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Event Schedule

Schedule of Events

  • Friday, October 6, 2023

    12–1:30 p.m. | Lunch and Friday (Jumu’ah) Prayers with Macalester Muslim Student Association
    Weyerhaeuser Memorial Chapel, Lower Level
    Members of the Muslim community and families are invited to gather for lunch, conversation and Friday Join our Muslim community for lunch, conversation, and Friday (Jumu’ah) prayer. We will gather in the Center for Religious and Spiritual Life (lower level of the chapel). Lunch begins at Noon, followed by prayers at 1:00 p.m. The prayer room will be open for prayer throughout the day.

    2–6 p.m. | Mac Fest Check-in, Information, and Hospitality
    Lowe Dayton Commons, Janet Wallace Fine Arts Center
    Check in for Mac Fest weekend and then stop by throughout the weekend for refreshments while relaxing and connecting with others.

    2–4 p.m. | Self-guided Campus Tour
    Campus maps are available at the Hospitality Desk or you  can use our online guide.

    4–5:30 p.m. | Academic Summer Showcase
    Fieldhouse, Leonard Center
    A display of student posters and presentations that highlight the breadth and depth of summer internships, projects, and entrepreneurial endeavors undertaken by Macalester students, as well as their close interaction with faculty, staff, and community partners.

    6 p.m. | Hall of Fame Banquet and Induction Ceremony
    Alexander G. Hill Ballroom, Kagin Commons
    Join us for the Hall of Fame Banquet where Macalester College Athletics and the M Club will be honoring five outstanding individuals by inducting them into the Hall of Fame. The  inductees are Roland Broughton ’00 (soccer), Jesse Crandall ’01 (Nordic skiing), Karin Halvorson ’01 (swimming & diving), Liz Hajek ’02 (track & field), and Andrew Porter ’03 (football/track & field). Legendary Macalester Athletics coach Doug Bolstorff’s legacy and impact will be honored as the Bolstorff Court dedication is celebrated.

    Please note that this event requires separate registration, which you can complete through this link. The event cost is $35.00.

    6–8 p.m. | Shabbat Services and Dinner with Macalester Jewish Organization
    Weyerhaeuser Memorial Chapel
    Join the Macalester Jewish Organization (MJO) for a songful Shabbat service followed by a casual and friendly Shabbat dinner. We will be upstairs in the Weyerhaeuser Chapel for the service and downstairs in the Center for Religious and Spiritual Life for dinner. Questions? Reach out to Rabbi Emma: [email protected]

    7–10 p.m. | Ultimate Frisbee Alumni and Community Event
    Leaney Field, Macalester Stadium
    Compete with and against the current teams and fellow alumni or hang out and cheer your heart out!  Macalester Ultimate merchandise will be available for purchase. This event will feature a special celebration and unveiling. Nothing else to say, but you will not want to miss it! All Mac Fest attendees are welcome to join as spectators.

    7:00 p.m. Warm-up and Introductions
    7:30 p.m. Current Pursesnatcher vs. Pursesnatcher Alum
    8:00 p.m. Current Flat Earth vs. Open Division Alum
    8:30 p.m. Mixed Current Players vs. Mixed Alum
    9:15 p.m. Mixed Alum vs. Mixed Alum
    9:50 p.m. Thank yous and goodbyes

    7:308:30 p.m. | Theater and Dance Performance
    James A. Williams Black Box Theater, Janet Wallace Fine Arts Center
    Join us for an evening of dance and theater as our talented students showcase their work in playwriting, dance, design, acting, and directing! Admission is free on a first-come, first-served basis. Doors open 15 minutes before the performance begins.

    8–9:30 p.m. | Fresh Concepts Improv Group Performance
    John B. Davis Lecture Hall, Ruth Stricker Dayton Campus Center Lower Level
    Watch a talented student-led improv team perform!

    8–9 p.m. | Mac Fest Concert
    Wind Symphony, Orchestra, Mac Jazz
    Mairs Concert Hall, Janet Wallace Fine Arts Center
    The Music Department presents the Wind Symphony (Aaron Isakson, director), the Symphony Orchestra (Mark Mandarano, conductor), and MacJazz (Joan Griffith, director). The concert will last one hour, and the audience is free to come and go between the different ensemble performances. This concert performance is livestreamed at this link.

  • Saturday, October 7, 2023

    8 a.m.–2 p.m. | Mac Fest Check-in, Information, and Hospitality
    Lowe Dayton Commons, Janet Wallace Fine Arts Center
    Check in for Mac Fest weekend and then stop by throughout the weekend for refreshments while relaxing and connecting with others.

