#RowanPROUD

By Rowan University

October 14^th, 2019

Homecoming 2019

From Oct. 7-13, Rowan University students, employees, alumni and friends shared their Prof Pride during Homecoming Week. Themed "Out of this World" honoring the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, Rowan's Homecoming featured student spirit competitions, Athletics events, alumni reunions and more.

Tailgate & Football Game

Joy Solomen '69, M'75, received the 2019 Alumni Ambassador Award for her dedication and service to Rowan University and the surrounding community.

As a Glassboro State College undergraduate, Solomen was a three-sport varsity athlete and captain in field hockey, lacrosse and basketball. She was the first woman inducted in the Rowan-Glassboro State Athletics Hall of Fame—which was later named in her honor.

Solomen began her career at Glassboro State College in 1986 as the director of women’s athletics. Under her leadership, Rowan Athletics reached national prestige, securing a spot among the top 25 athletic programs in Division III. After more than 25 years as director of Athletics, Solomen retired in 2012.

In addition to the strong foundation she laid for the Athletics Department, Solomen’s legacy at Rowan includes starting the women’s golf outing for alumni, establishing the Athletic Director Award for Academic Excellence, and sponsoring two medallion awards in honor of her former professors and coaches, Dr. Mary A. Rice and Dr. Shirley O’Day. She also established the Joy Solomen Scholarship, which supports Rowan Health & Exercise Science students.

Rowan University Alumni Association Board President Anthony Marino '02, M'03, presents Joy Solomen '69, M'75, with the 2019 Alumni Ambassador Award.

The Jankowski Family: Parents Nicholas '00 (center) and Rebecca (second from right) and children (from left) Samantha, Jeremiah and Ashleigh '23.

"Rowan was and always will be a teaching school at heart. Even as professors chase research dollars, the educational focus sets it apart. I'm biased, but this is what I want for my daughter. She wants to cure cancer, to make a difference. Rowan was right there among the engineering powerhouses and selective private schools. At the end of the day, she made a 'best value' decision. She's joining a new, exciting program in a college that has excelled among its peers. Between merit aid and savings, she has the potential for minimal, possibly no, debt after graduation. She is part of the Class of 2023 as the first legacy engineering student at Rowan University, and I couldn't be more proud."

-- Nicholas Jankowski '00, Federal Government Research Laboratory engineer and 2019 Homecoming Legacy Family Competition winner

LET’S HEAR IT FOR THE PROFS!

Rowan Athletics had a strong Homecoming Week with home wins from Women's Soccer (1-0 vs. Eastern University), Field Hockey (8-2 vs. Stockton University), Football (52-7 vs. Kean University) and Men's Soccer (5-0 vs. New Jersey City University). Follow all Rowan Athletics teams at rowan.edu/athletics.

Presenting Prof Pride

In the annual Homecoming Push Cart competition, student teams of four raced around Bunce Circle chasing down the fastest averaged time. This year, Alpha Sigma Alpha and Alpha Chi Rho sprinted for the win.

CANstruction challenged students to use their creativity to build sculptures that represented the Homecoming theme and #ProfPride using canned goods. Theta Phi Alpha and Tau Delta Phi built their way to the top to win first place. The more than 1,500 nonperishable items used in CANstruction were donated to The SHOP (Students Helping Other Profs).

In the splashy Homecoming Battleship competition, 30 spirited teams threw buckets of water to sink other teams' boats. The ever-buoyant Rowan Club Swimming stayed afloat to claim Battleship victory.

Students brought the moves to Homecoming's annual Lip Sync contest. Sigma Delta Tau sorority and Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity outperformed the competition.

At the Homecoming Harvest Festival, the Rowan community enjoyed out-of-this-world food, music and activities.

Celebrating Friendships

During Homecoming Week, Rowan University welcomed back several groups of alumni including (pictured below) the Class of 1969, former field hockey student-athletes and six decades of Rowan Radio staff members.

Paul A. Hilton Fellowship Breakfast

The Paul A. Hilton Fellowship Breakfast is hosted annually by the Rowan University Black Alumni Network (RUBAN). Now in its third year, the event celebrates the collective and individual impact alumni and friends have had on the Rowan community and honors the legacy of former Alumni Board of Directors member, Paul Hilton ’83.