Reunion Weekend 2026 in Pictures

Reunion Weekend 2026 in Pictures

A record number of alumni and guests flocked to campus last weekend as graduates representing class years from eight decades reconnected with fellow Polar Bears, some of whom had traveled from as far away as China, Korea, France, Switzerland, the UK, Ireland, and Chile.

A total of 2,288 attendees came to Reunion 2026, slightly more than last year, which was also a record.

Over class dinners and pub nights, alumni caught up with each other, making new memories during activities that included museum tours, lectures, outings to the Schiller Coastal Studies Center, rounds of golf, and the ever-popular "pints and pinot" gathering.

At Reunion Convocation on Saturday, May 30, President Safa Zaki welcomed those gathered in the Sidney J. Watson arena and described some of the highlights from the academic year. Bowdoin faculty members, she remarked, have shaped conversations well beyond the campus in a number of areas.

"This year, for example Professor Ayana Elizabeth Johnson received a TIME Earth Award for her leadership on climate change. Professor Jen Taback was named a fellow of the American Mathematical Society. Professor Abbie Killeen returned to King Lear and the role of Goneril for an off-Broadway run of sixteen shows this winter. This week, she continues in the role as part of the International Shakespeare Festival in Craiova, Romania," said Zaki. "Professor of Education Charles Dorn," she added, "served on the organizing committee for an international conference, 'Universities and the Public Good: Research, Education, and Democracy since 1945,' held in Hanover, Germany."

Zaki went on to praise the achievements of Bowdoin's "amazing" students, both inside and outside the classroom. "This year, Bowdoin students earned seventeen Fulbright fellowships, once again placing the College among the nation's top producers. Students received Watson Fellowships, a Goldwater Scholarship, Roosevelt Network Fellowships, and numerous other honors."

She also talked about the Hastings Initiative for AI and Humanity, now in its second year. The initiative, Zaki stressed, "has already transformed the intellectual life of the College," with the allocation of ten faculty lines in areas ranging from philosophy to government and legal studies to computational neuroscience. "Dozens of grants have funded student and faculty projects exploring artificial intelligence from perspectives spanning computer science, environmental studies, economics, the arts, and the humanities."

What excites her the most about this work, said Zaki, is not the technology itself: "It's the chance to bring human judgment to one of the biggest technological transformations happening in our world."

Following Zaki's remarks, John Shukie '99, president of the Alumni Council, presented the prestigious alumni recognition awards.

For his longstanding and exceptional devotion to the College, scholar and educator David A. Dickson II '76, P'13 received the annual Alumni Service Award, the Bowdoin Alumni Council's highest honor.

Two employees were selected to receive the Alumni Award for Faculty and Staff, presented each year in recognition of service and devotion to the College to recipients also chosen by the Alumni Council. They are Associate Professor of English Ann Kibbie and Scott Meikejohn, a trusted advisor and key member of the leadership team through four Bowdoin presidents.

President Zaki then returned to the lectern to present the final award presentation of the day. Anne Robinson Wadsworth '81, P'09 received the 2026 Common Good Award for her efforts to equip and educate young girls in Tanzania through the nonprofit she founded.