Aaron Minnick
Get to know Aaron Minnick! Since joining Ohio State in 2007 as part of the original Student Information System (SIS) implementation team, Aaron has played a key role in major university initiatives—from launching Buckeye Link to supporting SIS integrations with Workday. As a Business Analyst, Aaron thrives at the intersection of people and technology, solving problems and supporting students and staff every day. A lifelong learner with roots in rural Indiana, Aaron holds degrees from both Northwestern and Ohio State. When he’s off the clock, you can find Aaron making music with one of several local bands, exploring the great outdoors, or enjoying tapas at Barcelona, his favorite restaurant in Columbus.
Q: What is your role at the university? I support the Peoplesoft Campus Solutions Student Information System (SIS) as a Business Analyst.
Q: How long have you worked at Ohio State? I started April 2007 as part of the initial SIS implementation.
Q: Have you worked on any large projects since you’ve been here? Yes, I started with the initial SIS implementation, and then moved to Enrollment Services to get the Student Consolidated Services Center (now the Buckeye Link office) off the ground. I also contributed to SIS integrations as part of Workday Release 1.
Q: What are you currently working on? What does a typical day look like for you? My days are typically a mix of fielding ServiceNow tickets related to SIS, SIS project work, and SIS troubleshooting as needed.
Q: What do you like best about your job? I love being at the interface of people and technology.
Q: Did you always know this is what you wanted to do as a career? I joke that no one ever PLANS to become a business analyst or systems analyst; we all come into this profession sideways. I ran away from IT initially as an undergrad because I didn’t want to be chained to a chair, coding COBOL behind a green screen terminal 8 hours a day for 30 years (which was how I perceived IT at the time). That was just at the advent of graphical user interfaces, and I don’t think anyone anticipated how they would transform the IT world.
Q: How did your career path bring you to work for us? I was between jobs, working as a freelance systems trainer. I saw that Peoplesoft kept coming up in job postings, and I wanted a way to leverage my training and documentation experience in an environment where I could get exposure to it. A position as training developer came up as part of the student information system implementation, and timing was perfect.
Q: Why did you choose to work at Ohio State? I’d worked for four other institutions (two R1 universities, a liberal arts college, and a community college) and I already knew that I loved the culture of higher education. I was also interested in furthering my education with a master’s degree and I thought Ohio State would be perfect in that regard as well.
Q: Of what are you most proud? I went through a difficult two-year period of life where I navigated a divorce, moved into a new home, dealt with the pandemic, took care of my mother during a terminal illness, and then managed the family estate after her passing. That was a trying time and I’m blessed to have made it through all that with the support of friends, coworkers, and family.
Q: What was your very first job? Grill and fry cook at a Dairy Queen!
Q: Where did you go to college? I did my undergrad at Northwestern University, master’s at Ohio State.
Q: Where are you from originally? I grew up in rural south-central Indiana, literally out in the woods, near a tiny town of about 500 called Nineveh. I tell people I grew up near Bloomington, Indiana because they know where that is, but in fact it was about a 50-minute drive from my rural family home.
Q: What is your favorite place to visit? New Orleans! I was there for actual Mardi Gras this year and it was fantastic. Great music, great food, amazing joie de vivre!
Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why? I’ve always wanted to spend time in Argentina: hike Patagonia, visit the wine country, then spend time in the cafes of Buenos Aires.
Q: Can you tell us about your family? I come from a working-class background. My mother’s side had blue collar jobs like factory and electric utility work. My father’s side had a family construction business and my dad eventually became an independent building contractor. My father’s side was musical; my grandmother was a self-taught church pianist and organist, and both she and her daughter (my aunt) were singers as well.
Q: What do you do for fun outside of work? Do you have any hobbies? I spend a lot of time making music. I play the saxophone family, clarinet, bass clarinet, flute, ukulele, and a bit of banjo and guitar, and I also sing. I currently play saxophones in three bands a classic R&B / soul band called Columbus Soul & Salvage; an 18-piece swing band called the Little Big Band of Columbus, and a charity New Orleans style brass band called the NACHO Street Band.
I also love the outdoors and often hike or venture out on canoe, kayak, or bicycle. I also love to garden.
Q: Favorite place to eat in Columbus? Barcelona Restaurant in German Village
Q: Best concert you’ve ever been to? One of the first I ever attended – The Manhattan Transfer (jazz vocals) at the Indiana University Auditorium while I was in high school.