Homecoming and Family Weekend
Save the Date: Illinois Tech’s Homecoming and Family Weekend October 17–19!
New this year, we are combining Homecoming and Family Weekend! Celebrate with the entire Scarlet Hawk community and join us on campus this fall for a special lineup of events and activities taking place Friday, October 17 through Sunday, October 19, 2025. More details will be shared throughout the summer, so be sure to check this website in the coming months. We can’t wait to see you in October! If you have any questions, please email us at alumni@illinoistech.edu.
Check out photos from Homecoming Weekend 2024!
Photography will be taking place at these events and may be used for promotional purposes. By attending Homecoming and Family Weekend, you will be granting permission for your likeness to be photographed.
Friday, October 17
Illinois Tech’s 2025 Alumni Award recipients will be recognized for their accomplishments at this annual ceremony. This event is invitation-only.
Location: Hermann Hall Ballroom
All are invited to check out students showcasing their amazing talents! Past performances have included singing, dancing, poetry, beatboxing, sketch comedy, and more. Stop by to show your support and vote for the prestigious “Crowd Favorite” grand prize. Free snacks provided!
Location: The Bog
Saturday, October 18
Join fellow alumni and students at the reunion tent for a fun-filled gathering! Bring your family and enjoy music, lawn games, balloon artists, and a variety of family-friendly activities. Treat yourself to a Chicago-style hot dog bar, beer, wine, and other refreshments—available while supplies last.
Don’t miss your milestone reunion meetup!
Does your class year end in a 0 or 5? Plan to stop by the reunion tent between 1–2 p.m. for a class photo and to connect with fellow classmates!
If you are interested in scheduling a meetup and photo opportunity for your class year or affinity group that is not already included, please email Caroline Bozell at cbozell@illinoistech.edu to be added to the schedule.
Location: Quad
Director, Mies van der Rohe Society Cynthia Vranas Olsen (M.A.S. ARCH. ʼ01, Ph.D. ʼ17) will lead two walking tours of Illinois Tech’s Mies Campus and highlight the architectural significance of the buildings at the university. Join us for one or both tours!
The first tour will begin at the Michael Paul Galvin Tower and will cover the academic buildings including the Ed Kaplan Family Institute for Innovation and Tech Entrepreneurship, S. R. Crown Hall, Jeanne and John Rowe Village, and The McCormick Tribune Campus Center (MTCC).
The second tour will depart from the reunion tent in the Quad and will focus on student buildings, including the north end residence halls, athletics fields, and Carr Memorial Chapel in addition to other architecturally significant points of interest on Mies Campus before concluding at Stuart Field just in time to cheer on the men’s soccer team as they face off against Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE).
A golf cart will be available for those with ADA accessibility needs who are interested in participating.
Location: Noon tour, Michael Paul Galvin Tower
2 p.m. tour, Reunion Tent, Quad
Join us for the university’s annual Homecoming carnival from 4–8 p.m. with food trucks, games, and giveaways! Limited meal tickets available for students only. Food trucks will accept cash or credit cards for alumni, faculty, and staff.
This event is hosted by Illinois Tech’s Union Board and the Office of Student Life.
Location: Gunsaulus Field
Sunday, October 19
Illinois Tech's annual Pumpkin Launch sees up to 10 different teams compete to see whose custom-built trebuchet can launch their pumpkin the furthest. You won't want to miss it!
This event is hosted by the Office of Student Life.
Location: Ed Glancy Field
Join our student organizations for a day of fun at this annual tradition! Attractions are open to students and families. More details to come, so stay tuned!
Location: TBD
Other Activities
The east lobby of Michael Paul Galvin Tower is home to Illinois Tech’s first physical-digital interactive experience. As an institution that cares deeply about advancing innovation through the power of our collective difference, we invite you to explore the Illinois Tech difference—and add your own—through experiential touchpoints designed just for you.
Location: Galvin Tower, East Lobby
This new exhibition features the work of acclaimed artistic duo Petra Bachmaier and Sean Gallerlo, otherwise known as Luftwerk. Mies Society and the InterProfessional Projects (IPRO) Program students from Mindful Modern Buildings have underpinned this exhibition by exploring body-image theory, aesthetics, and movement as guided through sight, sound, touch, and haptic (feeling and doing at the same time) senses.
Location: Michael Paul Galvin Tower, West Lobby
Building, Breaking, Rebuilding: The IIT Campus and Chicago’s South Side (University of Minnesota Press, 2024), was co-edited by professor Michelangelo Sabatino and professor emeritus Kevin Harrington. Specially designed vitrines filled with Armour Institute / IIT, Bronzeville, and Chicago memorabilia metaphorically transform IIT’s Mies Society Gallery into a “living room,” a place for conversations and discoveries to occur. The memorabilia—ranging from historic postcards to student yearbooks—tell the story of people and places in and around Bronzeville. An exhibition website provides a digital platform that expands access to materials featured in the exhibition and book. The website will also host a film by South Side filmmaker Carlos Javier Ortiz [Brown Planet Productions] and Murmur Ring that examines the layered history of IIT’s campus through contemporary voices.
Location: Galvin Tower, West Lobby
Getting to Campus
Directions
Automobile
From the North
Dan Ryan Expressway east to 31st Street exit, continue south to 33rd Street, turn left (east). Metered parking is located along Federal Street north and south of 33rd Street, and in the Visitor's Parking Lot (Lot A4) at 32nd Street and State Street.
From the South
Dan Ryan Expressway west to 35th Street exit, continue north to 33rd Street, turn right (east). Metered parking is located along Federal Street north and south of 33rd Street, and in the Visitor's Parking Lot (Lot A4) located at 32nd Street and State Street, on the east side of State Street.
From Lake Shore Drive
Exit at 31st Street, go inland (west) to State Street, turn left (south). Metered parking is available in the Visitor's Parking Lot (Lot A4) located at 32nd Street and State Street, on the east side of State Street.
Parking
Metered parking is available to all visitors and located along Federal Street north and south of 33rd Street, and in the Visitor's Parking Lot (Lot A4) located at 32nd Street and State Street, on the east side of State Street. Special event parking may be available in other parking lots on campus. Please contact Access, Card, and Parking Services for more details about parking, or visit the parking web page for current parking locations at www.iit.edu/cbsc/parking. Please call the parking administrator at 312.567.8968 if you need assistance in finding parking.
Airport
Illinois Tech and Chicago are served by O'Hare International Airport and Midway International Airport. Public transportation is available from O'Hare and Midway airports, and limousine or taxi will take you from all airports to Illinois Tech's campus. View the City of Chicago's Airport System Home Page for more information.
Train
Amtrak and Metra commuter rail trains run to Union Station, with additional Metra commuter trains running to Ogilvie Transportation Center. From these stations, take the Rock Island Metra train from LaSalle Street station to 35th Street / "Lou" Jones station, CTA's public transportation, or a taxi to Mies Campus.
Bus
Travel to the Greyhound or Continental Trailways terminals, then take a taxi or public transportation to Mies Campus.
Public Transportation
- CTA Red Line (Howard-95th/Dan Ryan) to Sox-35th station
- CTA Green Line (Ashland-63rd or 63rd-Cottage Grove) to 35th-Bronzeville-IIT station
- CTA bus lines with stops on Mies Campus (#29-State, #35-35th, #24-Wentworth, #4-Cottage Grove)
Visit the CTA website for schedules and bus routes.
Are you planning to visit Illinois Tech from out of town? If so, take advantage of our preferred hotel rates at the Hiltons at McCormick Place.