Today's Update: Friday, August 8, 2025.
August 8, 2025
Dear Student Life team,
Happy High Five Friday!
You shouldn’t wonder if we make a difference in the lives of our students. We do! The Center for the Study of Student Life administers the Graduation Survey every semester, asking new grads about their experiences as a Buckeye. One of the questions is "Which faculty member or university administrator had the most significant influence on you during your student experience?" 40 members of our team were specifically mentioned. High Fives to James Berry, Teri Cugliari (multiple mentions), Dave DeAngelo, Kim Monteaux De Freitas, Katie Duffy, Domonique Dunn, Chrisse Edmunds, Shivani Edwards, John Faul, Adrienne Gladish, Hunter Hartwig, Jennifer Irwin, Amber Jackson, Alisa Jezior, Julie Jones, Rebecca Kapusta, Gabby Kinnamon, Laura Lewis (multiple mentions), Colleen Hoffman (multiple mentions), Em Manier, Julius Mayo, Jayden Messer, Tori Negash, D'Arcy Oaks, Brooke Olson, Jeff Pelletier (multiple mentions), Sarah Peters, JR Rathjens, Jamonae Scarborough, Robert Stebens, Alex Thomas, Beth Ullum, Katie Urban, Kristen Van Gundy, Mercedes Wallace (multiple mentions) and Angie Wellman.
High Five to Kristen Van Gundy and Akua Nelson for adapting one of Leadership and Community Engagement’s student-facing presentations for the Center for the Study of Student Life team at their annual retreat. It prompted a rich discussion on using creativity to solve complex problems and create innovative assessments.
Wendy DeBrosse of Financial Management gets a High Five for her outstanding support during a recent and unexpected change in travel plans. Wendy responded quickly and took the initiative to contact the hotel directly to help ensure a smooth and stress-free experience for a colleague. Her proactive approach and dedication to helping others truly exemplify what it means to go above and beyond.
High Five to Audrey Howard for supporting a very busy time in the Buckeye Commons, including coordinating with paint crews and facilitating many meetings. She also gets a High Five for helping the Center for the Study of Student Life with a data cleaning project that required careful attention to detail.
Off-Campus and Commuter Student Engagement wants Diana Berry of Human Resources to get a High Five for her support in getting their student employees hired and ready to start work, saying “We truly appreciate her efficiency, responsiveness and all the behind-the-scenes work that makes a big difference.”
High Fives to Malik Hayes, JR Rathjens, Domonique Dunn, Stephanne Musser, John Price and our Rec Sports staff who, over the past ten weeks, coordinated the Camp Recky and Esports Camp programs, which included 670 unique campers filling 1,869 spots.
Events and Conferences wants to share High Fives with everyone from Facilities, Environmental Services, BuckID, Housing and Residence Education, Dining, Ohio Union Ops, loading dock and AV teams, University Catering and anyone else who assisted in making this year’s summer conference and summer intern season another huge success.
High Five to Cheryl Lyons for building a strong partnership with the College of Engineering and continuing to innovate how we support students with disabilities.
Huge High Five to Zia Ahmed and Jeremy Gabis for the thoughtful tour of our two master lease properties—thank you for taking the time to walk me through the spaces and share updates firsthand. I’m so appreciative of the work you and the entire team are doing to ensure everything is ready for our students’ return. From our master lease properties to on-campus housing, it’s clear a lot of care, coordination and effort is going into making sure our Buckeyes feel right at home. Grateful for your leadership and partnership—thank you!
Sending a huge High Five to Kellie Uhrig, Anne Schira and Angie Wellman for their tremendous efforts in facilitating, translating, and consistently updating our Student Life team on all things SB1. Your leadership, clarity, and commitment to keeping us informed has been invaluable—thank you! Special thanks to Morgan Hammonds for all the help in coordinating these sharing sessions. And high five to each of you who have attended SB1 sessions to advance your learning and understanding. Your engagement and willingness to lean in during this time of change reflects the very best of our team!
I got a sweet note this week from a student who was very appreciative of the “kindness and assistance” by Candyce Williams and Julianna Logan who helped her resolve a difficult situation. I also overheard Stacy Smith showing the same compassion and support to a different student recently. High Fives to the three of them, and High Fives to all our team members who go out of their way to offer the highest level of care and support. It’s magical to see our Culture Commitments in action.
Have a Scarlet and Great weekend and Go Bucks!
Melissa S. Shivers, PhD
Senior Vice President for Student Life
The Ohio State University