Working out of the home is pretty common these days, particularly for Ohio State President E. Gordon Gee.Gee lives in the $600,000 university residence paid for and owned by the Ohio State University Foundation.’This setting, rather than an institutional one, provides friendship and opportunity,’ said Gee.He tries to use it for as many different things as possible, and it gives him a place to hold both private and public events, said Kate Wolford, assistant to the president.The residence, located at 2416 Commonwealth Park North in Bexley, is used to host fund raising events and high-level administration meetings.It is also used to wine and dine students, faculty, alumni and dignitaries.Entertaining is a big part of Gee’s job, where many times fund-raising and what Gee calls friend-raising take place.’One of the jobs of a university president is to make sure people believe in and support the University, that’s raising our friends,’ he said. ‘At the same time, another role is to make sure there is enough money to run the place, and we are able to accomplish both of these.’Gee is the first OSU president to live in this 10-bedroom residence. The last neighborhood to host a president was Clintonville.Former OSU president EdwardH. Jennings lived at 285 Croswell Rd., which cost $140,000 for 6100 square feet, and had about $100,000 of renovations done.Before Clintonville, the university presidents lived on campus, in what is now Kuhn’s Honors Center.This structure cost $72,390, was 5,298 square feet and last housed President Novice G. Fawcett.And the very first president’s residence was known as the Rickley House, where the first five Ohio State presidents lived.This building cost $16,000 for 7,199 square feet and stood where the Mershon Auditorium is today.Gee’s residence provides opportunities that may not otherwise be possible – whether it’s building friendships or collecting donations, entertaining is vital to his job.