In Word and Deed

Less than ten minutes into move-in day and Tyler White, BSS ’15, MED ’20, was sold. He had found a home and—little did he know then—a calling at Ohio University.

After nearly three years recruiting first-year students as an admissions advisor, White’s workdays are now spent enlisting his fellow OHIO graduates to help find the next generation of Bobcats.

“I’ve always been really passionate about education and what Ohio University—and the amazing connections and opportunities that come with being a Bobcat—can do for people,” says White, assistant director of outreach and alumni engagement at the Ohio University Alumni Association.

According to White, alumni are one of the top influencers in a prospective student’s college decision.

“It’s an extremely competitive world out there in college admissions, and those alumni voices are powerful, especially when you’re preparing to make one of the biggest decisions of your life,” White says. “When prospective students see an OHIO graduate volunteering their time to talk about the University, that carries extra weight. Who better to share that OHIO experience than those who lived it?”

Alumni have been involved in student recruitment for years, but a deeper partnership between the Alumni Association and the Offices of Enrollment Management and Undergraduate Admissions has seen those efforts grow in recent years.

Undergraduate Admissions’ Rufus Road Trips bring admitted first-year students together in cities like Cincinnati and Pittsburgh to connect with one another and alumni and prepare for the start of their Ohio University experience. Affiliates of the Ebony Bobcat Network (EBN) host EBN Connects, events where alumni, faculty, staff, students and parents engage admitted Bobcats and their families in conversations aimed at setting these future students up for success. And this fall marks the beginning of a new Bobcat Buddies program, pairing about 80 spring 2021 graduates with incoming first-year students and bringing OHIO alumni into their social and support networks.

The heart of OHIO’s alumni-admissions partnership lies in the Volunteer Alumni Admissions Network (VAAN) and the hundreds of graduates who are giving their time to connect with prospective students. VAAN members refer prospective students to the University, attend college fairs in their area and engage in online chats and admissions events.

In the months leading up to National College Decision Day, typically May 1, VAAN members and other alumni volunteers rally to welcome admitted first-year students—both those who have confirmed their intention to enroll and those still on the fence—into the OHIO community. Those welcoming efforts include the long-standing Postcard Project and the new Phone Call Project, providing alumni two modes of congratulating, encouraging and engaging the students who will one day join them as OHIO graduates.

Dr. Jordan Romick, BS ’14, DO ’18, signed up for the Postcard Project for the first time last spring, penning messages to eight admitted students immersed in the same life moment he was ten years ago.

“That transition from high school to college is tough. Everyone is excited but also nervous,” he says. “I felt a need to give back to the University. … The Postcard Project seemed like a good way to reach out to these students, to send them an encouraging message and to reassure them that coming to OU is going to be a life-changing experience.”

A physician at Northern California’s David Grant USAF Medical Center, Romick says participating in the Postcard Project allowed him to reflect on his time at Ohio University and how it led to where he is today.

“It brings back a lot of old memories—plus, it made me want to reach out to folks that I went to school with and plan my next visit to Athens,” he says. “I got to relive that experience of going back to school and starting a new year in Athens. It’s a great feeling to relive that time. Whatever I can get, I’ll take!”

Alumni activities for student recruitment occur throughout the academic year. Click here for information and to sign up as a volunteer.

Featured image: Prospective students and their loved ones enter OHIO’s historic College Green during a campus tour this summer. Photo by Ben Wirtz Siegel, BSVC ’02