Office of Student Life

Today's Update: Monday, April 21, 2025

April 21, 2025

Dear Student Life team,

I have received a number of questions about the future of the physical space that currently houses the Center for Belonging and Social Change (CBSC) on the first floor of the Ohio Union. Many students, staff and faculty members, alumni and other community members have expressed how important it is that we be thoughtful, considerate, constructive and student-centered in planning for the future. That said, I am pleased to share an update about our plans.  

Over the past several weeks, I have been working closely with the presidents and vice presidents of the three student governments, along with the student chairperson of the Council on Student Affairs, to gather insights, study potential approaches to leverage this space to better ensure all students are receiving consistent support, learning, growing and finding community. The idea was to develop an innovative space that supports the engagement, sense of belonging and success for all Ohio State students. 

The goal was to create a recommendation that emphasizes the multi-faceted nature of student success. I challenged the group to contribute to a recommendation that would support students’ retention, persistence and graduation rates, including but not limited to: 

  • Academic performance 
  • Career preparation that leads to post-graduate outcomes 
  • Engagement 
  • Health and well-being 
  • Learning, growth and development, in and outside the classroom 
  • Sense of belonging and mattering 

I strongly believe that through this type of enhanced support, facilitated in this space in the Ohio Union, we can contribute even more meaningfully to all of the outcomes listed above while also serving as an accelerator of President Carter’s Education for Citizenship Strategic Plan 2035 and its focus on academic excellence.  

To gather feedback from a broad-based group of students, we invited a group that represented more than 30 student organizations, including former users of the CBSC and those who may have been unfamiliar, to respond to a series of ideation prompts. In addition to that session, I invited interested students to share ideas via my monthly Doc’s Download enewsletter, and the student government and Council on Student Affairs leaders gathered insights from constituents. 

Following are the primary themes from these feedback loops: 

  • Students want an open, inviting and multi-purpose space to connect, build community and network with each other, faculty, staff, alumni other student organizations. 
  • Students want resources, support and programming to connect them with campus partners and services. 
  • The support and space should be inclusive, welcoming and attractive to all students, including a wide range of student populations, such as non-traditional groups such as veterans, first generation students, parenting students and students with disabilities.  
  • Students want the space to be a place where they can go for mentorship and an overall sense of care and engagement. 

From all of this feedback, as well as the results of collaboration on potential names, I am excited to share that over the summer we will begin to plan for and start to build out a space we are calling the Buckeye Commons. 

Beyond the physical space, we envision that the Buckeye Commons will work similarly in concept to the soon-to-open Monda Student Resource Center, which is a one-stop resource for students’ essential needs. Similarly, the Commons will serve as a central hub for all students to come together to connect, network, engage, learn and thrive in an inclusive, dedicated space focused on student success.  

Existing programs and services that can be offered in the Commons include things like career coaching, the Student Employment Experience program and an embedded counselor from Counseling and Consultation Service. We intend to invite partners from across campus to meet with students and host events, including the Student Wellness Center, First Year Experience, Military and Veteran Services, the Alumni Association, Disability Services, programs supporting first generation students and more. We also intend to memorialize the history and contributions of the CBSC as well as continue the use and purpose of the Alonso Family Room to promote dialogue among students. 

The Commons will provide robust educational offerings and opportunities for networking, host events focused on civil discourse and community engagement, programming on mentorship and workshops on a number of topics from student leadership, career preparation, study skills and time management, to building community.  

We envision a bustling place where students can meet and study, connect and reflect. It will be an environment in which a student can explore their goals and prepare for their future. I look forward to sharing more updates, including staff structure, and inviting you to contribute to this exciting endeavor to create a new place where students can engage, learn and thrive…together, as Buckeyes.  

I am Scarlet and Grateful for each and every one of you. 


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