Alumni Spotlight
Rachel (Peters) Jordan
International Relations | Class of 2012
Rachel Jordan has made a name for herself across the event planning business - but that was not always the goal. Majoring in International Relations, the 2012 Shawnee State graduate found her love of traveling when she studied abroad in Morocco while at SSU. Having traveled to over 25 countries, Jordan has enjoyed learning how to connect with others culturally through their events.
Jordan currently works as an Event Manager for Red Hat - an enterprise software company - as well as works in independent event planning. Previously working as an Event Coordinator at EPIC Games, Jordan began to get involved with planning events based around video games launches and conferences. She has coordinated events such as the upcoming East Coast Gaming Conference (ECGC), which is frequently attended by Shawnee State alumni, current students, and faculty each spring. In addition to her work with ECGC, she has worked around other gaming conferences such as E3 and GameCon, as well as working with the popular video game FortNite to promote the game's launch through multiple events.
While at Shawnee State, Jordan was involved on campus with many Student Life events, including as a Resident Assistant and an Orientation Leader. Still staying in contact with many connections she made on campus, Jordan resides in Raleigh, North Carolina with her husband, Sean, whom she met on campus.
"I gained a lot of experience by being involved in the day to day activities across campus," said Jordan. "Those skills I gained on campus, helped me to become successful later when I began my career."
Interested in the East Coast Gaming Conference? The Alumni Association will be hosting an Alumni Social at this year's ECGC on Monday, April 15 beginning at 7 p.m. Register to attend for free by emailing alumni@shawnee.edu.
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Faculty Spotlight
Mikel Stone, OTD, OTR/L ('08) | Masters of Occupational Therapy
Assistant Professor & Clinical Coordinator, Masters of Occupational Therapy
Coming from a family full of Occupational Therapists and Occupational Therapy Assistants, Mikel Stone is no stranger to the field. Stone received her Occupational Therapy Assistant degree from Shawnee State University in 1992 and began to work in the field before returning to the university to receive her master's degree in SSU's first Master's of Occupational Therapy class in 2008.
"Occupational Therapy is a great profession for those people who want to learn how to help people become successful in their daily lives," said Stone. "OTs become very invested in the lives of their clients and it's a very diverse system to work in, with many different career opportunities."
In the field, Stone worked in a number of areas including early intervention, long-term care, aquatic therapy, school-based therapy, and counseling and recovery. In 2010, Stone became an Adjunct Professor at the university before becoming a full-time faculty member in 2016.
"Both times I attended Shawnee State as a student, I received great mentorship," said Stone. "My goal as a professor is to make sure I'm providing the same mentorship and support to my students as I received."
Shawnee State's Occupational Therapy programs are some of the most in-demand programs on campus - offering Occupational Therapy Assistant, a 3+2 Bachelor's to Master's, and the Master of Occupational Therapy. Learn more by visiting shawnee.edu.
"I really hope I am able to share my love of this profession with my students," said Stone. "OTs are life-long learners and if students understand that, then their success will be that much more."
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Event Recap
Hall of Fame Weekend | February 2019
The annual SSU Hall of Fame Weekend was held in early February, inducting three Hall of Fame athletes - Tyler Morgan (Men's Basketball), Tiffany Shanks-Moore (Softball, Soccer), and Heather Koehler-Downing (Volleyball) at the Hall of Fame Banquet. The banquet also recognized Yvonne Bowman with the Ralph Kavanaugh Award for her commitment to the Golden Bears program and her community service throughout Scioto County.
The night concluded with an Alumni Social following the Hall of Fame Banquet for all alumni and friends of the university to gather together at Port City Pub.
The following day SSU continued its celebration with the second annual Students vs. Staff Basketball Game in which the Staff Team was victorious for a second year in a row with the help of some All-Stars - alumni from the Men's Basketball team. The 2019 Hall of Fame Class was then recognized during half-time of the Women's Basketball games against Campbellsville University, followed by the Men's Game.
