Messages from the OSU Alumni Association CEO

Archie GriffinArchie Griffin is widely known as the only two-time winner of the prestigious Heisman Trophy, symbolic of "The Outstanding College Football Player of the Country." He was a three time All American in 1973, 1974 and 1975. He was a three time All American in 1973, 1974 and 1975. He received many awards and recognitions during his college career. Graduating a quarter early from Ohio State, Griffin earned his degree in Industrial Relations. In 1976, he was a first round draft choice of the Cincinnati Bengals, where he served as co-captain and played with the franchise for eight years.

He returned to his alma mater in March, 1984. He later accepted the position of Special Assistant to the Director of Athletics in June of 1985. In July of 1987, he was named Assistant Director of Athletics, and in April of 1994, named Associate Director of Athletics. Griffin became president and CEO of The Ohio State University Alumni Association on January 1, 2004.

Please visit this page for periodic messages from the OSU Alumni Association CEO, Archie Griffin.

 

Fall 2009 - Sportsmanship

Earlier this summer I had the pleasure to participate in the taping of a public-service announcement promoting good sportsmanship. It was really a fun project and I loved having the opportunity to carry a good message and spend some time with members of Ohio State's Sportsmanship Council, who participated in the PSA as well.

Good sportsmanship is something I think is essential to being a Buckeye fan. Period.

I've heard debates back and forth about how heated some of our rivalries are and how much animosity can flow between fanbases at times. Having heard all of that I've yet to hear a compelling argument that suggests treating other people poorly is ever warranted.

Personally, I have a big problem with people showing poor sportsmanship. I really don't like it when I hear our fans boo an opposing team when they come onto the field and it bothers me even more when I hear about altercations between different groups of fans.

Part of the reason it's always stuck in my craw is that as a player, as heated as our rivalry with Michigan could be, that game was never about hate. We wanted to beat them badly, no doubt about it. However, that desire never ever led me or my teammates to engage in the type of crass behavior that would reflect poorly on Ohio State.

When we played the Wolverines the goal was the play as hard as we possibly could. We had to leave it all out there because we knew they were going to do the same. But at the same time, we had to play fair. And when the game was over you walked across the field, shook their hands, and offered them the respect they deserved for testing your mettle on that day.

I saw Woody make that walk many times and I talked to him about that rivalry many other times. And although his dislike of Michigan is well-chronicled, don't ever let anyone tell you that he did not respect Michigan. He did, and if any player would have embarrassed him by showing poor sportsmanship on the field, I can promise you that player would be in for a week of practice he would not soon forget.

At the end of the day, these are games. We should never get to the point where a game leads us to behave in a way that would embarrass our families or our university. Being a good fan is something to me that is as much of a part of being a Buckeye as Skull Session or Script Ohio. It isn't something I expect out of some of our fans. I expect it out of all of them wherever they are.

I hope you will all carry this message with you throughout the course of the upcoming season. If you're watching in Ohio Stadium, at a game-watch party, or just with friends, show those people what Buckeyes are all about by exhibiting good sportsmanship in good times and bad.

Archie Griffin

 

Summer 2009 - Stepping up to the challenge of leadership

One of the best blessings of my life is the fact that I've encountered so many people who showed me what true leadership is all about.

From my youngest days until now I've come in contact with a number of role models who showed me the necessity of strong leadership. Some of those people would be familiar names to you (Woody Hayes immediately comes to mind) but others are not quite as well known.

Still, whether they were famous or not the best leaders I've met shared some very similar traits. All were good at setting goals but even better at crafting the plans that helped you achieve those goals. All understood the interpersonal dynamics that can make or break a project or team. And all had the consistent focus you need to stay the course even when things look bleak.

These elements are things I've put to use since I took over leadership of the Alumni Association. We set the ambitious goal of being the biggest and best alumni organization then put together a strategic plan to direct those efforts. And while I can't say that we have yet achieved the goal of being the biggest, I am confident in saying that we've moved much closer to being the best.

Today, we offer more programs and services than we did in the past. Our online capabilities have improved immensely and will continue to progress in the coming months. We truly feel that we are putting the pieces in place to make some major transformational jumps in the next few years. At the same time, we recognize that we can't be satisfied with progress. Satisfaction can lead to complacency, and we will never be a complacent organization under my watch.

So what does this mean to you?

I understand that guiding clubs and societies presents even more challenges from a leadership perspective. Our constituent groups are powered by the spirit of togetherness and volunteerism, but members are not being paid for their efforts. This presents a challenge to the leaders of these groups. How do you keep people engaged and focused in efforts that may lack a tangible personal benefit?

