July 10, 2025 • 10 mins
Jennifer Schlueter, the new Dean & Director of The Ohio State University at Marion, joined the show to introduce herself, talk about the Marion Community and what's on the horizon at OSUM.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Joining me on the phone today is the new dean
and director of the Ohio State University at Marion. Her
name is Jennifer Schleader. Jen Welcome to the show. How
are you.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Thanks? It's great to be here.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
You know what. I want to talk a little bit
about Ohio State, Ohio State Marion, and you coming here
as the dean and director. So first of all, why
don't you tell us a little bit about yourself and
how you got here today?
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Sure?
Speaker 3 (00:26):
Well, I am a Buckeye three times over.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
I think that's the best way to start.
Speaker 3 (00:29):
Even though I did not grow up in the state
of Ohio, So I grew up in Saint Louis and
I got my graduate degree at Ohio State in Columbus
in theater. I'm a playwright and a director by trade,
and so I was out in the world making plays
and living that life. And I after I got my
graduate degree, I went into higher education. I started teaching.
(00:52):
I taught at the University of Oregon for a while,
so the duck's not the bucks. I was out there
for a minute, and then Ohio State and Columbus brought
me back where I was on faculty there for a
chunk of time. Where I did some teaching, and I
also moved in to hire an admin. At that point
in time. You know, I'm a very committed teacher. I
(01:12):
love being in the classroom, but what I started to
realize was the place where you could make it possible
for great teachers to do great things is to have
really savvy administrators. And that's what I started to want
to do to sort of set the stage, so to speak,
for other folks. And so I moved from Ohio State
as a faculty member to Columbus College of Art and
Design for a little bit where I was their Dina
(01:34):
grad studies, leading out a bunch of different kinds of
new programs. And then I went to the New School
in New York City and it was from there that
I saw this opportunity here in Marion, and I thought,
that's what I want. I want to continue to support
and serve Ohio State, which made so much difference for me,
but also to do the work that I know how
(01:55):
to do as a leader in a place that is
more the scale of a Columbus College of Art and Design,
a smaller part of the bigger Ohio State University structure,
and in a town like Marion, where I got my
undergraduate degree in Kirkswell, Missouri at a small state school,
and my teachers changed my life, and I wanted to
(02:18):
be part of what that could mean here in Marion.
So this is my third pass at being a Buckeye.
I think this one's going to stick.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
I love it. What a great story. So obviously you're
new to being around the Marion area, So what are
your first thoughts about Ohio State University at Marion campus,
campus life, things like that that's going on at OSUM.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (02:42):
I mean, here's the thing that I saw right out
of the gate is that where we are placed, you know,
out here at ninety five on this campus that we
share with Marion Tech, that is one end of the
world here in Marion. And all kinds of stuff is
happening across the town, including and especially a really exciting
downtown revitalization and transformation. And so one of the things
(03:05):
that I'm thinking a lot about is what it means
like geographically to be where we are, to be part
of Marion and also a place apart from Marion, and
how we bring those those pieces together. So I'm looking
really hard at the way that this town is transforming
itself and thinking about how os Marian should become a
(03:28):
stronger part of that.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
I love that. Now, have you been part of some organizations?
Have you been running around meeting people? What have been
some of your first activities since you've been here. Yeah,
you know what.
Speaker 3 (03:39):
I was looking back at my calendar before this call,
and almost half of my time since I've been here
about three and a half months, more than half my
time has been out doing stuff in the community. So
you know, I'm a member of the rotary right now.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
I live here in Marion.
Speaker 3 (03:52):
But also I have been attending church services, I have
been attending events. I've been going to bars, going to restaurants,
just seeing where all the people are. I have been
so blessed to get to know a handful of really
impactful local leaders like Luke Henry and Lois Fisher and
to get a close look at the work that they
(04:13):
have done here. So yeah, I've been making the rounds.
I was a couple of weekends ago. I went straight
from the unveiling of the historic marker over there on
martinther King Junior Avenue commemorating Shantytown, to the LGBTQ Pride
event and everything in between. What I love right now
about Marion is how much richness of culture is here
(04:38):
and how much history is here. I took tours of
the Whirlpool plant, for example, and Wilson Bohannan, getting other
to sort of learn more about the manufacturing history around here.
And also I'm spending time getting to know my students
in faculty as well.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
Yeah. Absolutely, well, Whirlpool and Wilson Bohannan have been around
since forever, so that's a real good look a law
term run in the Marian area. And both of those companies,
Whirlpool especially has really gone through EBB and tide over
the last fifty years here in the community. And you know,
where they are today is obviously not where they were five, ten,
(05:15):
or even twenty years ago. And I think a lot
of people look at that as kind of a you know,
that's how Marion is. It's been a constant change. There's
always been new people and new things that have come in,
and of course the downtown revitalization has been a really
really strong part of bringing community together, I believe, around here.
