Today's Update: Friday, April 21, 2023
April 21, 2023
Dear Student Life team,
Happy High Five Friday!
This is an exciting time of year as we head toward Commencement. I’ve had a wonderful time attending many of the celebrations, including last week’s Leadership Awards and Senior Dinner, which was the first time the event has been held in-person since 2019 – I loved it! High Fives to everyone who made those programs special: Matthew Altendorf, Janele Bayless, Aliya Beavers, Diane Boghrat, Erica Brown, Dilna Cama, Ariana Camel, Catie Casapao, Matt Couch, Teri Cugliari, Xavier De Freitas, Yvonne Dulaney, Aisha Echols, Chrisse Edmunds, Danny Glassmann, Brendan Greisberger, Hunter Hartwig, Tierra Heath, Ben Helms, Lucy Hennon, Ahmed Hosni, John Holzaepfel, Abby Huffman, Dave Isaacs, Taylor Koon, Austin Lensch, Jaylen Lindsey, Wes Lindsey, Ryan Lovell, James MacGregor, Erin McAlhaney, Kala McClure, Jayden Messer, Ava Miller, Grace Momenee, Rachel Moreland, Christy Muhoberac, Brad Myers, Elise Nelson, Brooke Olson, Jen Pelletier, Roger Perkey, Tom Reeves, Kristen Rupert Davis, Eric Schutter, Elijah Sigler, Cat Singerman, Julia Skrabak, Cassie Smith, Don Stenta, Nikki Tascar, Nancy Thompson, Kellie Uhrig, Shay Valley, Anna Wagner, Mercedes Wallace, Johna Walls, Victoria Weaver, Leah Wheeler, Madison Woods and Colin Wright.
A bittersweet High Five to Chrystal Zimmerman of Human Resources. She is leaving the university to become Vice President of Human Resources for Lighthouse Behavioral Health Solutions. She has been a strong leader and supporter of our team through so many changes, challenges, opportunities and transitions, and we thank her for her work in Student Life.
High Five to Elissa Kuharich who ran the Keith B. Key Buckeye Social Entrepreneurship Pitch competition this week, and High Fives to those who helped make the event spectacular: Anna Wagner, Mercedes Wallace, Kristen Rupert Davis and Felix Alonso. Also, High Five to Kellie Uhrig who served as a judge and Matt Couch who was the emcee.
Ian Trautman from Student Life Financial Management was nominated for a High Five by a colleague in Buckeye Careers for providing “outstanding support, from answering questions to helping us order supplies. He has a calm demeanor, asks thoughtful questions, and is very responsive. Ian is a great partner and Buckeye Careers is very appreciative for everything he does to support our team and our various initiatives!” High Five, Ian.
High Five to Student Health Services nurse manager Rena Bankston for planning a weeklong celebration of daily activities for their student employees.
High Fives to several team members from Counseling and Consultation Service (CCS), including Jennifer Lang for managing several challenging situations and clinical crises with a supportive nature and grace under pressure.
High Fives to Shawn Levstek, Brandon Millspaugh and Christian Carey from CCS for providing crisis outreach and support to an academic class.
And, also from CCS, High Fives to Barb Urbanczyk and Stephanie Grissett for providing a crisis outreach to support a student organization this week.
As you know, one of our culture commitments is appreciation, and it warms my heart when even new members of our team engage in gratitude. That’s why I was so happy to hear from a recent new hire, who wrote to say, “I was trying to get my remote connection working on my laptop with very little success. Dan Hausman worked diligently to get my issues resolved so I can access my workspace from home. Having Dan partner with me to get my issues resolved made me feel like a real part of the Student Life team.” High Five, Dan!
Have a Scarlet and Great weekend, everyone!
Melissa S. Shivers, PhD
Senior Vice President for Student Life
The Ohio State University