eInside Briefs

Spring 2015 Bowman Breakfast to Discuss Local and Global Impact of Kent Businesses

The spring 2015 Bowman Breakfast will take place at Kent State University in the Kent Student Center Ballroom on Wednesday, April 1. Doors open at 7 a.m., breakfast begins at 7:30 a.m., and the program will follow at 8 a.m.

Four speakers will discuss the topic “Kent Businesses – Their Local and Global Impact 2.0” at the event. The featured speakers are Tom Myers, president of Davey Drill; Gary Niehaus, Ph.D., chief scientist at Crystal Diagnostics and professor of physiology and pharmacology at Northeast Ohio Medical University; Bob Oborn, president of Kent Elastomer Products; and Joe Zeno, president and CEO of ACS Industries. David Ruller, Kent's city manager, will serve as facilitator.

The cost to attend is $10 per person, payable by cash or check at the door only. Invoicing is not available for this event. Reservations can be completed online or by contacting Mary Mandalari at 330-672-8664 or mmandala@kent.edu no later than Thursday, March 26. No shows will be billed. If you find you cannot attend, please contact Mandalari to cancel your reservation by March 26.

Kent State is committed to making its programs and activities accessible to those individuals with disabilities. If you or a member of your family will need an interpreter or any other accessibility accommodation to participate in this event, contact the university’s accessibility liaison, Jacqueline Gee, by phone at 330-672-8667, by video phone at 330-931-4441 or via email at accessKSU@kent.edu.

The Bowman Breakfast, a tradition since 1963, is sponsored by Kent State and the Kent Area Chamber of Commerce.

Al Jazeera America President Named 2015 McGruder Award for Media Diversity Winner

Notable casting director tapped for Media Distinguished Leadership Award

Kate O’Brian, president of Al Jazeera
America, has been named the 2015
winner of the Robert G. McGruder
Distinguished Guest Lecture and Award
for Diversity by Kent State University’s
School of Journalism and Mass
Communication.

Kate O’Brian, president of Al Jazeera America, has been named the 2015 winner of the Robert G. McGruder Distinguished Guest Lecture and Award for Diversity by Kent State University's School of Journalism and Mass Communication. The award recognizes the accomplishments of media professionals who encourage diversity in the field of journalism.

Kent State’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication will honor O’Brian at an awards luncheon and lecture on Wednesday, April 1. The lecture, which is free and open to the public, will take place at 2:15 p.m. at the Kent Student Center Kiva. O’Brian will be the keynote speaker at the lecture. Following her lecture, she will be presented with the Robert G. McGruder Award for Diversity

Lillian Pyles, one of the most familiar and respected names in the Cleveland casting industry with film credits like Spider Man III, Antwone Fisher and The Soloist, will be recognized at the annual McGruder luncheon as the 2015 Diversity in Media Distinguished Leadership Award winner. The luncheon is by invitation only, and will include comments by Pyles. Special awards will be given to student media representatives who have reported on diversity issues in the past year.

The luncheon and lecture are co-sponsored by Kent State’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication and the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

Todd Diacon, Ph.D., Kent State’s senior vice president for academic affairs and provost; Alfreda Brown, Ed.D., vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion; AnnMarie LeBlanc, interim dean of the College of Communication and Information; and Thor Wasbotten, director of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, will speak at the luncheon. Special guest Annette McGruder will be recognized for her continued support of diversity initiatives and the School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

About Robert McGruder

The late Robert G. McGruder was a 1963 graduate of Kent State and a foundational local figure for diversity in journalism.

He went on from Kent State to become the first black editor of the Daily Kent Stater and first black reporter at The Plain Dealer. McGruder marked several other firsts in his career, becoming the first black president of the Associated Press Managing Editors group and the first black editor of the Detroit Free Press, in 1995 and 1996.

