2023 - 2024
Impact Report Changing lives and impacting our communities
THIS IMPACT REPORT highlights how lives can be forever changed by others who pay it forward. From fighting food insecurity, to raising elementary literacy levels, to building partnerships and honoring those we love, to recognizing extraordinary accomplishments and providing essential scholarships for cutting edge research, all of these are ways we positively impact lives for decades to come! Thank you for your continued support.
Dean Rose reflects on his journey at Ohio State Marion As another year nears conclusion, I find myself reflecting on the remarkable journey that has defined my tenure as the dean and director of Ohio State Marion. It has been my privilege to serve and support the students, faculty, and staff at Ohio State Marion as they fulfill the land grant mission to provide affordable and accessible education for all students and support the campus’ role in the community. The opportunity to assist a terrific team of faculty and staff is the highlight of my career. The quality of Ohio State Marion’s faculty and staff continues to rise—they are second to none. Their academic and service excellence, and their concern for the intellectual and personal growth of students, characterize this campus. Beyond the classroom, the undergraduate research opportunities our faculty provide to students have opened doors to professions of impact. We have responded to student needs by hiring retention and success staff, mental health and wellness counselors, and developing—with donor support—food pantries, “friendly fridges,” and a clothing closet. Through our culture of caring, we have enabled our students to create their own success stories, triumph over adversities, build resilience, and become the criticalthinking leaders of tomorrow. I think back on the physical structures that have come into being during my tenure as dean and director. The Student Services Building (now Maynard Hall) opened in 2005 and includes the Guthery Community Room. The construction of University Drive created a new connection between the campus and the community. In 2017, the Science and Engineering Building was opened with state-of-theart teaching labs, research labs for faculty to work with students, and collaboration spaces. Two phases of renovation to the Alber Student Center are now complete. Regular improvement of existing spaces and campus infrastructure keep facilities for students, faculty, and staff up to date and efficient. These physical structures serve as vessels in support of the education, growth, thinking, camaraderie, collaboration, and engagement that take place inside.
Our students’ success stories and facility improvements have been supported by the generosity of donors who pay it forward, inspire others to greatness, and become a lasting pillar that resonates with students for years to come. The results of collective effort by faculty, staff, and the community for Ohio State Marion strengthens our resolve to achieve excellence in all we do. I will be forever grateful for the collaborative spirit of caring that leaves an indelible mark on the hearts and minds of all who had the privilege to be part of Ohio State Marion’s extraordinary journey, including myself. I know The Ohio State University at Marion’s excellence in academics, student service, and community engagement will continue to thrive long after my departure, a testament to the enduring legacy of our beloved campus.
Dr. Greg Rose has been a staple of Ohio State Marion campus since 1982. Dean Rose will be retiring in June of 2024.
Dr. Gregory S. Rose Dean and Director The Ohio State University at Marion
To honor Dr. Greg Rose, an endowedment fund has been established to provide support for faculty and staff professional development. To contribute to this fund, contact Catherine Gerber at 740-725-6069 or email at gerber.10@osu.edu.
CAMPUS BY THE NUMBERS
79.6% Student retention rate
OHIO STATE MARION 3.0 A Five-year Strategic Plan (2019-2024)
THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY AT MARION welcomes the opportunities and challenges posed by its dual role of being an open access campus within a tier-one research university. Our hope is that successful implementation of The Ohio State Marion 3.0 Strategic Plan will increase the number of Ohioans with bachelor’s degrees, and that it will assist in bringing higher education opportunities to a broader range of citizens, not only in our traditional service areas, but throughout Ohio and beyond. In developing this plan, we identified four strategic focus areas:
EXCELLENCE IN STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND LEADERSHIP As part of our focus on student achievement and leadership, we will develop new innovative programs including a Global Education for Citizenship program, a CYE (Culminating Years Experience) Program, and a Community of Scholars program.
STUDENT FOCUSED INFRASTRUCTURE AND SERVICES Succeeding in the area of student achievement and leadership starts with a close examination of how we can provide a campus environment that is conducive to our students’ needs. To this effect, over the next five years, we plan on placing particular attention on our infrastructure and services.
