Patrick Arp, the undergraduate student trustee on Ohio State’s Board of Trustees. Credit: Courtesy of Patrick Arp
One of the Board of Trustee’s newest members is looking to use his background in leadership and research to better Ohio State for years to come.
Patrick Arp, a third-year in biomedical science and economics, is the undergraduate student trustee who provides an alternative perspective for the 15 governor-appointed members as they oversee Ohio State’s academic programs, budgets and general administration and faculty and staff employment.
“That doesn’t necessarily mean that we represent students, but that we have experienced student life at the university,” Arp said. “We can share our insight that’s unique from the other board members, while also still thinking about the bigger picture.”
Journey to being appointed
Being interested in academia, possibly even healthcare leadership, Arp said the chance to be on the board was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“Being at the highest level of university and healthcare leadership as a 20-year-old was just this crazy opportunity,” he said. “I could not believe it when I first saw the application, and it was honestly scary. I was uncertain about whether I should even throw my hat in the ring, but I’m glad I did.”
Arp was appointed by Gov. Mike DeWine in June 2025. For the next two years, he will dedicate time to working with the board to better Ohio State. Currently, he spends his time in board meetings learning the ropes.
Though still learning, Arp has an opportunity to use his role to be a voice for students during private meetings and conversations about issues the student population may face.
“There’s a lot of different input from staff, faculty, athletics, people, students and the hospital as well,” Arp said. “I think it is important to have a student perspective on the board, just for those kinds of matters.”
Involvement in the community
Arp studies biomedical science and economics on top of being a Stamps Eminence Scholar, which puts him among a group of honor students who dedicate their time to academic rigor, service and leadership during their student career.
“I work on health economics research a lot, and that’s actually my biggest commitment, outside of taking classes and the board,” Arp said. “So, I work on health economics research at OSU, and then also with a research team at the University of Pennsylvania.”
Arp’s research focuses on how to properly allocate resources and what are the trade-offs when tough decisions are faced.
“I work on those sorts of issues from a very theoretical perspective,” Arp said. “Being on the board was sort of like being able to apply all that mindset to real world issues.”
Health economic research also played a big role in the three organizations Arp is involved in. He has co-founded two and held leadership positions for all three.
Memory Mates, which Arp co-founded and was co-president of, is an organization that supports people with dementia, along with their caregivers.
“We wanted to essentially provide some sort of support system or resource that caregivers could turn to when they were feeling really overwhelmed with the duties of caring for someone living with dementia,” Arp said. “We want to create this sort of space where people with dementia and their caregivers can come and just engage in some like relaxing activities and the caregiver get a bit of a break”
The student organization works alongside Ganzhorn Suites assisted living facility. They host memory café sessions where patients participate in games, art, music and other social activities, while the caregivers engage in educational activities, research and rest.
Arp also co-founded and serves as grant manager for Grant Central, an organization that writes grants for local nonprofits in Columbus.
“Grant writing is an important part of nonprofit funding. But nonprofit staff normally aren’t trained on how to write grants,” Arp said. “Nor do they have the time to because they really want to focus on providing their services, instead of just convincing people that the services should exist. So, what we do is train students to write grants and match them up to nonprofits.”
Offering prospecting, proposal drafting and grant coaching, the organization uses student manpower to offer free services to help nonprofits.
Additionally, Arp is involved in the Columbus Clinic Host Group, a student-led organization that provides families and individuals in need of quality medical, dental and vision care.
“We plan and host a free clinic in Columbus each year,” Arp said. “So, I write grants for that, and last year, we served 696 patients with I believe $350,000 of care.”
Challenges and Goals
John Zieger, the chair of the Ohio State Board of Trustees, said that Arp has a strong commitment to service and the board was excited to welcome him to the team.
“His experience as a student leader and researcher provides an important perspective for the board,” Zieger said in an email. “We look forward to working with Patrick as he serves as our student trustee.”
Arp said his background in research, especially in economics, brings an insight to the board about what is best for the university.
“I also think I’m kind of an analytical person. I like these questions about how we can best allocate our resources, and how we can plan for a future that’s sometimes 10 or 20 years out, and that’s all about what the board does,” Arp said. “It’s about planning for the long-term success of the university.”
He said he has yet to face challenges that he cannot overcome and maintains a positive outlook on the obstacles he may face during his time on the board.
“Each committee on the board has a lot of different conversations that have been going on, sometimes for years, and so getting all the context and being able to provide good input on those issues,” Arp said. “I don’t think it’s too challenging to overcome or anything. It just takes some time.”
Arp’s end goal is working with the board to make Ohio State the best it can be.
“I do think that with the challenges higher education has faced, Ohio State’s really come out on top,” Arp said. “But we can always do a better job of showing that Ohio State provides good value to students and really to the community across the state, across the country, and so making sure that Ohio State continues to be that role model is really important.”
For now, as he adjusts to his role as the undergraduate student trustee, Arp wants to make himself known as a resource for students.
“I want students to know that my email is out there on a couple different websites, and I want to make sure that I do a good job representing students,” Arp said. “So, if there are issues that people feel are important, if there’s something that they would like to bring to the board’s attention, I am a resource, and I’m happy to talk.”
