Family Weekend 2025 Schedule of Events
On this page:
Friday, October 24
| Time | Event |
|---|---|
| 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. |
Musselman Library |
| 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. |
Family Weekend Registration |
| 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. |
Schmucker Art Gallery Visit Schmucker Art Gallery, located on the first floor of Schmucker Hall, to view two student-curated art exhibits. At noon, Westley Rathbun ’27 will provide a tour of Footprints Across the Ocean. Footprints Across the Ocean: The Art of Gan Yu (Main Gallery) Led by student researchers Westley Rathbun ’27 and Md Nafisul Hasan Sami ’27, this exhibition spans 45 years of the work of Chinese-American artist Gan Yu. In the artist’s words, the works reflect not only a distinctive artistic style and personal response to social changes, but also offer visual impressions of the world economy across its various cycles. Since 2007, Yu has devoted 18 years to exploring the stock market as a subject through 10 different series, exhibiting them across the globe. He sees the stock market as a visual distillation of contemporary politics, economics, technology, and culture. The World Turned Upside Down: Posters from the Chinese Cultural Revolution (Project Space) Curated by Ava Prickman ’28, the Spring 2025 Susan ’77 and Joseph Biernat ’75 Intern, this exhibition features Chinese Cultural Revolution propaganda posters from Gettysburg College Special Collections. Prickman tells the story of the Revolution through the personal accounts of four young people, using the images to tell their stories, and through them the wider story of life in Maoist China. |
| 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. |
Admissions Visits for Prospective Students and their Families *Registration is requested. Prospective students and their families are invited to attend an information session, led by an admissions counselor with student co-presenter, and/or a student-led campus tour. To learn more or register, visit gettysburg.edu/admissions-aid/visit/campus. All sessions take place at the Admissions Office (Eisenhower House and Fourjay Welcome Center). Information Sessions at 10:15 a.m. and 2:15 p.m. Tours at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m., 4 p.m. |
| 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. |
2025 Kolbe Research Fellows Poster Presentation The 2025 Kolbe Research Fellows will share their summer research during a poster presentation. This is a great opportunity to hear about their summer projects, learn more about the Kolbe Research Fellowship experience, support student scholarship, and enjoy refreshments. |
| 1:00 – 5:00 p.m. |
Special Collections and College Archives Exhibits Open Heading up to the 4th level of the library, in the Special Collections Reading Room, visitors may view three exhibits on display in the Special Collections: Women’s Travel, “Over a Continent or Through Life” Curated by Camryn Counsil, Class of 2025 – We are fascinated by travel: its excitement, its rewards, and even its risks. Experiencing the world can reaffirm beliefs, but it can also challenge them. Travel literature is a conversation about an evolving world. Historically, these stories have been written by men. Women’s accounts in this exhibit provide alternative perspectives on these global interactions. Women travel for pleasure, work, or living abroad. All the while, they engage with cultures, people, and politics different from their own. Ultimately, these women writers describe both their journeys across continents and through life. Gettysburgiana: Books by College Authors 1995-today Curated by Carolyn Sautter, Director of Special Collections and College Archives – This exhibit highlights works written by faculty, staff, alumni, and students published from 1995 to the present. From Taiwanese cinema to Battlefield commemorations, these titles showcase a wide variety of recent academic research and creative writing. Included are books illustrated with photographs and artifacts from Special Collections. One or two are based on manuscript collections in our care. Bowling! Get Off Your Seat and On Your Feet Curated by Amy Lucadamo, Class of 2000, College Archivist – A display showing 97 years of bowling on campus. |
| 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. |
The Cross-Disciplinary Science Institute at Gettysburg College (X-SIG) 12th Annual Poster Presentation Students who conducted STEM research on or off campus over the summer will present their findings in posters and be on hand to answer questions. Students and faculty participated in summer research through the X-SIG program, so there is guaranteed to be something of interest for all! The summer research program was funded by gifts from alumni and friends of Gettysburg College. Posters will remain on display the entire weekend. |
| 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. |
Center for Career Engagement (CCE) and Garthwait Leadership Center (GLC) Open House The Center for Career Engagement and the Garthwait Leadership Center will host an open house for students and their families to learn more about the resources and opportunities offered by both offices. |
