February 2020
Dear colleagues,

Welcome to February 2020, complete with its extra (leap) day.

This month, I’m thankful we can take this opportunity to share with you some words from our new Props for Profs initiative which you’ll find below. You may have seen the boxes around Schoonover inviting students to share “props” about instructors who have made a difference for them. We’re collecting this feedback every week, sharing it with the featured instructors and posting the props on social media and other places around the building.

We started Props for Profs to recognize the daily awesomeness of our faculty and I’m so glad to see that it’s working. We’re getting lots of great feedback and maybe even more importantly: I know that for every “prop” a student takes the time to write, there are ten more that aren’t getting dropped in the box.

What I love the most about this program is the way it highlights the most important element of the work we do: building up the lives of students. A hallmark of our college is certainly the number of presidential teaching award winners we have on our roster, but the fact is that great teaching happens every day. Despite the budget-related uncertainty that we’re living with these days, great teaching will always be a priority in the Scripps College of Communication.

I’m sending props to you all. Thanks for all you do.

Scott
Roger Aden, COMS Theory

"Dr. Aden is willing to go above and beyond to assist a student in need. He also creates great learning opportunities for students through his research and UTAs."
Jennifer Talbert, COMS 2150/4800

"She always finds ways to make class a little more enjoyable. She's personable and easy to talk to which often makes learning in her classroom more enjoyable."
Mary Rogus, JOUR 3200, News@Noon

"Mary is always available to talk about class or anything involving your life. She is always willing to give you advice on what to do and is one of the most genuine, professional and helpful professors in the J-school."
Greg the Man Moeller, UC 1000

"Greg is the goat."
Aimee Edmondson, JOUR, Communication Law

"Dr. E has been a pillar in my recent exploration of the journalism world outside of writing. Her advice and reference has taken me far professionally and academically."
Stephanie Tikkanen, COMS 3200

"She made me want to come to class and learn. I never missed a class and I learned so much more than I thought I would in a semester."
Steve Howard, MDIA Qualitative Research

"Professor Howard reminds me of an African family head. He understands the realities of African students, and he knows best how to help us to fit in the Ohio University community. I look forward to seeing more Dr. Howard in the future. Thank you for everything. "
Austin Babrow, COMS Theory 2350

"Babs is one of the kindest professors I have ever met. He cares about his students and their wellbeing. He doesn't get enough recognition for all the effort and time he puts into a course. Babs will be there for you whenever you need help."
Nerissa Young, JOUR 1330

"Professor Young is a great instructor with lots of journalism knowledge. She is very passionate about her job and wants the best for her students. "
Nancin Dadem, COMS Public Speaking

"Instructor Dadem sparked my love for public speaking. I appreciate her GREATLY(!!!) and I will miss her this semester. "
jw Smith, COMS 1100

"Jw always made the class laugh and I love how he opened up about his past experiences to make learning easier and more enjoyable! "
Julie Elman, VisCom

"I have had two great classes with her and she has made me more confident in my work. She is the true definition of an educator. She teaches us and helps us learn from our mistakes."
Lynn Harter, COMS Learning Community

"Dr. Harter was the BEST learning community teacher ever! She was always challenging us to reach our fullest potential! Thank you for being YOU! "
Brandon Saunders, ITS 4900

"Learning with Brandon is always a treat. He is a great professor and he really communicates the material int he most fun way possible. "
Kujang Laki, COMS Among Cultures

"Instructor Laki was one of my favorite professors last semester. She is so warm and kind and truly goes above and beyond for her students. "
The Harris Student Support Center saw more than 300 students for graduation checks in the first nine days of spring semester. Graduation checks are crucial for those students who plan to receive their diplomas in May. We caught many issues for students who had to make minor, and sometimes major, adjustments to their spring semester schedules. We appreciate all of those who encouraged students to come through and review their degree requirements with us. 

Monday, February 17, is the last day to apply for spring semester graduation. As a reminder: graduation is not automatic . To graduate, students (undergraduate and graduate) must apply no later than the graduation application deadline for the term in which graduation is planned. This is university policy, and our college adheres to this policy and deadline. If you have a student who plans on participating in spring commencement, but will finish their degree in the summer, that student must reapply for summer graduation. I recommend that you take time to read through the graduation website that the registrar has set up.
 
Spring is a busy semester for yield events geared toward admitted Scripps students. We participated in the OHIO Honors and Scholars Selection Days on January 25 and February 1. This was a great opportunity to meet with high-achieving admitted students and give them another look at the Scripps College of Communication, OHIO Honors, and Scripps Innovation Scholars. More than 60 students participated in this event.

