eInside Briefs

Kent State Makes Two New Appointments in the Office of the Provost

Todd Diacon, Kent State University’s senior vice president for academic affairs and provost, announced two new leadership appointments in the Division of Academic Affairs. The Division of Academic Affairs is responsible for all academic programs at the university, including all of Kent State’s colleges, campuses and a variety of other initiatives.

Melody Tankersley, Ph.D., has been named associate provost for academic affairs, effective May 20. In this position, her major responsibilities include leadership on behalf of the provost in a broad spectrum of academic areas; oversight of curriculum, accreditation and academic initiatives; and strategic planning and outcomes. She succeeds Timothy J. L. Chandler, Ph.D., who became Towson University’s new provost and vice president for academic affairs this past January.

“In Melody Tankersley, we have a long-time Kent State professor who combines the finest in undergraduate classroom instruction, the best experience in the mentoring of graduate students, and one of the university’s best records in obtaining external funding for research,” Diacon says. “Her publishing career is equally impressive, and during her year as Provost’s Fellow, she demonstrated an uncanny ability to tackle and solve our most difficult problems.”

Tankersley has worked at Kent State nearly 20 years. During the past academic year, she served as the Provost’s Fellow. As the Provost’s Fellow, Tankersley worked closely with Diacon to observe and engage directly as institutional leaders address issues critical to the success of Kent State, such as strategic planning, faculty and student success, development and implementation of policy and procedures, and resource allocation. Prior to this appointment, Tankersley has served as interim department chair and program coordinator in Kent State’s College of Education, Health and Human Services, where she holds rank as a professor in special education.

“I am very excited to work with the faculty, staff and students of academic affairs, and I am honored to be a part of the team,” Tankersley says. “I have confidence in Provost Diacon’s commitment to academic excellence and his advancement of faculty and students and the quality programs that Kent State provides. I am proud to serve Kent State University as the associate provost for academic affairs and look forward to promoting the great work that is happening in our community and beyond.”

Diacon also appointed Fashaad Crawford, Ph.D., as assistant provost for accreditation, assessment and learning. Crawford began serving in this new position May 13. Crawford’s major responsibilities include the Academic Quality Improvement Project (AQIP) and university accreditation, learning outcomes, student evaluations, and surveys and assessments. He also will work with the Higher Learning Commission and the Ohio Board of Regents. He assumes some of the responsibilities of Stephane Booth, Ph.D., associate provost for quality initiatives and curriculum, who announced her retirement effective June 30.

“It is my great pleasure to welcome Fashaad Crawford to the Office of the Provost,” Diacon says. “His experience with assessment and accreditation stretches back to his Ph.D. research and includes published research on assessment and student success. He also has crucial administrative experience as associate vice president for planning, assessment and research management in the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Kent State.”

Crawford joined Kent State in August 2011 to support strategic planning and assessment for diversity; develop divisionwide objectives and return-on-investment outcomes for diversity; compile assessment and research reports that align with university and division mission, goals and objectives; and develop policy and programming related to rational and empirical decision-making.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to join the Office of the Provost and continuing my work with the outstanding faculty, staff and students here at Kent State,” Crawford says.

For more information about Kent State’s Office of the Provost, visit www.kent.edu/provost.

Posted June 10, 2013

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Call for Proposals! 20th Annual Celebrating College Teaching Conference, Oct. 24-25

The 20th annual Celebrating College Teaching Conference takes place Oct. 24 and 25, at the Kent Student Center. The University Teaching Counsel’s annual conference focuses on the four pillars of a Kent State undergraduate curriculum — knowledge, insight, responsibility and engagement.

Many favorite activities will be returning:  the Provost’s Breakfast at 8:30 a.m.; followed by refereed round tables; invited round tables, including the Emeriti Round Table; panel discussions, poster displays; the President’s Luncheon; and the Glenn W. Frank Lecture. The conference culminates with a dessert reception at 2:30 p.m., to honor recipients of the Distinguished Teaching Awards and the Outstanding Teaching Awards and the wealth of teaching excellence at Kent State.

All conference events are free and open to all those who teach or support teaching at Kent State University. Instructors are urged to save the date and plan their course syllabi so they may attend.

The University Teaching Council has a call for proposals out now for any Kent State faculty members or graduate teaching assistants who are interested presenting at the conference. To learn more, visit www.kent.edu/utc/index.cfm. The deadline for proposal submissions is June 30.

For more information about the conference, contact Kim Peer at 330-672-0231 or kpeer@kent.edu.

