Themed “Be Boundless,” Meliora Weekend 2023 is gearing up to be an unforgettable experience for the University of Rochester community. Taking place Thursday, October 5 through Sunday, October 8, the weekend offers a full range of intellectual and social activities and programs for alumni, students, families, friends, and faculty and staff.
“Come back to Rochester to meet up with old friends and classmates and rekindle that Meliora spirit,” says Thomas Farrell ’88, ’90W (MS), senior vice president for University Advancement. “Whether it’s been a few months or several years since you last visited campus, you’ll be quickly reminded of all the ways that Rochester made a difference in your life.”
Judy Woodruff
Judy Woodruff, the senior correspondent for the PBS NewsHour, has covered politics and other news for more than four decades at CNN, NBC, and PBS. In 2023 and 2024, she is undertaking a report project called “America at a Crossroads” to better understand the country’s political divide. Woodruff has earned many awards including the Peabody Journalistic Integrity Award, the Poynter Medal, and an Emmy for Lifetime Achievement. She is the founding cochair of the International Women’s Media Foundation and the author of This is Judy Woodruff at the White House. During her Meliora Weekend “Inside Politics” keynote presentation, she will draw from major national and international stories and provide an inside perspective of the politics in play in America and around the world.
Renée Elise Goldsberry
Renée Elise Goldsberry is a multi-hyphenate actress and singer who is perhaps best known for her role as Angelica Schuyler in “Hamilton.” Renée’s performance earned her a Tony Award, Grammy Award, and a Drama Desk Award. Renée currently stars in Marvel Studios newest television hit “She Hulk,” and in Tina Fey’s Emmy nominated series, “Girls5eva.” Other highlights from her film and television career include the Netflix series “Altered Carbon,” “The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks,” and “One Life To Live.” Renée’s appearances on stage include her Outer Critics Circle Award nominated performance in the play Good People, and the original Broadway version of The Color Purple. As a solo artist, Renée garners rave reviews performing to packed crowds in concert halls and symphony spaces all over the country. Her debut album will be released in 2024.
Hasan Minhaj
Hasan Minhaj is best known for his breakout Netflix specials “Homecoming King” and “The King’s Jester”, and his critically acclaimed, political satire show “Patriot Act With Hasan Minhaj” for Netflix which won a Peabody, an Emmy, and a Television Academy Honor. His second one-hour comedy special “The King’s Jester” premiered on Netflix in October 2022. Minhaj was a senior correspondent at Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart” and headlined the 2017 “White House Correspondents’ Dinner.” He’s the co-founder and chief executive officer for 186K Films that will produce its first feature “For The Culture” with Amazon Studios. Minhaj is co-writing the script with Prashanth Venkataramanujam and will star in the film.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a Nigerian author and storyteller, known for writing about politics, culture, race, and gender. She has published the novels, Purple Hibiscus, Half of a Yellow Sun, Americanah, and Dear Ijeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions; the short story, Zikora; the short story collection, The Thing Around Your Neck; and two essays, We Should All Be Feminists and Notes on Grief, which is about losing her father. In 2008, Adichie was awarded a MacArthur Genius Grant. In 2015, TIME magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world. In 2017, Fortune magazine named her of the world’s 50 greatest leaders.
The Seven Wonders
The Seven Wonders tribute band celebrates the enduring legacy of Fleetwood Mac and performs many of their iconic hits, including “Dreams,” “Go Your Own Way,” “Landslide,” “Gypsy,” and others. Replicating and paying homage to the sounds of one of the world’s top-selling bands, The Seven Wonders comprises a group of seven talented musicians known for reconnecting audience members to Fleetwood Mac’s timeless classics and recreating the stage presence of the original band members themselves.