Office of Student Life

Melissa Shivers, PhD

Dr. Melissa Shivers has dedicated her nearly 30-year career in higher education to removing barriers to student and staff success, serving her community and contributing to the world in ways that help to advance the health, safety and security of others. As the Senior Vice President for Student Life at The Ohio State University since January 2020, Dr. Shivers serves on the university’s senior administration team and provides leadership and strategic oversight on matters related to the student experience.  She is proud to work alongside an extraordinary team that serves more than 60,000 Buckeyes on six campuses throughout the state of O-H-I-O! The team’s foundational aspiration is to challenge and inspire students and staff to take every opportunity to engage, learn and thrive throughout their time at Ohio State, and beyond. Dr. Shivers has broad leadership responsibility for numerous university operations affecting students outside the classroom, including the residential experience, dining services, the Ohio Union and student activities, student leadership and service, mental health support, career development, recreational sports, health care and wellness programs, disability services, belonging and student success strategies, off campus and commuter student engagement, the student judicial process, student advocacy and crisis intervention.

Before becoming a Buckeye, Dr. Shivers was a Student Affairs leader at the University of Iowa, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, University of Georgia, Clemson University and Georgia Southern University. Dr. Shivers has held faculty appointments at multiple institutions and also served as a faculty member for NASPA’s Institute for Aspiring Senior Student Affairs Officers/Vice Presidents for Student Affairs.

A proud first-generation college graduate and member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, Dr. Shivers holds a BS from Georgia Southern University in Communication Arts, a Master of Education, Counseling and Guidance Services degree from Clemson University and a Doctor of Philosophy, College Student Affairs Administration from the University of Georgia. 

Dr. Shivers was honored as a 2024 Southern Association for College Student Affairs’ (SACSA) Gavel and Gravel Society member, a 2022 Legend and Legacy by the King Arts Complex and was selected as a 2021 Diamond Honoree by ACPA, which is one of the highest honors bestowed by the international student affairs professional organization. Dr. Shivers is a member of the Wellington School Board of Trustees, the YWCA of Columbus Board of Trustees, the Melvin C. Terrell Educational Foundation Board of Directors, the King Arts Complex Board of Directors, the Campus Partners Board of Directors, a university representative on The Ohio State University Foundation Board of Directors and member of the Association of Public Land-grant Universities Council on Student Affairs for which she serves on the executive committee. She was acknowledged as a 2024 Women’s History Month honoree by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education magazine and has been named as one of 40 higher education leaders to follow on social media. 

Dr. Shivers is an avid college football fan, reader, world-traveler and “Auntie-Hero” to her two favorite humans, Jhared and Jordan.