American Legion Buckeye Boys State participants are back on Miami’s campus
“All branches of physical facilities, rec sports, dining, IT services, special facilities, and MUPD are great partners in delivering this program at a high level every year,” Miami’s director for conference and special events Paula Green said
American Legion Buckeye Boys State participants are back on Miami’s campus
More than 660 high school students are visiting Miami University’s Oxford campus this week as part of American Legion Buckeye Boys State.
Founded in 1936, Buckeye Boys State is a hands-on experience where juniors from across Ohio learn about city, county, and state government through a nonpartisan education approach.
“I think the program is more important and more relevant today given the environment or actions you are seeing in many aspects of government from the city to the county to the state to the federal,” said Gerald White, public relations director for American Legion Buckeye Boys State.
Organizers aim to show the students, who come from across the state, that public service is an honorable profession and is important for the citizens of Ohio.
One highlight of Buckeye Boys State, held this year from June 9-16, allows participants to immerse themselves in various government positions and see what it’s like dealing with such tasks as budgets and developing legislative agendas.
State treasurer Robert Sprague spoke Monday night and Ohio Supreme Court chief justice Sharon Kennedy will speak Wednesday evening at Millett Hall. That event also will include inauguration of student delegates for governor, lieutenant governor, state positions, Supreme Court, Court of Appeals as well as the swearing-in of delegates as members of the General Assembly, county officials, and city mayors.
Not every role is a government position. While Buckeye Boys State holds elections and focuses on county, city, and state government issues, the program also has avenues for banking, news, courts, state highway patrol, and more.
Miami has hosted Buckeye Boys State since 2017. Last year, the contract was renewed for 10 years, which White noted went beyond the normal five-year contract.
“The support the program gets from Miami has been excellent,” White said.
Paula Green, Miami’s senior director for conference and event services, said the services Miami provides to Buckeye Boys State mirror the complexity of the program.
“All branches of physical facilities, rec sports, dining, IT services, special facilities, and MUPD are great partners in delivering this program at a high level every year,” she said.
