eInside Briefs

Committee Formed for Provost Search

Your input is encouraged in online survey

Kent State University is conducting a comprehensive, national search for the position of senior vice president for academic affairs and provost. The university seeks a recognized academic leader and scholar with keen intellectual vision and high energy. Reporting directly to the president, the senior vice president for academic affairs and provost serves as the university’s chief academic officer, responsible for the academic direction of all eight campuses of Kent State and for a broad portfolio of academic support functions.

A broad-based committee has been formed to lead an aggressive national search for this critical position. The committee includes representatives of the university's faculty, students, administration, and staff and is chaired by Daniel Mahony, dean of the College of Education, Health and Human Services.  A complete list of committee members is below.

The firm of Storbeck/Pimentel & Associates has been retained to assist in the national search.

The search committee wishes to reach out to members of the university community and to the public, and invites all constituents to provide input on the search. Please visit www.kent.edu/provostsearch/survey.cfm to take a short survey.

Faculty

Dr. Alene Barnes, Associate Professor, Pan-African Studies
Dr. James Blank, Chair and Professor, Biological Sciences
Dr. Vanessa Earp, Associate Professor, University Libraries
Dr. Verna Fitzsimmons, Associate Professor, Technology
Dr. Lee Fox-Cardamone, Associate Professor, Psychology, Stark Campus
Dr. Christine Havice, Director and Professor, School of Art
Barbara Hipsman, Associate Professor, Journalism and Mass Communications
Dr. Polycarp Ikuenobe, Professor, Philosophy
Dr. Thomas Janson, Professor, Music
Tracy Laux, Lecturer, Non-Tenure Track, Mathematical Sciences
Dr. Donna Martsolf, Professor, Nursing
Dr. Steven Mitchell, Professor, Education
Dr. Thomas Norton-Smith, Associate Professor, Philosophy, Stark Campus
Dr. Susan Roxburgh, Associate Professor, Sociology
Dr. Alexander Seed, Associate Professor, Chemistry
Dr. Murali Shanker, Professor, Management and Information Systems; Ph.D. Director
Dr. Terrence Uber, Assistant Professor, Architecture
Dr. Christopher Woolverton, Professor, Environmental Health

Administration/Staff

Dr. Gregg Andrews, Dean, Tuscarawas Campus
Dr. LuEtt Hanson, Associate Dean, College of Communication and Information
Greg Jarvie, Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs
Dr. Daniel Mahony, Dean, Education, Health and Human Services; Chair
Dr. Grant McGimpsey, Vice President for Research
Eboni Pringle, Executive Director, Student Learning and Success

Students

Mikayla Farrell, Senator, College of Nursing, Undergraduate Student Government; Nursing Major
Lisa Regula Meyer, Advocacy Chair, Graduate Student Senate; Ph.D. Student, Biology
Kevin Papp, Executive Director, Undergraduate Student Government; International Relations Major
Megan Williamson, Finance Chair, Graduate Student Senate; Ph.D. Student, Exercise

Posted Sept. 26, 2011

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President Lefton Delivers State of the University Address

On Sept. 22, Kent State University President Lester A. Lefton presented his fifth annual State of the University Address in the Kent Student Center Kiva. Members of the university community and general public heard Lefton’s speech, titled “The Journey to Excellence.”

In keeping with tradition, the president delivered the State of the University Address at the start of the academic year. Lefton reviewed progress made toward the university’s excellence agenda by going over a list of accomplishments achieved during his first five years as university president. He also looked to opportunities and challenges in the coming year.

Lefton asked every member of the Kent State community to join him in committing to four priorities for the year ahead and beyond:

• Improving student persistence to timely graduation
• Seeking our research and creative activity “sweet spot”
• Facilitating faculty growth
• Expanding our globalization growth
  

For more information and to read the address, go to www.kent.edu/thejourneytoexcellence and click on “2011 State of the University Address PDF” on the right-hand side of the page. An archived webcast of the speech also will be made available on this Web page.

Posted Sept. 26, 2011

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Kent State University Announces New Goodyear Executive Professor

Kent State University has announced the selection of Leo Plante as the Goodyear Executive Professor in the College of Business Administration. Plante is a self-employed investment manager and venture capitalist who previously worked in the investment banking division of Goldman Sachs and Citibank.

