During the 2023-24 academic year, our division's commitment to our Foundational Priorities remained steadfast and action oriented. We are happy to report that through four cross-divisional priority teams, we successfully laid a robust foundation for holistic well-being, inclusive excellence, employee engagement and retention, partnership initiatives, and a deep understanding of student engagement at all levels.
Our Care & Well-Being Team was at the forefront, seeking synergies across units and regional campuses, and was instrumental in positioning the division for the JED Campus Initiative . Their efforts have been pivotal in engaging students in well-being initiatives and integrating care into our staff culture. The Inclusive Excellence Team honed staff skills through the execution of the annual diversity and inclusion conference, leveraging campus-wide initiatives like Make Respect Visible , and supporting our partners in the Division of Diversity and Inclusion to foster a culture of respect and inclusivity. Meanwhile, the People and Partnerships Team diligently evaluated employee morale and engagement, initiating social events to enhance our division's community spirit. Finally, our Student Engagement and Leadership Team was busy developing strategies to attract and retain student employees, reimagining the future of student affairs for coming generations, and revitalizing the Bobcat student experience through holistic communication and innovative campus discussions.
To learn more about the unique projects that fell under the four divisional teams, continue reading below.
A Word from the Vice President for Student Affairs
Capital Planning and Facility Management
Goal
Understand the gaps and opportunities in navigating capital planning projects and
facility management in the division.
Activities
•Connected with Jason Mora in Design and Construction to learn about deferred
maintenance reporting.
•Focused on specific capital planning efforts despite an incomplete survey on
divisional facility needs.
•Worked diligently on their area's capital projects, identifying the best avenues for
progress.
Recommendations
1. Develop a divisional equipment marketplace/share program to offer surplus items
within the division.
2. Engage with Advancement to explore funding opportunities for divisional capital
and facility planning needs.
3. Continue to stay connected across multiple division units that manage large
scale facilities and deal with capital planning concerns.
Division Partnership Integration
GoalEvaluate engagement levels and outcomes of existing internal partnerships.
Activities
•Developed an online MS Form to collect DOSA data on internal partnerships,
including organizational "home," unit work, relationships, and shared goals.
•Created an inventory of DOSA contacts for collaboration inquiries.
•Mid-way through data collection with a deadline for submissions on May 17.
•June and July will be spent evaluating data and organizing it into an online
database.
Challenges
•Managing many partnerships and filtering relevant information.
•Need for selective data collection focused on specific types of partnerships.
Recommendations
1. Evaluate and refine the process and database.
2. Collect information on external partnerships to the university.
Division Staff Retention
Goal
Analyze systemic and cultural factors contributing to burnout and attrition and identify
strategies to improve staff retention.
Activities
•Engaged group of HRL staff in conversation regarding retention factors
•Reviewed new HR administration pay guidelines to see if any recommendations
have been satisfied
•Partnered with Care & Well-being project team to present recommendations to
SALT regarding staff retention and well-being initiatives to increase staff morale.
Recommendations
1. Enhance Well-Being:
•Support an 8-hour workday with a paid lunch or a universal lunch hour.
•Standardize university hours of operation (9AM-4PM) to allow flexibility.
•Implement departmental recognition programs (Employee of the Semester, End of the Year Recognition, etc.).
•Reinstate university-wide break hours (summer/winter/spring).
2. Improve Compensation and Benefits:
•Consider longevity bonuses instead of retention bonuses.
•Revise policies to allow additional compensation for taking on extra duties.
•Enhance benefits to minimize out-of-pocket expenses for well-being procedures.
•Allow conversion of sick time to PTO or cash payouts for those with high sick time balances.
3.Address Workload and Job Demands:
•Evaluate ideal workplace norms and set boundaries to manage long hours and demands.
•Compensate staff for holiday work, crisis response, and essential duties through bonuses or additional PTO.
•Provide compensation for additional duties during vacancies or emergent needs.
4.Promote Professional Development:
•Develop a robust professional development plan.
