Michigan Ross Alums Reconnect and Celebrate Milestones at Alumni Reunion Weekend

Alums gathered to reconnect with each other, tour the Michigan Ross campus, enjoy the Homecoming football game versus Arkansas State University, and much more. This year, Michigan Ross celebrated the milestone classes of 2024, 2019, 2014, 2009, 2004, 1999, 1994, 1989, 1984, 1979, 1974, 1969, and 1964. 

Alongside the Reunion agenda of Sanger Leadership Dialogue sessions, Alumni Awards, and more, alums from milestone class years were also invited to class-specific special events, including a Reunion reception in the Davidson Winter Garden and the Forever Go Blue Dinner for alums celebrating anniversaries of 50 years or more. Nearly 1,000 people registered for Reunion events held throughout the weekend. 

To learn more about this year's celebrations, we asked three attendees from the Classes of 1999 and 1974 to share their experiences.

Julie Jeffries, MBA ’99

How did you celebrate Reunion?

I arrived Thursday and had a great meal with a group of Section 4 friends. On Friday, I enjoyed breakfast with the girls, then went on a tour of the B-school, watched the leadership series, and had lunch with a fun group. We then attended our class's special reunion activity of speakers and participated in an amazing activity aimed at sharing ideas, reminiscing about fun moments, and learning more about each other's lives over the past 25 years. This was one of the highlights of the weekend!

Afterward, we attended the reunion year dinner in the Winter Garden with too many laughs to even remember, and we moved on to Dominick's and to a party thrown by Section 5. Every moment was full, fun, and festive! On Saturday, our group went to the tailgate, then the football game, and then we had a little afternoon snack and time with the girls. I went from there to help set up for the Class of 1999 dinner at The Venue and that is where we spent the rest of the evening. It was an absolute blast!

On Sunday, we had a wonderful breakfast and I went up to visit family in Detroit before heading home to Miami with my heart full and feeling extremely blessed to be a Wolverine. It was truly a weekend full of so much joy, so much love, and so much connection. Those admissions officers really knew how to pick an amazing class of MBAs way back when. I am so incredibly proud of my classmates and the amazing things they are doing as professionals, community leaders, and human beings. GO BLUE!

What was your favorite part of this year's Reunion?

Everything was so much fun, but I think my favorite part was just having so many amazing conversations with so many people. It was very fulfilling, and my soul needed that time with this incredibly special group of people.

Coming back to Ross, what did you miss about being a student here?

I wish I had been a student longer in Ann Arbor. I think I was so overwhelmed by the experience and the work back then that I didn't realize how many opportunities I missed. I want to go back to do all of those other programs, classes, activities, etc. I really miss the community and that feeling of being in the middle of such an incredible institution.

What is your favorite/best Michigan Ross memory?

There are so many memories with so many people: broomball and season hockey tickets with Section 4, runs with D. Wooll, Friday night pasta dinners with Carl and the gang, studying and traveling with Mike D., hanging out with Tony and Chester, tailgates, getting snowed in my apartment back in January 1999, cool chemistry tricks done in the dishwasher, and generally anything and everything we did as friends. While I could have done without the freezing cold winters, the fall days and spring flowers were something really special. 

Anything else you'd like to share?

If I could do it all again, I would do it in a heartbeat. I would spend more time getting to know people on a deeper level and I would have spent more time building long-term relationships with the faculty. But, in general, I am extremely grateful for the lifelong friendships that resulted from those two years. I would love to sit in a classroom with all of my classmates again. What a discussion it would be!

Elaine Bolle, MBA ’74

How did you celebrate Reunion?

Returning to Ross for my 50th Reunion was the first time I had been back on campus and in Ann Arbor in over 25 years. I celebrated by attending the planned MBA Class of ’74 events — the Forever Go Blue Dinner, the Saturday morning tailgate at Ross, the football game, of course, and our class’s intimate Saturday night dinner at the Executive Residence.

Reconnecting with my past and marveling at all the growth and changes made the trip very special. I introduced my husband to the magic of the campus with a walk across the Diag, lunch at the Brown Jug, and a drink at Gandy Dancer. We visited my undergrad dorm, East Quad (I am also a Residential College grad). This was my first visit to all the new Ross buildings. When I attended, it was a single, nondescript tall building. Now Ross is a beautiful, multi-functional mini-campus—reflecting the success and strength of the school and its programs. A Michigan Ross MBA means something special in the real world.

What was your favorite part of this year's Reunion?

There were several best parts. It was fun to reconnect with classmates and learn more about their past half-century journeys. We have all come so far. Other highlights were revisiting old haunts and, especially, attending the football game. I am a Michigan football fan, having spent five years sitting on the 40-yard line. It was great to be back in an even bigger Big House, enjoying the game and the incredible Michigan marching band – that is always special.

Coming back to Ross, what did you miss about being a student here?

I miss the energy derived from challenging discussions from so many points of view. The early seventies were a time when many long-held beliefs were being challenged. Ross students did not hesitate to provide creative alternative approaches. It was also the beginning of women really entering business. My classmates and I were part of that change.

What is your favorite/best Michigan Ross memory?

My best memory was walking across the Diag after receiving my job offer from General Mills, affirming that my decision to go to Michigan Ross was the right thing to do.

Anything else you'd like to share?

Receiving an MBA from Michigan in 1974 was a life-changing event. With it, I launched a very successful career in consumer goods and financial services, moving up the corporate ladder to lead major companies and then becoming an entrepreneur. Now, I am an active early-stage investor supporting the innovators and entrepreneurs who are growing our economy. All of it was fueled by a scholarship from the business school, where I earned a Michigan MBA.  

B. R. Proctor, MBA, ’74

How did you celebrate Reunion?

With my fellow Class of 1974 MBAs on Friday, I toured the massive Michigan Ross complex and attended the Milestone Reception and Forever Go Blue Dinner, ending the day at Dominick's, laughing and sharing previously untold stories from our Michigan days. As required by tradition, I faithfully started Saturday at the raucous Ross tailgate and cheered the team to a victory while seated, thanks to Ross, next to one of my best Michigan friends. The 1974 Class supper in the Executive Residence with one of our current Class of 1974 scholarship recipients provided another splendid opportunity to catch up with classmates and a great way to end the weekend.

What was your favorite part of this year's Reunion?

I so appreciated having varied, quiet venues that facilitated long conversations with classmates whom I hadn’t seen for years. I was awed by my classmates’ career and life paths, which have taken them around the world, from Ann Arbor to Moscow to Paris to Tokyo to Arusha. The stories and adventures were legendary. They reminded me that we, as Michigan MBAs, were global MBAs long before the term was coined.

Coming back to Ross, what did you miss about being a student here?

I miss the associations with professors and mentors like Spivey, Hosmer, and Dufey, all of whom kept in touch long after graduation. I miss the camaraderie with my classmates, who are curious, intelligent, and driven — always keeping me on my toes. I also miss being part of a vibrant community with a world-class university and athletics.    

What is your favorite/best Michigan Ross memory?

There are so many priceless memories that it is hard to choose.

Anything else you'd like to share?

I appreciate the confidence that Michigan instilled in us, supporting our adventurous spirit and belief that we could be successful in life. I am continually warmed by the deep affection that we have for Michigan that is unlike any other. Friends from other universities marvel at our strong identification and pride.