The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company established the Goodyear Executive Professor position at Kent State in 1973 under the direction of Charles J. Pilliod, then the chairman and chief executive officer of Goodyear. The position was intended— and continues — to provide a connection between the academic and business communities.

“Given the recent financial turmoil, it’s a great time to have an executive from the financial services sector here at Kent State to work with our students,” says Rick Schroath, associate dean of the College of Business Administration at Kent State.

Prior to joining Kent State, Plante taught finance and economics at several colleges and universities. Beginning this fall semester, he is teaching the Financial Management course to Master of Business Administration (MBA) students.

Plante is a graduate of Brown University and holds advanced degrees in finance, economics and ethics from Temple University, the University of Pennsylvania and Weston Jesuit School of Theology (Boston College), respectively.

 

Posted Sept. 26, 2011

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Call for Proposals for 2012 Spirit of Women in Business Conference

Kent State University is soliciting program proposals for the 2nd Annual Spirit of Women in Business Conference taking place Wednesday, March 7, 2012. The event celebrates and contributes to the development of women in the region. The deadline for proposal submissions is Saturday, Oct. 1, and submitters will be notified via email of their presentation status no later than Thursday, Dec. 1. All presenters will have their conference registration fees waived.

Last year's conference attracted participants from diverse professional backgrounds. The 2012 conference will build on that momentum by offering programming that speaks to the empowered woman.  

Program proposal submissions can either be on a topic of your choice or from one of the areas listed below:

• Networking
• Leadership: Bringing Your "A" Game
• Financial Literacy
• Performance Improvement
• The Sandwich Generation
• Coaching/Mentoring
• Workplace Skills
• Lifelong Learning
• Philanthropy
• Technology
• Health Care
• Professional Development Opportunities
• Women in Inclusion
• Starting and Growing Your Own Business
• Time Management
• Work/Life Balance
  

Click here to submit a proposal. Proposals can also be submitted via post, email or fax:

Kent State University,
PO Box 5190,
Schwartz Center, Room 229
(Attn: Veronica Cook-Euell WIB),
Kent, OH 44242-0001
Email: womeninbusiness@kent.edu
Fax: 330-672-2079

For more information regarding the proposal process, contact Veronica Cook-Euell at vcook3@kent.edu or 330-672-9195 or Corianne Kocarek at ckocarek@kent.edu or 330-672-8698.

Posted Sept. 26, 2011

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2011-2012 Provost Fellow Announced

Assistant Professor of Finance David Dumpe has been appointed the Provost Fellow for the Fall 2011 Semester.

The Kent State University Provost’s Fellowship is designed to develop faculty leaders by providing opportunities for mid-career and senior faculty to serve half time in an administrative role in the Office of the Provost.

The purposes of the Provost's Fellowship are to provide faculty members who have an interest in academic administration the chance to develop knowledge, skills and experience as an administrator; to increase the understanding of the faculty about the practices and procedures in academic administration; to extend and strengthen the administrative resources of the university; to assist in development and implementation of projects in current key areas; and to provide ongoing faculty involvement and input into the activities of the Office of the Provost.

Dumpe has a bachelor’s degree in economics and political science from Capital University in Columbus, a master’s degree in management from the University of Northern Colorado and a doctorate degree in business administration with a major in finance and a minor in international economics from Kent State University. Dumpe is a former United States Air Force officer and has held faculty and administrative positions at several colleges before joining Kent State.

For more information about the Provost Fellowship, contact Terri Christensen at tchrist7@kent.edu.

Posted Sept. 26, 2011

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Fire Safety Drill Set For Sept. 28 on Kent Campus

On Sept. 28, at 11:10 a.m., the Department of Public Safety will test the emergency notification system on campus to highlight procedures for fire evacuation drills of all nonresidential buildings on the Kent Campus.  

The purpose of the exercise is to familiarize students and employees with building evacuation and precautions to be taken in the event of a fire.  The drills will also include a test of the campus emergency notification system located in each building.

The Campus Fire Safety Right-to-Know Act is a federal law intended to increase fire safety awareness on campuses and to make fire procedures and statistics readily available to students, parents and institution employees.  This law also mandates fire evacuation drills in campus residential buildings, requires annual testing and assessment of emergency procedures and requires fire safety education to be given to faculty, staff and students.