DIVERSE AND INCLUSIVE CAMPUS Ohio State Marion is committed to cultivating a diverse and inclusive campus culture that empowers all of our students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community to thrive and contribute in meaningful ways to an increasingly diverse world.
SUSTAINABLE CAMPUS Ohio State Marion is committed to increasing the sustainability of campus operations and the environmental consciousness of our faculty, staff, students, and communities. Recent developments such as designing our Science and Engineering Building to be energy efficient, installing several electric vehicle charging stations, and upgrading our outdoor lighting with LEDs, are examples of this commitment.
First to second year student retention rate for Ohio State Marion is one of the best for open enrollment public colleges and universities in the state.
17:1
Student to faculty ratio Small class sizes provide engaging and interactive experiences.
$1.1 M Scholarship funds awarded annually
94.5% Financial Aid
Students who receive some form of financial aid.
+200 Majors
Begin any of Ohio State’s over 200 majors at Ohio State Marion or complete your Ohio State degree in a number of fields in Marion, including: biology, business, education, engineering technology, history, psychology, and social work.
Ohio State Marion students, faculty, and staff worked to distribute 430 boxes equal to 87,720 shelf-stable meals to Marion area agencies.
Ohio State works with regional campus and extension to address food insecurity DURING HUNGER ACTION MONTH, Marion County community organizations connected with The Ohio State University at Marion and Ohio State Extension for a food kindness event. On September 28, 2023, Marion area community
organizations came together at Ohio State Marion to celebrate kindness in the local food community. Ohio State Marion students, faculty, and staff worked to distribute 430 boxes containing 87,720 shelf-stable meals to Marion area agencies.
Campus pantry helps educate and provide access to healthy foods THE FOGLE FAMILY FARM FOOD PANTRY, located in the Alber Student Center, provides access to healthy food for all students on the Marion campus. The goal of this campus wellness project is to reduce food insecurity, promote well-being, and educate students on healthy food choices. The Food Pantry, dubbed the Scarlet Shelf by participating students, is a welcome relief to those experiencing food insecurity. This effort includes two pantry sites and three Friendly Fridges, doing more than just providing students with food. Friendly Fridges are refrigerators on campus that are stocked weekly with healthy food options that are free for the taking. Other
aspects include helping to develop independent living skills as students learn how to plan and prepare healthy meals, engaging in service learning as students organize and operate the day-to-day activities associated with running a pantry and establishing a foundational mindset about paying it forward and volunteering to serve others. The pantry is supported by the Buckeye Food Alliance. During the 2022-2023 academic year alone, there were 1,023 visits to the campus food pantries and many uses of the Friendly Fridges. This wellness project strives to meet the needs of students and elevates the importance of accessing these resources without an attached stigma of any kind.
Literacy in Marion has been a focus for a century - what Ohio State Marion students, faculty discovered PROMOTING LITERACY has been woven into the community fabric of Marion dating back more than a century, according to a joint research project by The Ohio State University at Marion, Marion Women’s Club, and Marion Public Library. Ohio State Marion faculty members Margaret Sumner (associate professor of history), Nikole Patson (associate professor of psychology), and Ben McCorkle (English professor) led a group of six students who comprised
the research team. Students Cheyenne Anderson, Stephanie Karrick, Autumn Schafer, Casey Schetter, Sydney Schryer, and Abigail Smith conducted research for the project. “We recruited a crack team from all of our different majors — English, psychology, history, and education — and worked together as a team to do research at the Marion Women’s Club,” Sumner said. “The students spent hours digging away in the archives, then interviewing some influential
Marion leaders, and also volunteering to read for the kids at the Marion Public Library. Through their research, you can see the history of Marion’s literacy promotion, the current ideas about literacy, and then, of course, Marion’s future, which is the kids at the library.”