McGruder was a strong proponent for diversity in and out of the newsroom: “Please know that I stand for diversity,” he said once. “I represent the African-Americans, Latinos, Arab-Americans, Asians, Native Americans, gays and lesbians, women and all others we must see represented in our business offices, newsrooms and newspapers.”

For more information about the Robert G. McGruder Award or event, contact Eugene Shelton, associate professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, at eshelto1@kent.edu. 

To RSVP for the luncheon by March 24 contact Darlene Contrucci at 330-672-2623.

For more information about Kent State's School of Journalism and Mass Communication, visit www.kent.edu/jmc.

Win Free Coffee and Muffins from the Alumni Association

If you work in an office with Kent State University graduates, you could win free coffee and muffins from the Kent State University Alumni Association! The Alumni Association wants to recognize our faculty and staff who also are proud Kent State graduates.

Tell us how many Kent State alumni work in your office by completing a form at www.ksualumni.org/coffeeonkent. One lucky office will be chosen each month to receive free coffee and muffins.

To learn more about the Alumni Association and its programs, visit www.ksualumni.org. 

Kent State Continues RecycleMania With Electronic Waste Recycling, March 17-18

Kent State University’s RecylceMania competition continues with a special electronic waste recycling program. Kent State faculty, staff and members of the public can drop off any personal electronics to be recycled at the Administrative Services Building loading dock on March 17 and 18 from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. as a part of E-Cycle Mania. This electronic waste recycling goes along with the faculty, staff and student competitions for week seven of RecycleMania.

Staff will accept electronic waste at the loading dock off Jackson Drive. Faculty and staff can honk their horn if the dock door is closed. Kent State also will keep track of all university-owned equipment that is recycled for one month during RecycleMania.

Student electronics waste recycling dropoff location is at the Tri-Towers’ front desk from March 17 at 8 a.m. until March 18 at midnight, or students can also use the Administrative Services Building loading dock drop off.

To view a list of acceptable recyclable electronics, visit www.kent.edu/sustainability/e-cycle-drive. Please note that television sets will not be accepted.

“Any way we continue to divert material from landfills for reuse or recycling is an improvement,” says Leah Graham, Kent State’s outreach and recycling coordinator

Electronics is an important category of RecycleMania that tracks the amount of computers, printers, consumer electronics and other e-waste materials collected. Kent State will collect electronics and report the number collected, and an overall ranking will be presented at the end of the tournament. All e-waste can be counted whether it is sent for recycling, refurbishment or reuse, and all reported materials are based on actual weights.

“Proper recycling of old electronics diverts thousands of pounds of waste from landfills, protects the environment and conserves natural resources,” says Melanie Knowles, sustainability manager at Kent State. “RET3 is a nonprofit operation dedicated to the environmentally friendly disposal of end-of-life electronic equipment. Backed by a no-landfill agreement, RET3’s methods are fully compliant with EPA standards – so you can be sure that your unwanted equipment is disposed securely and responsibly.”
 
RecycleMania is an eight-week long, friendly competition and benchmarking tool for college and university recycling programs to promote waste-reduction activities to their campus communities. Faculty and staff can enter to win weekly prize drawings. The office with the most participation wins the grand prize and bragging rights. Faculty and staff should let Kent State’s Office of Sustainability know what they are doing for RecyceleMania by sending an email to Graham at lgraha13@kent.edu or by using #KSUrecycles and #OfficeRM on Twitter or Instagram, and mention your department or building.

Last year, Kent State recycled 10,550 pounds of electronics. In 2014, Kent State placed 44 out of 68 participating schools.

For more information about E-Cycle Mania, visit www.kent.edu/sustainability/competitions.

Annual Graduate Research Symposium Seeks Volunteer Judges

Volunteer judges are being sought for the 30th Annual
Graduate Research Symposium, which will take place on
Friday, April 3, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Kent Student
Center.

The 30th Annual Graduate Research Symposium will be held on Friday, April 3, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Kent Student Center. Hosted by the Graduate Student Senate, the symposium is one of the largest research events that takes place on the Kent Campus. The event is free and open to the public.

