Fort Valley State University’s BLUEPRINT is built on a foundation of academic excellence, research opportunities, affordability, and a commitment to student success, all within the context of its unique identity as a historically black university. The university emphasizes its tradition of excellence and uniqueness in academic and co-curricular programming to educate a diverse student body and foster engagement, world-changing research.

This year, we’re going Back2Basics to celebrate what makes Fort Valley State University extraordinary—our legacy, our traditions, and our community. Through exciting events and experiences, we aim to honor our history, unite alumni and students, and create an unforgettable memories. Join us in celebrating 130 years of black excellence!

Official Alumni Events

  • ALUMNI MIXER

    THURSDAY | OCTOBER 2, 2025 5:00-7:00PM

    Rooted & Reunited: The Wildcat Welcome Experience

    LOCATION: FVSU Georgia Room in the Hunt Library
    ATTIRE: Wildcat Chic
    COST: $40
    *PayPal fees applied.

    PURCHASE TICKET

  • ANNUAL SCHOLARSHIP GOLF TOURNAMENT

    FRIDAY | OCTOBER 3, 2025
    7:30AM

    The Fort Valley State University National Alumni Association Incorporated will be hosting its annual Homecoming Scholarship Golf Tournament in Fall 2025.

    LOCATION: Southern Hills Country Club, 360 Warner Robins Highway, Hawkinsville, GA 31096

    REGISTER TODAY

  • YARD FEST

    FRIDAY | OCTOBER 3, 2025
    12:00-4:00PM

    Wildcat Yard Fest: The Yard, The Vibe, The Legacy

    LOCATION: The area of the Christine & Willie C. Jones Amphitheater on the Yard
    COST: FREE

  • LIFE MEMBERSHIP INDUCTION CEREMONY

    FRIDAY | OCTOBER 3, 2025
    5:00PM

    The Fort Valley State University National Alumni Association Incorporated will be inducting a new class to be Life Members of the Association

    LOCATION: Christine & Willie C. Jones Amphitheater
    COST: FREE

  • GAME DAY

    SATURDAY | OCTOBER 4, 2025
    2:00 PM

    The Wildcats will face the Marauders of Central State University.

    LOCATION: Wildcat Stadium

    Purchase Tickets

FVSU Homecoming 2025 Day2Night
October 3, 2025 | 4PM-Midnight
FVSU Agricultural Technology Conference Center
46 Camp John Hope Road, Fort Valley, GA
TICKETS: GENERAL ADMISSION-$39.19

Hosted by 80s RBOG Alumni Affinity Group in conjunction with FVSU Office of Alumni Relations.

Purchase Tickets

SPADES TOURNAMENT ON THE YARD

We have our first Spades Tournament on the Yard at homecoming at Yard Fest. Test your Spades game on Friday, October 3rd at Yard Fest and win $100! Sign up you and your partner today!

Homecoming 2025 Event Experience

The FVSU National Alumni Association, Inc. Homecoming Committee want to THANK YOU our alumni, supporters and sponsors for fulfilling all our available VIP Experience package. The Committee will contact you about your package and we look forward to seeing you at Homecoming 2025!

GET THE VIP EXPERIENCE PACKAGES SOLD OUT!

This year, we’re going Back2Basics to celebrate what makes Fort Valley State University extraordinary—our legacy, our traditions, and our community. Through exciting events and experiences, we aim to honor our history, unite alumni and students, and create unforgettable memories. Partner with us to bring this vision to life!

For more detail and to become a sponsor, email Chanda Floyd-Bryant, floydbryantagency13@gmail.com or Kimberly Brown, kim@kimabrown.com.

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

  • As the premier partner, your brand will be front and center throughout the entire homecoming celebration.

  • Support the heart of FVSU’s legacy through signature events and experiences.

  • Honor FVSU’s timeless traditions and help create meaningful connections.

  • Honor FVSU’s timeless traditions and help create meaningful connections.

  • Support the celebration of community and pride during homecoming.

  • Show your support for FVSU Homecoming with a meaningful contribution.

