Cal State San Bernardino will host a special Coyote Homecoming celebration on Saturday, Feb. 20, as part of the university’s 50th Anniversary. Festivities include a parade and kick-off celebration, along with many other events the following week.

The day will begin with a parade at 3:30 p.m. throughout the inner campus, starting outside University Hall and ending at Coussoulis Arena. A Homecoming kick-off celebration follows at Coussoulis Arena from 4-7 p.m., featuring a variety of food, a beer and wine garden; live music by Lifetime Rockers; a classic car display; a photo booth with props, and kid-friendly activities including a bounce house, a clown and face painting.

The day’s event is free and open to the public. Attendees are strongly encouraged to RSVP by reserving free tickets at the CSUSB Alumni website. Those who register by Monday, Feb. 15, will receive a special 50th Anniversary gift at the event.

Complimentary parking will be available in Lots E and F.

The parade line up will be from 1-3 p.m. in parking Lot C. Student clubs, faculty and staff from campus departments are encouraged to show their school spirit by decorating their own floats and participating in the parade, with prizes for the best floats.

Participating in the parade is also open to off-campus community groups and partners who are encouraged to enter their own decorated floats. Groups such as marching bands, drill teams, dancers, walkers and others are also encouraged to sign up. Go to the 50th Anniversary Homecoming Parade Registration page to register.

Organizers are also promoting a contest seeking the “Biggest Coyote Family Pack” and encourage families with the most CSUSB graduates to enter. The form may be downloaded at Biggest Coyote Family Pack entry form and emailed to Alumni Relations at alumni@csusb.edu; or faxed to (909) 537-7052. Deadline to enter is Monday, Feb. 15.

Winners of the “Biggest Coyote Family Pack will be announced at the Coyote basketball game of Saturday, Feb. 27.

Other highlights of the week include:

  • John M. Pfau Library’s Open House, on Thursday, Feb. 25, 1-4 p.m., featuring a “Passport Challenge,” where visitors are encouraged to visit as many displays and sites as possible with a prize drawing for those with completed passports. In addition, alumni are invited to visit a photo viewing to help identify people in photos from CSUSB’s photo archives. Alumni and visitors are encouraged to bring photos from their time at CSUSB, which may be scanned on site to add to the archives.
  • The 4th Annual Pioneer Breakfast on Friday, Feb. 26, 9-11 a.m., at the Santos Manuel Student Union Events Center, sponsored by the Black Faculty, Staff and Students Association. This year’s theme, “The Shoulders Upon Which We Stand,” will honor four CSUSB individuals: Professor Emeritus Linvol Henry, College of Business and Public Administration; Taft Newman (posthumously), director of Educational Opportunity Program; Jenise Bush, alumna (B.A. 1995; M.A. 2000), assistant principal of Dunn Elementary School, Rialto; and John Futch, alumnus (B.A. 1995; M.A. 2001), former director of the SMSU Cross Cultural Center. In addition, Nadine Chavez, retired director of the Educational Opportunity Program, will receive the Lorraine Frost Award, given to allies in education. Tickets are $20.
  • The Coyotes men and women’s basketball games vs. Sonoma State at Coussoulis Arena, Friday, Feb. 26. The women will play at 5:30 p.m., the men will play at 7:30 p.m.
  • The Coyotes basketball vs. San Francisco State, Saturday, Feb. 27; the women’s game will be at 5:30 p.m. and the men’s game will be at 7:30 p.m. Winners of the “Biggest Coyote Family Pack” contest will be announced.

Visit the CSUSB Alumni Homecoming events website for a complete list of festivities.

Set in the foothills of the beautiful San Bernardino Mountains, CSUSB is a preeminent center of intellectual and cultural activity in inland Southern California. Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2015-2016 academic year, CSUSB serves more than 20,000 students each year and graduates about 4,000 students annually.

For more information about Cal State San Bernardino, contact the university’s Office of Strategic Communication at (909) 537-5007 and visit news.csusb.edu.