This year’s event will feature oral and poster presentations, a keynote address by Kent State University President Beverly Warren and an awards luncheon with monetary prizes given to the best presentation in each category.

For the past 30 years, the Graduate Research Symposium has given graduate students the opportunity to gain experience presenting in an academic setting, receive interdisciplinary feedback regarding their work, network with faculty and peers and earn a mark of distinction for their résumé.

With student participation growing extensively in the last five years, the need for volunteers is greater than ever.

“With a record number of 310 oral and poster presentations this year — a 30-percent increase from last year — our need for faculty judges is extremely high,” says Scout McCully, chair of the Graduate Research Symposium.

Faculty involvement is essential for the success of the symposium. Faculty members can help support and recognize excellence in graduate student research by attending presentations, serving as judges and encouraging other faculty members to serve as judges. Judges are typically asked to score between eight to 12 posters or five to seven oral presentations.

Oral presentations are scheduled in 15-minute intervals with 10 to 12 minutes assigned for the speaker and two to three minutes allotted for questions and discussion.

Poster presentations are scheduled for a block of time to allow each speaker the opportunity to interact with students, faculty, staff and colleagues as they browse each poster. All judges are invited to attend the awards luncheon.

The symposium celebrates research and scholarship across all disciplines.

“Nearly every academic unit on campus will be represented,” McCully says. “Please consider supporting graduate students from your own department by volunteering a few hours of your time for this rewarding academic service.”

The registration deadline to serve as a judge is March 6.

To register, please complete the judge registration form on the Division of Graduate Studies website at www.kent.edu/graduatestudies/research-symposium.

Any questions regarding the Graduate Research Symposium can be emailed to McCully at smccull5@kent.edu.
 

Kent State Hosts Northeast Ohio Undergraduate Sociology Symposium

A Kent State University student takes a
photo of a poster using her phone.
Undergraduate students will showcase
their scholarly work at the Northeast Ohio
Undergraduate Sociology Symposium
taking place at Kent State on March 14.

Kent State University will host the second annual Northeast Ohio Undergraduate Sociology Symposium (NEO-USS) on March 14 at the Kent Student Center. Liz Grauerholz, Ph.D., a sociology professor at the University of Central Florida, will serve as this year’s keynote speaker. The title of her presentation is “The Limits and Promise of Sociology.”

The symposium provides an opportunity for undergraduate students to showcase their scholarly work in one of three ways: panel, roundtable or poster sessions. 

Manacy Pai, Ph.D., associate professor in Kent State’s Department of Sociology, says this event gives undergraduate students an opportunity to network with other students and faculty.  

“This symposium gives students the opportunity to connect and collaborate with other undergraduate students, graduate students and faculty,” Pai says. “It also is a way for undergraduate students to socialize professionally."

Students from all across the area will be in attendance, with representatives from Slippery Rock University, Oberlin College, Lakewood Community College, Ohio Northern University, Youngstown State University and more. This year, students from University of California, Irvine, and Western Kentucky University will be in attendance as well. Faculty members from these institutions will be present, serving as mentors to the students.

Clare Stacey, Ph.D., associate professor in Kent State’s Department of Sociology, says the symposium challenges students to become scientists in their own right.

“Many students who participate in this forum tell us that they enjoy the exchange of ideas, as well as the real confidence boost that comes from presenting their work,” Stacey says.

The event will begin with a networking reception on Friday, March 13, at the Kent State University Hotel and Conference Center. Refreshments will be provided.

On Saturday, registration will begin around 7:30 a.m. with the first presentation beginning at 9:15 a.m. Lunch will be provided. The event will conclude with a tour of the May 4 Visitors Center.

All Kent State students, faculty and staff are invited to attend the symposium. Registration fees are $40 for full-time faculty, $25 for part-time faculty and $20 for students.

