Thriving Together

We will deliver and sustain a robust student experience framework informed by sound student development theory. The framework will provide every student learner across all OSU locations and modalities access to a comprehensive and cohesive experience that supports students’ academic, personal, and professional development. By fostering strong partnerships across the institution and leveraging collective expertise, we will equip students with the skills, knowledge, mindsets, and networks essential for thriving at OSU and beyond, and adapting to a changing world.

Objectives

1. Lead the development and implementation of an integrated onboarding program that introduces students to resources, academic expectations, and community values, ensuring a successful transition to OSU.
2. Implement feedback channels alongside frameworks and training to identify barriers and foster continuous service and program improvement. 
3. Develop and communicate a cohesive philosophy of student development and learning that guides student services throughout the division. 
4. Connect Division of Student Affairs programs and experiences to career readiness competencies that help students make connections between the skills they develop through their experiences and their future career goals.
5. Create new and revitalize existing campus traditions, signature events, and pride-building activities to meet the evolving needs of an increasingly diverse student body, including non-traditional and distance learners.
6. Anticipate and adapt services and programs to meet the evolving needs of an increasingly diverse student body, including non-traditional students and distance learners.
7. Transform student employment opportunities to learn and connect essential transferable skills. 
8. Implement initiatives that enhance students’ global and intercultural competencies and understanding and appreciation of diverse cultures through intercultural programs, global events, and partnerships with international organizations. 

We will create a supportive environment where all students can succeed by ensuring access to academic, personal, and professional support. By working directly with the diverse communities we serve, we will design and deliver proactive and comprehensive support services and interventions that disrupt educational and experiential disparities among differently situated students.

Objectives

1. Identify existing student support structures (both within and outside the division) to understand what is available to students, determine where redundancies, barriers, and gaps exist, and name strong practices. 

2. Evaluate and recommend improvement processes, spaces, and initiatives to ensure accessibility and the use of targeted universalism principles. 

3. Implement, sustain, and refine the programming and student support structures for the Finish in Four program, in pursuit of designing equitable access for low-income students. 

4. Create an infrastructure of cross-functional work groups bringing division staff together to advance student success initiatives, improve program design, cultivate cooperative partnerships, and reduce duplicative efforts. 

5. Identify and apply frameworks and training that will help employees identify and dismantle barriers. 

6. Utilize artificial intelligence (AI)-powered tools to provide students with timely, accurate, and personalized information and support, simplifying administrative tasks and enabling staff to focus on high-value student interactions. 

We are dedicated to creating a university environment that promotes well-being through collaboration and interdisciplinary knowledge. We will lead the implementation of comprehensive well-being programs and initiatives that support physical, mental, and emotional health. By fostering a culture that supports well-being, we aim to create an environment where individuals can thrive, achieve their potential, and contribute positively to their community.

Objectives

1. Design and coordinate university services to support equitable access, enhance health and well-being, and promote a supportive organizational culture. 

2. Foster student and staff resilience and adaptability by implementing essential skills training and support resources to build and enhance the capacity for navigating challenges and overcoming obstacles, allowing individuals to reach their full potential. 

3. Embed well-being practices into all aspects of Student Affairs culture, including administration and leadership, operations, and policies. Infuse well-being practices into everyday operations and culture. 

4. Develop and expand well-being programs that address diverse experiences and needs and prioritize health equity. 

5. Encourage sustainable practices and environmental responsibility across the division to create a more optimal living and learning environment. 

6. Leverage university and national data insights to design and implement focused, evidence-informed well-being programs and services. 

We are dedicated to nurturing a university culture where every individual actively contributes to creating a community of respect, understanding, and inclusion. We aim to create an environment where differences are not only acknowledged but celebrated and where we develop collaboration, curiosity, empathy, and a shared responsibility to advance social justice. We will create platforms for students and staff to share diverse perspectives, learn from one another, and engage in discourse. In doing so, we build collective skills around communication and collaboration in service to a vision for a socially just and engaged democratic society.

Objectives

1. Cultivate opportunities for students to encounter different perspectives and to engage in cultural learning, preparing them to work effectively in a diverse society as global citizens. 

2. Collaborate with university partners to build community-wide competencies in dialogue, communication, and respectful disagreement. 

3. Create tools and resources for community-oriented skills and develop spaces to practice those skills. 

4. Develop and implement inter-divisional civil discourse strategies training for staff. 

5. Foster student development in creating change via opportunities such as comprehensive civic engagement, social justice, and democratic participation. 

We will continually drive to maximize our impact on students and become an exceptional place to work. In addition to continually learning from our varied disciplines, we will tend to the internal dynamics that influence our capacity for excellence, such as improving communication, fostering collaboration, enriching the employee experience, ensuring fiscal health, continuously refining resource allocation, implementing effective programs, and strengthening organizational and leadership structures.

Objectives

1. Cultivate cross-functional alignments by centering the student experience and execute on areas of greater service delivery. 

2. Design opportunities for employees to gain an understanding of the functional areas and roles within the Division of Student Affairs and their connection to divisional goals. 

3. Create and execute a division-wide training strategy that fosters continuous professional growth while embedding shared leadership principles and practices for all management levels. 

4. Develop and adhere to a set of shared leadership principles and practices for the division and train managers, directors, and other leaders on the key expectations for their work related to leading people. 

5. Engage in robust assessment practices using clear metrics and accessible data to understand and improve programmatic impact and the contributions of efforts to divisional and institutional goals. 

6. Enhance the awareness of the division’s programs and services within and outside the division through coordinated, division-wide efforts.