Campus has been abuzz with activity, and it’s been so exciting to experience the energy of once again having students on campus. It’s a bit of an adjustment for all of us to be back in the classroom and interacting with students given we’ve been largely remote for 15 months. I think we are slowly getting adjusted and the School is managing to function effectively within the University safety guidelines. We have had some faculty, staff and students impacted by COVID in one form or another, but the community is doing a nice job of supporting one another and we are adapting as we need to. Field courses are getting into the field, labs and lectures are happening close to normal, and student activities are happening.
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I want to share a couple items with you all today. First, I want to report that our most recent employment placement data for students graduating in Autumn of 2019 or Spring of 2020 is available. Some of you might be interested in where our graduates are finding jobs. There were over 90 unique employers identified, with Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks (N=6) and Ohio EPA (N=5) being the leading employers. Students relied heavily on the career fair, internships, or networking to find their positions. We appreciate the role our alumni play in helping us launch these students into the workforce. If you are looking for talent and/or would like to know how you could work with our career services team to meet your needs, please contact Lucia Hadella (Hadella.1@osu.edu), the SENR career development coordinator.
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I also want to share that retired SENR faculty and staff recently passed away. Robert “Bob” Roth passed away on September 3, John “Jack” Vimmerstedt passed earlier this month and Patricia Polczynski passed on September 6.
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Bob worked for Ohio State from 1969 to 2001 and served as an acting director and associate director during that time. I crossed paths with Bob on many occasions. He always had wonderful energy and it was so fun to hear his stories about his times at Ohio State and his work related to environmental education. I feel blessed to have known him.
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Unfortunately, my paths never crossed with Jack or Pat’s, but I am sure many of yours may have. Jack was a forestry faculty stationed on our Wooster campus from 1963 to 1995. Jack was recognized in 2014 as an inductee to the Forest of Honor at Zaleski State Forest for his outstanding forestry leadership by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. During her tenure with the school Pat worked alongside and supported many of our faculty and staff in the school and welcomed many hundreds of students to our School of Environment and Natural Resources.
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There has been so much loss this last year and a half, but let’s fondly remember all those who have departed and be grateful for how they have touched us.
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Best wishes for a safe and healthy fall.
Jeff Sharp
Director
School of Environment and Natural Resources
The Ohio State University
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