Ohio State hosts conference on Living-Learning Programs

COLUMBUS – Approximately 400 people from the United States, Canada and Mexico expected to attend a conference on Living-Learning Programs hosted by The Ohio State University.

The conference, which runs from Sunday (11/17) through Tuesday (11/19) at the Fawcett Center, 2400 Olentangy River Road, will focus on the residential environments that group students based on their areas of focus, whether that be life skills, academic, career or cultural.

The conference is sponsored by the American Association of Higher Education and the Association of College and University Housing Officers – International.

Ron Kochendoerfer, director of residence education for Ohio State’s Office of Student Affairs, said Living-Learning Programs combine the missions of academic affairs and student affairs.

“The programs really engage students and provide them with opportunities to get involved on campus,” Kochendoerfer said. “These programs also provide a great vehicle for both students and faculty to get involved in the campus.”

This year, U.S. News and World Report rated Ohio State’s Living-Learning Programs 18th in the nation. Ohio State has 43 programs with approximately 5,500 undergraduate students enrolled.

Featured speakers at the conference are Nancy Shapiro, associate vice chancellor for Academic Affairs at the University System of Maryland, who will speak at 1 p.m. Sunday, and Thomas Curley, president and publisher of USA Today, who will speak at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday.

Shapiro is the founding director of the College Park Scholars Program at Maryland. She developed the university’s first interdisciplinary Living-Learning Programs and currently serves as a Fellow of the National Learning Communities Project.

Curley, who became the newspaper’s sixth president in 1986 and added the title of publisher in 1991, will discuss characteristics companies look for when hiring recent graduates.

Brian Orefice, program coordinator for the university’s Honors & Scholars Center and chair of the conference program committee, said it is important for practitioners from academic affairs and student affairs to share ideas on the programs.

“The conference is Ohio State’s opportunity to show what we have been doing and how it has benefited students,” Orefice said. “This is also our chance to learn from other universities.”

Orefice said topics of breakout sessions were submitted by conference participants. With more than 62 programs offered, he said the conference should offer something for everyone attending.

“We tried to give information that participants can apply to their campus,” he said. “We are also giving them an opportunity to see the facilities on campus and how the programs work.”

Kathy Krajnak is the program coordinator for the Mount Leadership Society, which is a Living-Learning Program that includes Scholars students who share an interest in leadership and service. She says the students in the programs serve as motivators for each other.

“The students have a much stronger bond because they live in a residence hall together,” Krajnak said. “Our program is built on dedication and service. Having a common interest is a benefit because everyone shares it. Then it makes it easier to build a stronger community.”

For more information on the conference, see: http://www.osuhousing.com/conference/.