Today's Update: Friday, April 11, 2025
April 11, 2025
Dear Student Life team,
Happy High Five Friday.
Since our High Five Friday message is all about appreciation, I’ll start with a note about our upcoming Student Life O-H! What a Year Celebration in the ‘Shoe to celebrate the great work everyone on the team has done over the past year. The date is Thursday, May 8, and you can RSVP online at go.osu.edu/2025slcelebrationrsvp. While we won’t have access to the field this year due to a construction project, we will get the opportunity to tour the locker room and band room. There will also be music, food trucks, photo opportunities, open volleyball and basketball courts, karaoke, cornhole and more. I hope to see you there!
High Five to Laura Lewis and the Suicide Prevention Program team for all the work that went into last night’s Out of the Darkness Walk on the Columbus and several regional campuses. A colleague from the Marion campus wrote to say, “Laura pours herself into everything she does and her passion and energy for the mission of suicide prevention is undeniable. Laura brings people from all over the university together, including the regional campuses, to make this special night happen. The impact of the Out of the Darkness Campus Walk is powerful, and we know that lives are saved.”
Parent and Family Relations recently hosted the Legacy Dinner and Sibs, Kids and Family Day. High Fives to everyone who helped make both a great success, including Beth Ullum, Adam Specht, Noah Gilbert, Lexi Simon, Brooke Tacsar, Hannah Brody, Brianna Fuentes, Jamie Steinbock, Dianye Jiang, Julie Schultz, Stacey Renker, Kim Traverse, Christy Muhoberac, Nancy Thompson, Julie Jones, Laura Lewis, Jennifer Lang, David Wirt, Cece Albon, John Price, Gabrielle Bockelman, Madi Barnes, Kelsea Brown and Shannon Bradley.
High Five to Tori Rehr from the Center for the Study of Student Life on being appointed by the President of ACPA to represent the organization on the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education Council (CAS). CAS creates standards that higher education institutions use to ensure our programs and services are high quality and grounded in best practice and research. Student Life uses CAS to guide our program reviews.
The Student Personnel Assistantship (SPA) Supervisor of the Year is Alex Thomas, Program Manager for the Scarlet and Gray Advantage Learning Community. High Five, Alex.
High Fives to Student Life Disability Services’ Access Specialists Jamonae Scarborough and Madalyn Lyons for delivering an outstanding presentation, “Supporting All Learners: A Faculty and Staff Workshop Model for the Advancement of Disability Inclusion” at the 25th Annual Multiple Perspectives Conference. At the same conference, Disability Services Accessibility Manager Heidi Aune facilitated the SLDS Student Panel.
Erica Szeyller of the Center for the Study of Student Life gets a High Five for playing a key role in leading and preparing the NACE (National Association of Colleges and Employers) First Destination report for Ohio State. This detailed annual report uses data gathered from the Graduation Survey to provide insights into how recent college graduates are faring in their careers within six months of graduation.
Have a Scarlet and Great weekend. And, absolutely positively, Go Bucks on this Spring Game weekend!
Melissa S. Shivers, PhD
Senior Vice President for Student Life
The Ohio State University