In order to make the Bobcat pride live on after college graduation, Ohio University has built a foundation for alumni to participate in a multitude of activities and events. Due to COVID-19, adjustments have been made to alter how events are hosted and how alum can attend.
“Our events have featured faculty from a variety of disciplines, panels of alumni sharing their expertise and insights, and we’ve even been able to pull off a pep rally or two,” Erin Essak Kopp, associate vice president for alumni relations and executive director of the Ohio University Alumni Association, said in an email. “The programming is topical and fun. We even did our Homecoming celebration in 2020 completely virtually — with social media hype, pre-recorded videos and live webcasts, alumni and students were able to get into the Homecoming spirit even if it was from home.”
Although online can feel like a limitation, OU’s Alumni Association has been sure to host different kinds of activities. A few of the activities that have been hosted this year include podcasts with alumni with different careers, different health and well-being videos, lifestyle videos and videos regarding OU’s diversity and inclusion. To view past and upcoming events, alum can check out OU’s Alumni Resources under “Watch + Learn + Connect.”
Julie Righter, an OU 1978 graduate and a member of the Alumni Association’s Board of Directors, appreciated the “Empower Hours” that OU has hosted virtually this year. Righter was able to learn more about how to live an enriching life.
“I was just so amazed how they pivoted quickly, and I am very proud because, I think, under the current leadership of the alumni office, there is such a collaboration that is growing between the alumni office and the colleges on campus so that they can draw the people in to help with alumni relations work,” Righter said. “I am a very proud alumnus. Anybody in the alumni office will tell you the blood is very green.”
Over the past year, alumni engagement has grown university-wide, and the participation has been noticeably more active. The Council for Advancement and Support of Education, or CASE, Alumni Engagement Metrics has been able to provide a more efficient gage at the amount of engagement. Through this approach, the numbers are more accurate.
A contributor to the growth is OU’s campus-wide involvement. OU has encouraged different organizations across campus to incorporate more alumni events and has reached out to find the different ways they are interacting with their alumni. The individual colleges and organizations of OU have been hosting different events specifically for their alumni.
“We've been trying to do as many digital events as we can,” Tristan Navera, president of the OU Post Alumni Society, said. “We normally just have one big event in March of every year. The last week of March every year, we have a reunion that's in person, and it tends to be the most important thing that we do most of the time. The rest of the year, we're basically just kind of a network for interviews, and if a former ‘Postie‘ knows a job opening, they're kind of an “in” to that place. This year, we've been kind of active all year long. There's been a lot more engagement from alums just around the country than there normally has been.”
Navera believes OU alumni share many communal experiences after college, and no one ever forgets their time spent in Athens.
During COVID-19, virtual programming has become vital to hosting events. However, these programming ideas have made it easier for involvement to increase. The easy accessibility has allowed OU to increase its connection with alumni.
Essak Kopp believes with their little to no-cost programs, OU is focusing on alumni who have never attended an event before, especially this year.
“Now, more than ever, alumni engagement is about providing valuable programming and meaningful connections to alumni, while at the same time mobilizing those same alumni to advance University priorities,” Essak Kopp said in an email.
Alumni can get involved at any time and are encouraged to participate in the resources offered to them at OU.
Seeing the involvement through its alumni, OU has offered many opportunities for current students to build relationships with alum. Through different means of creating connections, students are presented with a plethora of choices to meet past Bobcats.
There is an Alumni Welcoming Crew, alumni to student mentorship programs, many alumni networks, a way for alumni to post job and internship opportunities for current students, Bobcat Neighborhood and much more.
