The University of Arkansas at Monticello (UAM) has released the 2026 Homecoming Week schedule. Homecoming events will take place from October 5-10.

On October 8, the UAM Department of Athletics will host its annual UAM Sports Hall of Fame Banquet. During the banquet, Monte Erwin, Jake Nowlen, Danielle Rollins, Katherine Taju and De’Andre Washington will be inducted into the UAM Sports Hall of Fame. Nat Grubbs will also be honored as the 2026 UAM Sports Hall of Fame Spirit Award winner. For tickets or more information, contact the Department of Athletics at 870-460-1157.

On October 9, the UAM Alumni Association will host its annual lawn party and reception for the 2026 alumni award winners. Award recipients will include Dr. Barrett L. Brown, Hani W. Hashem, Kelly and Anna Koonce, Kathy Lyon, Greg Montgomery, Dr. Drew Perry, Francis J. Porto III, Shela Upshaw and Les Walz. Attendance is free; however, to assist with planning and preparations, attendees should RSVP by October 3 to the Office of Alumni Affairs at 870-460-1127.

The homecoming football game will be held on October 10. The UAM African-American Alumni Association will hold its annual breakfast at 8:30 a.m. For tickets to the breakfast or more information, contact Classie Jones Green at 870-556-0527. Homecoming tailgate parties will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Tailgate Row, adjacent to Weevil Pond. The Weevil Walk of Champions and Homecoming Parade will begin at 11:30 a.m. The coronation of the 2026 UAM Homecoming Queen will be held at 1:30 p.m. at the Willis “Convoy” Leslie Cotton Boll Stadium, and UAM Football will kick off against Oklahoma Baptist University at 2 p.m. During the game, UAM Cheer and the UAM “Pride of Southeast Arkansas” Marching Band will perform.  

On Friday, October 2, the University of Arkansas at Monticello will hold a public ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the grand opening of the Arkansas Forest Health Research Center on UAM’s Monticello campus.

In February 2024, the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration received approval to allocate $16.8 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds to UAM for the construction of the center. At the groundbreaking ceremony in October 2024, Attorney General Tim Griffin announced an additional $1 million from state settlement funds for the project. The family of John W. Spivey also contributed $400,000 to support the addition of the John W. Spivey Conference Center. 

The research center, poised to be among the top facilities of its kind in the Southeast United States, is designed to address a critical gap in Arkansas’ forest research capacity. Prior to the Arkansas Forest Health Research Center, the state lacked in-state facilities to test for forest diseases, invasive insects and climate threats that increasingly threaten its $16 billion annual forestry economy. Estimates indicate the center will generate a $157 million annual economic benefit to Arkansas by protecting against lost values of trees and forest products and increasing the workforce for forestry, allied health, agriculture, wildlife and related fields.

In addition to the research wing and the conference center, the building includes a wing of biology and chemistry labs to benefit all UAM students, including those in natural sciences, allied health, agriculture, natural resources and other highly demanded career fields.

For additional information on the Arkansas Forest Health Research Center and the ribbon-cutting ceremony to be held at 132 Science Center Drive, Monticello, Arkansas, on October 2, contact Dr. Michael Blazier at blazier@uamont.edu or 870-460-1152.