eInside Briefs

Kent State’s Faculty Professional Development Center Introduces Faculty Fellows Program

Recent findings from the Kent State University Faculty Professional Development Center Redesign Steering Committee suggests that the Faculty Professional Development Center has historically underutilized faculty expertise and would benefit from broader universitywide participation. The center’s Faculty Fellows program is designed to give faculty members the opportunity to serve in a leadership role in a professional development area of their choosing. Such issues may include online teaching and learning, researching teaching and learning, effective techniques for large lecture classes, adjunct faculty support, peer review, teaching strategies for difficult courses, mid-career faculty development, etc.

The expectation of the program is that selected fellows will serve as mentor/support  resources for other faculty within their chosen topic, create a universitywide workshop on their topic, create a deliverable (article, white paper or learning module) for future faculty use, and participate, as much as possible, in the broader workings of the center.

Applications are due by Oct. 10, and the selections for the spring semester will be made by Oct. 24. If selected, the faculty members will receive three to six hours workload equivalency for one semester to work in the center within their proposed leadership area.

Change for the Better at Kent State’s Center for Adult and Veterans Services

The Kent State University Center for Adult and Veteran Services has recently undergone several changes in personnel to better assist the increasing number of adults and veterans enrolling at Kent State. The center offers special programs and services to adult and veteran students to help make the transition to a college education at Kent State much easier. 

In March, former Assistant Director Joshua Rider was promoted to center director. Rider is responsible for planning, budgeting, office vision and direction of the center. Dawn Plug from Kent State University at Tuscarawas has taken over Rider’s former position as the center’s new assistant director and Veterans Administration (VA) certifying official, where she will serve as the main contact for information dealing with GI Bill concerns. Plug is in charge of the day-to-day processing, intake and compliance in regards to VA Educational Benefits. 

“The Center for Adult and Veteran Services serves many different purposes for nontraditional students,” says Rider. “These students have access to many benefits offered by the center, such as academic advising, alternate Destination Kent State appointments, disability, single-parent support and development opportunities, degree and program guidance and pre-admissions counseling. The center also coordinates veteran activities on campus, along with the Kent State Veterans Club.”

Rider says one of his major goals this year is to increase the focus on outreach and marketing in the community and beyond to attract adults and veterans to come to Kent State.

Kent State currently has more than 2,500 adult students taking undergraduate courses. The number of nontraditional students, especially veterans, has dramatically increased in recent years. In 2006, only about 260 veterans were enrolled at Kent State under the GI Bill. This past semester, that number increased to more than 650 students. Rider says he expects the number of adult and veteran students enrolled to continue to increase in future semesters. 

“Under the Post 9/11 GI Bill, veterans may have their tuition, fees and books paid for, along with approximate monthly living expenses,” Rider says. “The Center for Adult and Veteran Services helps prospective adult and veteran students realize there are no financial barriers for returning students to go to college.”

Kent State has been listed on the G.I. Jobs Military Friendly School list for five consecutive years. The growth in adult and veteran students is attributed to more veterans coming home from war and the Post 9/11 GI Bill.

Additional personnel changes include Mechelle Carr, promoted to senior receptionist, and the addition of graduate student Sandi Anderson, who is responsible for overseeing the Literacy and Independence for Family Education (LIFE) program. LIFE offers mentorship, programs on parenting skills, financial literacy, team building, study skills, time management and social outlets for single parents. 

For more information about Kent State’s Center for Adult and Veteran Services and its program offerings, visit www.kent.edu/cavs/index.cfm.

The Problem With Data Storage: How to Tackle Swollen File Shares and Our Data Footprint

We are living in what some call the “information age,” in part referring to the ease with which we can now create, access and store information. While this accomplishment has revolutionized the way we live, work and entertain ourselves, the ability to save an image or article with a few clicks has created the problem of continuous storage growth. When something is easy to use and seemingly low cost, it may quickly become taken for granted — and we often see this behavior associated with data storage. Just think, when was the last time you went through your vacation photos from 2009? Many of us use digital storage as sentimental safekeeping. It is easy to fall into a similar habit with work documents. However, unlike family photos, old work files may simply be taking up costly storage space or may even be being stored against university policy.

Prioritizing Data Clean Up

For the past three years, Kent State University’s Division of Information Services has made a concerted effort to combat these behaviors and reduce their data footprint by holding an annual “Information Services Clean-Up Day.” During this event, Information Services staff pore over their electronic footprint and scour their email shared files and folders for out-of-date, duplicate and unneeded information, data and files for deletion.

“Our goals for the event are to reduce data storage, understand the nature of our data, develop and sustain responsible data retention habits and extend our learning universitywide,” says Coleen Santee, executive director for enterprise support and application services at Kent State.

And it’s working. In 2014, the Division of Information Services recovered 40 percent of data storage space, solely by removing files that are no longer needed. It’s about saving space and eliminating clutter. While file deletion in compliance with the University Record Retention Schedule is encouraged, staff members acknowledged that a large portion of their day was spent simply restructuring their digital filing system.

“Over the course of an entire year, things have a tendency to get messy,” explains Jason Nester, applications support analyst with Kent State’s Division of Information Services. Clean-Up Day is an opportunity to get our files back in order.”

Adopt Clean-Up Day in Your Department

The Division of Information Services is not the only area with data on the brain. Recreational Services, with help from Information Services’ staff, adopted the clean-up day practice in 2013, and subsequently eliminated 50 percent of their data.

“By investing just one day, we were able to cut our data in half and improve the organization and efficiency of the department,” says Mike Papania, project manager in the Division of Information Services. “It’s a low investment activity with high returns.”

Tips

• Pay attention to retention requirements.
• Delete old, unused or duplicate files on a regular basis.
• Agree on a standard naming system for files and shared folders to keep items organized.
• Frequently clear out old emails.
  

If you are interested in learning more about how to apply the Information Services’ data clean-up approach in your area, contact Santee at csantee3@kent.edu.

Accounts Payable Customer Service and Training Survey

Accounts Payable is interested in getting the university community’s feedback. Please take the Accounts Payable Customer Service and Training Survey, which contains questions related to customer service, accounts payable processes and procedures, and training opportunities. The survey takes approximately five minutes to complete and will help Accounts Payable to refine processes and procedures, as well as plan future training sessions.

If you have any questions related to the survey, contact Emily Hermon, manager of Accounts Payable, at ehermon@kent.edu.

Important Information Regarding Midterm Grading for Freshmen

Online midterm grading for freshmen in Full-term Fall 2014 courses begins Thursday, Oct. 9, 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, Oct. 14.

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 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.

Don’t Forget to Decorate Your Office for the Homecoming Decorating Contest

Kent State University's College of Public Health was
winner of the 2013 office decorating contest.

Is your office’s school spirit showing yet?  The Kent State University Alumni Association asks that all offices registered for the Homecoming decorating contest display their décor from Friday, Oct. 10, through Homecoming, Oct. 18.  Judging will take place Wednesday, Oct. 15. Participating offices will be notified in advance of their scheduled judging time. 

Participating offices will be judged on creativity, use of theme, use of physical space, visual appearance and appeal, and incorporation of staff.  For more information about the office decorating contest, visit www.ksualumni.org/officecontest.  

For a complete list of Homecoming activities and more information about this year’s festivities, visit www.ksualumni.org/homecoming.