    8–10 a.m. | Mac Fest 5k Fun Run/Walk
    Leonard Center Portico/Shaw Field
    Join us for the Mac Fest 5k Run/Walk! This event is for the entire Macalester community and is designed to be fun–no need to be an Olympic athlete. Faculty, staff, students, family members, alumni, dogs, and strollers are welcome, and there is no fee to participate. Check-in begins at 8 a.m., and the Run/Walk begins promptly at 9 a.m. All pre-registered participants will receive a commemorative T-shirt.

    9:30–11:30 a.m. | Swim and Dive Alumni Meet
    Riley Pool, Leonard Center
    Swim and Dive alumni who are interested in competing should contact coach Kyllian Griffin at [email protected]. All Mac Fest attendees are welcome to join as spectators.

    10–11 a.m. | Men’s Soccer Alumni Game
    Leaney Field, Macalester Stadium
    Men’s Soccer alumni interested in competing should contact coach Gregg Olson at [email protected]. All Mac Fest attendees are welcome to join as spectators.

    10 a.m.–12 p.m. | Men’s Basketball Practice Open Viewing
    Bolstorff Court, Alumni Gym, Leonard Center
    All Mac Fest attendees are welcome to attend as spectators.

    10 a.m.–12 p.m. | Club Tennis Team Family & Friends Tie Break Tournament
    Hayden Tennis Courts
    All Mac Fest attendees are welcome to attend as spectators.

    10:30–11:30 a.m. | Family Town Hall with President Rivera
    Weyerhaeuser Memorial Chapel
    Join President Suzanne M. Rivera, Provost Lisa Anderson-Levy, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students Kathryn Kay Coquemont, and Vice President for Institutional Equity Alina Wong for updates on the start of the new academic year. Bring your questions for the Q&A session of the program. Please note: This event is for parents and families of Macalester students.

    11 a.m.–1 p.m. | Academic Summer Showcase Open House
    Fieldhouse, Leonard Center
    A display of student posters that highlight the breadth and depth of summer internships, projects, and entrepreneurial endeavors undertaken by Macalester students, as well as their close interaction with faculty, staff, and community partners.

    11 a.m.–3 p.m. | Women’s Softball Alumni Event
    Softball Field
    11 a.m.–1 p.m. Mac Softball practice
    1 p.m.–2 p.m. Mac Softball Alumni Networking Event with Scots Softball team members
    2 p.m.–3 p.m. Casual Home Run Derby
    Mac Softball alumni who are interested in competing should contact coach Jody Gabriel at [email protected]. All Mac Fest attendees are welcome to join as spectators during practice and the Home Run Derby.

    11 a.m.–4 p.m. | Visit the current exhibition at the Law Warschaw Gallery
    Janet Wallace Fine Arts Center, First Floor
    Insurgent Ecologies: Hotter than July | Group exhibition guest-curated by Tia-Simone Gardner
    Macalester’s Law Warschaw Gallery is a portal to local, national, and international artists, their work and artistic dialogue, as well as a space for students, faculty, and the Twin Cities community to learn from the arts as a means to examine, transform, and communicate individual and collective experiences.

    11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. | First-Generation College Student Community Reception
    Weyerhaeuser Memorial Chapel, Lower Level
    This reception is for students, parents, families, alumni, and the broader Macalester first generation college student and first generation college graduate community to celebrate, cultivate connection, and uplift first generation narratives and collective wisdom. Join us for light refreshments, great conversation, and an opportunity to build community! Please note that this event requires separate registration, which you can complete through this link.

    To learn more about First-Generation College Student resources at Macalester College, please visit the First-Generation to College website hosted by the Lealtad-Suzuki Center for Social Justice.

    11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. | Golden Scots Luncheon and Faculty Lecture
    Alexander G. Hill Ballroom, Kagin Commons
    The renowned John S. Holl Distinguished Professor of Geography Emeritus David Lanegran ’63 will share highlights from the Saint Paul area through images and conversation with Jan Shaw-Flamm ’76, current writer and former editor and writer of many Macalester articles, web pieces and publications before “retiring” from the Communications and Public Relations team at Macalester. Learn what has been preserved and what has changed over time in Saint Paul while you connect with your classmates.

    The Golden Scots Society represents a rich collection of traditions, friendships, and memories. It includes all alumni who have achieved their 50th reunion milestone as alumni of the college. This year the class of 1974 will be inducted into the Golden Scots Society and welcomed by all classes before them.
    This is a Golden Scots Society event but all Mac Fest attendees are welcome to attend. Please note that this event requires separate registration, which you can complete through this link. The event cost is $35.00.

