Today's Update: Thursday, March 5, 2026

March 5, 2026

Dear Student Life team,

The Ohio State Board of Trustees has been meeting this week, and I want to let you know about some exciting news. The Board this afternoon approved an expedited timeline for renovations to Taylor and Drackett Towers. 

The projects are scheduled to move forward at the conclusion of this semester. Taylor and Drackett will be closed at the end of this academic year and reopen for autumn semester 2028.   

That time frame is actually two years ahead of the original plan. You may remember that the schedule for the North Residential Towers renovation project was approved for the design phase at the May 2025 meeting of the Board of Trustees. However, the plumbing leak that escalated and caused localized flooding in the Taylor Tower residence hall has prompted a potential revision to the schedule. 

We will now leverage master lease agreements with properties in the University District to fill the expected bed needs for the next two years. 

Jones Tower was included on the list for renovations that the Board approved last year. However, through the design phase, it has been determined that the estimated costs to effectively renovate Jones Tower will not provide a practical return on investment. Therefore, we will pursue plans to potentially retire the building at the end of spring semester. Thank you to many colleagues for their great leadership and partnership to move this critical project forward. 

Today’s Board action is a significant step in our ongoing commitment to Scarlet and Great operational excellence and to advancing the iconic Buckeye experience.   

 

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