| 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. |
Eisenhower Institute at Gettysburg College Open House Parents and students can visit the Eisenhower Institute to learn more about our programs and events. |
| 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. |
Now Hear This! The Conservatory’s music community gathers for student solo and chamber performances, master classes, and presentations by Conservatory faculty members and guests. Now Hear This! provides an opportunity for all students registered for private applied study to perform. This event is free and open to the public. |
| 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. |
Multigenerational Open House Alumni families and friends are invited to stop by the Norris-Wachob Alumni House (white house next to Glatfelter Hall), sign the guest book, and pick-up a little Gburg swag! |
| 3:00 – 6:00 p.m. |
Family Relations Information Table Visit the Family Relations information table to meet members of the Family Weekend Advisory Council, ask questions of current parents, get your Gettysburg College x Mainstreet Gettysburg discount card, learn more about CampusESP, and obtain local visitor information. |
| 3:30 – 5:00 p.m. |
Fall Honors Day Attend Fall Honors Day and celebrate the accomplishments of our students and faculty. Everyone is invited to attend this annual ceremony during which awards are presented to students in recognition of their academic, leadership, and athletic achievements; and two awards are presented to faculty. Many of the awards were established more than one hundred years ago in honor of and/or by Gettysburgians whose legacy is celebrated each year on this occasion. Music during the ceremony is performed by Sunderman Conservatory students. This event is free and open to the public. |
| 4:15 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. |
Halloween (1978) Fifteen years after murdering his sister on Halloween night 1963, Michael Myers escapes from a mental hospital and returns to the small town of Haddonfield, Illinois, to kill again. Tickets can be purchased online or at the box office. |
| 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. |
Family Weekend Happy Hour Join the Office of Student Activities and Greek Life in the Attic, located in the West Building, for our annual Family Weekend Happy Hour! Refreshments and hors d'oeuvres will be provided and live music will accompany the event. |
| 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. |
Phi Delta Theta Haunted Mansion Haunted House themed philanthropy event held by the brothers of Phi Delta Theta, Pennsylvania Beta to benefit the Adams County Child & Youth Services. The event is celebrating its 20th anniversary. Buy tickets online at https://cglink.me/2fU/r2279309. |
| 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. |
President’s Welcome Reception with the Parents Leadership Council The Parents Leadership Council (PLC) is the leadership-giving society for current parents at Gettysburg College. The PLC brings together Gettysburg College parents who provide philanthropic support of college programs for the benefit of our students. The group experiences a unique connection and relationship with the College and other PLC parents. *By invitation only. |
| 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. |
Gettysburg College Ghost Tour Offered by owkokas of Gettysburg Candlelight Walking Tours. |
| 8:00 p.m. |
Fall Choir Concert Featuring each of the four choirs in the choral program: College Choir, Concert Choir, Audeamus, and Camerata. A wide variety of music for the fall season. There’s something for everyone in this concert! Please join us! * Admission free with Gettysburg ID; $5 for adults over 18. |
Saturday, October 25
| Time | Event |
|---|---|
| 8:00 a.m. |
Bicycle Ride Start the day with a bicycle ride in bucolic Adams County, which will include stretches on both the Battlefield and quiet country roads in the area. : Led by John Regentin P’26, Allison Singley P’23, P’27, and Professor Chris Fee P’23, P’27, we’ll plan to ride 12–15 miles in about 75 minutes, which will allow us to finish in plenty of time to grab a cup of coffee and hear President Iuliano’s Welcome Session at 10 a.m. Bring your bike, helmet, and water bottle. |
| 8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. |
Alpha Phi Omega Pancake Breakfast Want some breakfast before the President's Welcome Session? Stop by Alpha Phi Omega's pancake breakfast on your way in to grab some fresh pancakes and other breakfast foods. |
| 9:00 – 10:00 a.m. |
Family Relations Information Table Visit the Family Relations information table to meet members of the Family Weekend Advisory Council, ask questions of current parents, get your Gettysburg College x Mainstreet Gettysburg discount card, learn more about CampusESP, and obtain local visitor information. |
| 9:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. |
Family Weekend Registration |
| 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. |