    12 p.m. | Women’s Soccer vs. College of St. Scholastica
    Leaney Field, Macalester Stadium
    Put on your Mac gear and join us as the Scots take on the College of St. Scholastica. Free Admission. This event is livestreamed at this link.

    12–2 p.m. | Self-guided Campus Tour
    Campus maps are available at the Hospitality Desk or you  can use our online guide.

    12 –7:30 p.m. | M-Club Tailgate with Food Trucks and Social Garden
    Macalester Stadium South Parking Lot
    Come join the M Club, Macalester Athletics, and Alumni Engagement in the Macalester Stadium Parking Lot for Scot dogs/veggie burgers, a social garden, and food trucks. Fellow alumni, Mac parents and families, current students, and faculty and staff will be present throughout the day and look forward to building community. All registered guests (age 21+) will receive a complimentary drink ticket to the social garden.

    12–2 p.m. M Club offers free Scot dogs and veggie burgers
    2–7:30 p.m. Food trucks and social garden

    12:30–2 p.m. | Women’s Basketball Alumni Game
    Bolstorff Court, Alumni Gym, Leonard Center
    Women’s Basketball alumni who are interested in competing should contact coach Katie Dollar at [email protected]. All Mac Fest attendees are welcome to join as spectators.

    2–3 p.m. | Faculty Lecture
    John B. Davis Lecture Hall, Ruth Stricker Dayton Campus Center
    Presenters: Professor Duchess Harris and Professor Julie Rogers
    Team-Teaching “Blacks in Paris”: a High-Impact Experience for Students & Alumni
    What happens when you create an Interdisciplinary team-taught course and conclude the classroom experience with a two-week field course in Paris? Hear from professors Duchess Harris (American Studies) and Juliette Rogers (French, Francophone Studies) about the creation of this course and what they learned in the process. Hear about some of the lectures they gave on African American expatriates as well as Francophone writers and artists, and how they followed this up with an alumni trip in June 2023.

    2:30 p.m. | Men’s Soccer vs. College of St. Scholastica
    Leaney Field, Macalester Stadium
    Join us in supporting the men’s soccer team as they take the field against the College of St. Scholastica. Free Admission. This event is livestreamed at this link.

    3–4 p.m. | A Capella Showcase
    Weyerhaeuser Memorial Chapel
    Enjoy a sampling from Macalester’s student-led A Capella choirs.

    4–5:30 p.m. | Mac Fest Parent Reception | Supporting the Student Experience
    Briggs House, 1644 Summit Avenue, Saint Paul
    Please join Macalester’s 17th President, Dr. Suzanne M. Rivera, members of the senior leadership team and parent council, and a number of new and returning families for an afternoon gathering. Enjoy conversation and connecting with other Mac parents and families, hear updates from President Rivera about the college’s strategic plan, Imagine Macalester, and learn how parents support the student experience through philanthropic and volunteer efforts. Please note that this event requires separate registration, which you can complete through this link.

    5 p.m. | Women’s Volleyball vs. St. Catherine University
    Away game at St. Catherine University
    Transportation not provided. This event is livestreamed at this link.

    7 p.m. | Football vs. Bethel University
    Leaney Field, Macalester Stadium
    Come and cheer for our football team as they face off against Bethel University. Free Admission. This event is livestreamed at this link.

    7:30 – 8:30 p.m. | Theater and Dance Performance
    James A. Williams Black Box Theater, Janet Wallace Fine Arts Center
    Join us for an evening of dance and theater as our talented students showcase their work in playwriting, dance, design, acting, and directing! Admission is free on a first-come, first-served basis. Doors open 15 minutes before the performance begins.

    8–9 p.m. | Mac Fest Concert
    Asian Music Ensemble, Choirs, African Music Ensemble
    Mairs Concert Hall, Janet Wallace Fine Arts Center
    The Music Department presents the Asian Music Ensemble (Chuen-Fung Wong, director), the Concert Choir and Chorale (Michael McGaghie, conductor), and the African Music Ensemble (Sowah Mensah, director). This concert performance is livestreamed at this link.

    9–10 p.m. | Campus Center After Dark Trivia Night
    Café Mac, Ruth Stricker Dayton Campus Center
    Join us for some trivia fun and win a prize! Parents and family members are welcome.

  • Sunday, October 8, 2023

    There are no scheduled events for Sunday, October 8. We encourage you to engage in self-care, spend time with your student, family, and friends, and explore the beautiful Twin Cities. Enjoy your day!

Please note that the schedule provided is preliminary and subject to change. Be sure to check the Mac Fest website regularly for program updates and announcements.