Ohio U is recruiting top students for a leadership society

At his first ever President’s Convocation, new Ohio University President Duane Nellis announced that he’s looking for a certain kind of student.[dropcap txtcolor="#214885"]I[/dropcap]f you have a 3.0 GPA or higher, are a full-time student at Ohio U and have been for at least two semesters, President Duane Nellis is looking for you. He used his President’s Convocation speech Sunday as a chance to introduce a new student group called the Presidential Leadership Society. Those selected for the group will work alongside Nellis and serve as representatives for Ohio U at various presidential and university events.[AdSense-A]“I have a lot of plans for the coming years, and I need a strong group of students to help me advance our university to even higher levels of distinction, and that’s the purpose of the Presidential Leadership Society,” Nellis said.https://twitter.com/OHIOPrezOffice/status/901903624896434176Nellis has previously emphasized his commitment to listening to students and other university community members, and he reiterated that priority as he explained the new initiative. “I believe in shared governance, and the student perspective is an important voice that I want to hear over and over again,” he said. “Even if you’re not part of that (group), I want to hear your voices.”The students in Nellis’ society will represent Ohio U as official hosts at events during inauguration week, homecoming, commencement and in the President’s Suite at home football games. They will also receive professional development training and will help recruit and mentor high-achieving undergraduate students.Applications for the group are open until Sept. 8. None of the questions ask about applicants’ gender or race, but they do request a major and expected graduation date. One short answer question stresses that a major part of the role will be making connections.“This place is different; it’s unique in so many ways,” Nellis said. “A different part of the country, a different culture, a different story...In order to be an effective leader and determine our proper path forward, I knew firsthand that I had to  understand and discover for myself what it means to be a member of the Bobcat family.”