Ohio University President M. Duane Nellis shared the following "Welcome Back" message with the campus community on Monday, August 27. 

Dear Bobcat Family,

Welcome back! I hope that each of you had a wonderful summer filled with new experiences and new memories. For a week in July, Ruthie and I traveled to Montana with our sons to reunite with family and enjoy a trip to Glacier National Park. It was wonderful to slow down for a bit and reflect upon the last year and the year yet to come. I feel energized and prepared to tackle the 2018-2019 academic year, and I hope you do, too!

Those of you returning to the Athens Campus after several months away may notice some new faces. On June 18, we welcomed Ohio University’s first Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion, Dr. Gigi Secuban. On August 1, Dr. Chaden Djalali officially began his tenure as OHIO’s new Executive Vice President and Provost. Each individual brings a great deal of energy and experience to their roles, and we are so fortunate to have them as part of our leadership team.

Yesterday, Dr. Secuban, Dr. Djalali, myself and others inducted the Class of 2022 into the Bobcat Family at the President’s First Year Student Convocation (FYSC). The new video board is now hanging in the Convocation Center, and it looks great. In fact, we utilized it often during the FYSC to introduce the new students to leadership, share advice from faculty and teach them OHIO's alma mater.

I can’t wait to see the video board used during Bobcat sporting events and Commencement ceremonies this year!

Ruthie and I helped several of the new first-year class move into the residence halls last week during move-in day. We enjoyed meeting parents and were reminded of those days not very long ago dropping off our own sons as they began their college careers. The gravity of this time in the lives of our students is not lost on us. College truly is one of the best and most transformational times of your life. I hope each of you strive for growth this year and challenge yourselves in new and exciting ways. 

Over the summer, we have made much progress on several strategic priorities:

• I traveled to all of OHIO’s regional campuses to meet with business leaders in those communities to discuss ways Ohio University can better meet their needs and to seek internship opportunities for our students;
• Work has continued on Ellis Hall and the Perry and Sandy Sook Academic Center with both projects nearing completion;
• A new student innovation hub is slated to open on Alden Library’s third floor this fall that will encourage cross-disciplinary student entrepreneurial projects; 
• We launched the pilot cohort of the OHIO Honors Program this fall and design plans continue for a new Center for Academic Engagement that will be located at 29 Park Place; 
• The collaborative work of our Presidential Policy Advisory Group concluded over the summer and three new policies were unveiled that affirm our commitment to free speech and outline the permissible use of indoor and outdoor space for free expression.    

As we look to the year ahead, we will be starting a new lecture series called OHIO Challenging Dialogues on Contemporary Issues, where we will bring in experts to engage in conversations surrounding the biggest concerns facing our nation and our world. We will begin accepting applications for two Graduate Medals to be awarded in the spring. We will also work on helping to tackle the opioid crisis that threatens our region. Through the formation of the Opioid Task Force, we can combat this epidemic in a concerted, coordinated manner and leverage our collective expertise to save lives and enact real change toward the betterment of our region.

I look forward to welcoming many of you back to campus in person in the coming weeks. I hope that you always feel comfortable approaching me when you see me out and about or sending me an email with your thoughts to president@ohio.edu. I also encourage you to engage with your Senate representatives, whom I meet with regularly. We all want what is best for this institution, and I look forward to continuing our collaborative work toward realizing the full potential of Ohio’s First and Finest!

Respectfully,


M. Duane Nellis
Ohio University President