Dr. Melissa S. Shivers

Dr. Melissa Shivers has dedicated her nearly 30-year career in higher education to removing barriers to student and staff  success, serving her community and contributing to the world in ways that help to advance the health, safety and  security of others. As the Senior Vice President for Student Life at The Ohio State University, Dr. Shivers serves on the  university’s senior administration team and provides leadership and strategic oversight on matters related to the  student experience. She is proud to work alongside an extraordinary team that serves more than 60,000 Buckeyes on  six campuses throughout the state of O-H-I-O! The team’s foundational aspiration is to challenge and inspire students  and staff to take every opportunity to engage, learn and thrive throughout their time at Ohio State, and beyond. Dr.  Shivers has broad leadership responsibility for numerous university operations affecting students outside the classroom,  including the residential experience, dining services, the Ohio Union and student activities, student leadership and  service, mental health support, career development, recreational sports, health care and wellness programs, disability  services, belonging and student success strategies, off campus and commuter student engagement, the student judicial  process, student advocacy and crisis intervention. 

Before becoming a Buckeye in January 2020, Dr. Shivers was a Student Affairs leader at the University of Iowa, University  of Tennessee, Knoxville, University of Georgia, Clemson University and Georgia Southern University. Dr. Shivers has held  faculty appointments at multiple institutions and also served as a faculty member for NASPA’s Institute for Aspiring  Senior Student Affairs Officers/Vice Presidents for Student Affairs. Dr. Shivers also currently serves on multiple  dissertation committees. 

A proud first-generation college graduate and member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, Dr. Shivers holds a  BS from Georgia Southern University in Communication Arts, a Master of Education, Counseling and Guidance Services  degree from Clemson University and a Doctor of Philosophy, College Student Affairs Administration from the University  of Georgia. 

Dr. Shivers was honored as a 2024 Southern Association for College Student Affairs’(SACSA) Gavel and Gravel Society  member, a 2022 Legend and Legacy by the King Arts Complex and was selected as a 2021 Diamond Honoree by ACPA,  which is one of the highest honors bestowed by the international student affairs professional organization. Dr. Shivers is  a member of the Wellington School Board of Trustees, the YWCA of Columbus Board of Trustees, the Melvin C. Terrell  Educational Foundation Board of Directors, the King Arts Complex Board of Directors, the Campus Partners Board of  Directors, a university representative on The Ohio State University Foundation Board of Directors and member of the  Association of Public Land-grant Universities Council on Student Affairs. She was acknowledged as a 2024 Women’s  History Month honoree by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education magazine, was featured in the 2024 editions of Who’s  Who in Black Columbus and Mahogany Columbus, and has been named as one of 40 higher education leaders to follow on social media. Dr. Shivers has been honored as an honorary member of Ohio State’s chapters of SPHINX Senior Class  Honorary (2023), Tri-Alpha Honor Society (2023) and Mortar Board Senior Honor Society (2021). 

Dr. Shivers is an avid college football fan, reader, world-traveler and “Auntie-Hero” to her two favorite humans, Jhared  and Jordan.