•Provide resources to enhance skills, encourage innovation, and support career advancement.
Embedding Care and Well-Being into Staff Culture
GoalIdentify opportunities to embed care and well-being into staff culture.
Activities
•Identified 3-4 well-being priorities for embedding into DOSA staff culture.
•Present combined research at the DOSA Open Forum.
•Recommend edits to the Staff Climate Survey to include well-being priorities.
Challenges
•Loss of team members and new additions caused delays.
•Did not complete assessment efforts for the Staff Climate Survey.
Recommendations
1. Start well-being assessment with the Staff Climate Survey, using the 5 essentials
of the Framework.
2. Collaborate with the Retention Team due to overlapping goals.
3. Engage with Wellworks for continued support and initiatives, appoint a Wellness Champion from SALT.
Engaging Students in the Creation and Delivery of Well-Being Initiatives
Goal
Collaborate with the Peer Network to engage students and lay the foundation for student well-being by gathering feedback from 50 students on well-being/mental health
resources.
Activities (and Pivot)
1. Shifted focus from the Peer Network to Active Minds, a student mental health
club.
2. Finalized a list of questions and sought feedback from Active Minds to ensure relevance.
Challenges
•Setting up the Peer Network was difficult and time-consuming.
•Realized it was more effective to start with Active Minds from the beginning.
Recommendations1. Use feedback from Active Minds to integrate the Peer Network and expand outreach to the larger campus community.
Enhancing Connections with Regional and OHIO Online Campuses
Goal
Enhance services and relationships between Athens Campus and Regional Higher Education and OHIO Online campuses by: identifying key partners and building connections, assessing current needs, wants, and strengths, and developing a strategic
plan for comparable services and improved communication.
Sub-Goal (Pivot)
Originally aimed to benchmark best practices, implement TimelyCare, establish CARE Teams, and create a social media inventory.
Activities
•Developed contact lists and assessment tools.
•Established CARE Teams in Zanesville, Lancaster, and Eastern campuses.
•Ensured the continuance of Togetherall, an online mental health resource.
•Expanded TimelyCare coverage to include Regional Higher Education students.
•Redesigned the Counseling and Psychological Services webpage for regional campuses.
•Implemented TimelyCare on March 15th, 2024.
•Revised Togetherall risk management agreements.
•Hired a Mental Health Coordinator for Regional Higher Education and OHIO Online students.
Challenges
•Internal system issues in identifying campus affiliations for service eligibility.
•Mixed views about One OHIO, indicating a need for further stakeholder discussions.
Recommendations
1. Create an Advisory Council like Ohio State’s model.
2. Secure ongoing funding for TimelyCare, Togetherall, and the Mental Health Coordinator position.
3. Establish a cohesive online presence for regional campuses by following UCM guidelines. 4. Address the ‘othering’ of regional campuses and understand their strengths.
Future of Student Affairs
GoalAssess the future of student affairs and its impact on our jobs and student experiences.
Activities
Research each of the following pain points in student affairs and higher education at OHIO:
•Current Issues in Student Affairs and Higher Education at OHIO: Information Overwhelm and Go OHIO: Aim to streamline information through the Go OHIO App to reduce student overwhelm.
•Burnout: Address high turnover and burnout in student affairs.
•Artificial Intelligence: Prepare for the increasing role of AI in student affairs.
•Population Shifts: Plan for potential declines in student enrollment.
•Student Recruitment: Integrate with K-12 systems for smoother transitions to higher education.
•Campus Polarization: Develop strategies to address increasing political polarization on campuses.
Challenges
•Difficulty in identifying long-term impacts and current relevant topics.
•Small subcommittee size and broad scope limited focus and effectiveness.
•Difficulty in identifying long-term impacts and current relevant topics for student affairs specifically.
•Small subcommittee size and broad scope limited focus and effectiveness of this project.
Recommendations
1. Meet with campus partners in each summer to discuss student engagement and
leadership strategies.
