

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As ASU gears up for its annual homecoming bash, which starts Sunday and goes through Saturday, this year’s theme, “Rams in the Roses and Beyond,” is a nod to the Golden Rams’ Marching Band’s invitation to participate in the 2016 Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, Calif., on New Year’s Day.

Expect to see many of the week’s events aimed not only entertaining the expected throngs of returning alumni, but also at helping ASU reach its goal of raising $250,000 to cover the band’s costs for its trip out west for the Rose Parade.

The week-long celebration starts Sunday evening with the crowning of the 2015-16 Homecoming Queen, Iandria Joseph. The coronation begins at 5 p.m. at the Albany Municipal Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public.

“Homecoming has a special meaning to our people,” ASU Interim President Art Dunning said. “The historical roots run deep here. Albany State invokes a deep sense of place and that results in a deep sense of place to many who have bonded to this institution.”

The official Homecoming Kickoff will begin at noon, Monday at the on-campus ASU Amphitheater. The Gospel Explosion featuring the Walls Group and True Praise Ensemble will follow at 7 p.m. in the Albany Municipal Auditorium. General admission is $20 in advance and $30 at the door.

Grammy Award-winning artist T-Pain will give what ASU officials are calling a “can’t miss” performance at 7 p.m., Thursday at the official Homecoming benefit concert to support the “Rams in the Roses and Beyond” fundraising campaign. The event will be held in the Health, Physical Education and Recreation Gymnasium (HPER) on campus. General admission is $35 in advance and $45 at the door. Doors open at 6 p.m.

Homecoming Convocation is scheduled for 10 a.m., Friday in the HPER Gymnasium, where Carmen Caldwell, founder and CEO of the personal development firm Life Fulfilled Coaching & Consulting, will serve as the keynote speaker.

Caldwell, a 1998 graduate of ASU, was a featured speaker at the People You Need to Know Magazine Women’s Speaker Showcase. She is also a recipient of the designation of “50 under 50” by Albany State.

The homecoming step show will be held that evening at 7 p.m. in HPER. General admission is $15 in advance and $25 at the door. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. The Rams Homecoming Block Party, at 8 p.m. near the ASU baseball field on the lower campus, concludes the night.

The culmination of the week-long celebration takes place Saturday with the annual Homecoming Parade starting at 9 a.m. on Pine Avenue. Fans will then head to the Albany State University Coliseum at 2 p.m. to watch the Albany State Golden Rams football team take on the Morehouse College Tigers.