Be a Buckeye for life

The Family Circle

There are a multitude of ways to benefit from the resources and services of your alma mater — no matter where you and your family of Buckeyes call home. Here are just a few suggestions for tapping into the riches of Ohio State where you live, work, learn and play. Enjoy!

The best care for our loved ones

Philip Ross ’13 was petting his Tibetan terrier in the fall of 2016 when he felt a lump on 10-year-old Giorgio’s neck. He and his wife, Justina, took their dog to be checked, and the results were beyond anything they could have feared. Giorgio had tonsillar cancer that had spread to his lymph nodes.

“Giorgio was given a 5% chance to make it an entire year,” Philip says. “Most likely, with treatment, he would make it six months.”

After surveying their options, the Rosses decided to have Giorgio treated at The Ohio State University Veterinary Medical Center. He quickly became a staff favorite — and vice versa.

“He was more excited to go back with them every time we came to drop him off for cancer treatment than he was to come back to us,” says Philip, who believes the staff’s medical care and loving support extended Giorgio’s life well beyond expectations. Oncologists letting Giorgio walk with them, his primary doc feeding him chicken from her own lunchbox, his monitored heart speeding up when the doctor walked in the room. All signs of mutual affection.

Giorgio had a major setback three years later, suffering a seizure and burst gallbladder. He made it through the initial surgeries, giving the Rosses one last holiday with him before he died in January 2020. Five of his doctors came to say goodbye. As Philip and Justina grieved, the docs sent them artwork of Giorgio to convey the lasting impact he had made.

“They acted like a second family to us in the way they treated us and Giorgio,” Philip says. “There was just so much comfort. We knew we could trust them.”

Find your pet’s vet

The Ohio State University Veterinary Medical Center offers a range of services for companion and farm animals, including primary care, internal medicine, oncology and more. Your animals will be in skilled hands, and you’ll be helping to train future vets.

Sweeten your breakfast

Through the efforts of students and Ohio maple syrup producers, a sugar bush stands on the Mansfield campus, creating delicious Ohio State maple syrup. Shipping is available, and proceeds benefit student internships, scholarship, research and ongoing operations.

Keep them learning

The stresses have been immense for parents working from home this past year. The Early Childhood at OSU YouTube channel can be a helpful resource, offering science experiments, learning exercises and recorded classroom sessions.

Become a 4-H family

The 4-H program is woven into Ohio’s fabric. Community clubs and activities that offer youth hands-on learning and fun can be suggested by county Extension offices and 4-H professionals.

Take care of you

We’ve got you covered — from medical to vision to dental care. Outside central Ohio? Try telehealth. The health and wellness website is a great starting place.

Green your thumb

Whether tending to small indoor succulents or opulent outdoor gardens, welcoming plants into your life makes for a healthy hobby. Chadwick Arboretum is a valuable resource for green Buckeyes, offering opportunities to visit beautiful gardens, educational webinars and more.

Workplace Benefits

The world of work is more nuanced than ever. All the more reason to frequent your Buckeye network, whatever your field or career stage. Members of your Ohio State community live and work everywhere on the planet, and between them and the multitude of resources here at home base, you’re covered for your full career.

Moving forward with Buckeyes

Receiving a job offer after a tough interview process is thrilling, but what follows can be equally tough: negotiating. As Melissa Wasser knows, navigating is easier as a Buckeye.

Melissa earned her law degree and master’s in public policy and management from Ohio State in 2017 and went on to work in the policy field.

Last fall, she was offered a new post the same day she attended a Bill and Susan Lhota Office of Alumni Career Management webinar on negotiation. Director Marilyn Bury Rice’s presentation helped Melissa take next steps after her initial preparation.

“Working to figure out my market value through the presentation was really helpful,” Melissa explains. “It was determining — based on my skill sets, my years of experience and what I could bring to the position — certain ways to negotiate.”

Brokering the right combination of salary, leave time and flexible benefits would allow Melissa to feel comfortable taking a new job. The webinar helped her prepare and confidently negotiate her terms. “Numbers wise, without the presentation, I would have left $10,000 on the table,” Melissa says.

