Middletown poster celebrating 50 years as a campus
Middletown poster celebrating 50 years as a campus

Miami Regionals' Middletown campus kicks off 50th anniversary year

By Brennan Burks, Miami University Regionals

A year of special events and activities to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Miami University Regionals’ Middletown campus will begin with a Kick-off Celebration noon– 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 3, in the campus quad.

The Middletown campus was the first regional campus in Ohio. All-day classes were first offered on Sept. 5, 1966.

The 50th anniversary kickoff event will feature live music, a remote broadcast by K 99.1 FM’s Frye Guy, food trucks, and a free kid zone with air brush tattoos, a rock wall, an inflatable slide and a Euro bungee. A videographer will be on hand to record Middletown memories from those willing to take a few minutes to share them.

The WingWalkers will showcase their improvisational style of folk, blues and jazz on stage at noon. They will be followed by a performance from Tim Shelton and Clay Hess, who will take attendees on a country and Americana journey at 1:15 p.m.

A ceremony commemorating the 50th anniversary will take place at 2:30 p.m. Students and faculty who were at the Middletown campus when it opened 50 years ago will make the first donations to a time capsule that will be assembled during the year and then sealed until the campus’ centennial in 2066.

"We invite each and every one of you to join us in celebrating 50 years at Miami Middletown,” said Cathy Bishop-Clark, interim associate provost and Miami Regionals dean. “This is a special place, and it has touched and improved thousands of lives – including my own. Miami Regionals is at a unique place. We commemorate the last 50 and look forward to an exciting future."

Throughout the year the Middletown campus will have a series of lectures, themed grouped chats for oral history, and other special events to continue the celebration.

For more information on any of these events, call Ruth Willis at (513) 727-3471 or visit the 50th anniversary website. Miami University Middletown is located at 4200 N. University Blvd.