(05:36):
So it's been a lot of fun to see that happen.
So it's I'm glad that you recognize that and you're
able to see that as you get into town and
get things going. So, being at Ohio State University at
Marion and seeing what's happening for the last several months,
what are some of your long and short term goals
for things to happen there on the campus.
Speaker 3 (05:54):
Yeah, I mean, one of the things that's on my
mind is enrollment, to be honest, you know, talking about
how things are a little bit different at Whirlpool or
Wilson O'Hannon than they were in the past, and things
are different here too. You know.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
The whole landscape of higher ed has shifted.
Speaker 3 (06:09):
It's shifted because there are fewer traditional college age students
out there, but also the whole way we as a
nation and certainly as a state look at higher ed
and consider.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
Its value or its lack of value, has.
Speaker 3 (06:22):
Transformed how people look at whether or not they want
to get a college degree. So one of the first
things I'm looking at right now is how we regain
or gain for the first time, the trust of this
community in the relevance of a four year higher education
degree and to sort of bring more folks towards the
great work that can happen here. You know, like I
(06:44):
said earlier, my degree is in theater. Now I use
that as a playwright and a director, but I also
use the skills that I learned in bringing people together
in a sort of team focused way to make it
to opening night, to get people to communicate with each
other and tell clear stories and make beautiful things. All
those those kind of skills have mattered in my work
(07:07):
as a teacher and my work as an administrator, and
so one of the things I'm passionate about is looking
at the kinds of degrees that you can get at
Ohio State and thinking about not only what the one
to one correlation is. You know, you get a degree
in biology, you become a biologist, but also many many
things that you can do with what you have learned here.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
It's much bigger than sometimes we think that it is.
Speaker 1 (07:30):
Yeah, I love that. I mean, that's some really exciting stuff. Obviously,
trying to look at the community as a whole, see
where everything fits and make those things work out. What
are your thoughts on the campus? What a beautiful campus
and so many changes over the last fifteen years out there.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
Yeah, it is a beautiful campus.
Speaker 3 (07:48):
I mean, I invite anybody who hasn't been out here
for a minute to come on walk on in campus
and take a look at our gorgeous lake in the
middle and our fantastic historic prairie.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
It's a fantastic of property.
Speaker 3 (08:01):
And my predecessor, Dean greg Rose, did an incredible jump
stewarding the facilities that we have here getting that Science
and Engineering building built.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
So yeah, we have great.
Speaker 3 (08:14):
Facilities, and one thing that I want to make sure
the community knows.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
Is that we love to host.
Speaker 3 (08:20):
We have meeting rooms, we have a theater space, we
have a gymnasium, and this is a great place. We're
constantly bringing folks in to let them use it for
meetings and such, and I would love to continue to
expand that work. So please come on over take a
look at what we have and consider not only what
it might mean to be a student here, but what
it might mean to let us host some of your
(08:40):
events here as well.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
I love that some great stuff. And Jenschlader with us,
the dean director of the Ohastate University at Marion, new
on the job earlier this year, and we just wanted
to spend a little bit of time on the radio
talking about Jen introducing you to the audience and so forth,
and that's some really good, good stuff. So I appreciate
the time. But with that being said, now you say
(09:04):
you've been here, this is your third run at Ohio State.
Have you been to a football game yet?
Speaker 2 (09:10):
You know what?
Speaker 3 (09:11):
I have never, I'm ashamed to say, attended a football game.
But I have stood on that field when I got
a teaching award way back when, so I got to
see what it looks like from the ground, but I
have never attended one in person.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
I'm going to be changing that this fear.
Speaker 1 (09:28):
I feel like your day is going to be changing
in the next several weeks. Probably there's going to be
some trips down for some of the historical games that
we have in that same But I got to tell
you something when when the band comes in, so make
sure you're there and you're ready to go, you know, good,
twenty minutes half an hour before the show, because when
the band comes in, if every hair on your arm
(09:50):
does not raise up and you don't feel that, then
we need to talk because it's an amazing thing when
they enter that stadium on game day, it really is.
Speaker 2 (09:59):
So I can't wait. I can't wait.
Speaker 1 (10:01):
Well, it should be fantastic. Jen, thank you so much
for the time. I appreciate the opportunity. Anything else you
kind of wanted to highlight to our audience today.
Speaker 3 (10:10):
No, I'm just so grateful to get a chance to
meet people this way as well in person and all
the events I'm going to. And please keep us in
mind here at Ohio State mary And. We are delighted
to be part of this community and we want to
be a bigger part.