The weekend wrapped up with the annual Women's Basketball Alumni Game for previous team athletes to take the court together once again. View more photos from Hall of Fame Weekend on the SSU Athletics Facebook Page.
Columbus Blue Jackets Night | March 2019
In March, alumni and friends of the university gathered at Shawnee State Night at the Columbus Blue Jackets. The event, hosted by the SSU Alumni Association, allowed Shawnee State supporters to mingle in a pre-game social before the Blue Jackets took on the Carolina Hurricanes, winning 3-0.
Learn more about upcoming events hosted by the Alumni Association by following the SSU Alumni Facebook Page.
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Shawnee Fund Spotlight
The Shawnee Experience | SSUDF Grant Award
Earlier this year, the Office of Admissions hosted The Shawnee Experience - an over-night camp for high school juniors and seniors to immerse themselves in the college environment at Shawnee State University.
Students had the opportunity to meet current SSU Bears, learn about the admissions process, tour campus, play video games in the new Game Engineering labs on campus, and stay in campus housing. The next day, the students participated in Shawnee Showcase Day to learn more about majors they may be interested in and then follow it up with attending the Men's and Women's Basketball games against Georgetown College.
The Shawnee Experience was supported by the SSU Development Foundation's Grants Program. Learn more about the program by visiting www.givetossu.com/grants.
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Upcoming Events
Spring Bear Run | April 27, 2019
The annual Spring Bear Run is set for Saturday, April 27. The 5K race has been held on SSU's campus since the fall of 1995, bringing together SSU students, alumni, faculty, staff, Golden Bears, and community members to run and walk the race together. This year's event will begin at 9 a.m. with the starting point located on 3rd Street behind the Vern Riffe Center for the Arts. Register to attend today by visiting www.shawnee.edu/bear-run.
President's Gala | April 27, 2019
The annual Shawnee State President's Gala will be held later this month on Saturday, April 27. The event is an opportunity for alumni, faculty, staff, SSU leadership, supporters, and community businesses to gather together to support the education of our region.
This year, the event will benefit the SSU Development Foundation Grants Program - a program awarding bi-annual campus grants to those projects that impact retention, recruitment, student programming, green initiatives, research, and more. Also this year, the Alumni Association will be presenting the 2019 Alumni Awards during the event to those distinguished individuals. Learn more about this year's event and make your reservation by visiting www.givetossu.com/gala.
Chillicothe Paints Night | June 21, 2019
Join the SSU Alumni Association for Shawnee State Night at the Chillicothe Paints on Friday, June 21, 2019. The association will be hosting a Pre-Game Party & Cookout before the game starting at 6 p.m. before the first pitch at 7:05 p.m. The Paints will be taking on Terre Haute REX.
The Alumni Association is giving away 100 FREE tickets to SSU Alumni - email alumni@shawnee.edu for more information. Tickets may be purchased for $12 that includes admission to the Game and the Pre-Game Cookout. Tickets for Game Only maybe purchased for $6. Tickets are available for purchase online at bit.ly/ssu-paints-19. We look forward to seeing you there!
Homecoming, Alumni & Family Weekend | October 11 & 12, 2019
The annual Homecoming, Alumni & Family Weekend will be held October 11 & 12, 2019 on Shawnee State University's campus. Save the Date and regularly check the Homecoming website at www.ssuhomecoming.com as more events are added in the coming months.
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Campus Spotlight
Online Programs
This year, Shawnee State University launched its Online Campus - offering completely online degree programs for undergraduate and graduate students. The programs allow those students interested in continuing their education the opportunity to take courses without having to commit to a set class schedule. Currently, the campus offers four online programs:
Bachelor of Science in Health Science
RN to BSN
Master of Education in Curriculum & Instruction
Master of Science in Mathematics
The first cohort of online students have already enrolled in classes this semester. The online programs offer six start dates throughout the year, with the next set of courses beginning May 18. The university already has plans to continue adding online programs in the coming year as it expands its offerings. To learn more about Shawnee State's Online Campus, visit online.shawnee.edu or call (855) 815.0323.
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