The Sphinx Alumni Society is here!

What is an Alumni Society?

The Ohio State University Alumni Association supports groups of alumni based on location (alumni clubs) or interests/experiences/affiliations (alumni societies). For example, there is an alumni society for students who graduated from the College of Arts and Sciences and one for former Cheerleaders/BRUTUSes. Now, there is the Sphinx Alumni Society for Tried Links of Sphinx Senior Honorary.

Why create an Alumni Society?

Over the years, Sphinx has held major reunions and invited Tried Links to linking ceremonies and luncheons. The Sphinx Council felt the time was long overdue to create a formal alumni society. The alumni association provides great benefits and opportunities for alumni societies, including communications support, financial and administrative resources for programs and events, professional development opportunities, awards and data services – all at low or no cost! For more information: https://www.osu.edu/alumni/communities/clubs-and-societies/.

How is this happening?

The Sphinx Council was established to manage the Sphinx Endowment, and has existed since the 75th anniversary in 1982. The council is comprised of Tried Links, current student officers and advisers. The endowment was created to support Sphinx Plaza, Linking, reunions, alumni activities and programs for current students. An expanded Sphinx Council has been working on implementating the Sphinx Alumni Society for the past year. The Ohio State Alumni Association Board of Directors approved a working constitution for our Society in May 2021: https://org.osu.edu/sphinx/alumni/

How will the Society be organized?

The Sphinx Council will evolve to serve as the Board for the Alumni Society, and there are officers of the Board. The Society has standing committees, currently identified as:

• Communications
• Engagement (Activities)
• Fundraising
• Membership
• Scholarship

What does it cost?

We are not currently planning to assess dues and plan to cover any expenses through a combination of fees for specific events, donations and resource support from the alumni association. You are a member of the Society simply by being a Tried Link!

How do I get involved?

Sphinx Council:

• Sphinx Council members will be elected each spring for three-year terms that begin July 1. We will have a transitional implementation process for the Council over the next three years as we get started.

Committees:

• Our committees have gotten started and we are looking for additional volunteers! More details about the committees will be included in the March email. If you’re interested in volunteering, please contact the President of the Society, Brad Myers, at bradamyers54@gmail.com.

Upcoming Events and Activities:

• Our first event will be a virtual “Sphinx Drinks!” on Thursday, March 3, from 6-7 p.m. EDT. Brad Myers and student leaders from the current class will provide brief updates. Bring Your Own Beverage (BYOB) and raise a glass to Sphinx! Register today
• We are working on additional plans for 2022. Stay tuned for more information about the Sphinx Plaza plaque dedication for the Classes of 2017, 2018 and 2019, Tried Link reunions, and more!

What’s Next?

Communications:

• A Society website, hosted by the Alumni Association.
• Additional emails over the next couple of months detailing updates and event notifications.
• “The Tried Link”: An alumni newsletter which will be published on the Society’s website.
• The current student newsletter, “The Link,” will also be published on the website.

Tried Link data base:

• We are working to create a database to communicate with one another, support mentoring activities and more.

Survey:

• The Engagement Committee will distribute a survey to get feedback about future activities and events.

Outreach:

• We want to ensure that all of our Tried Links are receive our communications. If your class has a listgroup, email group or social media connection, please pass this email along to make sure we’re getting the word out.

In the meantime, if you have questions, please let me know: Brad Myers, Society President, bradamyers54@gmail.com, 614-946-0105

On behalf of all of us on the Sphinx Council: Welcome to the Sphinx Alumni Society!