  • Additional ways to support specific events and activities:

    • Wellness Tent: $3,000

    • Yard Fest VIP Tent: $3,000

    • Yard Fest Fun Zone: $2,000

    • Alumni Mixer: $2,500

Download Sponsorship Packet

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS

What they’re saying

  • Dr. Vernard Hodges
    Class of 1993 | MAJOR: Fish Biology

  • Dr. Terrence Ferguson
    Class of 1992 | MAJOR: Veterinary Technology

  • Robin Herbert Lattimore
    Class of 1991 | MAJOR: Criminal Justice

  • DJ Terminator

  • Shanice Springer
    Class of 2014 | MAJOR: Chemistry

  • Fred Wakefield
    Class of 1988 | MAJOR: Pre-Med | Zoology

  • Caral Jadoo Taylor
    Class of 2014 | MAJOR: Mass Communications

  • Marcus Green
    Class of 1994 | MAJOR: Political Science

  • Elaine Hill Daniels
    Class of 1981 | MAJOR: Early Childhood Education

  • Michael Coverson
    Class of 1991 | MAJOR: Criminal Justice

  • Ramona Codling
    Class of 1988 | MAJOR: Psychology

  • Duane Patrick, Jr.
    FVSU SGA President
    Class of 2027 | MAJOR: Middle Grades Education

  • Aniya Warfield
    Class of 2026 | MAJOR: Political Science

  • My early homecoming experiences were a little different than most students, because I was a football player we were only able to participate in homecoming activities after the game on Saturday. But I surely caught up!!

  • I look forward to seeing friends that I haven't seen since last year or longer.

  • Being a student and witnessing homecoming and the love the returning alumni had for each other and the students shaped my thoughts and actions when its homecoming time. I want to give that same love to others so the students can experience the same love from alumni that I felt as a student.

  • When I think of homecoming I think of Mr Rufus Green. I call him the pioneer of tailgating. In the middle to late 80's, tailgating wasn't a thing at homecoming. I remember Mr. Green getting a bucket of chicken from the local KFC and we would gather after the games around his car and eat. That blossomed to what we see today at tailgating.

  • The community has always played a big part in homecoming.  You can see the pride they have in their local university and the support the have for FVSU.

  • I can still remember being a freshman in Moore Hall—hearing the band practicing all week and walking past my dorm room and feeling the excitement of decorations going up. At the time, I always thought it was just about the game, but really it was a whole week of building friendships, sharing in the energy, and fellowship time with everyone. And then, of course, the big game day on Saturday—watching the parade, seeing all the floats, people, and seeing the grand marshal, and taking in all the enthusiasm! 

    I never dreamed 25 years later, I would be sitting in that very same seat! I can’t help but think—wow, what an experience!

    And after  the game, there is absolutely nothing like a FVSU homecoming party.

  • Every year I look forward to seeing friends - old and new, fraternity brothers, classmates, and of course enjoying the good food, barbeque and fellowship and making memories. 

  • Being a student at FVSC, and going through orientation gave me that deep FV pride! Of course, being a native of Fort Valley, I had always seen the activity on the strip and the yard—but those experiences were from the outside looking in. Once I became a student of THE Fort Valley State University, I was able to truly see the pride and history of what it means to be a Wildcat and how special homecoming really is.

  • My mom is a graduate of FVSC, and I would always see her friends congregate at our house every year since we were natives. She would cook special meals, and they would reminisce about the good ole days. It was always such a festive and fun time. Once I went to Fort Valley, I gained my own group of friends to meet, greet, and build those same types of bonds that I had seen modeled by my mom.

  • FVSU has played so many roles in my homecoming memories over the years—from being able to serve as a student to later continuing to serve and make an impact as an adult. A core memory that will always be dear to me is having a classroom dedicated to the memory of my dad, a former beloved professor at Fort Valley State University, and being honored to serve as the 2023 Grand Marshal.

  • I had a great experience. Salt & Pepper were entertaining us that weekend and we all felt the need to dress to kill. Later we found out Homecoming was for alums coming home, not us.

  • My favorite tradition then was seeing all the yard activities and attending coronation.

  • Being a student and looking in awe at the comrodery of the alums back then made me want that kind of forever friendship. I'm happy to say that the friendships I forged while in the band & in the dorm are still going on and are alive today!

