Today's Update: Friday, February 9, 2024
February 9, 2024
Dear Student Life team,
Happy High Five Friday!
As I mentioned in my message yesterday, tomorrow is the BuckeyeThon Dance Marathon. High Fives to everyone in Student Life who has supported this amazing effort, and High Fives to the 2,000 dancers who will descend on the Ohio Union tomorrow for 12 hours of making miracles.
Five Student Life team members are the winners of awards presented at the annual Ohio College Personnel Association (OCPA) conference this week. High Fives to Lucy Hennon (Mark G. Noffsinger New Professional Award), Tori Rehr (Outstanding Mid-Level Professional Award), Tanisha Jenkins (Equity and Inclusion Award), Julie Schnell (Robert F. Rodgers Graduate Student of the Year) and Erica Regan (Outstanding Contribution to Literature or Research Award.) Five of the eight OCPA awards went to Ohio State Student Life team members!
High Fives as well to the Student Life team members who were on the OCPA conference planning committee, Anna Wagner, Cheryl Lyons (an OCPA Board Member), Jacob Glorioso and Tori Rehr. A number of our people were presenters at the conference, including Alex Thomas, Anna Wagner, Austin Borreson, Cheryl Lyons, Chrisse Edmunds, Danny Glassmann, Erica Regan Heidi Aune, Joan Beetstra, Jordan Smoot, Josh Oconer, Leah Halper, Marjorie Freggens and Tori Rehr. And High Fives to Nicholas La Torre and Lacey Gosnell for their help with the conference, and to other Student Life team members who attended, including Jacob Arnold, Jessica Drown, Abby Huffman, Chan Jones, Hannah Lewis, Elise Nelson, Jillian Wood, Daniel Jimenez, Erica Szeyller, Morgan Gill, Heather Daly, Meredith Hilke, Ashley Secord, Malcolm Bello, Morgan Hammonds and Angie Wellman.
Another High Five to Angie Wellman for being selected to be a leader at the ACPA College Student Educators International 2024 Donna M. Bourassa Mid-Level Management Institute. The Institute guides those desiring to grow their authentic leadership, strengthen their capacities and understand self and organizational dynamics in order to lead well.
High Five to Rec Sports director Andre Love for being elected President of NIRSA: Leaders in Collegiate Recreation. He will serve a three-year term in the organization’s Presidential Track. NIRSA has more than 4,500 members who “improve the world through collegiate recreation.”
Jon Newnam of Student Life Technology Services gets a High Five for swooping in to save the day when an unexpected challenge arose with the student organization management system. He was able to mobilize a same-day quick solution. His response to the call for help was no small favor and our student org team is very grateful for his support of our student org community.
You may remember that Buckeye Careers recently put out a call for gently used business attire for the Career Closet program, providing students with free clothing and accessories for things like job and internship interviews. The response was great, including 10 bags of items collected and donated by our friends in the university’s Office of Communications and Marketing. Proving good karma, the bags had been stored in a University Square South room directly under a pipe that burst last month. High Fives to our neighbors across High Street Jay Hansen, Kristen Convery and Elaine Armbruster for the excellent timing of moving the bags to another location for pick up the night before the office flooded.
Last, but certainly not least, High Fives a pair of former Ohio State football stars—CJ Stroud of the Texans for being named the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year and the Steelers’ Cameron Heyward for being the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year. You know I love seeing our Buckeyes engage, learn and thrive throughout their lives. CJ and Cam are certainly thriving!
Have a Scarlet and Great weekend!
Melissa S. Shivers, PhD
Senior Vice President for Student Life
The Ohio State University