Posted June 10, 2013

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Deadline for Distinguished Teaching Award Nominations is June 30

The Kent State Alumni Association is seeking nominations for the Distinguished Teaching Award until June 30.

Sponsored by the Alumni Association since 1967, the Distinguished Teaching Award is the university’s most prestigious honor in teaching for full-time, tenure-track faculty. The award is presented annually to three full-time faculty members who demonstrate extraordinary teaching in the classroom and a devotion to touching the lives of students. Qualified nominees include Kent State tenure-track faculty who are currently employed by the university.

Visit www.ksualumni.org/dta for the nomination form and detailed eligibility requirements.

Posted June 10, 2013 | Lindsay Kuntzman

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Deadline for Outstanding Teaching Award Nominations is June 30

The Kent State University Teaching Council is seeking nominations for the 2013 Outstanding Teaching Award until June 30.

Sponsored by the University Teaching Council, the Outstanding Teaching Award honors the university’s adjunct and/or nontenure-track faculty. The award is presented annually to three teaching faculty members who demonstrate extraordinary teaching in the classroom and a devotion to touching the lives of students. Qualified nominees include Kent State part-time and full-time nontenure-track faculty who have worked at the university five or more years and are currently employed by the university.

Visit www.kent.edu/utc/teaching_award/index.cfm for the nomination form and detailed eligibility requirements.

Posted June 10, 2013 | Anne Morrison

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Kent State Retains “Braggin’ Wheel” in RecycleMania Contest

Kent State University faculty, staff and students collected 299,552 pounds of recyclables during the 2013 RecycleMania challenge. This year, 523 colleges and universities across the United States and Canada participated in the eight-week competition that ranks schools based on how much recycling, trash and food waste is collected.

Kent State’s Per Capita Classic, or the amount of recycling collected per person, was nearly 11 pounds based on the population at the Kent Campus. That was enough to retain the Braggin’ Wheel for a second consecutive year in an informal competition with the University of Akron. Akron’s Per Capita Classic was 6 pounds per person.

A new addition to the competition was E-cycleMania, where schools collected and tracked the amount of unwanted electronics, such as computers, printers, consumer electronics and other e-waste materials. Kent State ranked 49 out of 79 schools in this area, collecting 11,555 pounds of e-waste. Nearly 5,000 pounds of the total came from a one-day drive, where members of the Kent community were encouraged to bring in their unwanted electronics to a central drop-off location.

RecycleMania at Kent State is coordinated by the sustainability office, which promotes recycling and waste reduction year-round. Melanie Knowles, sustainability manager, says this is the fourth year Kent State has participated in RecycleMania, and she has seen improvement in the rankings each year. For example, Kent State’s per capita numbers show an increase of 44 percent over the 2012 results.

“RecycleMania has been a great driver for improvement in recycling rates on campus,” says Knowles. “Each year during the two-month competition, we have more participation and see more enthusiasm among employees and students. I’m already excited to see what we can do next year.”

Other results from Kent State RecycleMania include:

• The amount of recyclables and waste collected prevented the release of 441 tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere; that number equates to keeping 86 cars off the road.
• In the residence hall competition, Engleman Hall was the winner for the third year in a row; overall residence hall performance saw a 53 percent increase from 2012.
• This was the first year for a friendly competition among some University Facilities Management employees. Five custodial areas competed, with the Front Campus team declared the winners.
• Another first this year was the Game Day Challenge, which measured the recyclables collected during one athletic event. Kent State collected items during a men’s basketball game and ranked fourth out of 22 schools in per capita.
  

Overall, schools participating in RecycleMania collectively recovered 90.3 million pounds of recyclables and organic material.

While the eight-week contest is a good time for students, faculty and staff to be mindful to reduce, reuse and recycle, Knowles says the key is to continue the recycling habit throughout the year.

She reminds everyone that recycling on the Kent Campus is easy because it is single stream, which means plastic containers (#1 and #2), glass, aluminum, paper, paperboard and corrugated cardboard, can all go in the same recycling container, indoors or outdoors.

 For more information on Kent State’s recycling program, visit www.kent.edu/sustainability/index.cfm.

Posted June 10, 2013 | Carla Wyckoff

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Kent State Men's Sports Capture Fifth Consecutive Reese Trophy

The Mid-American Conference presented Kent State with the Reese Trophy for the fifth straight year for men’s all-sports excellence during the MAC Honors Dinner at the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel. The Golden Flashes have now won eight Reese Trophies dating back to 2000. 

