Today's Update: Thursday, April 6, 2023

April 6, 2023

Dear Student Life team, 

I am a big believer in mentors. In fact, just this week I participated in a panel discussion at the NASPA (National Association of Student Personnel Administrators) Conference about mentorship. 

I’ve received a great deal of value over the years in my career, and life, from mentors. I continue to engage my mentors event today. That’s why the Student Life Staff Mentoring Program is so important to me.  

The program is back for 2023-2024 and open to all Student Life team members. It’s designed to provide professional development opportunities via a formal and structured support system. The program will contribute to your overall career and personal growth. 

You can register online between now and April 28 to become a mentor, mentee or both. You’ll be paired with another staff person based on considerations of your expressed interests and goals.  

One of the reasons I’m drawn to this program is how it aligns with our Student Life culture commitments of appreciation, connection, support and care. The Mentoring Program touches on all these areas. 

The idea came originally from the listening sessions I held when I first came to Ohio State (I can’t believe it’s been more than three years!). I heard clearly that the team wanted more connections, and that mentoring was important. We launched the idea last year and it quickly proved to be beneficial and successful. I’m very happy that it is back for the coming year. 

If you were part of the program this past year, thank you, and I hope you will come back. If you weren’t, please consider this my personal invitation for you to sign up. I also ask that managers and supervisors encourage your staff members to participate and make clear that they can take part in this program as part of their work. We want to invest even more in our Student Life team, and this program has proven to be another tangible way to do that.  

You can read more about the program on the Student Life Intranet, which, if you haven’t found it yet, is on the Student Life website homepage under the Admin Services tab. 

I truly hope you consider this Scarlet and Great opportunity to engage in formal mentoring as a way to connect with each other and support our entire team in engaging, learning and thriving. 

 

Melissa S. Shivers, PhD 

Senior Vice President for Student Life 
The Ohio State University