Event Listing

Study Abroad 101 for Parents & Students

Location: Virtual on Zoom

Time: 12 p.m.

Interested in an educational experience overseas? University of Hartford offers everything from the traditional study abroad experience to internships, research, service-learning/volunteer, and teach abroad programs. Students can study abroad in over 50 different countries, and there are options available from one week to one year and everything in between. Education abroad can be an excellent resume booster (did you know only 11% of U.S. college students choose to study abroad?) and every UHart student is eligible to participate. You'll be able to hear directly from the International Center—join us to learn more and get your questions answered!

This is a virtual event. The Zoom link will be emailed to those who register.

Helping Hawks: A Service Project

Location: Gengras Student Union (Check-in at South Café)

Time: 9:30 a.m.–1 p.m.

As part of the commitment to community service, the Office of Student Engagement and Inclusion (OSEI) and Student Government Association (SGA) will host the annual Fall Helping Hawks Day of Service. Students, staff, faculty, and alumni are invited and encouraged to participate in this Hawktober day of service. We are partnering with non-profit organizations in the Greater Hartford Area to offer meaningful service experiences for our campus community.

Volunteers will serve at designated sites on projects identified by each site. Volunteers will check in by 9:30 a.m. in GSU South Cafe, hear a brief welcome, and be dismissed to their buses by 10 a.m. All volunteers are provided transportation to their service sites and are scheduled to arrive at their designated service project sites between 10:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. After completing service projects, volunteers will be picked up from each of their site locations and returned to campus between 12:30 p.m. and 1 p.m.

Questions should be directed to Llonia Rojan Jackson at rojanjack@hartford.edu. 

A Taste of Home

Location: Commons Dining Hall

Time: 11 a.m.–4:30 p.m.

Visit us at Commons Dining Hall for a chance to see your family recipe highlighted at the Taste of Home lunch! Aramark will be featuring 8-12 UHart family dishes, submitted by UHart students and their families. To enter your family dish for consideration, submit your recipe to taste@hartford.edu by Oct.1.

HLSA Luncheon

Location: Room 331, Gengras Student Union

Time: 1 p.m.

The Hispanic and Latino Student Association would like to invite parents, students, and alumni to join us for a complimentary Latino lunch. Meet our board members, learn about what HLSA has to offer, and find out what life is like as a Hispanic or Latinx student on campus. Esperamos verlos aquí!

Archives Pop-Up Exhibit

Location: KF Room, Harrison Libraries

Time: 1–4 p.m.

The exhibit will feature items covering the history of the University and its schools (with special focus on the Class of 1973!), as well as select materials from various special collections. 

Gallery Exhibition: Minoo Emami: Under My Veil

Location: Joseloff Gallery, Harry Jack Gray Center

Time: 1–5 p.m.

Themes of resistance and resilience cut through the multidisciplinary work of Iranian artist Minoo Emami. This retrospective exhibition highlights the artist’s early career as a
self-taught painter, alongside experiments in sculpture, photography, printmaking, video, and installation art that come together to transform the trauma of war and oppression into
objects of beauty and hope. Significantly, the exhibition will include new, never-before-seen work created over the past year in response to the ongoing Women’s Rights Movement in Iran.

Gallery Exhibition: Minoo Emami Video Work and Body Quilt

Location: Silpe Gallery, Hartford Art School

Time: 1–5 p.m.

Additional works by Iranian artist Minoo Emami are displayed in Silpe Gallery. The exhibition and associated programming present an opportunity to learn about Persian aesthetics, Islamic customs, and the events in modern Iranian history that inform Minoo Emami’s work, just as it is a chance to reflect on the state of human rights and social justice movements within our own geopolitical landscape.

Celebration of Life for Kristel “Kris” Matthews ’76 

Location: Waterfall Garden at Courtyard (next to the Hartt Building)  

Time: 3–4:30 p.m. 

Friends of the late Kris Matthews ’76 invite you to join them for a memory share, libations, and chance to connect and celebrate the beautiful life and impact Kris had on so many at the University, both as an alum and a devoted member of the UHart staff.  

Gifts to a scholarship being established by Kris’s family in her name are encouraged; notes to be read at the celebration are also welcome to be submitted to alumni@hartford.edu for those who cannot attend.  

First Flight

Location: Chase Arena

Time: 5–6:30 p.m.

Welcome this season’s basketball teams and take part in the fun UHart tradition! Tip off the 2023–24 season with games, prizes, student performances, and more. Students, parents, and alumni all welcome!

