Postponed: Alumni Weekend

The following message was sent to Heidelberg University Alumni & Friends regarding Alumni Weekend 2020.

Dear Heidelberg Alumni and Friends,

It is with a great sense of disappointment that I write to you today to let you know that because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the unprecedented ways it has affected all of our lives, we have made the decision to postpone Alumni Weekend 2020 until June 2021.

Please know that this was a very difficult decision which we came to after lengthy and thoughtful discussion among the University leadership and the Office of Alumni Engagement. Our rationale for the decision include these reasons:

• Protecting the health and safety of our alumni and Heidelberg staff is paramount.
• Projections indicate that the pandemic will peak in mid-May in Ohio and then follow a slow taper into June. Other states will likely have different timetables and the peak in those states may be later.
• Alumni who had planned to return for Alumni Weekend would have traveled from all across the nation and world, and we don’t want to risk spreading the virus among ourselves.
• As of now, there is no vaccine to prevent this virus, nor medication to alleviate the symptoms or eradicate the illness.

I know you will have many questions, especially those of you who would have celebrated your reunion this year and those of you planning for your anniversary next summer. Please know that as the designs for next June's mega-celebration -- combining reunions from 2020 and 2021 -- start to take shape, our team will stay in touch with you to ensure that we continue to talk and think about how we can make your return to campus special.

For those of you who already registered and paid for Alumni Weekend 2020, we will be refunding your credit/debit cards.

Thank you for your understanding. I look forward to all of us being together again in June 2021!

With Berg Pride and well wishes,

Ashley Helmstetter
Executive Director of Alumni Engagement & Major Gifts