  • The band always made homecoming special for me. As a spectator it was invigorating but as a performer it was the absolute BEST time of my life!

  • The FVSC/FVSU community played a substantial role in my homecoming memories. The excitement of the week, the shopping for paraphernalia & concert attire, the unlawful cookouts behind the dorm, were all things learned from upperclassmen and handed down to us to keep going. I miss it.

  • It was exciting and it made me feel welcome,  like I was among family.

  • Tailgating and catching up with classmates and friends.

  • Being a student was important because you were truly a family member.

  • Seeing the “Rathole”. who were my freshman classmates that lived in the bottom floor of Moore Hall, make homecoming special. Also the food and vendors are always excellent.

  • I consider the community to encompass the buildings, the people, the friendships. Homecoming is a time to be able to see and visit all the Fort Valley was and is. It’s an opportunity to build on great memories.

  • My very first FVSC Homecoming experience 1976 was Awesome! Being a native of Thomasville, GA with about 20 home boys and home girls on campus. It was like home! So many friends from my high school Thomasville High Bulldogs and Central High School. So many parents and families visiting. I won 1st Attendant to Miss Freshman! The Coronation, the Parade, the band and the dance in the Student Center. I was an Alpha Angel for Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. My home boys Oris Bryant and Author Bryant was in charge of campus security. My homeboy “Godfather” worked up in the financial aid building. I was on top of the world. And, the concert with Mother’s Finest and the Bar-kays in the gym was the icing on the cake. FVSC homecoming 1976 was the best of the freshmen of my freshmen year.

  • The tradition I look forward to the most was the Blue Machine Marching Band marching through the campus pass my Davison Hall first floor window enroute to the football field near the cow pasture to practice the homecoming halftime show.

  • Being a Thomasville High School cheerleader and a member of the dance/drill team in the band, then, becoming a student at FVSC with 99.9% all black students made my homecoming experience, Incredible! It’s been almost 50 years since I step foot on FVSC campus as a student. I’m still singing the tune the Wildcat band plays after each performance “I’m so glad, I go (went) to Fort Valley…”

  • The activities leading up to homecoming being the parade, dancing (modern dance) in the coronation, decorating floats to ride on in the parade. Shopping Macon Mall for homecoming outfits, visiting the vendors on State College Drive after the parade and attending the game cheering for the team and the band in the student section! Note my Thomasville home boys were the superstars on the Wildcat Football team. Billy Joe Copeland, Larry McPherson, and the list goes on and on.

  • Mr. Carter’s store in Gano, the Chicken Place down from Dairy Queen, Hardees, Allied Store, the Trailway Bus Stop under the tree, Bluebird Bus Company, just a few fond community locations in The Valley. Not to mention our one red light downtown. Such a small community with an abundance of homecoming memories. I’ve attended more FVSC homecomings than I’ve missed. I so enjoy revisiting the small community yearly. “There’s No Place Like The Valley.”

  • As a first generation college student, my first FVSU Homecoming was life-changing. I had no idea how rich the culture was at an HBCU, especially during a time when alumni, students and community would come together and celebrate. I had never experienced anything like it before. If anything, it grew my love for FVSU 10x stronger.

  • During homecoming, I looked forward to the pep rally, concert(s), step show, halftime show and tailgate.

  • Being an active student on campus shaped every bit of how I celebrated homecoming. Having the homecoming activity schedule made it easy to know what was going on around campus throughout the week. Getting involved with SGA and the Royal Court kept me active in all the homecoming festivities and traditions.

  • More than anything, what made homecoming special was the sense of family. The way everyone came together to fellowship, celebrate and express their love for the university was, and still is heartwarming. 

  • From the time you hit the city limits in any direction, you knew it was homecoming in the Valley. The community celebrated just like we did on campus. In the local stores and restaurants, everyone proudly showed their homecoming spirit. I loved how we came together has one. There was nothing like driving down State University Drive and seeing that banner hanging.

