Every year, Mizzou celebrates its time-honored tradition of Homecoming. Behind many of the efforts to sustain Homecoming and MU student life is the Mizzou Alumni Association, which promotes the annual event to alumni and students alike.
Data compiled from the Mizzou Alumni Association reveals trends in homecoming events and alumni support to MU students through scholarships.
From 2010-20, MU Homecoming has attracted over 780,000 participants. Across those 10 years, the average Homecoming brought about 70,000 students, alumni and the broader MU community together each fiscal year. In the past decade, Homecoming 2010 attracted the most people, with 87,934 participants, and the Homecoming with the least participation was 2020, with 24,468 attendees. The Alumni Association calculates the number of participants as an aggregate of attendees for all homecoming related activities, including service projects, spirit rallys, the parade and more.
“This is our favorite time of year,” said Stephanie Anderson, director of alumni engagement at the Alumni Association. “It’s so busy, but it’s also such a fun opportunity. It’s kind of like the culmination of all we do.”
In the past five years, the Tiger Food Fight food drive, a Homecoming event the Alumni Association hosts, has donated 153,005 total pounds of food to the Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri. Donated food also benefits Tiger Pantry on campus, an auxiliary branch of the Central and Northeast Missouri food bank.From 2016-20, the Tiger Food Fight drive gave a yearly average of about 30,000 pounds of food to the community. The most food donated in the past five years recorded was in 2020, with 44,456 pounds of food.
The association also holds an annual Homecoming blood drive. From 2016-21, donors have given 17,305 units of blood in total. There was no blood drive held in 2020 due to the pandemic. In those five years, the average number of units donated per year was approximately 3,700 units.
Outside of Homecoming, the association also helps support MU with scholarships for incoming and returning students. The Alumni Association has worked in conjunction with regional alumni chapters to award approximately $5.8 million in scholarships over the past decade. From fiscal years 2011-21, the most money was donated in 2020, with about $620,000 awarded. Students received the most scholarships from the association in 2018, with 517 students receiving scholarships.
Current and incoming students can apply for scholarships through Scholarship Universe. Dec. 1 is the deadline for general and departmental scholarships. If awarded, scholarships apply to a student’s upcoming academic year.
“We’re proud about being able to support future students or incoming students, but also the Mizzou Tigers that are here and want to continue on,” Anderson said.
In addition to financial support, the association runs the annual Tiger Walk to welcome incoming freshmen, and the Senior Sendoff, where seniors run back through the Columns to celebrate the end of their undergraduate years.
“We really just are excited to be able to have these great programming touch points at the beginning and end, but then also throughout the rest of their student experience as well,” Anderson said.
The Alumni Association also runs the True Tiger Network, which serves as current students’ membership to the association. The network provides programming, professional development, access to mentorship and networking opportunities for those involved.
The association also supports pep rallies for home games, or Football Fridays.
“While the students are here on campus, we want to make sure that they are excited about their university… and that we can help prepare them for when they’re alumni too,” Anderson said.
The Homecoming parade, supported by the association, will begin Saturday at 9 a.m. on Rollins Street at Tiger Avenue and travel across campus and downtown before ending on Cherry Street.
For more information about the Mizzou Alumni Association, go here.
Edited by Emma Flannery | eflannery@themaneater.comData edited by Christian Dutcher | cdutcher@themaneater.comCopy edited by Jacob Richey | jrichey@themaneater.com