Schmucker Art Gallery Footprints Across the Ocean: The Art of Gan Yu (Main Gallery) Led by student researchers Westley Rathbun ’27 and Md Nafisul Hasan Sami ’27, this exhibition spans 45 years of the work of Chinese-American artist Gan Yu. In the artist’s words, the works reflect not only a distinctive artistic style and personal response to social changes, but also offer visual impressions of the world economy across its various cycles. Since 2007, Yu has devoted 18 years to exploring the stock market as a subject through 10 different series, exhibiting them across the globe. He sees the stock market as a visual distillation of contemporary politics, economics, technology, and culture. The World Turned Upside Down: Posters from the Chinese Cultural Revolution (Project Space) Curated by Ava Prickman ‘28, the Spring 2025 Susan ’77 and Joseph Biernat ‘75 Intern, this exhibition features Chinese Cultural Revolution propaganda posters from Gettysburg College Special Collections. Prickman tells the story of the Revolution through the personal accounts of four young people, using the images to tell their stories, and through them the wider story of life in Maoist China. |
| 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. |
Family Weekend Welcome Session Join President Iuliano and members of our campus community as they welcome all visitors to Family Weekend, provide a campus update, and offer a Q&A for parents and families. The session also includes coffee and a conversation with two current students, who will share stories of how Gettysburg's unique programs and opportunities have shaped their college experience. |
| 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. |
Musselman Library |
| 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. |
All-Campus Tailgate Join faculty, staff, and students for a festive tailgate featuring refreshments, lawn games, and more! |
| 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. |
Innovation & Creativity Lab (ICL) Tour Join us for a tour of the Innovation & Creativity Lab! Explore student projects, see the progress on our brand-new location, and get a sneak peek at the emerging AI Lab. Families are welcome to drop in, meet students, and experience the creative energy that drives innovation on campus. |
| 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. |
Special Collections and College Archives Exhibits Heading up to the 4th level of the library, in the Special Collections Reading Room, visitors may view three exhibits on display in the Special Collections: Women’s Travel, “Over a Continent or Through Life” Curated by Camryn Counsil, Class of 2025 – We are fascinated by travel: its excitement, its rewards, and even its risks. Experiencing the world can reaffirm beliefs, but it can also challenge them. Travel literature is a conversation about an evolving world. Historically, these stories have been written by men. Women’s accounts in this exhibit provide alternative perspectives on these global interactions. Women travel for pleasure, work, or living abroad. All the while, they engage with cultures, people, and politics different from their own. Ultimately, these women writers describe both their journeys across continents and through life. Gettysburgiana: Books by College Authors 1995-today Curated by Carolyn Sautter, Director of Special Collections and College Archives – This exhibit highlights works written by faculty, staff, alumni, and students published from 1995 to the present. From Taiwanese cinema to Battlefield commemorations, these titles showcase a wide variety of recent academic research and creative writing. Included are books illustrated with photographs and artifacts from Special Collections. One or two are based on manuscript collections in our care. Bowling! Get Off Your Seat and On Your Feet Curated by Amy Lucadamo, Class of 2000, College Archivist – A display showing 97 years of bowling on campus. |
| 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. |
Admissions Tour for Prospective Students and their Families *Registration is requested. |
| 11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. |
Pi Alpha Alpha Honor Induction Ceremony Public Policy students who have maintained a GPA of 3.7 or above in the major and a 3.5 GPA or above overall will be inducted into the Pi Alpha Alpha Honor Society. |
| 11:15 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. |
Family Weekend Lunch *Registration only. |
| 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. |
Family Photos at the “G” Gather your family for a festive photo in front of Gettysburg’s split G statue during the All-Campus Tailgate! A Gettysburg College student photography intern will be on-hand to take to capture the moment. Photos will be available to download following Family Weekend. |
| 11:45 a.m. |
Bullets Marching Band Warm-Up & March through Campus |
| 12:00 p.m. |
Swimming, Centennial Conference Quad |
| 12:45 p.m. |
Bullets Marching Band Pregame Show Kickoff may be at 1:00 p.m., but the festivities begin at 12:45! Enjoy Pregame 2025, full of Gettysburg College’s traditional school music and favorite formations. |
| 1:00 p.m. |
Football vs. Johns Hopkins |
| 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. |
Pumpkin Decorating with International Student Services Get in the fall spirit with your ISS family! Carve or paint your own pumpkin, and help decorate the International Student Center for Halloween! |
| 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. |