Shabbat Service + Dinner

Location: Room 116/118, University Commons

Time: 5:15 p.m.—Service; 6 p.m.—Dinner

Alumni, students, and their parents are invited to attend a Shabbat service, followed by a delicious catered dinner.

Ticketed event.

Anchor Awards Celebration

Location: Wilde Auditorium + Virtual

Time: 7:30–9 p.m.

UHart's annual awards event to celebrate the brilliance, success and accomplishments of our talented 2023 award recipients. Alumni, friends, and family welcome.

HEAT Spooktacular Event

Location: Gengras Student Union

Time: 7 p.m.–midnight

The Hartford Events and Activities Team invites all UHart students to a Halloween Spooktacular event in GSU! The festivities will include a haunted house, an interactive murder mystery, a dance party, Halloween movies, refreshments, and more. Dress to impress in your best Halloween costume and enjoy a spooky night with friends—if you dare! 

This events is for UHart students only.

Hartford Track and Field 5K 

Location: Starts and ends at Chase Arena

Time: 8 a.m.—Check-in Opens; 9 a.m.—Race Begins  

$30 guests, $10 UHart students, $5 UHart intramural students, $10 kids run; $35 for day-of walk-ins

Run, walk, or dance your way through campus alongside UHart alumni, students, families, and friends. Race registration includes a 5K t-shirt and race bib; proceeds support our Hartford Track and Field team.

Race starts at 9 a.m. at the Chase Arena (parking available); t-shirts and race bibs will be distributed to runners beginning at 8 a.m. New this year: A 100M dash for our youngest Hawks (10 and under)!

Optional tickets to party, post-race, at HawktoberFest can be purchased with your race registration.

Men's Lacrosse Alumni Games

Location: Al-Marzook Field

Time: 9–11 a.m.

Former Hartford Hawks from the men's lacrosse team will reunite for their alumni games vs. current students!

Archives Pop-Up Exhibit

Location: KF Room, Harrison Libraries

Time: 10 a.m.–3 p.m.

The exhibit will feature items covering the history of the University and its schools (with special focus on the Class of 1973!), as well as select materials from various special collections. 

UHart Parents' Breakfast Social

Location: Hursey Center Foyer

Time: 10:30–11:30 a.m.

Hosted by the Director of Parent Engagement and Philanthropy and UHart's Parent Council, we invite you to join fellow parents for a casual meet and greet over a catered breakfast. Connect with other families going through a similar UHart experience and enjoy great conversation. Mingle with campus leadership and chat with UHart staff who can answer your questions on the student experience and learn ways in which you can stay more connected as a proud parent!

Robotics Lab Demonstration

Location: Room 212, Hursey Center

Time: 11 a.m.–12 p.m.

Professor Kiwon Sohn will showcase ongoing projects by students of UHart Robotics Club (ART - Assistive Robot Team) and various robot platforms that are used in CETA's robotics classes.

HawktoberFest

Location: Konover Campus Center (Original location: Alumni Plaza)

Time: 11 a.m.–2 p.m.

$15 tickets, UHart students free

Enjoy a delicious meal with fellow alumni, students, parents, and friends. We've partnered with SGA to feature food trucks, student performances, music, games and activities for the entire family, and more! Your ticket will get you a meal at one of the food trucks.

Hartford Has It!

Location: Wilde Auditorium

Time: 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

Join us in the 1877 Club for a presentation by the Hartford Business Improvement District, Director of Marketing and UHart alum Sydney Morris ’15. Come hear about All Things Hartford and Hartford Has It! This presentation will provide you with a great appreciation for all the things Hartford has to offer. Learn about navigating the area and the don’t-miss attractions, restaurants, and events right here in UHart’s backyard.

Campus Tours: What's New from the Hawk's View

Location: Tours depart from Bates House

Time: 12 p.m.

Red Key Society Tour guides will lead guests through the various upgrades to campus over the last 10 years. This will include touring the Auerbach Hall addition, the Gengras Student Union, the Harrison Libraries, The Hursey Center for Advanced Engineering & Health Sciences, and more. Join us for an hour-long walking tour of the spaces that have allowed the University of Hartford to continue its growth and success for its students!

Women's Soccer vs. Nichols College

Location: Al-Marzook Field

Time: 12 p.m.

Cheer on the 2024 Women's Soccer Team as they compete against Nichols College!

Study Abroad 101 for Parents & Students

Location: Mali Auditorium, Dana Hall

Time: 1–2 p.m.

