First Year Council
Charge and Membership
The First Year Council will be charged with the following responsibilities:
- Gain knowledge of all initiatives/programs/policies on campus affecting first year students (and would be the successor to the Foundations of Excellence Task Force).
- Set campus-wide priorities among competing first year initiatives. Coordinate and align first year programs, policies, and practices.
- Plan and advocate for first year student success initiatives.
- Increase the visibility of first year issues and programs within the university community.
- Sponsor regular First Year forums/open meetings/workshops to diffuse knowledge about, and commitment to, first year issues and programs across all campuses.
- Advocate for faculty development in first year teaching.
- Design and advocate for a faculty reward structure to encourage excellence in first year teaching and advising.
- Identify current first year student advocates among faculty on all campuses and recruit more.
- Consult widely with instructors of first year classes including but not limited to continuing faculty and teaching assistants.
Composition
Committee Roster
Faculty
Ghirmai Negash
negashg@ohio.edu
Director of African Studies
Professor, English & African Literature
Laura Saltman
saltman@ohio.edu
Biological Sciences
Matthew Stallard
stallard@ohio.edu
English
Barbel Such
such@ohio.edu
Modern Languages
Administrators
Michael DePerro
deperro@ohio.edu
Senior Events Director
Alexander Ecklund
ecklund@ohio.edu
Accessibility Coordinator
Student Accessibility Services
2021
Wendy Merb-Brown
merbw@ohio.edu
Assistant Dean for Operations and Learning Community Programs
Eileen Theodore-Shusta
theodore@ohio.edu
University Libraries
Administrators, Ex-Officio
Tricia Barrick
barrick@ohio.edu
Bursar
Debra Benton
bentond@ohio.edu
University Registrar
Kris Kumfer
kumfer@ohio.edu
Learning Community Programs
Jen Maskiell
flowersj@ohio.edu
Associate Director Assessment
& Academic Initiatives
Residential Housing
Valerie K. Miller, MBA
millerv@ohio.edu
Director
Financial Aid
Vincent Prior
priorv@ohio.edu
Director of Undergraduate Orientations
Joni Wadley
schallej@ohio.edu
Institutional Research
All University committees follow the academic-year calendar.
All students serve one-year terms. Faculty, administrators, and staff generally serve three-year terms. Ex-Officio appointments have voting privileges unless otherwise noted.