Looking Back, Leading Forward: @HOMEcoming 2020

Click on the links below to access details on the events.

#MorrisMission: Homecoming Edition

Monday, September 28–Wednesday, October 7
Final Submissions Due: Noon on Wednesday, October 7
Winners Announced: Friday, October 9, via Twitter

Physically distancing but socially uniting: Cougars near and far, we have a mission for you (should you be willing to accept)! The special #MorrisMission: Homecoming Edition is now live, so watch the video for details.

Your response must be submitted to Twitter by Wednesday, October 7, at noon CST to be considered. A panel of judges will review submissions each week and select the winning entry. Prizes for both a student and alumni winner will be announced on Friday, October 9, via Twitter.

Best First-Year Residence Hall 2020: Crowdfunding Challenge

Wednesday, September 30–Thursday, October 8, 11:59 p.m. CST

This challenge incorporates three common bonds many of us, as UMN Morris alumni and current students share:

1. We all have an opinion of what UMN Morris first-year residence hall is BEST (the one where you or your friends lived!)
2. The success of UMN Morris students, whether current or former members of the campus community, makes all of us stronger.
3. We all love bragging rights!

This year we come together as alumni, students, faculty, staff, and friends of UMN Morris to join in a friendly crowdfunding challenge. Now more than ever, the Student Assistance Grants for Emergencies (SAGE) fund is making a difference in the lives of students at UMN Morris by providing critical emergency support when the unexpected arises. You can get involved by selecting your favorite UMN Morris first-year residence hall and making a gift. Your gift will serve as a vote for your favorite residence hall while raising funds that go toward student emergency support. Find out more, join the challenge, and encourage others to join in! 

Cougar Virtual Day of Service

Wednesday, September 30–Saturday, October 10

Join UMN Morris and the Office of Community Engagement for a virtual day of service as part of this year's Homecoming festivities. This year you have the opportunity to give back to the Morris community and your own, right from home. Choose from one of three options: 

1. Connect virtually with children through a video recording of your favorite public domain nursery rhyme
2. Connect virtually with elders through a video recording of you reading your favorite public domain poem
3. Serving your local community, in your own way, on the day of your choosing.  

Feel free to do one or all options, using this quick form to get more details and tell us how you served. Watch the UMN Morris Twitter and Facebook accounts for more on this event and share how you’re serving using #MorrisHOCO and tag us at @UMNMorris by Saturday, October 10. We also encourage you to help spread the word and invite others to join in. UMN Morris alumni make change in the world—let’s show how Cougars give back!

Click on the links below to play the videos or access online content.

Recorded Live Events

Unable to attend all of the live events or want to rewatch a session?  

Campus Stories: Reflections on the Early Years (aired 10/5/20)

WORK of Art: Fine Arts Panel (aired 10/5/20)

Your Vote is Your Voice (aired 10/7/20)

Additional Content

Minnesota Rouser

Enjoy the rendition of this classic, performed by our own Symphonic Winds, under the direction of Simon Tillier.

Digital Collections

Browse yearbooks, student newspapers from 1960-90 (90s in progress!), art collections, and pictures from the UMN Morris archives. Have pictures or other content you’d like to share? Use this form to share information with us.

Distinguished Alumni Award Recognition

Each year the University of Minnesota Morris Alumni Association (UMMAA) recognizes alumni who have distinguished themselves in their personal or professional life. Nominations are accepted throughout the year and the recipients are determined by the UMMAA Board of Directors. James “Jim” Odden ’71, an educator, community leader, and philanthropist, is the 2020 recipient of this honor. Jim will be publicly recognized at the Distinguished Alumni Award and Cougar Hall of Fame Recognition Dinner during Homecoming 2021 next fall.

Cougar Hall of Fame—2020 Class

The University of Minnesota Morris has selected one individual and one team into the Cougar Athletics Hall of Fame for 2020. Larry Edlund ’71, an athlete, instructor, and coach, is the individual recipient, and the 1970 Baseball Team is the team recipient for 2020. They will be publicly recognized at the Distinguished Alumni Award and Cougar Hall of Fame Recognition Dinner during Homecoming 2021 next fall.

We Are Water and Why Treaties Matter Exhibits

The We Are Water exhibit, a traveling exhibit from the MN Humanities Center, is at the Edward J. and Helen Jane Morrison Gallery at UMN Morris until October 19. Intended as a space to connect and learn through our shared connection to water, you are invited to check out the overview video and visit the live exhibit. A companion exhibit, Why Treaties Matter, will be on campus during the same time and also has virtual content for you to explore.

Symphonic Winds: Keeping the Music Playing at Morris

UMN Morris Symphonic Winds, under conductor Simon Tillier, are meeting the challenge of the current pandemic head on. Enjoy a behind-the-scenes look at what the ensemble has been doing this semester, and listen to a performance of their 2018 commissioned work "IceMelt" by composer Jenni Watson.

UMN Morris Jazz: Presitge Combo

Jazz music lives on at UMN Morris, despite the challenges of large group rehearsals. Get an update from Jonathan Campbell, jazz director, and listen in on a piece recorded by UMN Morris's very own Prestige Combo. We hope you enjoy seeing the new way we’re making music together.

UMN Morris Choirs: distanSING!

Get a behind-the-scenes look at the creative ways UMN Morris Choirs continue to make beautiful music together this year. With large ensemble rehearsals on hold due to public health recommendations, we invite you to take a few minutes to peek into our approach to distanSINGing this semester! 

What's New on Campus Tour

While many of the places and spaces on campus are just as you remember them, UMN Morris is always updating and making enhancements for the future. See what’s new on campus, from classroom updates to athletic facility enhancements, to investments in campus sustainability.

Fall Online Theatre Production

Alone, Together is a series of short one-acts, paired with The Seed, to make up the UMN Morris fall theatre production. The characters follow a path of shock, response, and hope that reflects our journey through 2020. Like much of our lives now, the production will take place in an online format. Recorded on Zoom, streamed via YouTube, and operated with a crowdfunded “give what you can” ticket. As the saying goes, “The show must go on.” Get a preview of the show

"Nod to the Past, Look to the Future"

Hear from James Togeas and Helen Jane Morrison as they recall the early days of UMN Morris and the promise envisioned and realized for this campus long ago—and still today.

Promise of the Prairie Documentary

Promise of the Prairie, a documentary produced by the University of Minnesota Morris, explores three very different educational institutions that have all made their home on the same plot of land. Collectively, they form a microcosm of America, informing an understanding of the past, an appreciation for the present, and expectation for the future.

Virtual Campus Tours

Take a general campus tour, a green campus tour or a historic walking tour of the UMN Morris campus from the comfort of your own home!