READ MORE ON LITERACY RESEARCH AT: osumarion.osu.edu/ story/literacy
Students spearhead literacy initiative on Tallgrass Trail AT THE CLOSE OF SPRING SEMESTER, students in Ohio State Marion Associate Professor of Psychology, Dr. Nikole Patson's psychology 4554 language development, service-learning course came together with representatives from Let's Read 20, the Marion Public Library, and fellow students in Dr. Ben McCorkle's English 4569 digital and English studies course to officially launch a bilingual book walk literacy initiative at Marion's Tall Grass Trail for the people of the Marion community. READ MORE ON TALLGRASS LITERACY AT: osumarion.osu.edu/story/tallgrass-literacy
Community partnership invests in smart manufacturing for engineering students THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY AT MARION and Tri-Rivers Career Center marked a significant milestone with the debut of its state-of-the-art connected smart manufacturing (CSM) cell hosted within the manufacturing bay of the RAMTEC facility. This transformative addition, generously funded by The Ohio State University at Marion, TriRivers Career Center, and the Marion Community Foundation, represents a pivotal advancement in manufacturing education in Marion, Ohio. “It really is an example of a partnership extension. That is the best part of partnerships. You start small and then you keep building. The Marion Community Foundation was willing to join the partnership to help us pay for the shared equipment. It is a terrific example of how a collaboration can evolve,” Dr. Greg Rose said.
This is the next step in a partnership that started a couple years ago when we first established the Bachelor of Science in Engineering Technology (BSET) program, and we needed some equipment and laboratory facilities that Tri-Rivers had available. So, we started a partnership on that level. As the BSET curriculum was built out, we needed this piece of equipment. Tri-Rivers had a grant for part of the full machine. We had more conversation about how we might join forces, and here it is”. - Dr. Gregory S. Rose, Dean and Director, The Ohio State University at Marion
Greg Swepston Gymnasium campaign A FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN is underway to name the gymnasium on Ohio State Marion’s campus after Greg Swepston. His family, friends, colleagues, and former students are joining together to help fund this muchneeded renovation of the Alber Student Center Gymnasium. Renovations include refinishing the floor, replacing the lighting and acoustical panels, replacing the door on the southwest side, adding a window on the north side, and painting the walls and ceiling. Greg Swepston was one of the most genuine, caring, and inspiring men you could ever meet. Born in Columbus, Ohio, he graduated from Aquinas College High School. He was a proud graduate of The Ohio State University where he excelled as an athlete on the freshman Ohio State baseball team. During his long and distinguished career with the Marion City Schools, Swepston served in several roles. A wonderful husband, father, teacher, coach, administrator, and friend, he will always be remembered as someone who loved Marion, The Ohio State University and Ohio State sports. He touched the lives of so many in the Marion community by helping young people become productive citizens of Marion and Marion County. Fundraising kicked off in July 2022; pledges can span a period of up to five years.
TO DONATE: giveto.osu.edu/makeagift/ details/317597
We have currently raised $160K of the $250K goal.
Students award 4k in community grants THROUGH A PARTNERSHIP with the United Way of North Central Ohio, students in Senior Lecturer Amy Tibbals's English 2367.01S service-learning course awarded $4,000 in grants to three Marion area non-profit organizations. At a ceremony on campus, the class awarded $1,700 to the Heart of Ohio Homeless Shelter, $1,150 to Marion Mentors, and $1,150 to the Buckeye Food Alliance.
READ MORE ON PAY IT FORWARD AT: osumarion.osu.edu/story/ payitforward
Foster Family Scholarship supports education undergrads THE FOSTER FAMILY SCHOLARSHIP for primary education provides support to third and fourth-year Ohio State undergraduates studying primary education or equivalent at one of Ohio State’s regional campuses in Marion, Lima, Mansfield, or Newark. Izabella Pinardi is a primary education major at The Ohio State University at Marion and a recipient of the Foster Family Scholarship for the 2023-24 academic year. This is what she had to say about this gift. “I am a first-generation college student and couldn’t have been happier with my choice to attend The Ohio State University at Marion! Before switching my major to education,
I had the honor of working with Dr. Nikole Patson on one of her research studies and became a teacher’s assistant for Dr. Brian Lower so I could learn more about the role of being an educator. I joined the Women’s Club in Marion and was able to work alongside Dr. Margaret Sumner, and started the “PALS” program where I mentored a first grader in a local school. This began my love for working with kids and I switched my major from psychology to early childhood education. I continued seeing my mentee from the PALS program until the end of her fourth-grade year and still get to see her sometimes through the Boys and Girls Club. Once I graduate next year, I hope to continue working at the Boys and Girls Club in my current location
and start subbing in between my shifts. I want to work at River Valley Heritage once I graduate, but I am willing to move closer to Columbus to find a teaching job there! Thank you so much for the generosity of your scholarship. It has helped me greatly and made me feel more secure with next semester’s tuition and rent. I have been living on my own since 2019 when I moved to Marion for college. I work multiple jobs to pay tuition, so this scholarship has helped me more than you know.”
