Celebrating Legacies & Creating Out of State Fans during Family Weekend

Ryan Lovell – Senior Director of Parent and Family Relations Beth Ullum – Assistant Director of Parent and Family Relations

Parent and Family Weekend at Ohio State • Fall Semester (Mid-October to early November) • Away game weekend

• Game time challenges • 3 days of programming • Flat registration fees

• $15 per adult • $10 for non-OSU students • $5 for OSU students

• Includes most events and activities • First come, first served

• Use Guidebook for schedule • Specialty meals at additional cost

• Require RSVP • Senior Vice President Breakfast with the

Deans is included in cost • 4000-5000 participants (including students)

register

Parent and Family Weekend (cont.)

How do you make such a large program “personal”?

Parent and Family Weekend (cont.)

• Affinity programming during the weekend

• Specialty meals on Day 2 • Celebrating Your

Buckeye Family Roots – Legacy Event

• Distant Buckeyes – Out of State Meal

Celebrating Your Buckeye Family Roots • Affectionately called the “Legacy Lunch” (or dinner) • Hosted on Saturday

• 3:30 game time (or later), lunch • 12 noon kick-off, dinner

• Define legacy “loosely” • Usually parent or grandparent

• Roughly 11% of our students had a parent attend Ohio State

Legacy Lunch: Celebrating Your Buckeye Family

Legacy - Registration

• Included as part of registration form

• $20 per person • Non-refundable

once catering order is set

• Only event on schedule that you can register guests not registered for Weekend

Legacy - Programming

• Celebration of what Ohio State means to families

• Sentimental in nature • Centered on families sharing

their stories • Special pinning ceremony • Most of the work is BEFORE

the program begins

Legacy – Special Touches

• Senior Level Administrator speaks

• Ohio State family photos • EventsTag • Slideshow

• Cakes • Table decor • Musical performances

• Student groups • Photo areas in the room

• Holiday card set-up • “Instagram” Frame

Legacy – Pinning Ceremony

• Pins are given at check-in for event

• Based upon registration info

• Pin types • Legacy Pin • Parent Pin • Family Pin

• Ceremony • “Legacy” and

“Parent/Family” cards

• Carmen Ohio

Legacy – Programming (cont.)

• Slide show running the entire time

• Emcees for program • Student and mom • Faculty family • Student employees

• Meal • Family story sharing

• On stage • Interview in crowd • Sharing at table

Legacy – Other Thoughts

• Practicum grad student and Student Alumni Council

• 300+ attendees every year • We cap at 330

• Different set of pins for each year you return

• One of the few events that causes families to return year after year

• Consistently the “highest rated” event

• Partnership with Advancement

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PFW 2017

Welcome to the 2017

Buckeye Legacy Luncheon

#BuckeyeLegacies2017

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Student Legacy Pledge

You have guided my path to our alma mater and shared with me Ohio State’s joy,

which death alone can still.

I pledge to bring honor to our family’s Buckeye Legacy and to our Ohio State University.

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Parent & Family Pledge

As my Buckeye Legacy, you renew my commitment to our alma mater and affirm my pride in our family.

I pledge that time and change will show

my unwavering devotion to you and to our Ohio State University.

Distant Buckeyes – Out of State Lunch

Distant Buckeyes – Out of State Lunch • Hosted on Saturday opposite the Legacy event • Roughly 25% of our students are from out of state (including

international) • Different feel from Legacy

• Pep rally • Focus on what it means to be a Buckeye

Distant Buckeyes - Registration

• $20 per person • Non-refundable

once catering order is set

• Is everyone out of state?

• Seating is done by state

• Try to seat the room coast to coast

• Check-in at event

Distant Buckeyes - Programming

• Recognizing that there are many out-of-state students

• Can seem like not many students from “home”

• Build upon communications work we do throughout the year

• Sense of pride for choosing Ohio State

Distant Buckeyes – Programming (cont.) • Programming has varied

• Teaching of Ohio State history and traditions

• Game day traditions • Block O

• Involvement of “Distant Buckeyes”

• Student performances

• Show where students are from

• Emcee is out of state student

• Student and family emcee

Distant Buckeyes – Special Touches

• How families identify tables

• Flags • State outlines

• One family takes • “Ohio State” food

• Buckeye pie • Senior Administrator

speaks • Teaching of Carmen Ohio

Distant Buckeyes – Other Thoughts • 400+ attendees every year

• We cap at 600 • Great partnership with University Advancement

• Share attendance list • Graduate student practicum experience

Overall Thoughts on Programs • Family Weekend is large and impersonal in some ways • Have families feel a connection to Ohio State. • Have families feel a connection to one another • Know that we appreciate uniqueness • Using resources to keep costs down

• Graduate student practicum • Charging costs for meals • Student group performers

• Ones who appreciate the event • Identifying inexpensive special touches

Questions?

Parent and Family Relations The Ohio State University

2039 C Ohio Union 1739 N. High Street

Columbus, OH 43210 614-292-9153

Parentandfamily@osu.edu

Ryan Lovell – Senior Director Lovell.113@osu.edu

Beth Ullum – Assistant Director

Ullum.2@osu.edu

Office Contact Information