The Ohio State University at Mansfield
EN-9: Staff Professional Development

The Environmental Professionals Network (EPN), launched in 2012 by the School of Environment and Natural Resources, is an outreach network for Ohio State faculty, staff, and students to connect with others who share their passion for the environment and natural resources. This program offers many opportunities for its 1,900 online participants in Ohio and beyond to become engaged in 26 topic areas covering all aspects of the environment. The online portion supports networking with other professionals, information sharing, job boards, and much more. In person, there are opportunities to attend events where members can find like-minded peers to discuss numerous topics, including air quality, energy, sustainability, and wildlife. The College of Nursing offers modules about each of the nine dimensions of wellness. The environmental module offers insight to Ohio State’s goals in sustainability and opportunities for faculty and staff to make a difference in their local communities. The environmental wellness pledge calls upon the participant to achieve at least one sustainable action in the four weeks following completion of the module.

All staff are encouraged to take responsibility for their own professional development at Ohio State. This university is filled with resources that can help you thrive as an employee. Whether you prefer in-person or self-directed learning, there are many opportunities. Employees and managers continue to upgrade skills and talents based on the need of their department. The current budget allows for training opportunity for those individuals desiring to update their skills. We rank level of importance of topics based on employee surveys. We provide lunch and have learning sessions based on interest level for all employees. Certifications are updated based on departmental requirements. Human Resources collaborate on orientation and ongoing development opportunities for staff. We provide lunch and hold seminars over the course of a year that address such issues as retirement, heart health risk, roles and responsibilities of managing staff, the art of hosting, Sean Delany culture work, performance development, and financial planning. http://hr.osu.edu/ole/StaffTraining.aspx. http://hr.osu.edu/ole/AcademicLeaderDevelopment.aspx http://hr.osu.edu/ole/SelfDirectedLearning.aspx.