The Office of Alumni Career Management offers services for all alumni. As a member of the Young Alumni Academy, VP of the D.C. Alumni Club and an incoming member of the alumni board of directors, Melissa is spreading the word.

Elevate your career

The Bill and Susan Lhota Office of Alumni Career Management can help you connect with employers looking for Ohio State grads, tune in to virtual career fairs and check out an array of career resources.

Become an ally

All of us can become more inclusive, in ways big and small. The Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity offers free online implicit bias trainings and modules that can help you be a better colleague.

Connect with ease

You never know who or what will lead you to that next opportunity. Stay in touch using AlumniFire, a grassroots career networking community for students, staff and alumni.

Learn for a lifetime

Keep growing your knowledge through Continuing Education Units, academic certification, free MOOCs (massive open online courses) or Program 60. The Office of Distance Education and eLearning is a good starting place.

Build from the app up

If you have the next big idea for an app, Ohio State and Apple offer digital flagship swift coding and app development courses for alumni. Learn the foundational skills for coding and building apps and finish with a continuing education certificate at no cost.

Grow your network

If you’re a young professional looking to connect with other talented Buckeyes, the Young Alumni Academy may be for you. Alumni under 30 are eligible, and a new cohort gathers each fall for an empowering journey of career development. Applications will be available this summer for the 2021 cohort.

Learning for Life

Now into a second year of adapting our social lives to the pandemic, we know there’s a broad spectrum of comfort levels when it comes to getting out and about. No matter your preference or where you make your home, you can count on other Buckeyes to meet you where you are.

Lifelong learning

Bonnie Smith Rigg ’71 and her husband traveled to Montana for a 10-day vacation in early March 2020, but their hiatus stretched to a full year due to the pandemic. In this temporary home away from her Florida home, the University of Miami art history lecturer found a new source of enrichment: virtual programming from Ohio State.

Bonnie estimates she’s attended 25 to 30 webinars on topics from theatre to politics. One common thread ran through all of them, leading her to keep coming back.

“Bottom line, I like to hear intelligent people talking about interesting things,” Bonnie says, “and maybe I can pick up a little bit of knowledge at the same time.”

The presentations also helped Bonnie learn about the latest happenings at Ohio State. One of her favorites was a panel discussion focusing on the Arts District that’s growing on the Columbus campus, giving her a chance to see what’s coming and reminisce with other former students of the arts.

Bonnie hasn’t made it back to Columbus since her graduation, but tuning in virtually has gotten her excited to visit the next opportunity she gets. In the meantime, she plans to continue attending webinars, which have offered a sense of community during a time defined by isolation.

“Just knowing that a couple of days a week there was something to do, where I didn’t have to go out and actually meet people but I could connect with them virtually — that gave me something interesting to look forward to.”

See what’s on tap

The alumni association has curated an array of virtual programming for your enjoyment, some produced by the Longaberger Alumni House crew and other options drawn from across the university.

Enjoy the aesthetic

Wexner Center for the Arts offers opportunities to explore in person or virtually. The “Climate Changing” exhibition is on view through Aug. 15.

Explore the skies

A 30-foot, 4k projection planetarium in downtown Newark, the SciDome, gives a stunning and immersive view of our solar system. A partnership between Ohio State Newark and The Works provides shows Thursdays through Saturdays.

Join other Buckeyes

There’s no time like the present to join an Ohio State alumni club or society. Find your local club or the society that sparks your passion, and connect with other Buckeyes who share your city or interests.

Stand up, help out

Join a nonpartisan group that helps organize, inform and mobilize alumni and friends as Buckeye Advocates. Or become a volunteer through Ohio State — simply create an account and search for the right match.

Start a new chapter 

Join the Ohio State Alumni Book Club and dive into the current book. Membership is free; just register, read and join the discussion.

Turn it up, please

If music moves you, head over to the School of Music’s YouTube Channel to watch a variety of archived concerts by the many talented musicians of Ohio State.