Interested in an educational experience overseas? University of Hartford offers everything from the traditional study abroad experience to internships, research, service-learning/volunteer, and teach abroad programs. Students can study abroad in over 50 different countries, and there are options available from one week to one year and everything in between. Education abroad can be an excellent resume booster (did you know only 11% of U.S. college students choose to study abroad?) and every UHart student is eligible to participate. You'll be able to hear directly from the International Center and study abroad alumni—join us to learn more and get your questions answered!

Nursing Skills Lab + Immersive Simulation

Location: Rooms 115a + 119, Hursey Center

Time: 1–3 p.m.

Stop by Hursey Center to experience some highlights of the BSN Nursing program! Come visit our amazing facilities that feature high fidelity manikins and cutting-edge technology. Meet our fantastic nursing students who will be providing care to our state-of-the-art manikins, including Laerdal's SimMan 3G Plus.

Career and Professional Development Open House

Location: Genras Student Union

Time: 1–2 p.m.

Career Services is here for you! Meet our staff and learn about the resources available for alumni and students.

Gallery Exhibition: Minoo Emami: Under My Veil

Location: Joseloff Gallery, Harry Jack Gray Center

Time: 1– 5 p.m.

Themes of resistance and resilience cut through the multidisciplinary work of Iranian artist Minoo Emami. This retrospective exhibition highlights the artist’s early career as a self-taught painter, alongside experiments in sculpture, photography, printmaking, video, and installation art that come together to transform the trauma of war and oppression into objects of beauty and hope. Significantly, the exhibition will include new, never-before-seen work created over the past year in response to the ongoing Women’s Rights Movement in Iran.

Gallery Exhibition: Minoo Emami Video Work and Body Quilt

Location: Silpe Gallery, Hartford Art School

Time: 1– 5 p.m.

Additional works by Iranian artist Minoo Emami are displayed in Silpe Gallery. The exhibition and associated programming present an opportunity to learn about Persian aesthetics, Islamic customs, and the events in modern Iranian history that inform Minoo Emami’s work, just as it is a chance to reflect on the state of human rights and social justice movements within our own geopolitical landscape.

Alumni Author Visit and Discussion

Location: Second Floor, Harrison Libraries

Time: 2 p.m.

In his book From Promises to Progress, Andrew Beamon M'09 combines his professional experience with theory and practice to offer people and organizations real solutions and measurable DEI initiatives that will make a difference. Beamon confronts the failure of organizations to uphold promises with measurable solutions. Learn about Beamon's expertise in compiling this research and how he has put it into practice in his own work.

Legacy Family Event

Location: Room 219, Hursey Center

Time: 2 p.m.

Legacy families (multiple family members who have a UHart education in common) are invited to attend a pinning ceremony to honor the families that continue to grow our Hawk community.

Minoo Emami: Under My Veil Reception & Tour

Location: Joseloff Gallery, Harry Jack Gray Center

Time: 2– 4 p.m.

Reception celebrating the remarkable video work and Body Quilt by the talented artist, Minoo Emani. This captivating event offers our esteemed art community's alumni a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in Minoo's innovative fusion of video art and textile work, exploring the profound themes of body, identity, and society. Guided tours led by experienced art guides will provide deeper insights into the artist's vision, enhancing the viewing experience. With light refreshments fostering a warm and welcoming atmosphere, this afternoon promises to be an unforgettable celebration of creativity, inspiration, and meaningful connections within our vibrant alumni network.

Author Talk with Eric Litsky '73  

Location: Hawk Lounge, Gengras Student Union

Time: 2:30–3 p.m.

Kick-off our 50(ish) reunion celebrations with alum and author Eric V. Litsky ’73 and his “pocketful of funny and heartwarming stories.” Litsky will take us down memory road, sharing some of his childhood fun, growing pains, and journey through this second career in writing. Jump right into our 50(ish) programming in Hawk Lounge after the meet and greet.

Men's Soccer vs. Nichols College

Location: Al-Marzook Field

Time: 3 p.m.

Cheer on the 2024 Men’s Soccer Team as they compete against Nichols College!

University Archives Presents: The Lady Fenwick

Location: Wilde Auditorium, Harry Jack Gray Center

Time: 3–4 p.m.

Newly graduated Wesleyan University film student, Hannah Carroll, presents her 12-minute documentary thesis about Katharine Hepburn. Hannah spent the better part of the past year producing, directing, and editing in an effort to tell a part of Miss Hepburn's story—much of which has been preserved by the UHart Archives! The film was awarded the Leavall Memorial Prize, which recognizes outstanding work in the film medium. Join us for a viewing of the film and a discussion with Hannah. 

Tour of GSU: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

Location: Tours depart from Hawk Lounge, Gengras Student Union

Time: 3–4 p.m.

