For decades, The Ohio State University has been a powerhouse in higher education, consistently ranking among the largest public universities in the United States and offering top-ranking programs.

But Columbus, Ohio? Who knew the city where the central campus resides would also populate so many “best” lists? A smattering of them:

• Best Big Cities, No. 9. Condé Nast Traveler ranks Columbus between Miami and New York, for goodness’ sake.
• Top U.S. Destinations, No. 3. AFAR loves the Arch City’s walkable neighborhoods and superb museums.
• Friendliest Cities, No 7. Condé Nast Traveler speculates Cbus residents are so nice because they are well fed: The city is also a top foodie destination.

But there’s more. Columbus is ranked the 10th best city for hosting sports events; No. 3 most fashion-forward city; among the fastest growing U.S. metropoles, expanding opportunities for education, finance and health sectors.

All of which make Ohio State’s hometown an exceptional place to earn any degree offered by the College of Education and Human Ecology.

Our alumni say it best: Opportunity abounds here.

“We’re the 15th largest city,” said Brian Ross, ’90 BS, executive director of Experience Columbus. “For young individuals, part of the learning process is becoming more familiar and aware of the world.”

In Columbus, students can volunteer for the Race for the Cure; be mentored by one of thousands of local alumni; attend a comedy festival, a Serbian festival, a mural festival to name a few; attend a pro soccer game; see the ballet or a headlining music performer; participate in Columbus Fashion Week; attend teacher fairs and student teach at one of 371 schools.

“As students, you’re always thinking, what’s next? What do I aspire to be?” said Ross, who studied Hospitality Management on his way to becoming president and CEO of the city’s 53-employee convention and visitors bureau in 2013. “If you come here, you can find yourself.”

The city is growing but carefully tends its Midwestern roots and maintains a certain sweetness, said Kat DePizzo, president at Justice Design Lab and a member of the college’s Fashion and Retail Industry Board, which advises the program.

“We have a wonderful mix of people here,” said DePizzo, ’05 BS, who has worked in cities around the world. “There’s a genuine openness and kindness, paired with a strong work ethic. The camaraderie and willingness to help one another out is not something you find everywhere.”

“The spirit of Columbus and its people is really, really special,” she said. “That may be rooted in Midwest values, but even compared to other Midwest cities, Columbus stands out as something truly unique.”

Here, our alumni tell why they think the city is a top-notch place for learning.

A vibrant sporting industry

It goes without saying that Columbus boasts of having Ohio State Football. But bear in mind that the city has become a major player in athletics outside of campus.

Consider “the footprint that we have with the creation of the Arena District,” said Dawn Stewart, ’05 MA, exercise science. In an east-west line cradled by the Scioto-Olentangy confluence, the Blue Jackets’ Nationwide Arena abuts the Columbus Clippers’ Huntington Park, just under a bridge from the Columbus Crew’s Lower.com field.

“All within, effectively, a one-mile walk of each other,” said Stewart, director of strategic partnerships for the Greater Columbus Sports Commission. “And then the Convention Center is right around the corner, with Ohio State’s campus a stone’s throw away.”

The commission hosted a record 97 sporting events last year. All but one (the College Football Playoff) were outside of college and regular pro team sports, and included the Memorial Tournament, U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Major League Soccer All Star Game, Manchester City vs Chelsea soccer, numerous marathons and high school championship games and the USA Fencing Championships.

“Not many people know that fencing is a regular event for us…” Stewart said. “They come every couple of years. That specific event brought over 6,000 fencers to Columbus.”

For students studying sport industry and exercise science, those events provide excellent opportunities to volunteer and connect with professionals, which can segue into internship possibilities, Stewart said.

“Students have at their fingertips professional teams, local colleges, an incredible organization like the Greater Columbus Sports Commission, among many other entities that are looking for support, looking for volunteers, looking for interns,” she said. “So, there’s an opportunity for them to get that practical experience while they’re in school and begin to network and navigate the job industry.”

Countless opportunities to learn to teach

Last year, teaching and learning students put their training to the test in 107 districts and 371 schools, many in central Ohio.

School placements begin in students’ first year and, for most, continue each year. The breadth and range of schools allow each setting to be different.

“We strive to provide a variety of field placements throughout the program,” said Debbie Morbitt, ’94 MA, ’21 PhD, associate director of teacher education. “Diversity of placements is integral in preparing future teachers.”

More than 1,000 mentor teachers, many Ohio State graduates, guide students as they go. Last spring, 78 districts convened at the Ohio Union for TeachOhio, a job fair for prospective teachers.

“You don’t realize there are so many schools around (until you see them there),” said Noah Meyer, ’24 BSEd, who teaches mathematics at Olentangy Berlin High School. “You also get so much good practice (interviewing).”

In a city filled with so many cultures, experiences and resources, the world really is a classroom for preservice teachers.

“We encourage them to do community field placements” their second year, Morbitt said. “You need to know your students outside of the 6 1/2 hours they’re sitting in a classroom. What support can they get from the library? What support can they get from Festa” — a community organization that offers resources and academic support to linguistically diverse youth and families.

In class presentations, Morbitt’s last slide often announces what’s happening around town: The Women and Girls Fest. The Arlington Arts Fair. Volunteer opportunities.

“There are so many different (resources) out there available to you,” Morbitt tells her students. “Use them. Learn about them.”