First, I think that it is necessary to recognize the common bond that brings us all together. One thing all Buckeyes have in common is a great love of Ohio State. We all want to see our university grow and improve. Much like I have the goal of being the biggest and best alumni association, President Gee wants to see Ohio State rise to a position of eminence in the world of academia. We can all play a role in that effort and being organized makes that impact even more powerful.

I also think there's a great deal of importance in goal-setting. Your group should have a clear goal or goals that all members are working together to achieve. Whether it's to raise scholarship money, advocate for the university, or recognize tremendous faculty members, your group should have a clear goal in mind. Activity for activity's sake is great, but purposeful activity is more valuable.

Lastly, I think that there must always be focus on growth that starts from leadership. All of our constituent groups have Ohio State alumni audiences they've yet to reach. It is up to you to help find these people and get them engaged. No Buckeye should even be able to say that no one has reached out to them. That would be an opportunity missed. The challenge of leadership is clearly not an easy one to meet. Nothing worth anything is. At the same time, our university has given you the tools to lead effectively. I know you can do it.

Archie Griffin

 

Spring 2009 - A Message from Archie Griffin

When I joined the Alumni Association as president and CEO, the first thing I did was establish our vision of being the biggest and the best alumni organization in the world.That vision contains two specific challenges.

Being the best is something that is something our staff aspires to each and every day. It is a charge to seek ways to change, innovate, and expand. I want my staff to challenge assumptions and never accept that the way that we've always done things is the way that we should always do them.

I think that we've lived up to this challenge. Today, we offer more programs, raise more scholarship money, and have a better view of our members than ever before. When we can directly affect and improve the worth of a membership in the Association, we live up to this challenge.

The second part of our vision is being the biggest. Simply put, we want to have more dues-paying members than anyone else. The Association draws a great deal of its operating resources from membership revenue, so the more members we have, the better and richer benefits we are able to offer.

The value of a membership is something that we talk about every day in our organization. In fact, our third strategic goal speaks directly to this conversation. It reads: We will become the biggest dues-supported alumni association by demonstrating exceptional service and indispensable value. Those last two phrases are very important to me. They suggest that we won't become the biggest by happenstance. Rather, we offer so many valuable benefits that you'd be selling yourself short by not joining.

We hope that all alumni view membership in the Association as a valued part of their complete Buckeye experience. And I have no doubt that many do feel this way. I have heard from countless members who've joined because they feel indebted to Ohio State and want to continue to help their university. This was the prime reason I joined - I wanted to pay forward for the university, and I knew that the Alumni Association was deeply engaged in furthering the Ohio State's mission. To me, joining was an easy choice.

For others, it is not quite as easy. In these difficult economic times, budgets are tight and many people are looking for value when they plunk down the money to join an organization. Although it may not be quite as straight forward as an out-and-out quid pro quo, many members want to know that their $65 will bring them at least that much in return. This is understandable. If it is indeed our goal to offer exceptional service and indispensable value, reaching that $65 benchmark should not be that difficult.

So I decided to take a closer look at our benefits of membership to see what is included. Are we providing the dollar-for-dollar value that makes it a no-brainer for someone to join?

What I did is look at four benefits that a member could potentially use. If I bought $100-worth of merchandise at Buckeye Corner, my membership would get me a $10 rebate. If I wanted to wear that new gear to a Blue Jackets game, my membership would get me 20 percent off of two tickets, a savings of $20 for some pretty good seats. If I used our 20 percent discount at Brooks Brothers on a $100 purchase, I'd save another $20. And if after these purchases I decided to take a Spanish course through Ohio State's Continuing Education Office, my membership would get me an $18 savings.

On those four purchases combined, I would have saved $68, which would exceed the $65 cost of an annual membership. And this only takes into account four of the more than 40 benefits we have listed on our site. It also doesn't take into account the fact that members receive six copies of Ohio State Alumni Magazine each year, and subscriptions to a bi-monthly magazine can cost between $15 and $25.

As you can see, I believe we can make a strong case that a membership in our Association is worth each and every penny. When you pile the intangibles on top of it and factor in the work we do to make your university stronger, I frankly think that joining is a no-brainer.

Of course, this does not mean we are ready to rest on our laurels. As I mentioned early on, being the best means you are constantly striving for ways to improve. To that end, our staff continues to seek ways to add value to a membership. We have some very good ideas about how we can improve and grow in the next few years and we're working diligently to bring those benefits to reality.

I am truly excited about the way our organization is positioned for the future. There is no doubt in my mind that we have some fruitful and bright days ahead.

Archie Griffin