Nothing says end of a century quite like a list, so it seems only fitting to celebrate the 2000s with a compilation of Ohio hellos and goodbyes, each monumental in its own way.
HELLO: Walmart
While not necessarily a university milestone, all campus had a response (from cheers of joy to jeers of protest) when the supercenter opened a store in Athens in 2002. East State Street traffic would never be the same. Other chain stores and restaurants (Lowe’s, Applebee’s, Bennigan’s) also made their appearance on State Street — upgrading Athens’ status from “sleepy” to “just dozing off.”
GOODBYE: Late Night Pizza
In 2001, the unthinkable happened: Newcomer Avalanche Pizza won first place in “Athens News” Best of Athens poll for best pizza, toppling the mighty empire that was Late Night Pizza (which announced it was closing shortly before the poll). And with nine wins in a row, there’s “no topping” Avalanche!
HELLO: Chipotle
It’s a dubious honor at best, but the Athens opening of Chipotle Mexican Grill in 2008 set new records. Chipotle gave away 7,085 burritos on its unofficial opening day, topping the previous record — held by the University of California, Los Angeles — by more than 2,000.
HELLO: Office of Nationally Competitive Awards
Alumni know that while Ohio University is a major university in terms of size, at heart, it is a close-knit college. There’s no better proof of this than the fact that — thanks to one-on-one mentoring with professors — our students are dominating national competitions. Through the coordinating office’s efforts, in 2004, not one, but two seniors won a Marshall Scholarship, a prestigious award given to only 40 national applicants each year. Ohio University regularly ranks in the top 25 institutions receiving the most Fulbright awards, and overall, the number of award winners recently climbed from five to 45 in seven years.
GOODBYE: Old Bobcat
Once dubbed “Ole’ Tired Eyes” for his sleepy look, the bobcat of the late ’90s was retired, and in his place, students welcomed a new “attack cat” with a trim shape and wide eyes. (The better to see our victories, my dears!) And he has a new name, too: Rufus, to honor founding father Rufus Putnam and the animal’s scientific name, Lynx rufus.
HELLO: Baker University Center
It’s a university tour bragging point: The new Baker Center has the only escalators in the county. But it also has three eateries (including a food court), 19 conference rooms, one post office, two art galleries and a billiards lounge. When it opened in 2007, we said goodbye to the old Baker, which will house the Scripps College of Communication in the future.