Claflin University Alumni Return to Orangeburg for 41st Annual CUIAA Convention April 9-12
Apr 09, 2015
More than 200 leal and loyal sons and daughters of Claflin University will be in Orangeburg Thursday through Sunday, April 9-12, 2015, for the 41st annual Claflin University International Alumni Association Convention.
The theme for this year’s event – hosted by the Orangeburg County Alumni Chapter – is “Come Home and See the Vision Unfolding.”
Registration for the convention will be held 1 to 6 p.m. Thursday and 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday. The official opening will take place at 8:30 a.m. Friday.
“We’re all very excited because of all of the wonderful things happening at Claflin University,” Orangeburg County Alumni Chapter President Rosa Kennerly-Dance, ’71, said. “To come back to where it all started for the majority of use is just phenomenal. We’re hoping to reunite with good old friends and acquaintances, and just chat about how much Claflin has grown and changed since we were students there.”
A number of special events are planned for the long weekend, including a night of comedy and jazz featuring Mrs. Ludibell and the Claflin University Jazz Combo at 8:30 p.m. Friday, April 10, at The Premier. Tickets are still available at $35 per person. The goal of this signature event – which is open to the public – is to raise at least $10,000 for the University. For tickets, call Kennerly-Dance at 803-533-1828.
The CUIAA Golf Tournament will be played at Hillcrest Golf Course on Thursday. Registration begins at 8 a.m., and shotgun start is at 9 a.m. For more information about the tournament, call Marty Williams at 803-533-9495 or Vernon Wallace at 803-535-2730.
In addition to business meetings and workshops, those attending the convention will also have the opportunity to see the transformation of their beloved campus up close during CALA~Bash – Claflin’s Arts and Letters Annual Bash – which will be held on campus and at several Orangeburg locations, April 6-12.
“This will be new for a lot of us,” Kennerly-Dance said. “We will get the chance to experience CALA-Bash for the very first time.”
A memorial service will be held at 9 a.m. Saturday in Moss Auditorium in the W.V. Middleton Fine Arts Center, and the Presidential Luncheon is set for 12:30 p.m. in Tullis Arena of the Jonas T. Kennedy Health and Physical Education Center. Cost for the luncheon is $50. Later that evening, the alumni will gather for the Orange and Maroon Ball at 8:30 p.m. at The Premier. Tickets are $50.
A farewell ecumenical service will be held at 8:30 a.m. Sunday in the James and Dorothy Z. Elmore Chapel.
“I just have a great group of people who have been working diligently side-by-side with me to make sure things are great for the alumni at the convention,” Kennerly-Dance said. “And President Henry N. Tisdale and Mrs. Alice Carson Tisdale – along with the Claflin University staff – have just been so supportive in helping us make this a very rewarding opportunity for everybody.
“We want to tell Orangeburg to get ready because the city is going to be flooded with orange and maroon April 9 through 12. We are looking forward to being in Orangeburg and seeing as many alumni as possible at the convention this year.”
For more information about the CUIAA Convention, call Dr. Grace Salters at 803-536-0895 or the Claflin University Office of Alumni Affairs at 803-535-5348 or 803-535-5311.