2. Engage in early dialogue, prepare staff to recognize burnout signs, and reevaluate RA roles.
3. Prioritize employee retention, provide supervision training, and explore advancement opportunities.
4. Ensure AI provides accurate information and explore its campus-wide implementation.
5. Market OHIO's value proposition and address questions about attending college. 6. Facilitate credit transfers, provide college representation, and establish mentorship programs.
7. Utilize NASPA Dialogue Facilitation models, Reflective Structured Dialogue, and engage with Heterodox Academy resources.
Graduate Assistant Strategy
GoalGather information on the graduate assistant experience within the division and improve onboarding, support, and connection for graduate students.
Activities
•Created a transition document for GA supervisors to ease departmental transitions.
•Developed and distributed a survey to assess GA support across the university, with plans to share results with campus partners and peer institutions.
•Initiated a mentor system to connect 2nd-year GAs with new GAs for informal onboarding.
Challenges
•Time commitment issues and schedule conflicts within the subcommittee hindered progress.
•Difficulty in coordinating project steps due to inconsistent input from team members.
Recommendations
1. Assign specific goals to individual team members for completion to ensure
steady progress.
2. Send out the Graduate Assistant survey in summer and begin the mentor project in late summer.
3. Conduct focus groups with GAs to gain deeper insights into their experience.
4. Collaborate with the CSP program during recruitment (October – December) to enhance intentional recruitment and clearer marketing.
Half-Day Inclusive Excellence Conference
GoalEmbed Inclusive Excellence initiative into staff culture.
ActivityOrganized the half-day professional development day.
Challenges
•Few evaluations completed by attendees.
•More planning time was needed.
•Low response rate for evaluations.
Recommendations
1. Start planning early.
2. Include faculty members and students on the committee.
3. Develop a better approach for gathering feedback.
4. Maintain a focus on DEI topics throughout the year, not just during the event.
Revitalize the Bobcat Student Experience
GoalInvestigate the need for revitalizing the Bobcat Student Experience and identify changes to improve it. This was later revised to: Determine if revitalization is necessary and, if so, how to implement it effectively.
Activities
•Conducted communication research meetings with OIT and UCM to streamline information flow.
•Organized focus groups and impromptu interviews with students and staff.
Challenges
•Redundant research efforts in other areas of campus/division due to lack of
communication.
•Difficulty coordinating meetings among busy team members.
•Broad topic requiring more time and research than initially anticipated.
Recommendations
1. Improve communication and coordination to avoid redundant efforts.
2. Prioritize and implement recommendations in a feasible, chronological order.
3. Increase representation from various units in future groups to enhance the student experience.
4. Focus on implementing well-thought-out ideas to enhance the Bobcat Student Experience.
5. Ensure diverse representation in future groups to cover a broad range of perspectives and experiences.
Student to Employed Professional
GoalCreate a consistent experience across DOSA employers for recruitment, hiring, onboarding, training, leadership opportunities, and offboarding for student employees.
Activities
1.Inventory Catalog: Overview of department practices in student employment.
2.NASPA Document Analysis: Identified themes for focus group questions.
3.Focus Groups: Conducted with undergraduate student employees on training,
communication, supervision, leadership experience, and career preparation.
Findings:
•Students felt their jobs provided transferable skills for future careers.
•No clear preference for communication methods between supervisors and
student employees.
•Improved teamwork and leadership skills reported by students.
•High satisfaction with supervisors; most students felt supported.
•Parking issues were a significant concern for student employees.
Challenges
•Planning focus groups was difficult due to scheduling conflicts.
•Initially planned multiple focus groups but focused on student-centered ones due
to conflicts.
Recommendations
1. Include an HR representative on the priority team for specific insights on hiring
and training processes.
2. Explore focus group options with higher-level staff.
3. Address transportation and parking issues for student employees.
4. Review and improve the inventory catalog for recruitment, hiring, onboarding, training, and offboarding practices.
5. Host a student employee job fair to recruit and inform students about opportunities on campus.