No actual evacuation will take place. Instead, classroom instructors and unit supervisors are asked to review the guidelines with their respective students and employees.  More information on building evacuation and fire guidelines is available in the emergency guide area of the Kent State website at www.kent.edu/publicsafety/eguide_fire.cfm.

The instructions for building evacuations are:

• Remain calm.
• Proceed to the nearest safe exit.
• Do not use the elevators.
• Assist disabled persons – if the person cannot be moved to the exit, ask the person to remain at that location, leave the building, and advise a firefighter or police officer of the person’s location.
• Once outside, stay at least 200 feet from the building unless otherwise directed by public safety officials.
• Once outside, do not return until advised to do so by public safety officials.
  

Faculty and staff are encouraged to provide suggestions for improving fire safety in their buildings to either Fire Safety Coordinator Ed Moisio at emoisio@kent.edu, or Lt. Bill Buckbee, coordinator of Emergency Preparedness at wbuckbee@kent.edu.

Posted Sept. 26, 2011

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Kent State’s African Community Theatre Holds Auditions for Fall Production

The African Community Theatre at Kent State University will be holding auditions for its 2011-2012 season production of Stagolee: A Black Folktale. This ensemble production captures the folklore of African-Americans interspersed with music, song and dance.

The cast consists of 13 characters; six women and seven men, ranging in age from 16 to 60 years old. The production is based on a short story by Julius Lester, adapted for a play by Ed Smith and revised by Associate Professor Fran Dorsey, director of the African Community Theatre.

Auditions for the Stagolee production will take place Thursday, Sept. 29, and Friday, Sept. 30, from 5 to 7 p.m., at the African Community Theatre. The theatre is located in Room 230 of  Ritchie Hall on 225 Terrace Dr. at Kent State. Interested individuals should prepare a three- to five-minute monologue or a song. Musicians, choreographers and volunteers are also needed.

For more information, contact Dorsey at 330-672-0151 or fdorsey@kent.edu.  

Posted Sept. 26, 2011 | Kasey Fahey

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Important Information Regarding Final Grading of F1 Courses

Online final grading for courses meeting in the F1 (first five weeks, Aug. 29 - Oct. 2) part of the semester begins Thursday, Sept. 29 via FlashFAST. The deadline for grading submission is midnight on Tuesday, Oct. 4.

FlashFAST is accessible from any Internet-capable computer that has the cookies function enabled. To access FlashFAST, login to FlashLine at http://flashline.kent.edu and click the “Faculty & Advisor Tools” tab. The link to your grade roster(s) is located in the “Faculty & Advisor Toolbox,” under the “Submit Grades” heading.

Grades Processing Tips and FAQs may be found on the Registrar's website at www.kent.edu/registrar/facstaff/facresc.cfm. 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.

Also, as a helpful tip, it is recommended 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.
Posted Sept. 26, 2011

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Kent State’s University Communications and Marketing Earns Six Communicator Awards

Kent State University is the proud recipient of six Communicator Awards from the International Academy of Visual Arts (IAVA).

Kent State’s University Communications and Marketing won two gold Awards of Excellence and four silver Awards of Distinction. This is a yearly competition and Kent State’s design staff submitted 10 entries this season.

The Communicator Awards is an international awards program that acknowledges creative excellence and the outstanding work of professionals in the communications world.

“We are honored by our peers but find our greatest satisfaction from pleasing our clients,” says Dan Karp, executive director of creative services at University Communications and Marketing.

The Award of Excellence is the highest honor for outstanding ability to communicate and the Award of Distinction is for projects of high achievement. Kent State’s “Experience for Life” television commercials and three print advertisements took home the high honors. Silver awards went to the “Experience for Life” single-page advertisement, the Kent State University interactive website, the “Destination Kent State” direct mail campaign and the Center for Corporate and Professional Development Marketing materials.

Winners of the Award of Excellence have the opportunity to have their submissions displayed in the IAVA Winners Gallery on the website.

The Communicator Awards is in its 17th season and receives more than 6,000 entries from companies and agencies each year. Company size and project budget do not play a role in selecting winners.