Speaker 1 (10:23):
There you go, great stuff. Jen schlater, the deaned director
of the Ohio State University at mary And, joining with
us today
Joining me on the phone today is the new dean
and director of the Ohio State University at Marion. Her
name is Jennifer Schleader. Jen Welcome to the show. How
are you.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Thanks? It's great to be here.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
You know what. I want to talk a little bit
about Ohio State, Ohio State Marion, and you coming here
as the dean and director. So first of all, why
don't you tell us a little bit about yourself and
how you got here today?
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Sure?
Speaker 3 (00:26):
Well, I am a Buckeye three times over.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
I think that's the best way to start.
Speaker 3 (00:29):
Even though I did not grow up in the state
of Ohio, So I grew up in Saint Louis and
I got my graduate degree at Ohio State in Columbus
in theater. I'm a playwright and a director by trade,
and so I was out in the world making plays
and living that life. And I after I got my
graduate degree, I went into higher education. I started teaching.
(00:52):
I taught at the University of Oregon for a while,
so the duck's not the bucks. I was out there
for a minute, and then Ohio State and Columbus brought
me back where I was on faculty there for a
chunk of time. Where I did some teaching, and I
also moved in to hire an admin. At that point
in time. You know, I'm a very committed teacher. I
(01:12):
love being in the classroom, but what I started to
realize was the place where you could make it possible
for great teachers to do great things is to have
really savvy administrators. And that's what I started to want
to do to sort of set the stage, so to speak,
for other folks. And so I moved from Ohio State
as a faculty member to Columbus College of Art and
Design for a little bit where I was their Dina
(01:34):
grad studies, leading out a bunch of different kinds of
new programs. And then I went to the New School
in New York City and it was from there that
I saw this opportunity here in Marion, and I thought,
that's what I want. I want to continue to support
and serve Ohio State, which made so much difference for me,
but also to do the work that I know how
(01:55):
to do as a leader in a place that is
more the scale of a Columbus College of Art and Design,
a smaller part of the bigger Ohio State University structure,
and in a town like Marion, where I got my
undergraduate degree in Kirkswell, Missouri at a small state school,
and my teachers changed my life, and I wanted to
(02:18):
be part of what that could mean here in Marion.
So this is my third pass at being a Buckeye.
I think this one's going to stick.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
I love it. What a great story. So obviously you're
new to being around the Marion area, So what are
your first thoughts about Ohio State University at Marion campus,
campus life, things like that that's going on at OSUM.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (02:42):
I mean, here's the thing that I saw right out
of the gate is that where we are placed, you know,
out here at ninety five on this campus that we
share with Marion Tech, that is one end of the
world here in Marion. And all kinds of stuff is
happening across the town, including and especially a really exciting
downtown revitalization and transformation. And so one of the things
(03:05):
that I'm thinking a lot about is what it means
like geographically to be where we are, to be part
of Marion and also a place apart from Marion, and
how we bring those those pieces together. So I'm looking
really hard at the way that this town is transforming
itself and thinking about how os Marian should become a
(03:28):
stronger part of that.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
I love that. Now, have you been part of some organizations?
Have you been running around meeting people? What have been
some of your first activities since you've been here. Yeah,
you know what.
Speaker 3 (03:39):
I was looking back at my calendar before this call,
and almost half of my time since I've been here
about three and a half months, more than half my
time has been out doing stuff in the community. So
you know, I'm a member of the rotary right now.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
I live here in Marion.
Speaker 3 (03:52):
But also I have been attending church services, I have
been attending events. I've been going to bars, going to restaurants,
just seeing where all the people are. I have been
so blessed to get to know a handful of really
impactful local leaders like Luke Henry and Lois Fisher and
to get a close look at the work that they
(04:13):
have done here. So yeah, I've been making the rounds.
I was a couple of weekends ago. I went straight
from the unveiling of the historic marker over there on
martinther King Junior Avenue commemorating Shantytown, to the LGBTQ Pride
event and everything in between. What I love right now
about Marion is how much richness of culture is here
(04:38):
and how much history is here. I took tours of
the Whirlpool plant, for example, and Wilson Bohannan, getting other
to sort of learn more about the manufacturing history around here.
And also I'm spending time getting to know my students
in faculty as well.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
Yeah. Absolutely, well, Whirlpool and Wilson Bohannan have been around
since forever, so that's a real good look a law
term run in the Marian area. And both of those companies,
Whirlpool especially has really gone through EBB and tide over
the last fifty years here in the community. And you know,
where they are today is obviously not where they were five, ten,
(05:15):
or even twenty years ago. And I think a lot
of people look at that as kind of a you know,
that's how Marion is. It's been a constant change. There's
always been new people and new things that have come in,
and of course the downtown revitalization has been a really
really strong part of bringing community together, I believe, around here.
