Year of Champions
From left to right (top): Katie Stanutz, Chila Thomas, Jamie White, Stephen John Quaye
From left to right (bottom): Beth Black, Chris Manion, Jonathan Baker, Donna Hight
In 2024, the Student Success Research Lab launched its Student Success Champions series and featured eight champions: staff and faculty from across Ohio State units and campuses who exemplify dedication and passion for supporting student success. These champions effect change at Ohio State through connection and collaboration: they connect people and ideas across departments and campuses, amplify student voice, and collaborate with community partners. And throughout, they keep grounded in their work by building their own relationships with individual students. These connections to students, to fellow faculty and staff, and to other partners are vital to creating an atmosphere of trust and respect which is foundational to enacting change.
Connecting Departments and Campuses
All our champions point out that fostering relationships across departments or campuses is critical to their work. For example, STEM student success program manager Katie Stanutz kicked off her new role through a “Great Department Tour,” where the former English advisor established an understanding and connection with other disciplines, explored current successes and challenges, and identified concrete ways to leverage resources and practices to help address those challenges. Beth Black’s work as an undergraduate engagement librarian goes far beyond helping students who visit the library: she works closely with units across the university to share expertise in information literacy and metacognition, and to embed these practices into faculty teaching. Jamie White, director of retention and student success initiatives at Ohio State Newark, continuously shares knowledge and learning with counterparts at other campuses, and notes that those collaborations with colleagues across the university are key to removing systemic barriers to student success.
Amplifying Student Voices
Students are the best source of information about their own needs, challenges, and potential solutions to those challenges; but too often, their voices are silent or go unheard. Providing opportunities for students and faculty to interact in meaningful and authentic ways can help amplify student voices. For example, when Stephen John Quaye served as the program chair for the Higher Education and Student Affairs graduate program, he created student liaison positions to give students the opportunity to contribute to monthly faculty meetings, which improved connections, relationships, and the program itself. Similarly, Chris Manion, writing across the curriculum coordinator in the Center for the Study and Teaching of Writing, started the Writing Associates Program, in which undergraduate students serve as consultants and partners to instructors of writing-intensive courses. Jonathan Baker, director of the newly-established Amgen STEM Learning Center, explains that the center “serves as a gap filler between the instructor and the student,” providing services to both in ways that bring the two closer together.
Creating Community Partnerships
Establishing community relationships can also be a critical tool for supporting student success. For example, Donna Hight, assistant dean of student success at Ohio State Mansfield, and her team have built 19 partnerships with community agencies, including food pantries and disabilities resources. These vital supports help ensure students’ basic needs are met, allowing them to focus more fully on their studies. As the executive director of the Young Scholars Program, Chila Thomas works with nine urban public-school districts to lay the groundwork for lifelong change for students and their communities. Post-graduation, these students often stay in their communities, continuing “paying it forward” through their work in a wide variety of roles ranging from social worker to local business owner.
“We're here to help!”
Many of this year’s champions pointed out the university has many resources readily available to students, but students may be unaware of them, or hesitant to ask for help. A common refrain from the champions was: “Just ask for help!” In order to avoid placing the onus on students to ask for help alone, however, these champions have not only worked to create resources in the first place, but have also continued to implement new ways to provide student access and connection to these resources.
This past year, several champions celebrated major milestones – Chila Thomas with the 35th anniversary of the Young Scholars Program, Jonathan Baker with the opening of the STEM Gateway Learning Center, Donna Hight with 20 years at OSU, and more. Across the board, they are excited to continue connecting with students and pursuing additional avenues to improve student success.
To learn more about each champion’s work, follow the links below. It is thanks to these champions, and many more across the university, that Ohio State continues to heighten its strong levels of student success. In 2025, we look forward to featuring more Student Success Champions from many other units! If you would like to bring a champion to our attention, feel free to contact us at ssrl@osu.edu.
Champions
Katie Stanutz - STEM Student Success Program Manager
“Working with them was one of the biggest privileges of my entire career, getting to mentor those students.”
Chila Thomas - Executive Director of the Young Scholars Program
“Don’t be afraid to ask questions.”
Jamie White - Director of Retention and Student Success Initiatives
“I continue to connect with students. It allows me the opportunity to really stay grounded in my work.”
Stephen John Quaye - Associate Dean for Excellence in Graduate and Postdoctoral Training
“Work within your circles or your spheres of influence to prevent feeling overwhelmed when you're trying to change something so massive.”
Beth Black - Undergraduate Engagement Librarian
“Often, I see students who get really discouraged when things don't come quickly, or they have those negative emotions around learning. And it's normal. It's part of the process.”
Chris Manion - Writing Across the Curriculum Coordinator
“Everyone brings valuable knowledge and experience to their writing.”
Jonathan Baker - Director of the STEM Gateway Learning Center
“Math is too often a conversation killer.”
Donna Hight - Assistant Dean of Student Success
“I am still here 20 years later, because I really love the students on this campus, and what we do for them.”