Vol. 38, No. 18

2-6-2008
By: Kim Burdett

Ohio State staff member receives degree after decades of working toward goal

Elona “Jeanne” Boykin has felt the pull of the Ohio State campus as long as she can recall.

She remembers a childhood bike ride with her cousin from her home on Columbus’s East side to Mirror Lake, where the two went swimming.

“We weren’t supposed to,” she said, laughing. “But we were hot from riding our bikes up here.”

Memories from that wondrous time — from the snarl of traffic on Neil Avenue to the mummies on display in Sullivant Hall — remain vivid to this day, helping to form the bond that has kept her coming back ever since.

“Campus has been a part of my life all my life,” she said.

She proved that last year; after starting work on her degree more than 36 years ago, Boykin received her bachelor’s in African American and African Studies at the summer commencement.

“I’m just basking in the glow of having it,” Boykin said. “Some people go to school just to go to school. But I needed this,” she said, choking up. “I needed this opportunity to show that no matter how old you are, you can get your degree.”

Boykin has officially been a part of the Ohio State community since 1972, when she enrolled as an undergraduate. Her goal was to receive her bachelor’s degree at the same time as her high school friend Archie Griffin, but it wasn’t to be.

“Life got in the way and I couldn’t finish,” she said. “I was in the process of buying a home and I had to work plus take my classes. All week long I was just busy, busy, busy.”

She managed to keep Ohio State in her life when she got a job as a typist in 1979 and has been on staff ever since. Currently, she works as a technical coordinator and receptionist for the Department of African American and African Studies.

But there was that little something that always seemed to be missing.

It was when Viola Newton joined the department in 2000 that Boykin began seriously considering going back to school.

“Jeanne showed an interest in the courses I taught for continuing education students,” said Newton, senior lecturer in African American and African Studies. “She often would sit in many of the classes and give some interesting feedback about the readings and discussions. Seeing her enthusiasm and interest, I encouraged her to go back to school.”

With the support of family and friends — and help from the tuition payment program Ohio State offers to faculty and staff — she decided to give her education another shot. “As my brother Connie would always say: ‘You must complete the task or you will regret it until it is accomplished,’” Boykin said.

By taking one class a quarter, she was able to work full-time and get her education.

College life today is unlike what she remembers in the 1970s, she said. She remembers lots of note-taking, but now the learning style is completely different.

“The new generation is more visual with all the videos and PowerPoint in class,” Boykin said. “Students are fortunate to have Carmen. That’s the greatest thing since sliced bread.”

As a student, Boykin took advantage of the intellectual environment and regularly spoke up in class.

Associate Professor Ike Newsum had Boykin in his class, “Images of Black People in Mass Media Production,” and was impressed with her determination and readiness to learn. Boykin would read and write about her assignments to help her understand the information on a deeper level.

“Jeanne was a great student and always prepared for class discussion,” Newsum said. “Sometimes I’d have to curtail her enthusiasm so other students could have an opportunity to participate.”

Now she wants the same passion that made such an impression on her professors to carry back over into her job.

“I want to be an influence for a lot of minority students who feel it is difficult to get their degree,” she said. “Having my degree helps me push students along, to encourage them, to let them know that it can be accomplished.”

Boykin is eligible for retirement from Ohio State next year, but of course, she plans to stick around for a while.

Meanwhile, Boykin still can often be found at Mirror Lake, reading and soaking in the atmosphere on her lunch break. It remains one of her favorite places on campus.

“When you go down there, you can sense the tranquility,” she said. “I have a lot of memories here.”

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