As students moved to Athens this fall, Ohio University's Office of Nationally Competitive Awards was also making a move - relocating its offices from the Honors Tutorial College house on Park Place to the Faculty Commons on the third floor of Alden Library.
The office moved because of space issues in the previous location coupled with encouragement from the provost's office to relocate to the Faculty Commons, said Irene Weigley, an administrative associate with the
office.
The relocation will allow the office to work in close proximity with the Fulbright Student Program, which also moved to the Faculty Commons this year.
We have very complimentary goals in that both I and the people in ONCA strive to help Ohio University students gain fantastic opportunity through national and international award programs
said Beth Clodfelter, OU's director of the Fulbright U.S. Student Program.
The Fulbright program's aim is to locate research and projects in the creative or performing arts as well as teach English in a foreign language in different parts of the world.
The Fulbright program has come under the HTC but it is still a separate program Weigley said. There was no room to house the Fulbright and the ONCA (at the HTC house). Though they (Fulbright) have also come under the HTC there are different reporting lines. We work side by side with them with the students.
Administrators feared that having the office located inside the HTC house could dissuade some students from utilizing its services.
It might seem as though (ONCA) might just be for the Honors Tutorial College
but that is not true because we work with students of all the colleges
Weigley said.
The relocation to Alden may not be the office's last move, Weigley said, adding that the office could move again to gain more presence on campus.
The office also underwent a leadership shift this year when former director Ann Brown retired in late May. This year, the office is overseen by Brandon Bute.
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Olivia Arbogast
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Brandon Bute (center), Director of the Office of Nationally Competitive Awards (ONCA), talks to sophomores Kira Brown (right) and Greg Scott at an informational meeting about the Udall Scholarship yesterday. ONCA was recently moved to the Faculty Commons on the third floor of Alden Library. (Alex Stein | Picture Editor)
