Dear Fellow Puma -
 
Homecoming 2025 will be held on September 13, 2025, on campus near the Core Building and the baseball field. This will (most likely) be the LAST Homecoming organized by the Saint Joseph’s College Alumni Association, Inc. (SJCAAI).
 
As a board, we have always tried to be transparent in our actions, respecting the fact that the closure of the College has affected each member of the Puma family differently. So we want to be honest with you about why SJCAAI Homecoming 2025 will be our last: we’re getting older, we’re all volunteers, and interest in attending our events is waning. For us, Homecoming isn’t just an afternoon on a fall day, eating brats and reminiscing with College friends – it’s months of planning, site visits, and “working” for 12 hours (or more) on Homecoming day (plus preparation on the day before and some cleanup and inventory on the day after). While our friends are continuing the celebration at Wagon Wheel, many of us are working until 7 or 8 that night.
 
We’ve planned alumni events for the last eight years as a small-but-mighty group of volunteers, most of whom live hours (states!) away from Rensselaer. There isn’t a dedicated alumni-relations person at SJC, like before the College closed. (We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention how incredible the SJC groundskeeping crew have been to work with.)
 
SJCAAI was formed in 2017 to connect alumni and friends of the College after SJC ceased its four-year operations. Since our creation, SJCAAI has planned seven Homecomings, six alumni golf outings, one Little 500, and one “spring homecoming.” Through the years, we’ve enjoyed an estimated total attendance at our events of about 1,700. But over the last few years, we’ve seen attendance decline.
 
Don’t get us wrong: we love seeing you all, and we do it for YOU as much as we do it for ourselves. But it’s time to hang up our Puma gear. We want this “last” Homecoming planned by SJCAAI to be one to remember, and we want YOU to be there. And if another group of alumni wants to plan and manage Homecoming festivities in the future, we’re happy to work with them to keep the momentum going. Email us at pumas@involvedforlife.net or, even better, talk to us in person at Homecoming 2025.

So save the date – September 13. Make plans with your Puma friends to meet up. Get your hotel room reserved, and make plans to come out to campus for the festivities. You can RSVP here for homecoming and/or here for our annual golf outing.
 
Cheers!
Saint Joseph’s College Alumni Association, Inc. Board of Directors

• Lou Offer (1969), President

• Kris Sakelaris (1982), Vice President-Events

• Jackie Bradway (1995), Vice President-Communication

• Patty Zepeda (1993), Vice President-Fundraising

• Jason Crittendon (1997) Secretary/Judiciary

• Lisa Jennings-Houston, Treasurer

• Colby Alexis (2014)

• Herb Baldwin (1992)

• Jordan Leising (2011)

• Sean Melko (1993)

• Michael Vallone (1960)

• Chris York (1994)

• Alice Zerr (1984)