Bruce A. McPheron, PhD, Provost & Harold L. Paz, MD, MS, Chancellor for Health Affairs | August 7, 2020
Dear Ohio State Community:
On Sunday, we will celebrate the accomplishments of more than 1,700 graduates during our virtual summer commencement ceremony. On behalf of the entire Ohio State family, we congratulate these Buckeyes on their achievements and wish them the very best in their next chapters. You can share messages of congratulations on social media using #OSUGrad.
A pre-ceremony program featuring messages from students and university leaders will begin at 1:30 p.m., with the formal program beginning at 2 p.m. Both the pre-ceremony and ceremony will be livestreamed and broadcast statewide on The Ohio Channel....
Kay N. Wold, PhD, Senior Vice Provost & Helen I. Malone, PhD, Vice Provost for Academic Policy and Faculty Resources | August 7, 2020
Dear Colleagues,
The first students are returning to campus today, as some move into residence halls to prepare for additional students to arrive next week.
As faculty continue to prepare for the autumn semester, we have developed a new resource to address frequently asked questions by instructors. The new Teaching page on the university’s Safe and Healthy Buckeyes website includes information about a variety of topics, such as:
What to include on course syllabi Microphones in classrooms Assigned seating for students How to handle guests or hardcopy assignments What to do if a student doesn’t...
Bruce A. McPheron, PhD, Provost & Harold L. Paz, MD, MS, Chancellor for Health Affairs | July 31, 2020
Dear Ohio State Community:
As we mark the final day of summer-term classes and also conclude this year’s Faculty and Staff Appreciation Week, we want to reiterate our gratitude for your continued commitment to the university’s mission during this time of great challenge and uncertainty.
Keeping our community safe and healthy remains a critical part of that mission. Today, we’re sharing details about key components of a safe transition to on-campus operations: online training, the Together As Buckeyes Pledge and a testing strategy for autumn semester.
Additional updates include mask guidance, bus route changes to accommodate appropriate...
Bruce A. McPheron, PhD, Provost & Harold L. Paz, MD, MS, Chancellor for Health Affairs | July 24, 2020
Dear Ohio State Community:
Good afternoon. This week, we are sharing with you several important updates. As we continue to plan for a return to on-campus operations in the autumn, Ohio State will require that all students, faculty and staff complete an online training course and the Together As Buckeyes Pledge. We are also sharing accountability measures for failure to take the training and sign the pledge, and for anyone who chooses not to abide by required health and safety guidelines.
These steps, shared at University Senate, are part of a larger picture of mandatory safe and healthy...
Bruce A. McPheron, PhD, Provost & Harold L. Paz, MD, MS, Chancellor for Health Affairs | July 18, 2020
Dear Ohio State Community:
We hope you and your families are well. We are now well past the second half of summer term, and our gratitude once again goes to our university community for your hard work and perseverance under extraordinary circumstances.
Our front line professionals and support staff across the university continue to make us proud. Our Wexner Medical Center, in particular, has been a beacon of patient care and research advances in our region and beyond.
We all know that cases of COVID-19 have been rising in the past few weeks — in Ohio and...
Bruce A. McPheron, PhD, Provost & Harold L. Paz, MD, MS, Chancellor for Health Affairs | July 10, 2020
Dear Ohio State Community:
Good afternoon. Several updates are included below on the university’s response to COVID-19 and provisional plans related to the autumn semester.
Please take a moment to read a message to our international students and the broader community . This responds to federal guidance issued this week with the potential to create barriers to education for these students. The university disagrees with this federal guidance, and we are working to ensure that international students on Ohio State’s campuses this autumn can successfully complete their academic work.
Bruce A. McPheron, PhD, Provost & Harold L. Paz, MD, MS, Chancellor for Health Affairs | July 1, 2020
Dear Ohio State Community:
We hope you and your families are safe and well heading into this Independence Day weekend.
As you know, yesterday was Dr. Drake’s last day as president of Ohio State. On behalf of the university, we express once again our gratitude to Michael and Brenda for their leadership over the last six years. Dr. Drake will remain as a member of our faculty, and we look forward to more time together. On Sept. 1, Kristina M. Johnson will start as the 16th president of Ohio State, and the university will...
Below are several updates on our COVID-19 pandemic response and phased return to autumn operations on our campuses.
Test scores optional for 2021 application year
Due to the uncertainty of future test dates and availability of standardized tests caused by COVID-19, the university has made the submission of ACT or SAT test scores optional for most current high school students and transfer students applying to the Columbus campus for the 2021 application year. All applicants are encouraged to take the ACT or SAT if possible and submit test scores if they are...
Good evening. Let me begin by reaffirming that Ohio State remains committed to action to ending racial injustice in this country and beyond, and we’re working together every day to make this more true. This is not an easy or quick task, and it will take continual work. We may not be able to make everything right in short order, but we can make progress. The results depend on the quality of our collective effort.
COVID-19 transition planning
In the midst of this pandemic, we have continued to advance our...
As we navigate the COVID-19 pandemic together, we are also united in our efforts to end institutional and systemic racism. This week, we shared several action steps , including the establishment of a university task force and the creation of a $1 million research fund to study the causes and effects of, and solutions to, racism and racial disparities.
Our gratitude goes to all students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends who have stepped forward to call for meaningful and lasting change. Diversity, equity and inclusion are essential components of our excellence, and we...