Student Growth & Development

The academic program is complemented by co-curricular programs that contribute to the education of the whole person and prepare OWU graduates for leadership in their professional lives and satisfaction in their personal lives. We will substantially enhance our investment in these programs and their prominence in the OWU experience. Additionally, we will invest in programs that create a vigorous, close-knit community and foster learning in all aspects of life at OWU. Collectively, these initiatives will increase students’ success, assist them in discovering their passions, and help them achieve their aspirations. An important by-product of these initiatives will be a substantial increase in retention and graduation rates.

Residential Life

Ohio Wesleyan understands that residential facilities and the common experience of residential life are essential components of the educational experience and of building community at OWU. We will invest significantly in residential life, both in facilities and in programming, to enhance the development of our students as whole persons and to build a close-knit community on our campus.

Specific objectives include:

• Increase on-campus residency to nearly 100 percent
• Develop and implement in all residential facilities a philosophy of learning communities that invite exploration of a variety of common interests
• Enhance Greek life with clear understandings and expectations of mission, program, and accountability
• Develop a full range of progressively independent living opportunities for OWU students, including traditional residence halls, small living units and Greek houses, small learning communities in existing facilities, construction of apartments and town houses for upper-level students, and possible acquisition of neighboring property to serve as campus-based, independent housing
• Resource and staff key support services for students in all aspects of a residential campus, leading to a lively sense of community on campus

Retention

We will develop programs that assist students in their transition to Ohio Wesleyan University and in their academic and social development in ways that connect them more strongly with the OWU community. These transition experiences will provide early opportunities for students to connect theory and practice and for students to begin developing plans for meaningful off-campus learning later in their OWU experience.

Specific objectives include:

• Enhance new student orientation and extend orientation through first semester
• Enhance first-year residential experience
• Improve freshman-to-sophomore retention
• Increase faculty involvement in orientation and the first-year experience

Community & Tradition

Ohio Wesleyan University has a proud heritage that is rich in traditions. These traditions, combined with intentional programming, create a dynamic campus community where students, faculty, and staff share a common mission that engages the life of the mind, enriches interaction among members of the community, and leads to meaningful engagement and service in the world beyond the campus. The University seeks to create a more close-knit campus community.

Specific objectives include:

• Create annual signature events that bring together the entire OWU community
• Develop high-profile lectures and event series that attract speakers and events of wide interest to the entire campus
• Provide resources to encourage faculty and staff to host informal gatherings of students in venues outside the traditional academic setting
• Develop initiatives that build on the longstanding presence of a strong community of international students on campus

Engagement & Discernment

Recognizing our commitment to an education that cultivates leadership set in the context of values, we will create greater opportunities for students to develop leadership and organizational skills, to take on responsibilities in student organizations, to engage in constructive community dialogue, and to discern their vocational directions, their spiritual journeys, and their political commitments in life.

Specific objectives include:

• Increase leadership development programs for students through WCSA, Greek life, student organizations, and mentoring opportunities with campus administrators and off-campus leaders
• Continue the program initiated by the Lilly Endowment by funding a vocations initiative and enhancing programs in volunteer service in the Chaplain’s Office
• Achieve classification by the Carnegie Foundation as an “Institution of Community Engagement”
• Work with the faculty and the Provost’s office to support development of courses that include service learning and/or internships

Health & Well-Being

Our educational mission includes encouraging all members of the OWU community to develop healthy lifestyles, including physical disciplines and ongoing participation in wellness programs. We will develop services and programming that promote the physical and mental well-being of students.

Specific objectives include:

• Develop an atmosphere of safety and well-being for all members of the OWU community
• Construct a recreation center on the residential campus
• Resource and expand FitOWU
• Develop a full recreation and wellness program
• Continue and enrich the strong tradition of intercollegiate athletics at OWU
• Create a culture of responsibility that challenges students to address public health concerns, such as diet/obesity, the danger of tobacco, and excessive use of alcohol
• Resource and staff intramural, recreational and club programs

Advising

Academic advisors support students through one-on-one counseling and by referring students to professional staff who specialize in addressing particular student needs. New OWU curricular plan will require a substantial investment in advising. Faculty and administrators will assist students in tailoring individual experiences that allow them to connect theory and practice, both on campus and beyond.

Specific objectives include:

• Provide ongoing training and professional development for advisors
• Create a peer advising system
• Create closer links between academic advisors and student affairs professionals
• Develop technology as an important tool in advising