Bowman inducted into Ohio State Marion Alumni Hall of Fame First generation student dedicated her life to advocating for woman and the environment. THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY AT MARION inducted alumna and former staff member Carol (Marker) Bowman into the Alumni Hall of Fame during an official ceremony, November 2, 5:30 p.m. in Maynard Hall’s Guthery Community Room on campus. The Ohio State University at Marion Alumni Hall of Fame honors outstanding alumni who have contributed significantly to their professions and/or communities. The nominee should be an advocate for the university and achieved distinction in their field and/or for making a difference in the lives of others through outstanding professional, personal or community contributions. Throughout her storied career at Ohio State Marion, Bowman dedicated herself to several non-profit agencies and causes such as Critical Difference for Women, Life Care Alliance Meals on Wheels program, National
Association of Scientific Managers, and Friends of the Prairie Parks. Bowman championed these causes because of her passion for The Ohio State University’s mission and her love of the Marion community. Her 2023 induction into The Ohio State University at Marion Alumni Hall of Fame serves as a recognition of a lifetime of accomplishments and service as a Buckeye. READ CAROL’S STORY AT: osumarion.osu.edu/story/ bowman-alum
Gibson earns Pelotonia scholarship for work with cancer suppression gene OHIO STATE SENIOR neuroscience major Louis Gibson was recently named a Pelotonia Undergraduate Scholar by The James Comprehensive Cancer Center at Ohio State. The award is the sixth such honor since 2018 for Ohio State students working with Ohio State Marion faculty mentors. The Pelotonia Undergraduate Scholars Program provides a one-year research award to the best and
brightest Ohio State University undergraduate students who want to help cure cancer. The scholarship pays Gibson $12,000-$14,000 through the upcoming academic year to continue his research. READ MORE AT: osumarion.osu.edu/story/ cancer-mutationgene
Five Nights continues to connect the community and the arts on campus FIVE NIGHTS ON CAMPUS is a performing arts series designed specifically for the residents of the seven-county regional service area of Ohio State Marion and is intended to complement the other entertainment opportunities available in the area. This series features a variety of performance styles from traditional Irish folk music to the big band era, from Broadway to traditional choral, and even historical performance narrative, with an opportunity for the audience to meet with artists at a reception at the end of each evening. The mission of Five Nights on Campus is to provide exceptional and diverse cultural and educational opportunities and to encourage the community to be a part of campus life. Special thanks to our 2023-24 sponsors: Baldauf Construction, Marion Technical College, Poet, Stifel, UniPrint, and Whirlpool Corporation. FOR MORE INFORMATION on Five Nights on Campus performances, visit: go.osu.edu/fivenights
REMAINING PERFORMANCES
Ryanhood
Violet Bell
Henhouse Prowlers
Thursday, March 14, 2024, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, April 11, 2024, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, May 9, 2024, 7:30 p.m.
Ryanhood was named ‘Best Group/ Duo’ in the International Acoustic Music Awards, acoustic-duo.
Violet Bell weaves original Americana from folk, soul, and bluegrass music.
While bluegrass is the undeniable foundation of the Prowlers music, the band manages to bend and squeeze the traditional form into a sound all their own.
To learn more about giving opportunities or ways you can contribute to Ohio State Marion, contact:
CATHERINE GERBER Director of Development & Community Relations 1465 Mount Vernon Avenue, Marion, OH 43302 740-725-6069 | gerber.10@osu.edu go.osu.edu/mariongiving