Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC) is pleased to announce the 2026 Reunion weekend will be held May 15-17. The weekend will be filled with fun and fellowship for attending alumni. All SMWC alumni are welcome to attend and participate; milestone years – classes ending in 1 or 6 – are especially encouraged to attend. Once again, on-campus housing will be in Les Bois Hall and offered first to the Class of 1976 and the Class of 2001, who will celebrate their 50th and 25th Reunions.
Although campus housing is restricted to no more than 60 beds for alumni guests, Catherine Saunders ’98, vice president for advancement, said the Office of Advancement is looking forward to welcoming alumni home for the many activities on campus regardless of their overnight accommodations. “We know how important it is for our alumni to come home to The Woods to reconnect with their classmates and this special place,” Saunders said. “Our team is providing an array of housing options within the Terre Haute area so they may gather with friends and enjoy the beloved tradition of Reunion weekend,” she added.
To accommodate housing needs, Reunion 2026 attendees may reserve hotel rooms from a variety of hotel blocks SMWC has made available. Additionally, alums are invited to consider Airbnb and Vrbo options.
Alums concerned about the impact of their Woods experience by staying off campus should look to those alums who have been doing so for years. Juliet Muro Oeffinger ’64 and many of her classmates have returned for several post-Covid Reunions. Each time they took advantage of the amenities and convenience of hotel blocks.
“At this age, my classmates and I just love coming back home to The Woods. It may be a surprise to some, but we appreciate the amenities that staying in a hotel during Reunion provide,” Oeffinger shared. She continued with a helpful tip, “We reserved a hotel meeting room for last year’s Reunion, and it was great for our class to gather throughout the entire weekend when we weren’t on campus. At the end of the day, we just enjoy being together, no matter the space.”
As Reunion 2026 plans continue to take shape, the College will develop a schedule to provide transportation to and from campus throughout the weekend using the SMWC buses. Saunders believes this will help alumni to feel more comfortable with the off campus housing options, allowing them the convenience of celebrating with friends without the worry of driving responsibilities.
Alumni may wonder why housing continues to be restricted to Les Bois Hall with limited capacity. Frankie Enochs ’93, MBA, MSIT, vice president for institutional technologies and operations, shared the value of limited Reunion housing. “Our facilities crew has only a 10-week period in the summer to address facility needs ranging from plumbing, painting, plaster repairs, and most recently, window repairs and replacements in both Les Bois and Le Fer Halls,” Enochs said. She added that there were many benefits to taking Le Fer off-line in Summer 2025. “Closing Le Fer Hall last summer and removing it from the housing inventory allowed us to focus on a lot of areas that needed love and repairs. Unimpeded, just on the residential floors of Le Fer, our team was able to deep clean all student rooms, repair plaster in 25 rooms, paint 76 rooms and two community bathrooms and replace hallway lighting,” she added. Enochs is confident the team will accomplish even more this summer as the project schedule is already in progress and includes Les Bois Hall student rooms.
To accommodate housing needs, Reunion 2026 attendees may reserve hotel rooms from a variety of hotel blocks SMWC has made available. The current list is available at www.smwc.edu/alumni/reunion-2026/.
Traditional Reunion activities will take place, including cocktail receptions; the We Remember, We Celebrate prayer service; class photos and the Reunion Banquet, set to be in the McMahon Ballroom after much positive feedback from Reunion 2025 attendees. Details will continue to be added to the online schedule as the weekend draws near.
Saunders reflected on the recently formed Reunion committee’s conversations that have helped to inform this year’s Reunion plans. Their work will continue as the College considers plans that are mutually beneficial for Reunion 2027 and beyond. “Having conversations with alums representing six decades of graduates was not only informative but affirming. We are all passionate about our beloved Woods and our fellow Woodsies & Pomeroys. It is important to keep positive communication flowing as we plan for future Reunions.”
While Reunion continues to evolve, changes should not take away from the joy of the weekend. “We look forward to our alums returning every year. They love our historic buildings as much as our students, faculty and staff do. I have no doubt they will appreciate our need to tend to facility needs in a timely manner – even if that work forces us to host Reunion in different ways,” she shared.
For more information about Reunion 2026, including the registration schedule, visit the webpage.