The 2023 CBC Homecoming celebration took place last week and I was glad to be able to attend some of the events of the week. (See the photo collage on page 8 for photos from the week’s activities.) Here are a few highlights that will be reported on in more detail as other information is released.
• Annual Chili Cook-off — Homecoming week kicked off on Wednesday, Feb. 15 at lunchtime with the Annual Chili Cook-off! Nine teams competed in the competition which included students, alumni, staff and faculty. The Maintenance Team won the Chili Champion Award, the Registrar’s office won the Tongue Burner award, the Financial Aid office won the Not Your Mama’s Chili award and the Faculty won the Most Creative Table award.
• Chapel Pep Rally — After the Chili Cook-off, the Chapel Pep Rally was held where the chili winners were awarded their prizes and the homecoming court was presented. The Mustang mascot made an appearance and was officially named Maverick!
• Women’s Basketball Game — On Thursday night, Feb. 16, the ladies hosted the Stars of Stephens College with a tropical theme night. They came back from a five-point deficit at halftime to defeat the Stars 55-54.
• Alumni & Friends Lawn Party — On Friday night, Feb. 17, a time of fellowship and food was held in and around the Mabee Student Services building, including glow-in-the-dark laser tag. Alumni joined with current CBC students to enjoy a great time of fellowship and, from what I hear, reintroduced the beloved game of “wall ball” that was a staple of the old student center for students that attended in the 1990s.
• Endowed Scholarship Breakfast — Saturday, Feb. 18, kicked off with the Endowed Scholarship Breakfast that allows sponsors of CBC’s endowed scholarships to meet the recipients of their scholarship funds.
• Joyce Garrison Naming Ceremony — At 10 a.m., many gathered for a time to honor and hear a few words from Joyce Garrison as the business department was named in her honor as the Joyce Garrison Department of Business. It was announced at this ceremony that CBC has begun the three-year process to establish a Master of Business Administration program as well. This process includes raising approximately $525,000.
• Alumni Luncheon — The traditional Alumni Luncheon took place from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. and included a wonderful meal prepared by CBC Dining Services Chef Billie Rodriquez and her staff, a time to present awards to the various alumni (see the Feb. 1 issue for details of those awards) and also an update from President Terry Kimbrow. He shared that $647,116 has been raised to recover the estimated loss from last year’s cyber-attack. He also shared about the upcoming Fourth Annual Scholarship Gala set for March 28 with a goal to raise $1.3 million — 75% has already been pledged thanks to a matching donation — to cover the cost of CBC scholarships. There is also a need to raise $1.2 million so construction of the new CBC Baseball Stadium can begin.
• Women’s Basketball Game — The day’s activities continued with the women’s basketball game. They took on the hornets of Harris-Stowe University and pulled out a 53-49 win.
• Homecoming Court — Between the two basketball games, the Homecoming Court was introduced, and Allison Mantooth was announced as the 2023 Homecoming Queen.
• Men’s Basketball Game — Homecoming week and a busy day of activities concluded with the Men’s Basketball team wrapping up their conference schedule with a dominating 80-54 win over the Harris-Stowe hornets. They are hosting the AMC Conference Tournament Quarterfinal at the A.R. Reddin Fieldhouse on Thursday, Feb. 23 at 7 p.m. where #3 seed CBC will face the #6 seed Harris-Stowe again for a chance to move on in the conference tournament.