Take a guided walk through our student center and explore the history of GSU and the many ways in which this building supports our thriving student community today.

50(ish) Reunion Archives and Memories

Location: Hawk Lounge, Gengras Student Union

Time: 3–5 p.m.

Enjoy the 50(ish) reunion celebration with fellow graduates from the '70s at a groovy memory share, meet and greet, and more in the student union. Check-in for the reunion, as well as tours of the GSU and Archives will all depart from here.

20th Anniversary Master of Architecture Program

Location: W101 and W110 Architecture Studios, Harry Jack Gray Center

Time: 4–6 p.m.

Join us for a reception in the architecture studios as we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Master of Architecture Program.

Separate registration required

Student Television Network – Studio Tour & Alumni Newscast         

Location: TV Studio, Abrahms Hall

Time: 4:15–5:30 p.m.

Take a student-led tour of the TV studio. Stick around and watch the magic happen at the 5 p.m. alumni-anchored newscast.

Saturday Vigil Mass & Reception

Location: Catholic Campus Ministry Center, 207 Bloomfield Avenue

Time: 4:30–6:30 p.m.

Catholic Campus Ministry and the Newman Club invite students, alumni, parents, and families to attend Roman Catholic Vigil Mass on Saturday evening at 4:30 p.m. at the Catholic Campus Ministry Center, 207 Bloomfield Avenue, across from the main entrance to campus. Reception to follow.

School of Communication Alumni Reception

Location: Stanley Black & Decker Commons, Hursey Center

Time: 5–7 p.m.

School of Communication alumni are invited to attend a reception where you can catch up with other graduates and faculty. Complementary appetizers and beverages provided. This reception will feature tours of our newly expanded audio production studio, new equipment room, TV studio, Abrahms Hall facilities, and the debut of our new student agency: Crested Communications. For those who wish to watch, the STN Alumni Show will be presented live in the 1877 Club at 5 p.m., and STN alumni, members and friends are welcome to join us upstairs at the reception after the show.

BSU Annual Alumni and Parents Dinner 

Location: Cafe, Gengras Student Union

Time: 5 p.m.

$25 for guests, $20 for alumni, $7 for students, kids under 12 are free

Join the Black Student Union (BSU) for the Annual Alumni and Parents Dinner as we kick-off the yearlong celebration of the 60th anniversary of the BSU.

50(ish) Reunion + The Return of The Pub

Location: Garden Level/Game Room, Gengras Student Union

Time: 5–8 p.m.

The Pub is coming back, and we hope you are too! Join us for a special 50(ish) reunion celebration with the Class of 1973, then celebrate Hawktober weekend like it's October of '73—with UHart friends, beer, music, and bar bites in the student union.

This event is free to attend and will have a cash bar.

Jazz Brunch

Location: Cafe, Gengras Student Union

Time: 11 a.m.–1 p.m.

$40 tickets

Join fellow alumni, parents and students for everyone’s favorite part of Hawktober weekend: the annual Jazz Brunch. This year, we are thrilled to return to campus with brunch accompanied by lively jazz music, featuring alumna and recording artist Latanya Farrell M'97, M'98.  

Tickets are $40/person and include brunch, your first beverage, and all the smooth jazz you can handle. Space is limited.

Alumni Art Marketplace: Celebrating Creativity and Connections

Location: Harry Jack Gray Center Quad

Time: 1–3:30 p.m.

All are invited to the Alumni Art Marketplace, a vibrant and dynamic gathering that celebrates the artistic talents of our alumni. Enjoy a captivating space for alumni artists to showcase and sell their creations and connect with art enthusiasts, collectors, and the wider community.

Mini-Hawk Party at UHart

Location: Harry Jack Gray Center Quad

Time: 1– 3:30 p.m.

The love of UHart starts early, and this event is designed for the whole family. Alums and mini-Hawks are invited to join us for a bounce house, photos with our student race car, games, and fun on the quad hosted by Howie the Hawk and some of his mascot friends.

Sunday Mass & Dinner

Location: Catholic Campus Ministry Center, 207 Bloomfield Avenue

Time: 1–3 p.m.

Catholic Campus Ministry and the Newman Club invite students, alumni, parents, and families to attend Roman Catholic Mass on Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Catholic Campus Ministry Center, 207 Bloomfield Avenue, across from the main entrance to campus. Reception to follow.

Men's Soccer vs. Framingham State

Location: Al-Marzook Field

Time: 2 p.m.

Cheer on the 2024 Men’s Soccer Team as they compete against Framingham State University!