Letters
Guiding OWU Magazine and Connecting With Readers
Thanks to all of the readers who wrote to us after publication of the Fall 2021 issue. We were overwhelmed at the positive response to the relaunch of the magazine and some of the stories in that issue, especially the story about young women scientists who have been working to keep us all safe from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Some of the emails we received are included below.
I’d like to encourage everyone to share your thoughts with us. We hope that articles and photos in the magazine will spark your ideas and generate a conversation that we can share on these pages and online.
Also, we’d like to apologize for the late arrival of the Fall issue. We sent it to the printer in early November, but the national paper shortage delayed the publication for about six weeks. We hope this issue arrives in your mailbox by mid-May.
Something more under our direct control is the process we employ to plan and produce the magazine as we strive to give you a publication that you find interesting, enlightening, and entertaining.
For several years we have relied on a Magazine Planning Committee of faculty and staff to help us plan content and keep us informed about interesting stories from across the university. We meet four times a year, and I contact them frequently with questions and requests.
However, an important group is absent from that committee. Alumni. Since we’re producing a magazine for alumni, we need to hear from you.
So, we have formed an Editorial Advisory Board to meet virtually twice a year to help guide the high-level, long-term vision of the magazine. At OWU, we have a wealth of talented, experienced, and prominent journalists to fill such a board and share their insights, expertise, and love of all things Ohio Wesleyan. Six quickly answered our request. They include Pulitzer Prize winners, newspaper and magazine editors, and social media experts, and they range from the Class of 1976 to the Class of 2013.
We met for the first time in February, and you’ll be seeing their influence in the stories we tell and how we tell them.
Finally, our cover story on alumni living in Cleveland is the second in our series on “OWU’s Favorite Cities.” The first was on Washington, D.C. (Winter 2020). We plan to run our next “Favorite Cities” story in fall 2023, and we’d love to hear why you think we should choose your city. Please drop us a line at magazine@owu.edu.
Go Bishops!
– Will Kopp
Editor, OWU Magazine
OWU Magazine Relaunch
The Fall 2021 issue of the OWU Magazine is excellent. I’ve been reading this magazine for 63 years, and this issue is definitely one of if not the best issue yet. Kudos to those responsible.
– Denis Nock ’58
I want to congratulate you and your staff on the fabulous new Ohio Wesleyan alumni magazine. It is an issue I could not put down. I was so proud of those scientist women that you profiled, especially the woman who is working on the Pfizer vaccine that is preventing me from getting COVID here in the great Northeast.
This new magazine is a fabulous product. It is easily the best, most readable, and meaningful magazine I have ever received from Ohio Wesleyan. It is a real level up. It’s a terrific publication.
I congratulate you on the design, the writing, the subject selection, and it gives you the feel of the school.
I want to congratulate personally that alumnus who contributed to the rebirth of this magazine.
This will make anybody who is thinking of coming to Ohio Wesleyan say, “Sign me up now!”
You will get a lot of new friends and great students when they see this magazine. They’ll want to be on those pages.
It’s just a fabulous achievement. It makes me proud to be an Ohio Wesleyan graduate, more than ever.
– John Bailey ’67
Congratulations on the stunning renewed OWU Magazine! It is a terrific representation of our university, and I am so grateful to the donors who provided the monetary resources to get it started again and to sustain it over the next few years.
Kudos to all the staff members and contractors who made it happen! Thanks so much!
– Jean Bussell ’69
I would like to thank the two generous alumni whose donations made possible the re-publication of the OWU Magazine. I know the information and articles have been online, but there is something very satisfying about holding the magazine in my hands, reading the articles, and enjoying the photos. Great to have the OWU Magazine back! Again, thanks to the two alumni, and to the editors, photographers, and all of the staff who make this publication possible.
– Fred Hoopes ’73
I just received my copy of the magazine and wanted to send along a hearty ‘congrats’ to you and your team. I was impressed with the whole package—attractive design, clean layout, compelling story mix, clear and graceful writing!
The whole OWU community—alumni, students, faculty and staff—owe a huge debt of gratitude to what I assume was a cast of at least dozens, if not thousands. I know this was a heavy lift—but it’s hugely important for the school that the magazine was brought back to life. A hefty ‘thanks’ also to the alumni whose gifts made this possible.
I look forward to reading future issues.
– Gordon Witkin ’77
Share Your Opinions!
Use the Your Thoughts form, email us at magazine@owu.edu, tweet @OhioWesleyan, or send us a letter:
OWU Magazine
Office of Communications
61 S. Sandusky St., Delaware, OH 43015
Letters may be edited for length and clarity.