Climbing Club Open House Come check out The Den, climb a little, learn about climbing systems, and ask questions about the space! Our student executive board and some student staff will be present and would love to chat with you about the benefits of having this space on campus. If you're interested in climbing, please wear clothes you can easily move in and are not too baggy; if you have long hair, please tie it back. |
| 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. |
Gettysburg College Civil War Tour Join John Rudy ’07 on a walking tour of the campus that reveals the College’s Civil War history. This tour was originally developed by John, a history major and Civil War Era Studies minor, as an independent project when he was a Gettysburg College student. |
| 4:15 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. |
Halloween (1978) Fifteen years after murdering his sister on Halloween night 1963, Michael Myers escapes from a mental hospital and returns to the small town of Haddonfield, Illinois, to kill again. Tickets can be purchased online or at the box office. |
| 4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. |
Planetarium Show Please join Hatter Planetarium student presenter Maya Pabis ’26 for a tour of the current night sky and an immersive planetarium show. Max capacity: 40. Food and drink prohibited; no late entry (the doors close when the program begins). |
| 5:00 p.m. |
Catholic Family Mass We invite all students and families to join us for Holy Mass and dinner afterwards. Mass is at 5:00 p.m. and dinner will be immediately after at 6:00 p.m. in Rec Space 7. We look forward to greeting you and sharing the many wonderful things happening in Catholic Campus Ministry and the Newman Association. For more information contact: Catholic@Gettysburg.edu. |
| 6:00 p.m. |
Catholic Mass Dinner Gettysburg College Catholic Campus Ministry welcomes all families and students to join for dinner at 6:00 p.m. For more information contact: Catholic@gettysburg.edu. |
| 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. |
Gettysburg College Ghost Tour Offered by Ghosts of Gettysburg Candlelight Walking Tours. |
| 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. |
Star Wars Trivia How big of a Star Wars fan are you? Test your knowledge about the prequels, sequels, main trilogy, and the shows to win prizes! |
| 8:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. |
Gettysburg BINGO! Calling all students and families! Join the Office of Student Activities & Greek Life for an evening of Gettysburg Bingo! All prizes will be Gettysburg College themed – from hats and scarves to blankets and mugs – we hope you'll walk away with something orange and blue to comfort you! |
Sunday, October 26
| Time | Event |
|---|---|
| 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. |
Gettysburg College Civil War Tour Join John Rudy ’07 on a walking tour of the campus that reveals the College’s Civil War history. This tour was originally developed by John, a history major and Civil War Era Studies minor, as an independent project when he was a Gettysburg College student. |
| 10:00 a.m. |
Family Weekend Chapel Breakfast Family Weekend Chapel breakfast celebrating both our student families and the Gettysburg College family. |
| 11:00 a.m. |
Family Weekend Chapel Service This is a special chapel service to celebrate Parents Weekend. We will invite students, their parents, and members of the wider community to enjoy fellowship and spiritual solidarity. |
| 11:00 a.m. |
Schmucker Art Gallery Tours Footprints Across the Ocean: The Art of Gan Yu (Main Gallery) Led by student researchers Westley Rathbun ’27 and Md Nafisul Hasan Sami ’27, this exhibition spans 45 years of the work of Chinese-American artist Gan Yu. In the artist’s words, the works reflect not only a distinctive artistic style and personal response to social changes, but also offer visual impressions of the world economy across its various cycles. Since 2007, Yu has devoted 18 years to exploring the stock market as a subject through 10 different series, exhibiting them across the globe. He sees the stock market as a visual distillation of contemporary politics, economics, technology, and culture. The World Turned Upside Down: Posters from the Chinese Cultural Revolution (Project Space) Curated by Ava Prickman ‘28, the Spring 2025 Susan ’77 and Joseph Biernat ‘75 Intern, this exhibition features Chinese Cultural Revolution propaganda posters from Gettysburg College Special Collections. Prickman tells the story of the Revolution through the personal accounts of four young people, using the images to tell their stories, and through them the wider story of life in Maoist China. |
| 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. |
Gettysburg Thrifts Fall Pop-Up Gettysburg Thrifts will be hosting a fall pop-up at Waldo's and Company. Clothing is sourced from the campus and local community, and are sold for low prices ($5 or less) to encourage sustainable and accessible shopping practices on campus and in the community. |
| 2:15 p.m. |
Halloween (1978) Fifteen years after murdering his sister on Halloween night 1963, Michael Myers escapes from a mental hospital and returns to the small town of Haddonfield, Illinois, to kill again. Tickets can be purchased online or at the box office. |