Alumnae Reunion Weekend 2025

Meredith Alumnae Reunion Weekend was held May 16-18, 2025, with more than 500 attendees. The weekend was full of opportunities for alumnae to reconnect and celebrate their time at Meredith. Alumnae traveled from 23 states and Washington, D.C., representing 35 class years from 1951 to 2022. In North Carolina, 96 counties were represented. Classes ending in a zero or five celebrated a special class reunion.

The Class of 1975 was inducted into the Golden Oaks Society at a luncheon on May 16 to commemorate their 50th reunion. The class was ready to celebrate with 93 alumnae attending the luncheon and pinning each other, commemorating their induction into the Golden Oaks Society. President Aimee Sapp spoke and shared memories and events from their time at Meredith. Classes at the event ranged from 1951 to 1975.

Friday evening, all classes celebrated in the Rotunda and in front of Johnson Hall,  enjoying music from the BOUNCE! Party Band. On Saturday, in Jones Auditorium, Kate Breen, ‘01, alumnae board president, welcomed all the attendees and announced the 2025 alumnae award winners. President Sapp honored the philanthropy award winner and gave a State of the College address that included highlights from her first year. 

Sapp thanked alumnae for their warm welcome. 

“You are the heart, you are the history, and you are the hope of Meredith. You are the ones that keep our traditions alive, you are the ones that welcome new faces, and remind us every day what’s possible when strong women work together,” said President Sapp. “So as we celebrate Reunion Weekend together, I want you to know simply this: Meredith’s very best days are not behind us, they are in front of us, and with your passion and your persistence, with your stories and your laughter, with your willingness to reach out and bring others along, we are just getting started. So thank you so much for everything you have done and for what you are doing to keep Meredith strong.”

The Meredith Fund announced class giving totals and had a special announcement about the Class of 1975. The class met their goal of raising $250,000 for the Chaplain’s Fund Endowment. This important fund serves as a student emergency resource, helping to cover unexpected needs such as emergency transportation back home, essential medications when no other funding is available, support for the Daisy Trade food pantry, and basic nutrition education. All classes raise money starting on their 45th reunion for a campus project in orderto raise $250,000 by their 50th reunion. 

“Even though it’s been 50 years since we were students, we see this gift as a wonderful legacy of student support that exemplifies our pride for our alma mater, honors our years at Meredith, and helps many generations of students become strong Meredith women,” said Sherri McGee, class gift agent.  

A luncheon was held along with class meetings on Saturday afternoon. On Saturday evening, individual classes held activities throughout Raleigh. The weekend concluded on Sunday with a worship service in Jones Chapel and a brunch. 

Congratulations to the following 2025 alumnae and philanthropy award winners.

2025 Alumnae Award Recipients

Dr. Jean Jackson, ’75 │ Distinguished Alumna Award

Jean Jackson is a graduate of the Class of 1975 with a Bachelor of Arts in English and Religion. Immediately following graduation from Meredith, Jackson earned a Master of Arts and Ph.D. in English from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. 

Jackson returned to Meredith in 1983 to teach in the Department of English and create a program then called Professional Communications. Given Meredith’s focus at the time on literature and creative writing, this was a much-needed addition to the curriculum. It crossed all disciplinary boundaries, offered highly valued skills for all students, and is still in place today. Through the years, she has taught British literature, American literature, African American literature, and a course in women’s studies. As a faculty member, she has overseen student research projects and more than 100 student internships. In her current position as Vice President for College Programs, Jackson teaches a class on English poetry and balances teaching with her administrative responsibilities as a member of the College’s Executive Leadership Team. 

One of Jackson’s colleagues remarked that she has the reputation for always giving students the benefit of the doubt and encouraging the team to truly listen to students. When dealing with issues important to students, her approach often is to ask, “What is the lesson here?” instead of trying to jump to a staff-driven answer. Her perspective and collaborative approach to problem solving are valued by her colleagues. In addition, her experiences as an alumna, coupled with her many years as a professor and administrator, enable her to put the students’ needs first. 

As a member of Meredith’s faculty and Executive Leadership Team, Jackson is a reliable sounding board and trusted advisor, especially when changing times call for starting new methods or traditions to meet the current needs of the Meredith community. Many of her peers consider Jackson to be the “keeper of the culture of the College.”

Dr. Anne Carroll Baird, ’60 │ Career Achievement Award

Anne Carroll Baird graduated from Meredith College in 1960 with a degree in sociology. Dr. Leslie Syron was her mentor, encouraging her to pursue graduate work in sociology and to participate in its professional organizations as an undergraduate student. After graduating from Meredith, Baird earned a Ph.D. in Sociology from Emory University.

In 1971, Baird started what would become a 44-year career as a member of the faculty at Morehouse College, an HBCU. As a faculty member within the Sociology Department, Baird’s research interests included incarceration rates in rural and metro areas, gentrification and crime, the effects of high incarceration rates on the African American community, and intimate partner violence: implications for public policy. In addition to sociology courses, Baird taught about discrimination and the consequences of discrimination, medical sociology, and founded the criminology major. 

As a member of the faculty at Morehouse College, Baird respected and cared so much for her colleagues and the student body. She draws a parallel to her student experience at Meredith, one in which a small community and committed, caring faculty provided women with the opportunity to grow and develop both inside and outside of the classroom. 

Classmate and friend Emily Campbell Tuck, ’60, noted that Baird was ahead on her time. “Considering the racial divide that is still present in our country, Meredith can point to one of its graduates who has been working tirelessly for this cause for decades.”

2025 Philanthropy Award Recipient

Ginger Mims Alexander Neustadt, ’05 │ Meredith Memorial Philanthropy Award

Ginger Mims Alexander Neustadt graduated from Meredith at age 65 through the adult education program, now known as Wings, which serves students 23 years old and older. The high point in her education was the 12 weeks she studied abroad in Italy and England with traditional students. She bravely and enthusiastically lived dormitory-style with them and described that time as one of the best in her life. As a result of that experience, Neustadt created the Ginger Mims Alexander Neustadt Wings Endowment for Study Abroad to provide scholarship support to help adult students gain the valuable experience of living and studying in another country.

Neustadt, always a passionate proponent of Meredith, served on the College’s Board of Trustees. Prior to her death, she named the Player’s Lounge in the Estes-Speight Family Athletic Center, which will provide training space for student athletes on the softball, tennis, and golf teams. It was important to Neustadt that students have a place to gather, socialize, and create their own fond memories.

Through her generosity to Meredith, Ginger Mims Alexander Neustadt created a ripple effect that will impact students for years to come.