Graduation day marks a new beginning for Bobcats, a journey that can take them far beyond the bricks of Athens.
With close to 200,000 living alumni, Bobcats can be found near and far — though more than 60 percent choose to stay within Ohio’s state lines.
The Ohio University Alumni Association hosts numerous events every year in Athens and around the country. Everything from social media to newsletters is used to keep alumni engaged, said Dawn Werry, director of external relations for the organization.
“The first two questions (alumni ask) are, ‘what does campus look like’ … and ‘what are students doing,’ ” she said.
But when Homecoming rolls around each year, alumni are able to answer those questions themselves.
Alumni living in Ohio can trek to Athens for Homecoming relatively easily, but Werry said regional alumni associations have been one way to keep “out-of-towners” close to their Athens’ roots.
Alumni chapters help graduates stay connected to the university, even when they live more than just a trip down the road from their alma mater — such as Dave Abram, a 1983 graduate and current resident of the greater Boston area.
“It is always helpful to know that you have the alumni base … so that you can reach out and recount the good old days of when you were back on campus,” Abram, president of the New England Alumni Chapter, said.
Different alumni groups are essential to allowing the OU Alumni Association to do its job, Werry said. Regionally based alumni groups focus on geographic areas, while society-based groups connect graduates based on interests.
Both types rely heavily on volunteers, Werry said.
“They are the arms and legs of the association,” she said. “They do the work that we can’t in their particular region or for their particular constituency.”
Boston Bobcats can reminisce over Fenway Franks, a couple of Sam Adams or tailgate grub at a University of Massachusetts versus OU game through events planned by the New England chapter, Abram said.
“Regardless of the generation, everyone kind of has a common experience,” he said. “It seems as though Ohio alumni seem to have that deep rooted sense of place and pride. … In their own way it does seem that everyone has tried to stay connected to the university.”
Still other alumni have chosen to call Athens their home even after they have donned their caps and gowns. Cary Frith said campus carries a different tune than it did in her undergraduate and graduate years. Frith is a 1992 and ’93 alumna of OU and currently serves as assistant dean of the Honors Tutorial College.
“You learn a lot about the politics and the complexity of running an institution this size when you see it from an employee perspective,” Frith said. “Also you understand a lot more about the types of decisions that faculty have to make to be able to provide the kind of quality educational experience in their classroom with other demands.”
It was more than just OU that brought Frith and her husband back to Athens.
“We were at the point in our lives when we knew we wanted to start a family. We knew that this community was a particularly supportive one for working professionals who have children so that was an attraction.”
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