5 Things to Know: Ronee Rice

When she was looking for colleges, Ronee Rice realized she could have the best of both worlds right in her own back yard. A Tiffin native and already familiar with the campus, Ronee participated in Scholars Day, where she met some professors and got to know the neighborhood school more deeply. She knew then and there Heidelberg was the right fit. It was so right that she stayed on to complete her master’s degree in counseling, and now is the project coordinator for the Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women grant. She’s also an adjunct faculty member in the MAC program.

FROM ONE SIDE OF THE BRAIN TO THE OTHER

Although she took an abnormal psych class with Neil Sass freshman year, Ronee entered Heidelberg as an AYA math major. “I’m very math-brained,” she says, “but I quickly realized I didn’t have the patience to teach people math.” Later in her undergrad years and into her master’s program, Ronee’s destiny became clear: she wanted to go into clinical counseling to work with teens and families who have encountered traumatic situations. That’s the path she’s on today.

‘HANGING OUT WITH THE LITTLE PEOPLE’

To confirm her career path, Ronee completed internships in Stoner Health & Counseling Center and Family Counseling Services while working at PatchWorks House, a local non-profit that assists families affected by conflict caused by divorce or separation through supervised exchange and visitation, parenting education and mediation. She’s still involved with Patchworks House, teaching the divorce class for kids. “I get to hang out with the little people and there have been times I’ve needed that. It’s been therapeutic for me.”

EMPOWERING SURVIVORS

Ronee worked at New Transitions, a private counseling practice in Tiffin, but she found her way back to the ‘Berg. “It was an easy transition,” she says. Now, through the DOJ grant, she’s focused on creating the Center for Survivor Empowerment on campus, and launching in the fall. The center will provide advocacy services, outreach, awareness and prevention education – “lots of new and exciting stuff.” A cross-section of departments on campus are helping get the center off the ground. It’s a project that Ronee is fully passionate about. “We are not creating this because there’s a problem on campus. We are creating it because there’s a problem across the nation. We want survivors to know they’re supported here.”

HEIDELBERG SWEETHEARTS

Like many Heidelberg alumni, Ronee met her husband, Brad, while both were students. History professor Dr. David Hogan may have been their unsuspecting matchmaker. They met in one of his classes and married 8 years ago. “When we graduated (in 2012), we were already married. He walked across the stage and I followed him,” she says. Ronee and Brad have a 1-year-old son, Benjamin.

WRESTLING SUPER-FAN

“Prior to meeting Brad, I knew absolutely nothing about wrestling,” Ronee admits. He wrestled at HU in the 197-pound weight class. Since they got together, she’s become one of the biggest followers of Heidelberg wrestling. “I completely support Coach Patrizi and his program.”