Ohio University enhances holistic academic, career, and experiential learning
Ohio University has announced plans to increase its investment to ensure the greatest number of students can reach their potential through a newly created “student success hub” as a key element of the University’s Student Success Initiative.
After realignment of the Career and Leadership Development Center, Allen Student Advising Center, and Office of Experiential Learning in January, Executive Vice President and Provost Elizabeth Sayrs has committed to building the necessary infrastructure in partnership with the colleges and regional campuses to support the OHIO Guarantee+ through a central hub and distributed spokes model, with resources embedded in the Athens colleges and regional campuses to support the differing needs of academic disciplines and students.
The University will leverage the Career and Experiential Learning Fee (CELF) to create additional positions to help undergraduate students develop and complete customized graduation plans, with curricular and co-curricular milestones to prepare them for post-graduation success. “This investment is a critical next step to support our guided pathway model,” Provost Sayrs said. “The CELF funding will help us achieve our ultimate goal to provide integrated academic, career, and experiential advising in partnership with the outstanding mentoring our faculty are known for to ensure equitable outcomes for undergraduate students.”
Under the leadership of Assistant Vice Provost Jen Murphy, the hub will serve as an integrated center to support colleges by providing academic transition advising, career services, supporting the development of experiential learning, and helping facilitate employer and alumni engagement.
The spokes in each college will support the Guarantee+ Graduation Plan through a combined professional advising and career coaching model—unique to each college— that serves students all four years.
“We have worked diligently over the past several months to identify critical resources needed to ensure the greatest number of students can reach their potential through advising supported by the hub-and-spoke model,” Murphy said. “We believe that our retention benchmarks will increase by implementing graduation plans, which create agency and accountability for the student, the University, and the success advisors that guide the students through this process.”
Once completed, this initiative will ensure that all OHIO students can achieve academic, professional, and experiential success through interwoven curricular and co-curricular experiences. Integrated academic advising and career coaching will help students stay on track for graduation while attaining robust experiential milestones that complement and supplement the curriculum. It also serves to offer a baseline of equitable access to high-impact practices for all students regardless of major.
While career engagement is now aligned under the Office of the Provost, leadership programming is available through the Campus Involvement Center in the Division of Student Affairs.
For more information about the OHIO Guarantee+ program, visit https://www.ohio.edu/guarantee.