Kristina M. Johnson, PhD, President-elect | August 19, 2020
Dear Students, Faculty and Staff:
Move-in is always a very special time of year — one of great excitement, anticipation and emotion. This year presents us with many new challenges, but we are all rising to the occasion. I want to thank our Student Life staff, our volunteers from across campus and, most of all, our new and returning Buckeyes for their commitment to keeping each other safe. We will continue to support one another and stay focused on health and wellness, Together As Buckeyes!
On Aug. 11, I shared a number of enhanced safety...
Melissa S. Shivers, PhD, Vice President for Student Life | August 18, 2020
Dear Buckeyes:
O-H!
Did you automatically think, or even say out loud, I-O? You know what I find so perfectly ‘Buckeye’ about this iconic gesture? It’s that you really can’t do it alone. To get the full effect, you need someone else. And I am writing today to say very clearly: we need each and every one of our community members to come together, once again.
Fighting COVID-19 is not something any of us can do alone. We can, and we must, do the things that will keep us here on our campuses. Wear a face mask....
Kristina M. Johnson, PhD, President-elect | August 11, 2020
Dear Students, Faculty and Staff:
I am excited and honored to have been selected as your 16th president. As we stand on the cusp of a fall semester like no other, I am looking forward to getting to work on behalf of Buckeye Nation — and being on campus with you during our first week of classes. We will all be embarking on this unprecedented journey together.
My top priority as president is to do everything possible to support our Buckeye family so that we can learn, teach and work in a safe and healthy environment. As we...
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...
