UAlbany Homecoming Weekend to Feature Lunch with Music Marketing Executive Rob Stone, Football vs. Maine, and Comedian and Actor Nick Cannon 

ALBANY, N.Y. (October 5, 2015) – The University at Albany campus will come alive as alumni, students, their parents and families, and the local community return for the annual Homecoming Family and Reunion Weekend Oct. 9-11. Homecoming celebrates the University and its network of more than 166,500 alumni through knowledge, sports, culture, and entertainment.

Film star and comedian Nick Cannon presents Wild 'N Out on Oct. 10 at 8 p.m. in the SEFCU Arena.

Reaching Higher, Achieving More Luncheon

UAlbany’s Reaching Higher, Achieving More Luncheon kicks off the festivities at noon on Friday, Oct. 9, in the Campus Center Ballroom with music, media and branding executive Rob Stone B.S. ’90, as its featured speaker. Stone is the founder and co-CEO of Cornerstone marketing agency and co-founder of The FADER, the music and style magazine that showcases new artists. This event is free and open to the public with pre-registration.

Stone studied marketing and finance at UAlbany, where he started an advertising calendar with Albany merchants. After graduation, he worked in the music business, joining Arista Records and renowned music executive Clive Davis in 1994. Stone worked with artists including Notorious B.I.G., Sean “Puffy” Combs, and Outkast. He left a major record label to create Cornerstone in 1996, a marketing agency known for integrating music artists like Kanye West in corporate branding campaigns. In March 2015 Stone was featured in Billboard magazine with Cornerstone co-founder Jon Cohen. He is available to speak with media by phone several days in advance of the event.

Since its inception in 2006, the Reaching Higher, Achieving More alumni campaign has featured a wide array of UAlbany graduates – entrepreneurs, educators, lawyers, corporate leaders, entertainers, doctors, social workers, authors, and policymakers. The event was designed to give UAlbany students a look at the world of successful alumni, inspiring them to reach further and begin to lay the groundwork to carve out their own paths to success.

President’s Breakfast

Saturday, Oct. 10, at 8:30 a.m. Campus Center Ballroom. Hear President Robert J. Jones provide an update on the University and celebrate with the Class of 1965 alumni as they are inducted into the Half-Century Club. Registration required. Cost: $10 per person.

Presentation for Parents

Saturday, Oct. 10, at 10:30 a.m., Marjorie Savage, the author of You’re on Your Own (but I’m Here if You Need Me); Mentoring Your Child during the College Years, will speak with families about parenting today’s college students and how they impact the student experience. Current UAlbany students will share their campus experience and engage with family members before and after the discussion. The event is free; registration is required. Savage is with the University of Minnesota Department of Family Social Science and teaches a class on parent/child relationships.

Great Dane Game Day

Get into the spirit before watching UAlbany take on Maine in the Homecoming game. Adjacent to Bob Ford Field, the Great Dane Game Day pregame is from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Enjoy a lunch buffet, live music featuring the Bad Chaperones and family activities with other Great Danes fans. Package includes lunch buffet, T-shirt and football game ticket. Cost is $25; $5 for children 10 and younger. Registration is required on or before Oct.4 to guarantee a T-shirt. Current UAlbany students receive a free game ticket in the student section and can use a meal swipe. Free parking.

Comedian Nick Cannon

Film star and comedian Nick Cannon presents Wild ’N Out on Saturday night, Oct. 10, at 8 p.m. in the SEFCU Arena. A San Diego native, Cannon headed for Hollywood at age 15 and cut his teeth at comedy venues like The Improv, The Laugh Factory and The Comedy Store. He went on to share the stage with Chris Tucker, Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock before landing his first television gig as a series regular and writer on Nickelodeon’s long-running hit series “All That,” making him the youngest staff writer in television history. In 2005, MTV debuted “Nick Cannon Presents Wild ’N Out,” an improv comedy show with musical performances that Cannon created, produced and hosted which eventually became one of MTV’s highest rated shows in the network’s history, airing new episodes for four seasons. Due to popular demand, Cannon brought the hit show back with a new cast of talent, which premiered July 2013 on MTV2. Now in its 6th season, Wild ’N Out has ranked as the highest-rated series in MTV2 history. There are seats available for the general public for those who register in advance through the UAlbany Alumni Association’s official homecoming schedule and registration page.

Additional Events

Additional events include a downtown campus walking tour, a bus tour of the City of Albany, alumni wine-tasting, student performances, class reunions, tours of the RNA Institute and the University Art Museum, and a special exhibit of UAlbany’s nine-panel Veterans Wall of Honor which recognizes more than 4,000 alumni, faculty and staff who have served in the U.S. military.

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