Office of Student Life - The Ohio State University

What Office of Student Life - The Ohio State University does

The Ohio Union is the central student union facility of The Ohio State University's Division of Student Life, located at 1739 N. High Street on the Columbus campus. It operates as a multi-purpose campus hub providing event venues, dining services, student organization support, and co-location for multiple Student Life departments including BuckID, Student Activities, Sorority and Fraternity Life, Off-Campus and Commuter Student Engagement, and the Keith B. Key Center for Student Leadership and Service. The facility houses over 1,000 registered student organizations and offers amenities including dining outlets (Espress-OH, Sloopy's Diner, Union Market, Woody's Tavern), meeting rooms, ballrooms, an interfaith prayer and reflection room, and a lactation room.

The underlying technology is standard — event management systems, facilities management tools, and standard SaaS integrations including Handshake for career services, Zoom for virtual events, and iCal integration with Google Calendar and Microsoft Outlook. There is no proprietary technology platform; the core "product" is the physical building and the in-person services delivered within it. The Ohio Union operates 226 staff across operations, audiovisual, business office, and student activities functions under Director Jeff Pelletier.

The business model is institutional rather than commercial. The facility is funded as part of The Ohio State University's Division of Student Life — a public state university — with no external equity, no funding rounds, and no commercial revenue mechanics. Student-facing programs (career workshops, orientation, mental health resources, student organization support) are provided at no cost. Ancillary revenue is generated through event space rentals (at internal university rates not publicly disclosed), University Catering, and dining operations. External conference hosting represents a secondary revenue stream serving non-Ohio State visitors.

Name

Office of Student Life - The Ohio State University

Legal name

The Ohio State University

Website

https://ohiounion.osu.edu

Company type

Public

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Ohio Union is the central student union facility at The Ohio State University, providing event venues, dining, student services, and co-located Student Life department offices for the Columbus campus community.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Student Union Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Facilities Support Management Services (8744)

akta.pro primary industry

Student Organizations & Club Administration (EDALAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

University & Academic Conference Venues (THAHAAAD)

Keywords

• Student union services
• Campus event venues
• University dining services
• Student life programs
• Career development services

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbus

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Ohio Union is a premier student union facility at The Ohio State University that serves as a center of activity, community dialogue, and learning for students, staff, and campus visitors. It operates event and conference venues (Events and Conferences), houses Student Life department offices (BuckID, Sorority and Fraternity Life, Student Activities, Commuter Engagement, Keith B. Key Center for Student Leadership and Service), provides on-site dining (Espress-OH, Sloopy's Diner, Union Market, Woody's Tavern), and offers University Catering alongside amenity services such as Lost and Found, lactation room, and interfaith prayer room.

Product overview

The Ohio Union is a single physical facility operated by The Ohio State University's Office of Student Life. It is a student union building offering event venues, dining locations, Student Life department offices, and various support services for the campus community. The Ohio Union houses multiple Student Life departments (BuckID, Sorority and Fraternity Life, Student Activities, Off-Campus and Commuter Student Engagement), dining services (Espress-OH, Sloopy's Diner, Union Market, Woody's Tavern), a Keith B. Key Center for Student Leadership and Service, and amenity spaces including a lactation room and interfaith prayer room. The facility primarily serves as a venue for student activities, conferences, and campus events rather than a technology product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ohio Union Facility The Ohio Union is a premier student union facility at The Ohio State University that serves as a center of activity, community dialogue, and learning for students, staff, and campus visitors. It houses Student Life departments, dining venues, and event spaces.
• Events and Conferences Event planning and venue rental services for meetings, conferences, and campus events held in the Ohio Union's various meeting spaces and ballrooms.
• BuckID Services Student identification card services provided by the BuckID Office located within the Ohio Union, open Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
• Dining Services On-site dining options within the Ohio Union, including Espress-OH coffee bar, Sloopy's Diner, Union Market, and Woody's Tavern, serving students, faculty, staff, and visitors.
• Keith B. Key Center for Student Leadership and Service A center on the second floor of the Ohio Union that supports student leadership development and community service opportunities, including the Resource Room for student organizations.
• Sorority and Fraternity Life Office space within the Ohio Union providing support and resources for Greek life organizations on campus.
• Willie J. Young, Sr. Off-Campus and Commuter Student Engagement Services and resources for commuter students including orientation programs and commuter-specific support to help with the transition to campus life.
• Student Activities Programs and resources for student involvement, including over 1,000 registered student organizations, involvement fairs, and campus activities.
• University Catering Catering services available for events hosted in the Ohio Union and other university venues.
• Lost and Found University-wide lost and found service located at the Information Center on the first floor of the Ohio Union. Items are kept for 30 days before donation.
• Interfaith Prayer and Reflection Room A third-floor space within the Ohio Union featuring two ablution rooms and two meditation rooms to meet diverse spiritual needs of students and the community.
• Lactation Room A lactation room available on the second floor of the Ohio Union for nursing mothers; no key required and available on a first-come, first-served basis.
• Ohio Union South Garage Parking Convenient parking option for Ohio Union visitors, operated separately with short-term metered spaces available along High Street.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Wisconsin Union: The Wisconsin Union (with Memorial Union and Union South) operates dining, events, and student programming as a central campus hub for a large public research university, directly comparable to the Ohio Union's role at Ohio State.
• Adele H. Stamp Student Union: University of Maryland's Stamp Student Union houses student organizations, dining, event spaces, and student services and serves as a central campus gathering hub — comparable to the Ohio Union's function.
• HUB-Robeson Center: Penn State's central student union facility provides student activities, dining, conference services, and student organization support on a large public-research campus, comparable in scale and mission to the Ohio Union.
• Iowa Memorial Union: The University of Iowa's student union provides dining, events, lodging, and student services and serves as a central campus hub for a Big Ten public university — a structural and functional peer to the Ohio Union.
• Purdue Memorial Union: Purdue's Memorial Union combines dining, hotel/lodging, event spaces, and student organization services within a flagship public-research campus, closely mirroring the Ohio Union's multi-service model.
• Indiana Memorial Union: Indiana University's student union similarly combines dining, event/conference hosting, student organization space, and student services in one central campus facility, making it a near-direct structural peer.
• Illini Union: University of Illinois's student union offers event venues, dining, hotel rooms, student organization resources, and student services — a Big Ten union with a very similar operating blueprint to Ohio Union.
• Michigan Union: The student union at the University of Michigan operates as a central campus hub for student organizations, dining, events, and student services — operating in the same Big Ten peer-institution context as the Ohio Union.
• UCLA Ackerman Union: UCLA's Ackerman Union operates as a student union with dining, retail, event spaces, and student organization resources on a large public research campus, making it a comparable union-venue operator.

Others

• Aramark Collegiate Hospitality: Aramark is a major third-party provider of university dining, catering, and facility services to many U.S. campuses. While not a direct union operator, it is an adjacent/thematic peer for the dining and catering operations the Ohio Union runs in-house.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ohiounion

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Office of Student Life - The Ohio State University