For more information and to register, visit www.kent.edu/sociology/neouss.

For more information about Kent State’s Department of Sociology, visit www.kent.edu/sociology.

Important Information about Final Grading of Spring 2015 First 7 Weeks (W1) Classes

Online final grading for Spring 2015 First 7 Weeks (W1) courses meeting from Jan. 12, 2015, through Feb. 28, 2015, began Thursday, Feb 26, via FlashFAST. Grading also is now available for any Spring 2015 course section that was flexibly scheduled and has an end date no later than Feb. 28, 2015. The deadline for grading submission is midnight on Tuesday, March 10. Any final grades for Spring 2015 First 7 Weeks (W1) courses not reported in FlashFAST by the grades processing deadline will have to be submitted using the Grade Change Workflow. These Spring 2015 First 7 Weeks (W1) courses will be available in the Workflow on Thursday, March 12.

Incomplete Mark and NF/SF Grades

The administrative mark of IN (Incomplete) may be given to students who are unable to complete the work due to extenuating circumstances. To be eligible, undergraduate students must be currently passing and have completed at least 12 weeks of the semester. The timeline shall be adjusted appropriately for flexibly scheduled courses. Graduate students must be currently earning a C or better grade and are unable to complete the required work between the course withdrawal deadline and the end of classes. Instructors are required to complete and submit an Incomplete Mark Form to the department chair when an incomplete mark is assigned. Access the form from your Faculty Toolbox in FlashLine.

The grade NF (Never Attended–Fail) denotes that the student neither attended one class session nor formally withdrew from the course.

The grade SF (Stopped Attending–Fail) denotes that the student stopped attending the course and did not formally withdraw and must be accompanied by a date of last attendance in the course.

For complete information on university grading policies including Incomplete Mark and NF/SF grading policies, procedures and timelines, please visit the Grading Policies and Procedures section in the university catalog at www.kent.edu/catalog.

To access FlashFAST, login to FlashLine from www.kent.edu (click FlashLine Login from top right menu bar) then click the Faculty & Advisor Tools tab. Locate the Faculty Toolbox and select Final under the Submit Grades heading.

Troubleshooting TIP: FlashFAST is accessible from any Internet-capable computer that has the cookies function enabled. We recommend that you clean out your cookie and cache files regularly to help your computer run faster, and to potentially restore and/or improve your access to FlashFAST and/or FlashLine by improving your connection to the server. Our Helpdesk is prepared to offer assistance with these issues. Please contact them at 330-672-HELP (4357) for one-on-one assistance and technical issues.

Important Information Regarding Midterm Grading for Freshmen

Online midterm grading for freshmen in full-term Spring 2015 courses began Thursday, Feb 26, 2015 via FlashFAST. Please remember that midterm grading applies ONLY to courses that meet for the full semester. The deadline for midterm grade submission is midnight on Tuesday, March 3.

No midterm grade can be reported after the deadline. The Grade Change workflow cannot be used to report midterm grades after the fact, and the Office of the University Registrar will not accommodate other late submission requests.

To access FlashFAST, login to FlashLine at http://flashline.kent.edu and click the Faculty & Advisor Tools tab. Locate the Faculty Toolbox and select Midterm under the Submit Grades heading.

Grades Processing Tips and FAQ may be found on the Office of the University Registrar's website at www.kent.edu/registrar/faculty-grades-processing. Any faculty member needing personalized instruction on submitting their grades via FlashFAST should contact their campus Registrar's Office during normal business hours for assistance.

Troubleshooting TIP: FlashFAST is accessible from any Internet-capable computer that has the cookies function enabled. We recommend that you clean out your cookie and cache files regularly to help your computer run faster, and to potentially restore and/or improve your access to FlashFAST and/or FlashLine by improving your connection to the server. Our Helpdesk is prepared to offer assistance with these issues. Please contact them at 330-672-HELP (4357) for one-on-one assistance and technical issues.