The first reception called the “Minority Reception” was held on March 20, 1990 and hosted for two years in Chicago. In 1992, the Minority Reception moved to the Holmes Student Center where it remained until it was moved off-campus to Richard “Dick” Flournory’s home. Three of Dick’s friends and NIU colleagues assisted him with the annual reception.  They are Larry Bolles, Walt Owens or  “Coach O,” and Bob Stearnes. It was later hosted at the home of Janice and Walt Owens until it returned to campus in 2013, hosted by Intercollegiate Athletics, and in 2015 began being hosted by the Division of Academic Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Presidential Commission on Race and Ethnicity (PCORE).

This reception was Richard's brainchild and was an opportunity for faculty and staff of underserved populations to come together and meet and greet.  It was open to all who wanted to join in the festivities. It was renamed to reflect its founder in 2019 and is now called the "Richard A. Flournory Homecoming Inclusion Reception."

The Richard A. Flournory Engagement Award was created in 2020 to recognize individuals who have worked to promote inclusivity at NIU over an extended time period. This annual award is sponsored by PCORE and ADEI and presented to recipients at the Richard A. Flournory Homecoming Inclusion Reception. A call for nominations occurs in late August.