The IAVA sanctions and judges the Communicator Awards. The IAVA is an invitation-only organization for top professionals from acclaimed media, advertising, communications and marketing firms.

The award categories are Print, Audio, Video, Interactive, Integrated Campaigns and Marketing Effectiveness. It has also added the categories of Social Media and Social Responsibility.

The trophies are housed in the University Communications and Marketing lobby. For more information, visit the Communicator Awards website.

Posted Sept. 26, 2011

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Town and Gown Relations: CSI Maximizes Shared Resources

The Center for Student Involvement occasionally provides additional information to the university community on issues of broad interest in student affairs through the Student Involvement Brief. This feature will appear in e-Inside several times a month during the regular academic year.

In an effort to continue to enhance the relationship between Kent State University and the City of Kent, the Center for Student Involvement (CSI) welcomes Pete Mahoney as a special coordinator who identifies collaborative opportunities between the university and city. He also unites on special projects between the university and the city.

Involvement in the community is a strong priority for Kent State University and the City of Kent. In 2009, President Lester Lefton and Kent City Manager David Ruller held a press conference to announce their shared commitment to “enhancing city and university relations.” The term “town-gown” means the relationship between the university and the town in which it is located.

“It is imperative to foster the connection with city officials in Kent and of equal importance is the mutually beneficial relationship with restaurants and local businesses” explains Mahoney, speaking about how he works in cooperation with the Kent Area Chamber of Commerce to learn about current issues in the community.

In addition to his university responsibilities, Mahoney has created many community service outreach opportunities for students including student mentorship in the Big Brothers, Big Sisters program, Portage County Family Services visitation days, where children have the chance to visit the campus or attend a Kent football game, as well as kids’ day events with the Kent Parks and Recreation Service.

Recently, Mahoney developed partnerships with seven local restaurants to support the “Like CSI x1000” engagement initiative. Students of Kent State can win dinner for themselves and nine of their friends just by “liking” the Center for Student Involvement Facebook page.  These partnerships include Bellaria’s Pizza, Bruno’s Pizza, Hungry Howie’s, Papa John’s, Main Street Continental Grill, Mike’s Place and Cajun Dave’s Restaurant. Most of these businesses are locally owned and operated and through these partnerships, they gain support through advertising with the students at Kent State University.

Lastly, Mahoney also oversees the court-ordered community service program where students who are ordered by Kent State University or the Kent Municipal Court to participate in community service can find opportunities to serve their hours.

For more information on this program, and on university collaborative opportunities, please contact Mahoney at 330-672-8428 or at pmahoney@kent.edu.

Posted Sept. 26, 2011

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Kent State University NSCS Chapter Receives Gold Award

Kent State University’s chapter of The National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS) received the Gold STAR award —given to the most active and engaged chapters—at the 2011 NSCS Convention in San Juan, Puerto Rico, which took place June 16-19.

NSCS is an honors organization for high-achieving first- and second-year students and has more than 300 student-run chapters at universities across the country. The Kent State University NSCS chapter was founded in 2000.

To attain Gold status, chapters are required to hold an induction ceremony for new members, create a student mentoring program, hold campuswide events to support NSCS’ integrity initiative, create an on-campus membership recruitment campaign and engage a campus office in a chapter event.

For Rachel Thornton, the NSCS national staff representative who works with Kent State University’s chapter officers, the award comes as no surprise.

“The members of Kent State University’s chapter are amazing,” says Thornton. “They have gone above and beyond by creating innovative programs and expanding and improving existing programs and have provided an exceptional experience for their members. They have truly embraced the ideals of NSCS.”

Kent State’s chapter officers accepted the award on behalf of the organization. The chapter will also receive a $250 chapter scholarship and letter to the president of Kent State University to commemorate attaining Gold STAR status.

NSCS chapters can attain one of four STAR status levels; bronze, silver, gold and platinum. Each level is determined based on the quantity and quality of events a chapter held the previous year.

NSCS is a member of the Association of College Honor Societies and awards more than a quarter of a million dollars in scholarships every year. NSCS offers members exclusive access to scholarships, career resources, and leadership and networking opportunities and has more than 800,000 lifetime members.

For more information about NSCS, visit www.nscs.org.

Posted Sept. 26, 2011

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