With nearly 25,000 people living in Athens, the statistics are blurry as to who is a resident and who is a student. From out-of-state students to Athens locals, one demographic stands as a testament to the powerful draw of Athens: Ohio University students who choose to stay in town.
Ryann Davis graduated in the spring of 2025 with an undergraduate degree in political science. Davis’ original plan was to find a job right out of college, but recent cuts to the United States Agency for International Development and the United States Institute of Peace, two of the largest employers in her field, made that a tricky plan to stick to.
“I had a choice between living at home with my parents, who I love dearly … or giving myself a leg up and pursuing a master’s degree,” she said.
When she made the decision to pursue a graduate degree, Davis’ choice to stay at OU was a quick one to make. In the fall, Davis will begin her master’s degree in communication and development studies at the Center for International Studies.
“I already knew a couple of people in the department and it was a program I was interested in,” Davis said. “It was a program I hadn’t seen at other schools, and then I also figured it would be the cheapest master’s program for me, considering I’m an alum.”
In addition to the financial and academic benefits of staying in Athens, Davis is looking forward to getting the most out of two more years in town, including exploring some of her extended family’s Appalachian heritage.
“Four years for a lot of people doesn’t feel like enough, and … I think by the end of six years I’m going to be like, ‘Yeah, I’m really done with this.’ Not in a bad way, but I think it’s going to feel like I’ve exercised every possible opportunity I could have given myself there.”
Like Davis, Emily Green graduated in the spring with a degree in sociology pre-law. While Davis was prompted to pursue higher education by cuts in the job market, Green decided based on a shift in her personal goals.
“My plan was originally law school … but that route changed,” Green said. “Law school is no longer my passion and where I see myself, so I’m sticking around to get my master’s in Athens next year.”
After earning her master’s degree in teaching English to speakers of other languages, Green hopes to be placed abroad to put those teachings to good use. In the meantime, she is more than happy to be spending some extra time in Athens after shortening her undergraduate education to three years.
“Because I graduated early, I wasn’t really ready to go,” she said. “Athens really feels like a home and I am excited to get another year here … and get the full four year experience.”
Athens is full of students like Davis and Green who made the choice to stick around immediately after graduation. It is also full of lifelong residents, alumni who have stayed for decades and former students who returned after spending years away from it, like Dr. Janice Collins.
Collins is an associate professor in the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism and the director of the Institute for International Journalism. She has held those positions since 2023 when she returned after receiving a master’s and a doctoral degree from OU in the early 2000s. After a decade and a half, Collins was invited to teach at OU and after meeting with her colleagues, many of whom were her former professors, she knew it would be a good fit.
“I felt welcomed,” Collins said. “I also felt an extreme amount of support. I’m very different in the fact that instead of just being research, teaching, creative endeavor or service, I do all four … When I did my presentation to my colleagues and said, ‘This is where I am. I’m a person of intersections … I like to publish across the board,’ they loved it … They just welcomed me as who I was and I felt that it was very valuable.”
Coming back to OU as a teacher gave Collins a new lens through which to see the town. She was also able to use her perspective as a former student to help her pupils.
“It is truly a blessing and a pleasure and … a gracious duty to be back here and to teach students, to say, ‘I know what you’re feeling. I was where you were, I know what’s going on,’ and just doing anything I can to help students have a better future for themselves and their families,” she said.
The feeling of connectivity found in Athens is something Collins learned to appreciate during her childhood. Growing up in a military family, she has lived in several towns, cities and countries throughout her life.
“Living on a military base … it’s almost like living in a small community,” Collins said. “We’re all soldiers, we’re all of service and we knew the name of every postman, postwoman, every doctor. Athens gave me that feeling, where it is big enough because it’s one of the best journalism programs in the nation … but coming here, everyone was extremely friendly, extremely inviting. They wanted to make you feel at home.”
