Published by Communications and Public Affairs 519 824-4120, Ext. 56982 or 53338

News Release

June 16, 2006

Grads Return For Lecture, Tours, Reunions Alumni Weekend

University of Guelph alumni may not actually fly faster than the speed of light, but they'll be thinking about travelling at nearly 300,000 kilometres per second when they arrive on campus June 23 for Alumni Weekend.

The annual alumni fest kicks off with a special Perimeter Institute lecture co-sponsored by the College of Physical and Engineering Science. It begins at 7 p.m. in Rozanski Hall and features cosmologist João Magueijo, a professor at Imperial College in London, England.

Magueigo has developed the “variable speed of light theory” that suggests the speed of light is not a constant — as Einstein suggested — but has varied during the life of the universe. Magueigo's lecture is free and tailored to the general public. As with all Alumni Weekend events, members of the University community are invited to attend with advance registration. To round out the first evening, alumni guests will be invited to visit the Department of Physics observatory and attend a jazz session at the Bullring.

Numerous events are planned for Saturday, but the feature presentation will be the traditional President’s Lunch at noon with a toast to the golden anniversary classes of 1956 and presentation of alumni awards by the University of Guelph Alumni Association.

Several alumni associations will hold annual meetings during Alumni Weekend, and numerous reunion gatherings are planned, including a 10th-anniversary celebration for the Faculty of Environmental Sciences.

There will also be campus tours, including viewing construction and renovation projects at the new science complex and the Macdonald Institute Building, entertainment at the Bullring, shopping at the University Bookstore and opportunities to use campus athletic facilities.

Alumni Weekend concludes June 25 with an ecumenical service at War Memorial Hall and a farewell breakfast at Creelman Hall. Full details and registration forms are available online.