Today's Update: Friday, June 27, 2025

June 27, 2025

Dear Student Life team,

Happy High Five Friday. 

Candyce Williams and Maia Gardner get High Fives for covering a kindness event at the Gladden House, and a bonus High Five to Candyce and her dad for shopping for the snacks. 

You saw in Slice this morning that the Student Wellness Center’s Josh Bensink was selected as a recipient of the American College Health Association's New Professional Award. High Five, Josh.  

Tara Nord gets a High Five for her outstanding leadership in coordinating and planning the University Career Services Committee (UCSC) Summer Learning Sessions. These sessions were not only highly engaging but also drew strong participation from career services across the university. With insightful contributions from campus partners in Talent Acquisition, Ace!, TOPS and Academic Advising, each session offered valuable perspectives. Tara did an exceptional job facilitating the discussions and ensuring everything ran seamlessly. 

High Fives to Chinwe Dabo, Travis Barnhart, Christy Muhoberac, Jen Vandemark and Christy Blessing for helping Events, Conferences and Sponsorship with a quick turnaround on a special project. 

I got this note from a colleague in the College of Medicine and want to join them in giving Michael Fleming a big High Five. Here’s the story: “I experienced a flat tire today while on campus. I was working on changing my tire as roadside assistance estimated a 3 hour wait when Mike Fleming approached me to offer assistance. He was on his break and kindly helped me get my tire changed safely. He spent his break time to ensure that I was able to get to my repair shop. I feel that this kindness and generosity are qualities that exemplify OSU's core values and that his team leadership should know he lives those values outside of his role with Student Life.”    

Have a Scarlet and Great weekend, and naturally, Go Bucks!  

 

Melissa S. Shivers, PhD 
Senior Vice President for Student Life 
The Ohio State University