Today's Update: Friday, March 25, 2022

March 25, 2022

Dear Student Life team,

 

Happy High Five Friday.

I spent part of this week at the NASPA annual conference in Baltimore. It was wonderful connecting with colleagues from around the country for the first time in a few years. Student Life hosted a reception for our staff, alumni and friends, and I want to High Five the people coordinated and supported the reception to make it a success: Candyce Williams, Beth Fines, Rebecca Kapusta, Travis Barnhart, Chelsea Black, Anne McDaniel and TJ Logan.

While at NASPA I talked to so many people from other institutions who recognize the great work of our Student Life team. I couldn't be prouder of the work you do. I know you’re Scarlet and Great, but it’s even greater to hear it from others. High Five!

High Fives as well to everyone in Student Life who presented at NASPA, ACPA and the other recent professional conferences. It is no accident that Ohio State’s team is constantly in demand to share expertise with the rest of higher education. 

With that in mind, Ben Raines, Brendan Greisberger, Karen Narwicz and Sean Reynolds get High Fives for their efforts to bring a national conference, the Higher Education Financial Wellness Summit, to the Ohio Union in 2023. Ben and Brendan were instrumental in putting together the proposal, Karen provided a welcoming in-person experience to showcase all the Union has to offer and Sean displayed an AV capacity and customization demonstration. Hopefully, we’ll know soon that they’ve made the right choice and will come here. 

High Five to the Student Wellness Center’s Nick Fowler for his work through the Buckeye Food Alliance to help keep students from going hungry during these challenging times. 

The Buckeye Careers team gets High Fives for conducting resume reviews and mock interviews for students participating in the Dental Hygiene and Washington Academic Internship Program (WAIP) programs. An extra High Five to Ryan Wilhelm for organizing these successful events and collaborating with our university partners.

High Five to Mike Loomis with Technology Services. A colleague in Service2Facilities nominated him for “going above and beyond to ensure we're informed of all upcoming network maintenance and how it will impact us. As a team that needs to provide 24/7 support, this is crucial, and we continue to be successful thanks to Mike's support.”

High Five to all those who have agreed to serve on the O-H! What a Year! Celebration planning team, including Aubrie Smith, Tom Reeves, Lujuana Carson, Jennifer Chilman, Stephanie Lingofelter, Sean Stewart, Katie Enciso-Dougherty, Chase Moore, Tracy Stuck and Morgan Hammonds. It’s going to be a fantastic celebration!

Lastly, High Five to Tracy Stuck and the team that put together yesterday’s Grow Kindness event: Daren Lehman, Steve Cihon, Drew Foley, John Cronin, Aubrie Smith, Rob Lyons, Ben Daleiden, Candyce Williams, Stacy Smith, Kellie Uhrig, Seth Rhodes, Jen Cottrell, Travis Barnhart, Ali Hinkle, Teri Cugliari, Xavier De Freitas, Rachel Conners, Beth Ullum, Kim Traverse, Bridgett Keener, Dave DeAngelo, Jenny Kuzmic, Blake Marble, Ali Talcott, Brendan Greisberger, Mariana Weflen, Adrienne Gladish and Thyrone Henderson, as well as everyone who volunteered to help give away plants. 

It was an amazing success with thousands of students, faculty and staff stopping by our locations to pick up two free succulent plants, one to keep and one to give to someone else in kindness. You can read more about it online: https://news.osu.edu/first-grow-kindness-day-promotes-appreciation-of-people-plants/

Have a Scarlet and Great, and Kind, weekend!

 

Melissa S. Shivers, PhD 

Senior Vice President for Student Life 
The Ohio State University