Not just fashion designers

It never dawns on most people that a Midwestern city can have so many fashion designers, so many buyers and so many apparel and retail companies. Who knew that Columbus consistently ranks No. 3 — in line after New York and Los Angeles — as a fashion-forward city?

Kat DePizzo knows, and so do students in the college’s Fashion and Retail Studies program.

“There’s so many facets of retail here in Columbus, and people don’t realize it,” she said.

Besides Justice Design Lab, where DePizzo is president, the Columbus area is home to:

• Homage
• Hollister
• Abercrombie
• Big Lots
• Express
• Accel, Inc.
• Schottenstein, which owns American Eagle
• Bath and Body Works
• R.G. Barry Corporation, which owns Dearfoams, Baggallina and other brands
• Designer Brands, which owns DSW and footwear brands like Hush Puppies and Keds. Erin Anderson, ’03 BS, is vice president.
• Seniq, maker of women’s outdoor apparel. Alumni Madison Hilson, ’18 BS, and Valentina Thompson, who minored in fashion and retail studies in 2016, co-own the company, which was poised to reach $1 million in sales in one year.
• Numerous independent labels, including Malvar=Stewart

“I think it’s becoming a really great incubator for new fashion brands and trends,” DePizzo said.

The Columbus industry isn’t all designers, either. The city is also home to global sourcing experts, product developers, merchandise planners and allocation specialists, retail strategists and marketers at every level. Internships are plentiful.

Columbus has a rare collective — “I don’t know of anything like it,” DePizzo said — that advocates for industry growth. The Columbus Fashion Alliance incubates budding talent and supports local industry with training programs, internships and access to experts and tools. The Loom, the collective’s expansive new space with studios and event spaces, opens next spring.

DePizzo thinks a bona fide fashion district will develop around the alliance. More reason to study here.

“If you want to break into the industry, Ohio State gives you real opportunities to learn directly from professionals and gain meaningful exposure,” she said. “That’s a big part of why I’ve remained so committed to the university.”

“We are developing amazing talent,” DePizzo said. “We are preparing students for the industry and opening doors for them to step into careers.”

A booming hospitality and tourism sector

Columbus has become a darling among certain U.S. travel writers. Glamour named the city a Best Solo Trip for Women, praising its mod neighborhood restaurants and quirky hotels. USA Today ranked its zoo No. 3 in the country, and its historic North Market, a hop and a skip from campus, No. 6. National Geographic praised a new Metro Park’s via ferrata as the country’s first urban climbing route.

Word spreads. In 2024, visitors made 53 million trips to Columbus, Brian Ross said, in part because the city hosted numerous conventions and events.

“We’ve gone from the state/regional meetings and conferences; now we’re national and sometimes even international,” he said. “There is a huge impact of the travel economy within central Ohio.”

“The industry alone brings in $8.2 billion in direct visitor spend — not indirect and induced,” Ross said. “This is really from my pocket to your pocket.”

That income supports over 82,500 jobs — one in 13 in Franklin County — making it an ideal place to study hospitality management. That’s fortunate because experiential learning is built into the college’s Hospitality Management program with three internships that rotate students in roles across each partner’s operation.

“One hundred percent of students who complete the degree also complete the internships as part of the program,” said Jim Lingo, career services specialist for the college.

Most internships — 80% in 2025 — are completed alongside classes in Columbus. Students gain experience with global hospitality brands, aviation, entertainment, investment firms and the city’s hotels, restaurants and event venues.

“Our faculty and instructors have done an incredible job building and maintaining relationships with external partners” in Columbus, Lingo said. Those industry partners include Columbus-based companies like Cameron Mitchell Restaurants, NetJets and BTTS Events; as well as regional operations of Le Méridian Hotels, Penn Entertainment, Rockbridge, Hilton Hotels, Levy Restaurants and others.

“They’re instrumental, because they’re helping to grow the program and also assist with their financial contributions (that provide) a variety of different student experiences,” said Lecturer Mark Kelnhofer — from study abroad in Paris to conferences in New York City to the program’s annual Big Dish event.

Filling the need for personal financial services

Columbus’ full-tilt growth means that more people need to plan their financial future. That’s good news for students interested in becoming certified financial planners.

“There’s so many opportunities, large and small, here in central Ohio, with new registered investment advisors and financial advisory firms popping up all the time,” said Kevin Doll, ’00 BS, ’01 MA, a senior wealth manager at PDS Planning.

“Not only are there a ton of small companies like ours, but you do have the Nationwides (headquartered here) and the Chases of the world — they’re branched here. You’ve got tons of new banks.”

Across the United States, the job outlook for personal financial advisors is strong, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, with 10% job growth expected in 10 years.

That expansion tends to cluster around finance and insurance industries, which Columbus has (Nationwide, Huntington Bank and Bread Financial), as well as growing populations and wealth. Small firms like Doll’s do more granular personal finance.

“Most people think of a financial advisor as somebody who just manages their money,” said Doll, also a member of the Consumer and Family Financial Services Advisory Board. “It’s way more than that. It’s making sure you’re on track to reach your retirement goals and other goals. It’s making sure you’re saving the right amount and you’re protected on the insurance side. It’s really this comprehensive approach.”

For the student who wants to experience all aspects of that business, internships can be had, Doll said. His company recently hired its last intern, Josh Underhill, who graduated last spring with a minor in Consumer Family Financial Services.

“It’s a great city … in terms of opportunities to intern, opportunities after college,” Doll said.