Indiana University of Pennsylvania will welcome hundreds of IUP families with a number of events in celebration of 2026 Family Weekend on September 26 and 27, including hosting eight alumni authors on September 26 and the third annual College of Health Sciences “Run for the Health of It” fundraising 5K race/one-mile walk on September 27.
The weekend’s programming is designed to appeal to all ages. Family Weekend events are coordinated by the Office of Student Inclusion and the Office of Student Wellness.
The Alumni Legacy Breakfast, introduced in 2018 and sponsored by the IUP Office of Alumni and Friends, recognizes those families who have parents or grandparents who are IUP graduates and who have a child or grandchild currently attending IUP. It will be held September 26 at the Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex. More than 840 people representing 267 families have preregistered for the event.
Families are encouraged to check in and register on September 26 at the Folger Student Center from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. Light refreshments will be served, along with arts and crafts activities, family games, music by members of the IUP Marching Band, and a chance to meet IUP’s mascot, Norm.
Eight alumni authors will be at the IUP Co-op Store on the ground floor of the Hadley Union Building from 10:00 a.m.to 4:00 p.m. on September 26. Authors will be available to sign copies of their books, which will be available for sale. Authors (times vary for each author) and their books include:
Charles Cashdollar
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Charles Cashdollar, 1965 IUP graduate, and Donna Cashdollar, co-authors of The IUP Story: From Normal School to University. Charles Cashdollar taught history at IUP for 36 years and retired as Distinguished University Professor Emeritus in 2005. Recognized as the author of numerous scholarly works, he is best known to the IUP community for his definitive history of IUP, published in advance of the year before IUP’s 150th celebration, held during the 2025–26 academic year.
Bob Fulton
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Bob Fulton, a 1975 graduate of Indiana, who authored When Rooney Sold the Steelers: An Offbeat History of Pittsburgh’s Beloved Team. Fulton is an award-winning sportswriter and author whose work has appeared in numerous regional and national publications. A longtime writer for The Indiana Gazette, he also has served as a contributing editor for IUP Magazine and as a researcher and writer for the IUP Athletic Hall of Fame. His writing has earned honors including the Pennsylvania Associated Press Managing Editors Award, Pennsylvania Newspaper Association Keystone Award, and Golden Quill Award. A member of the Society for American Baseball Research, Fulton has authored several books exploring sports history, including Burial at Home Plate: An Oddball History of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Robert Kaminski
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Robert Kaminski, a 1976 graduate of IUP who lives in Pittsburgh, is author of Jack of All Trades; And Master of None; Thought Oftentimes Better Than Master of One. Kaminski received a bachelor of science degree in biology from IUP and later graduated from Pennsylvania College of Optometry. His previous publications include memoirs, a compendium of photographs from his trips with the IUP Outing Club, family cookbooks, family genealogies, and an oral history as told by his parents. His book is a collection of brief memoirs, recollections, and prose.
Kenn Marshall
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Kenn Marshall, a 1980 journalism graduate of IUP originally from Gypsy and now of the Harrisburg area. His book is Tomorrow’s Game: Stories of Baseball and Family. After starting his career as a part-time sportswriter, he spent nearly 20 years as a newspaper reporter before becoming press secretary for the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. Retiring in 2019, he has been a lifelong baseball fan. Growing up in western Pennsylvania, he idolized Roberto Clemente and wrote about the Pittsburgh Pirates, covering the 1979 World Series. In June 2024, he achieved his goal of attending a game in every major league stadium. Tomorrow’s Game is his first book.
Patricia Vido
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Patricia Vido, a 1972 graduate, author of For Love of Billie. An award-winning former reporter and feature writer, her book earned Indie Reader Approved status with a 4-star rating and review. Vido lives in Owings Mills, Maryland.
Michael Zang
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Michael Zang (US Army retired), a Pittsburgh native and 1973 graduate, is the author of Guest of Adolf. The book is about the experiences of his father-in-law, Staff Sergeant Ernest V. Focht, a World War II prisoner of war. Col. Zang retired in 2003 from the United States Army Reserves at the rank of colonel, and during his time in the military, he commanded units at the company, battalion, and brigade levels and was involved in Operation Desert Shield/Storm operating seaports throughout the Eastern Seaboard of the United States, Europe, and Saudi Arabia. In his civilian career, he worked in four school districts in central Pennsylvania as a teacher and administrator.
Tom Bickert (l) and Tim Wesley
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Tom Bickert, a 1978 graduate and Penn Hills native, and Tim Wesley, a 1983 graduate originally from Harrisburg, are co-authors of Game Changers. Bickert, past president of the IUP Alumni Association, has been recognized with numerous newspaper awards for editing and editorial writing. Wesley is also an award-winning writer and published his memoir, My Boxes, in 2016. Game Changers is a glimpse into a fictional sports conspiracy.
The IUP Crimson Hawks football team plays Seton Hill University at 4:00 p.m. on Frank Cignetti field at Miller Stadium (tickets are required and can be purchased at the gate). The football game includes recognition of new members of the IUP Athletic Hall of Fame.
The IUP University Museum, located on the first floor of Sutton Hall, is hosting Visio Duplex, a show featuring local artists Janice Trusky Clay and Beth Yoe Fiddler. The exhibition explores empathy, human connection, and the ways different perspectives can meet on common ground.
Admission to the University Museum is free and open to the community; it is open September 26 from noon to 4:00 p.m.
Family Weekend events also include four shows in IUP’s Cejka Planetarium in John J. and Char Kopchick Hall; STEAM events (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) in the IUP Libraries, starting at 11:00 a.m.; and a scavenger hunt held throughout the day (9:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.). Information about the scavenger hunt will be available at registration.
The day’s events end with family bingo from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. in the Hadley Union Building’s Ohio Room, sponsored by the Office of Student Wellness and BACCHUS.
The Co-op Bookstore, located on the ground floor of the Hadley Union Building, will be open September 26 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and September 27 from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Parking on campus, except for reserved spots and handicapped parking, is free and open after 5:00 p.m. and on weekends. Reserved spots in the Parking Garage, located off Oakland Avenue, are open to visitors after 5:00 p.m. and on weekends.
The College of Health Sciences’ third annual Run for the Health of It fundraising 5K and one-mile walk has free registration offered to all IUP students through the generosity of IUP 2020 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient Courtney Barilar Vose.
All funds raised by the event will benefit IUP nursing students, helping to reduce the out-of-pocket expenses required as they prepare for professional practice. IUP’s Nursing program graduates more than 100 nurses each year with a 97 percent first-time pass rate on the National Council Licensure Examination. This exam is a standardized test used by state regulatory boards to determine if a candidate is safe and ready to practice as an entry-level nurse.
The race begins at 10:00 a.m., starting and finishing at IUP’s Zink Hall; all ages and fitness levels are welcome. Race-day registrations will be accepted until the beginning of the race.
Vose’s gift of $10,000 is part of IUP’s comprehensive fundraising campaign, Impact 150. The Impact 150 campaign has a goal of $150 million; it is the largest campaign in the history of the university. The campaign is named in honor of the university’s sesquicentennial celebration held during the 2025–26 academic year.
IUP’s College of Health Sciences includes the departments of Allied Health, Nursing, and Psychology.
Since its founding in 1875, IUP has evolved from a teacher-training institution into a doctoral research university recognized for its commitment to student success and achievement. IUP’s Impact 150 comprehensive campaign is designed to honor a legacy of educational excellence while looking toward a future of innovation, public service, and leadership in healthcare education, including the first college of osteopathic medicine at a public university in the commonwealth.