Monday, February 17, is the first of seven OHIO Up Close events. OHIO Up Close is an open house for admitted high school seniors, and it’s the perfect time to check out campus, meet the Bobcat community, and learn about all we have to offer both academically and socially. This one-day event is the perfect opportunity for students and their family to get another look at the Athens campus and our college. The program includes a campus tour, an academic session and a resource fair.
 
Future OHIO Up Close events:
 
If you see families walking around Schoonover Center, please welcome them and let them know a little about you and your role within the college.
 
We will also be taking our yield efforts on the road via the all new Rufus Roadtrip. These receptions for admitted students allow them to meet other members of the class of 2024 while mingling with alumni, faculty and staff.
 
Rufus Roadtrip Events:
  • Columbus - Tuesday, February 25
  • Pittsburgh - Sunday, March 1
  • Cincinnati - Tuesday, March 3
  • Cleveland - Sunday, March 15
 
If you have any questions about our recruitment and yield efforts, please feel free to contact me.

Greg Moeller
The Graduate College is continuing their series of professional development workshops in Spring Semester (PDF). Among the February offerings are “Self-care for Graduate Students” and “Effective Feedback of Students’ Work.” Coming up in March: “Salary Negotiations,” “Classroom Management” and “Teaching Portfolio.” In addition to the on-campus programming, there are also several “Beyond the Professoriate” webinars available, including “PhD Careers in UX Research” on February 14 and “What Every PhD Should Know About Using LinkedIn” on February 20.
 
The annual Three Minute Thesis ® competition takes place this month. This event is a great way to hear about some incredible research in a fast-moving and entertaining format. I hope you can make it out to cheer on Scripps students. There will be two semi-final rounds on February 10 and 12. The finals are scheduled on February 19. Each evening begins at 7 p.m. in Stocker 103.

I hope you can join me this month at casual Friday office hours. Not sure you have anything to discuss? Tell me the six-word story of your latest project, or your best (or worst) class ever, or your spring semester in general. None of that means we can only talk about academia—I’m happy to discuss music, sports, movies, TV, books, food, travel, or just about anything you find interesting.
  • February 7, 10-11 a.m. at Brenen’s
  • February 14, 1:30-2:30 p.m. at Whit’s
  • February 21, 4:30-6 p.m. at West End
  • February 28, 2:30-3:30 p.m. at Donkey

Ohio University is hosting a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Application Writing Workshop on Friday, March 27, 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The workshop will include an overview of NEH programs, tips for preparing quality applications, and a “mock panel review” designed to help demystify the NEH peer review process. The workshop is free and open to OHIO faculty and graduate students who want to learn more about NEH and how to compete for NEH grants.

Pre-registration  is required  and must be completed no later than Friday, February 28. Questions? Contact Marta Gomez .

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New year, new headshot. Have you done yours?

College photographer Carlin Stiehl will be holding open studio hours in Schoono ver 445 D for all Scripps College faculty and staff to stop by and get an updated headshot. We'll hold the two-hour sessions twice each month. Dates and times for the upcoming month will be announced in this newslett er. If you have students that need headshots, they are welcome to get them during this time, too.

VisCom Studio, Schoonover 445D
Wednesday, February 12
12-2 p.m.

Wednesday, February 26
2-4 p.m.
Microsoft OneDrive for Business  is the University’s preferred collaboration and storage solution, but in rare circumstances an individual may have a business need that requires DropBox. To accommodate those specific use cases, OIT has negotiated a special contract via CDWG. While this contract makes it possible to obtain a DropBox license that meets University purchasing and legal requirements, please keep in mind that DropBox is not a University-supported storage solution. This option should only be used when a funding entity or non-OHIO collaborating partner mandates DropBox, or when migrating an existing DropBox account to a University-supported  OneDrive for Business  account would disrupt work on an active project.  

Under the terms of this agreement, DropBox will cost approximately $100 per user per year. Exact pricing will depend on the number of users. If an existing DropBox account has been previously paid, DropBox will refund the card charged with the remaining months. To obtain a license submit a request to  servicedesk@ohio.edu  with the following information: 
  • DropBox username (for existing accounts) 
  • OHIO email address  
  • Department
  • Account Number

This will be the only method to purchase a University-sanctioned Dropbox license. Once your request has been received, OIT will contact your CFAO to approve the purchase. Upon approval, the user(s) will receive an email from Dropbox letting them know that their previous account will be merged with their new University account. Renewals will be processed annually. OIT will send a list of active accounts to CFAOs each November to identify those that need to be renewed.  
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