  • My very first Fort Valley Homecoming experience occurred when I was a little more than 9, and my parents took me to Fort Valley's Homecoming. Both my mother, father, and a host of over 32 other family members have attended and/or graduated from Fort Valley State. I was totally taken by all of the people, all of the school spirit, my parents' attitude as I witnessed them sing the Alma Mater and reflect back to their teenage years, dating years together.  What captured me most was half time and the Blue Machine Marching Band taking the field, and for the first time, I saw a forever impactful musical performance and dance routine, totally captivating the crowd as well. "Turn out the lights by Teddy Pendergrass" was played, absolutely amazing. This experience influenced me to become Drum Major for the Blue Machine Band during three years of my tenure at FVSU.

  • The traditions that I looked for most was the Homecoming Parade, watching the Greek Shows and fraternities, especially Kappa Alpha Psi!! The love of all of the people of color gathering for causes of tradition, love, and reflection. Traditions of  tail gate activities, everyone wearing FVSU paraphernalia. Meeting old classmates, singing "I'm So Glad!" Absolutely amazing!!

  • Being a former student shaped the way that I celebrate homecoming, as there are so many memories that are rehashed during this time period. Especially celebrating with my brother, who attended FVSU at the same time with me, as well as my baby brother and son, all graduates of FVSU. As a student, I reflect on my Blue Machine Band days, ready to entertain the crowd, and looking up into the stands seeing my proud family. Afterwards, we would meet at my aunt's and uncle's home in Warner Robins, with our family praying, eating, and enjoying reflection of each other's time at FVSU.

  • What made homecoming extra special for me back then was the spirit that everyone showed. Homecoming was a magical time, a time of celebration, in its fullest capacity. I remember my heart pounding as Drum major, starting the parade downtown Fort Valley, ready to entertain my fellow FVSU family and the future Wildcats to come, about to break my leg with pride entertaining, making the crowd move. The march to the stadium before the game, along with my fellow Blue Machine band brothers and sisters, stepping so high and with so much pride bringing in the Wildcat Spirit and traditions. Not to mention halftime, oh I thought my heart would explode with so much Wildcat Pride.

  • FVSU Community is responsible for my homecoming memories. I am thankful, for the effort to keep tradition alive. My instructors, administrators, FVSU staff, made great sacrifices during this week to make sure that these memories are preserved and ongoing. I'm so glad that I attended Fort Valley and thank you for this opportunity to speak upon such.

  • Ahhhh! Refreshing! It was a time to remember, it was one of the greatest experiences that made me who I am today. I didn’t realize that it was a culture within itself.

    2010 was an amazing year from the concerts, the step-shows & walking the strip. 

  • TAILGATING! Lol, not only do I love to fellowship with my colleagues, but I love to eat.

  • It taught me that this is a time to gather, family, and have a great time. It shaped me to always boast about the BEST UNIVERSITY IN THE LAND! The illustrious FVSU!

    It taught me grace, gratitude and love for being a black scholar.

  • My friends of course. From Davison/The Commons, all over. To this day those friends are not only my colleagues, they are my family. They are my kids Aunts and Uncles.

  • Whew, in so many ways. The way we would go tailgate, go walk the strip, have complete school spirit. How could they not play an adamant role!?

  • My first  homecoming was in 1994. It was great because I did not have to play in the homecoming game and could participate in the activities. 

  • I love seeing family members cooking, socializing, and the after parties.

  • Being a former student gave me a better appreciation of what homecoming is truly about.

  • Family and friends made homecoming special back then and still make homecoming special today.

  • I had several friends in the community that would participate in all of the activities and the community would have homecoming activities all over the city.

  • Wow, can’t remember the 1st (1984) but my first return was 1993, it was amazing. Reunited with friends and reminded me of my start as an adult.  

  • I now look forward to the Day party on Friday night, parade Saturday morning, tailgating and the game. I love seeing the freshly manicured lawns of  the campus. 

  • As a student I didn’t appreciate homecoming. It was just another time to party. Now as a seasoned Alum, I appreciate how the professors mentored me and the genuine friendships formed. I enjoy catching up with my fellow Wildcats. I smile just thinking of the memories and mistake made as a student.  

  • Again, friendships. I was a member of the Blue Marching Machine and ROTC. I loved being in both. I feel like I had two families. I was also in student government and it was great to see how things developed and grateful for input in concert performers. 

  • I always felt safe. We could walk from one set to the next. The street food vendors were to die for.