With a 10.35 average, Kent State finished nearly two points ahead of second place Ball State (8.5). Points are awarded based on each of the 12 conference schools’ finishes in each of their respective sports, with the overall total divided by the number of sports sponsored by each school. An institution may count either indoor track and field or outdoor track and field.

The 2012-2013 academic year’s top finish was powered by MAC championships in baseball and men’s golf along with a MAC East crown in football. Kent State’s men’s track and field and wrestling teams each earned runner-up status, while men’s basketball finished in the top half of the conference standings.

Kent State Men's Sport	Reese Trophy Points
Baseball	12
Men's Golf	12
Football	11.5
Men's Track and Field	11
Wrestling	11
Men's Basketball	8
Cross Country	7
Total	72.5

Kent State’s women’s teams finished third of 12 programs in the Jacoby standings behind Miami and Central Michigan. The biggest contributors to the Golden Flashes’ 8.33 average came from MAC titles in women’s golf, women’s track and field, gymnastics and field hockey. Softball also boosted the average with a MAC East championship. 

The Reese Trophy is named in honor of the first MAC Commissioner, David E. Reese, who served the conference from its inception in 1946 until 1964. The women’s trophy is named for former MAC Commissioner Fred Jacoby, who is credited with incorporating women’s athletics into the conference structure.

Posted June 10, 2013

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It’s that Time Again! Destination Kent State Advising and Registration is Right Around the Corner

The June and July advising and registration program is a one-and-a-half-day experience that includes an overnight stay in a residence hall. Students are encouraged to invite family members to participate in the program. The students explore important topics, including the differences between high school and college, and navigating the university and properly preparing to be a college student. Family members learn about essential tools for a successful college experience, such as financial aid, as well as survival and support skills for being the parent/family member of a college student. 

The program concludes on the second day when the students meets one-on-one with an academic advisor and creates an academic plan.

This year, advising and registration sessions will be held between June 3 and July 17 with a break the week of July 4.

The advising and registration program helps students make the all-important first connection to the university. One way students make connections is through their relationship with an exceptional group of students called Flashguides. They are part mentor, part ally, part cheerleader and part program organizer. This year’s class of 22 Flashguides is a diverse and fun-loving group of students who participate in the program because they want to make a difference in the lives of new students.

Join the Office of Student Success Programs in welcoming the Flashguides class of 2013 to their positions. We all have a stake in their success!

Braylee Miller (Junior, Early Childhood Education)
Delana Noil (Sophomore, Architecture)
Chris Woods (Senior, Multimedia News)
Krissa Duhon (Junior, Integrated Language Arts)
Clay Snyder (Sophomore, Psychology)
Kris Caccamise (Senior, Interpersonal Communication)
David Hendricks (Junior, Communication Studies)
Taylor Winter (Junior, Health Communication)
Elijah Balogh (Sophomore, Chemistry)
Diamond Thomas (Senior, Deaf Education)
Jordyn Kovolyan (Senior, Integrated Math)
Brianna Green (Junior, Fashion Merchandising)
Bre Buckner (Senior, Public Health)
Christen Nohra (Junior, Integrated Language Arts)
Joy Yala (Junior, Public Health)
Tyler Verma (Junior, Justice Studies)
Brie Jutte (Junior, Interpersonal Communication)
Symphonie Mosley (Senior, Advertising)
Karla Santiago (Junior, Pre-Nursing)
Zach Thomas (Junior, Pan African Studies)
Alyssa Mazey (Senior, Public Communications)
Matt Fitzgerald (Sophomore, Public Relations)

Posted June 10, 2013

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Online Grant Writing Workshop Offered

Want to earn a few credits this summer? Consider taking a grant writing workshop, which can apply to all disciplines.

There are two summer online sessions offered:

June 3 - 29
2 undergraduate credit hours, $880
EDAD 40093, CRN# 15753
2 graduate credit hours, $936
EDAD 50093, CRN# 15754
Michael Bloom, instructor, School of Foundations, Leadership and Administration

July 22 - August 17
2 undergraduate credit hours, $880
EDAD 40093, CRN# 15755
2 graduate credit hours, $936
EDAD 50093, CRN# 15756
Michael Bloom, instructor, School of Foundations, Leadership and Administration

Learn basic grant writing skills, including proposal development, acquisition and management, and review strategies for developing successful grants.

For more information, visit www.kent.edu/sun.

Posted June 10, 2013

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