And Now, A Word From Our Academic Partners

Want to know one of the high points of our learning communities at Ohio State? Two words. Academic. Partners. 

Many of our learning communities at Ohio State have Academic Partners connected to them. These folks are often academic advisors or faculty members in a college or department across campus. Our partners are often in our residence halls interacting with LC students,

Our academic partners are great. So, we wanted to showcase all they do in a blog post. We asked them questions, and they shared. And now, a word from our academic partners.

How do I support students in the Learning Community through my role? 

Nicole Fette, Nursing Learning Community: I serve as the academic contact between the College of Nursing and the Learning Community.  I collaborate with the housing staff to plan events for the residents of the LC.  My major responsibility is to market and recruit my colleagues within the College of Nursing to attend events like Zumba with the dean, Dinner with the dean in November, and introducing faculty and staff to residents at the kick-off event in August.

Gina Hnytka, SUSTAINS Learning Community: I facilitate AEDE/ENR 1200, which is our 1 credit, fall seminar course for 1 year students (optional for 2) in the SUSTAINS Learning Community.  I also collaborate with the SUSTAINS Hall Director, Aaron Moore, on the planning of our event calendar and bringing in faculty, industry partners, and community members to meet with the SUSTAINS Learning Community students throughout the year. 

Katie Watkins, Pharmacy House Learning Community: I stop into the residence hall regularly to provide advising and support to students throughout the year.  I have direct access to faculty, staff, alumni and students in the College of Pharmacy, so I have been able to organize programs like “Pointers from the Pros” (where a panel of current OSU PharmD students came to Canfield Hall to talk about how to make yourself the most competitive Professional School applicant) or Pharmacy Jeopardy (where a faculty member from the College of Pharmacy came to mingle with Pharmacy House students and play a game).  It is so much fun.

Sam Reed, Business Honors Learning Community: One of my favorite parts about my job is that I get to coordinate the Business Honors Learning Community (BHLC). As the coordinator of BHLC I support students by not only serving as their assigned academic advisor and  teaching their freshman seminar course their first-semester of college, I am also the person responsible for planning all the weekly events BHLC participates in each week. Students in BHLC will get to know me very well throughout their first year at OSU.

Chris Adams, John Glenn Civic Leadership Community: I am responsible for planning academic, service, and social programming for students in the John Glenn Civic Leadership Community. I work to build community among the students and make them aware of opportunities at the Glenn College, as well as other outlets for furthering their study of public service and public policy.  I also teach our learning community class and serve as a resource to the students, helping them navigate Ohio State.

Why should a student join a Learning Community?

Gina Hnytka: A Learning Community provides you with a smaller, close-knit environment in which you can build connections with faculty, staff, and industry contacts in your specific area of study or interest.  The staff support for Learning Communities is unparalleled, we are very intentional in the way we plan the year, create opportunities, and support our students.  Your success and ability to connect with networks that allow you to achieve your future goals are our top priority.

Shannon Pelletier: The value of living with people who “get you” cannot be overstated. For example, I did not major in a science and I find subjects like Anatomy gross; in FHP all the students get excited about their Anatomy labs and compare dissection stories at dinner.  They also take similar courses so there is a built in study support system.  Living with other students who share your goals allow you to benefit from their knowledge (such as how many observation hours PT at OSU requires) and helps you feel like the university isn’t a large campus where students get lost in the shuffle because they have friends with common interests built-in to their living and learning experiences.

Sam Reed: Students should join a Learning Community because it provides opportunities that may not be easily accessible if they are not in such a group. For instance, students in my Business Honors Learning Community (BHLC) get to move in a few days early and go through Fisher’s “On Boarding” program where they get an opportunity to network with other first-year students, go to professional development workshops, and network with faculty, staff, and some company sponsors BEFORE they event start classes! Students in an LC also get to meet a group of students who have the same interests as them and they get to live on the same floor of a residence hall together, what an easy way to make friends and make Ohio State feel smaller right off the bat.

What is your favorite part of the Learning Community you work with?

Nicole Fette: My favorite part of the learning community is meeting students outside of the “office”.  By attending events, I have more time to interact and communicate with students on a personal level.

Katie Watkins: I serve as the Academic Counselor for the students who live in Pharmacy House – so being a part of the LC has strengthened the bond I have with the students I serve.  OSU is a big place, and being closely connected can help it feel A LOT smaller around here.  I love the students I serve.

Chris Adams: I enjoy the broad variety of student programing our students take part in.  From trips to current events discussions to service projects to intramural sports, our LC programming compliments students’ coursework and allows them to take part in activities they are most passionate about.

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