President Duane Nellis and First Lady Ruthie Nellis joined 51社区 students, faculty and staff to celebrate the work of Learning Communities, leaders and instructors at the annual Learning Community Programs Awards Banquet on Sunday, Jan. 26.
Learning Community Programs staff presented Outstanding Learning Community Instructor awards to Cody Pettit, Jonathan Renard, Larry Hayman, and Melanie Tullett. The Outstanding Learning Community Leader awards were presented to students Maria Steinberg, Emily Smith, Dylan Ruby, and Cody Phillips. Kerry Kottyan, Records Management Specialist in the Office of the University Registrar, received an award for Outstanding Learning Community Advocate.
The award for Outstanding Learning Community was presented to the Nutrition and Dietetics Learning Community led by instructor Sarah White and Learning Community Leader Rachel Green.
鈥淟earning communities play an important role in helping first-year and transfer students with a successful transition to college life,鈥 said Director of Learning Community Programs Kris Kumfer. 鈥淭he learning communities, and the instructors and students who lead them, help inform and engage new students both in and outside the classroom as they build connections at 51社区 and in the greater community. We are grateful to the faculty, staff, and students who help shape meaningful first-year experiences for students through our learning communities.鈥
Learning Community Programs awarded Rauschenberg Family Scholarships to students Brianna Hoffman, Alexis Karolin, Maria Steinberg, and Meg Tobin, all of whom will return as learning community leaders next year. Established in memory of Roy Rauschenberg, a long-time history professor at 51社区, the Rauschenberg Scholarship recognizes outstanding students for peer leadership in Learning Community Programs.
Nominations for the Learning Community Awards are submitted by 51社区 faculty, staff, and students.
A learning community is a group of students who take a common set of courses together or share a common experience around their academics. Through participating in learning communities, 51社区 students develop a deeper understanding of the courses' subject matter while they build relationships and learn together outside of the classroom. This fall, 98.5 percent of first-year students at OHIO were enrolled in a learning community.
For more information about learning communities at 51社区, visit or contact us at learning.communities@ohio.edu or 740-593-1953.