(05:36):
So it's been a lot of fun to see that happen.
So it's I'm glad that you recognize that and you're
able to see that as you get into town and
get things going. So, being at Ohio State University at
Marion and seeing what's happening for the last several months,
what are some of your long and short term goals
for things to happen there on the campus.
Speaker 3 (05:54):
Yeah, I mean, one of the things that's on my
mind is enrollment, to be honest, you know, talking about
how things are a little bit different at Whirlpool or
Wilson O'Hannon than they were in the past, and things
are different here too. You know.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
The whole landscape of higher ed has shifted.
Speaker 3 (06:09):
It's shifted because there are fewer traditional college age students
out there, but also the whole way we as a
nation and certainly as a state look at higher ed
and consider.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
Its value or its lack of value, has.
Speaker 3 (06:22):
Transformed how people look at whether or not they want
to get a college degree. So one of the first
things I'm looking at right now is how we regain
or gain for the first time, the trust of this
community in the relevance of a four year higher education
degree and to sort of bring more folks towards the
great work that can happen here. You know, like I
(06:44):
said earlier, my degree is in theater. Now I use
that as a playwright and a director, but I also
use the skills that I learned in bringing people together
in a sort of team focused way to make it
to opening night, to get people to communicate with each
other and tell clear stories and make beautiful things. All
those those kind of skills have mattered in my work
(07:07):
as a teacher and my work as an administrator, and
so one of the things I'm passionate about is looking
at the kinds of degrees that you can get at
Ohio State and thinking about not only what the one
to one correlation is. You know, you get a degree
in biology, you become a biologist, but also many many
things that you can do with what you have learned here.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
It's much bigger than sometimes we think that it is.
Speaker 1 (07:30):
Yeah, I love that. I mean, that's some really exciting stuff. Obviously,
trying to look at the community as a whole, see
where everything fits and make those things work out. What
are your thoughts on the campus? What a beautiful campus
and so many changes over the last fifteen years out there.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
Yeah, it is a beautiful campus.
Speaker 3 (07:48):
I mean, I invite anybody who hasn't been out here
for a minute to come on walk on in campus
and take a look at our gorgeous lake in the
middle and our fantastic historic prairie.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
It's a fantastic of property.
Speaker 3 (08:01):
And my predecessor, Dean greg Rose, did an incredible jump
stewarding the facilities that we have here getting that Science
and Engineering building built.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
So yeah, we have great.
Speaker 3 (08:14):
Facilities, and one thing that I want to make sure
the community knows.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
Is that we love to host.
Speaker 3 (08:20):
We have meeting rooms, we have a theater space, we
have a gymnasium, and this is a great place. We're
constantly bringing folks in to let them use it for
meetings and such, and I would love to continue to
expand that work. So please come on over take a
look at what we have and consider not only what
it might mean to be a student here, but what
it might mean to let us host some of your
(08:40):
events here as well.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
I love that some great stuff. And Jenschlader with us,
the dean director of the Ohastate University at Marion, new
on the job earlier this year, and we just wanted
to spend a little bit of time on the radio
talking about Jen introducing you to the audience and so forth,
and that's some really good, good stuff. So I appreciate
the time. But with that being said, now you say
(09:04):
you've been here, this is your third run at Ohio State.
Have you been to a football game yet?
Speaker 2 (09:10):
You know what?
Speaker 3 (09:11):
I have never, I'm ashamed to say, attended a football game.
But I have stood on that field when I got
a teaching award way back when, so I got to
see what it looks like from the ground, but I
have never attended one in person.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
I'm going to be changing that this fear.
Speaker 1 (09:28):
I feel like your day is going to be changing
in the next several weeks. Probably there's going to be
some trips down for some of the historical games that
we have in that same But I got to tell
you something when when the band comes in, so make
sure you're there and you're ready to go, you know, good,
twenty minutes half an hour before the show, because when
the band comes in, if every hair on your arm
(09:50):
does not raise up and you don't feel that, then
we need to talk because it's an amazing thing when
they enter that stadium on game day, it really is.
Speaker 2 (09:59):
So I can't wait. I can't wait.
Speaker 1 (10:01):
Well, it should be fantastic. Jen, thank you so much
for the time. I appreciate the opportunity. Anything else you
kind of wanted to highlight to our audience today.
Speaker 3 (10:10):
No, I'm just so grateful to get a chance to
meet people this way as well in person and all
the events I'm going to. And please keep us in
mind here at Ohio State mary And. We are delighted
to be part of this community and we want to
be a bigger part.
Speaker 1 (10:23):
There you go, great stuff. Jen schlater, the deaned director
of the Ohio State University at mary And, joining with
us today
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