Recap: Hunt Business Celebrates Homecoming Week
Hunt Insights · Alumni and Homecoming
Hunt Business Celebrates Homecoming Week
Classroom visits, alumni celebrations, and student conversations marked Homecoming Week, Sept. 20–26.
The Big Picture
Alumni return to Hunt Business.
Homecoming Week, Sept. 20–26, brought alumni back to the Woody L. Hunt College of Business for classroom visits, student conversations, and celebrations of the careers that began at UTEP.
Mike Brochu (BBA ’74), UTEP’s 2026 Distinguished Alumnus, and John T. Hjalmquist (BBA ’78), the college’s 2026 Gold Nugget, spent the week sharing their experiences with students and reconnecting with the university.
Starting Early
From Morning Mania to the breezeway.
The week began before sunrise on Sept. 21 with Miner Morning Mania. Alumni, students, and staff gathered around 5 a.m., joined by the Marching Miners, cheer and dance teams, and Homecoming Court.
Later that day, hundreds of students gathered on Hunt Business’s third-floor breezeway for a Homecoming welcome with live mariachi music and representatives from Lauterbach, Borschow & Co. More than 500 hamburgers, hot dogs, and vegetarian burgers were served. Brochu attended with his wife, Caprice, and spent time meeting students.
Photo Gallery
Homecoming BBQ
Back in the Classroom
Career lessons from two alumni.
Both honorees visited classrooms to discuss the decisions and experiences behind their careers.
Brochu shared how asking for opportunities, seeking help, and adapting to change shaped his work across energy, technology, and investment. Hjalmquist discussed how his accounting education prepared him to take on different responsibilities in the restaurant business, along with the importance of treating employees well.
Honoring Alumni
Recognition across campus.
The college’s Outstanding Alumni Celebration on Sept. 24 brought alumni, faculty, staff, students, and the honorees’ families to the El Paso Natural Gas Conference Center. UTEP President Heather Wilson and Dean John Hadjimarcou joined the celebration as Brochu and Hjalmquist reflected on the professors, mentors, and early opportunities that shaped their lives.
On Sept. 25, both honorees took student questions at Lunch and Lead. The conversation covered leading teams, finding work, making difficult decisions, and adapting to AI. Friday also included UTEP’s Distinguished Alumni Awards Dinner, recognizing the university’s Distinguished Alumni and Gold Nugget recipients.
Brochu and Hjalmquist were also recognized during UTEP’s Homecoming football game against Oregon State on Saturday, Sept. 26.
Hadjimarcou captured the spirit of the week during the college’s celebration:
“This week asks us to come back. Today, it reminds us that the best alumni do something more: They bring something back with them.”
John Hadjimarcou
Dean, Woody L. Hunt College of Business
Photo Gallery
