eInside Briefs

Kent State Launches New Curriculum Management System

New system replaces paper process

A student listens during a class lecture. Kent State
University is adopting a new Web-based curriculum
management system beginning this fall.

Beginning fall 2014, Kent State University’s curriculum review and approval process is moving to CurricUNET, a Web-based software application designed to automate and enhance the development and approval of curriculum for higher education institutions.

“For years, we have been searching for a central management system for our curriculum process that is accessible and accurate,” says Therese E. Tillett, director of curriculum services in the Office of the Provost. “The current paper process allows for too many instances of getting lost on desks, never getting to the approving body, not being shared broadly and being difficult to find later.”

CurricUNET will enable Kent State to modernize and streamline its curricular management while improving communication, tracking and efficiency. In addition, the application will promote paperless practices in all major curriculum-processing functions throughout the university’s eight-campus system.

Kent State offers more than 8,000 courses to support 530 academic programs. Each year, faculty members establish and revise an average of 1,300 courses. By adopting CurricUNET, faculty will be able to collaborate on curriculum in one location, see the impact of a curricular change on other courses and programs, review historical curriculum proposals, submit new or revised courses and programs on an electronic approval workflow with email notifications and then track their proposal from development to implementation.

The Ohio Board of Regents also has recently adopted CurricUNET to facilitate reporting and program review for Ohio's entire statewide system. That initiative was made possible through a collaborative effort with Kent State’s STEM Center for Excellence in the Teaching of Science and Mathematics.

CurricUNET basic training sessions will take place in fall 2014 and spring 2015 for faculty and administrators who develop, review and approve curricular changes. Registration for these training sessions is through the My HR tab in FlashLine.

For questions and more information on CurricUNET, contact Whitney Wenger, academic program officer in the Office of Curriculum Services, at 330-672-1905 or wwenger@kent.edu.

Kent State Launches Search for Vice President for Institutional Advancement

Kent State University has launched a national search for a new vice president for institutional advancement.

The purpose of the Division of Institutional Advancement is to promote awareness among Kent State benefactors of the impact their contributions make to the growth and future success of the university.

“This is a significant opportunity for a motivated leader to make a lasting impact on the entire Kent State community,” says Kent State President Beverly Warren. “Direct, personal contact with our alumni, supporters, donors and the public takes the right person with the right vision, and I’m confident our search committee will deliver top candidates for consideration.”

Joel Nielsen, Kent State’s director of athletics, has agreed to chair the search committee, and Jack Gorman and Laurel Duggan of the executive search firm Isaacson, Miller will serve as search consultants. Charlene Reed, Ph.D., vice president and university secretary, will assist the committee as search coordinator.

The committee is charged with attracting and screening top candidates and then developing a list of up to three well-qualified finalists who will visit campus for public interviews. The goal is to name a new vice president before the end of this year.

“We have an important job ahead of us, and I’m confident we have the right volunteers on this committee to find the next great leader for institutional advancement,” Nielsen says.

Serving with Nielsen on the committee are:

• Gary Brahler, chair, Kent State University Foundation Board of Directors; First Vice President-Investments, Polcar Brahler Heil Belden Wealth Management Group of WellsFargo Advisors
• John Crawford, dean, College of the Arts; professor of dance
• Cynthia Crimmins, associate vice president, advancement operations, Division of Institutional Advancement
• Rozell Duncan, faculty representative, Alumni Association National Board of Directors; assistant professor of communication studies
• Maria Schneider, president, Alumni Association National Board of Directors; Alumni Board Representative, Kent State University Foundation Board of Directors; Managing Consultant-Premier Segment, Institutional Relationships, TIAA-CREF
• Susan Stocker, dean, Kent State University at Ashtabula; professor of nursing
  

To help keep the community informed, a search website has been created at www.kent.edu/advancement-search.

The community is asked to provide valuable feedback and input by answering a community survey on the website and emailing their comments to AdvancementSearch@kent.edu.

Steve Sokany took over as interim vice president for institutional advancement on Aug. 1 and will remain in that role until a new vice president is appointed. Sokany replaced Gene Finn, who left Kent State on July 31 for a similar position in New York.

For more information about Kent State’s Division of Institutional Advancement, visit www.kent.edu/advancement.

Kent State Launches Green Dot Bystander Program

Kent State University's Division of Diversity, Equity and
Inclusion, through its Office of Sexual and Relationship
Violence Support Services, has launched Green Dot, a
bystander intervention movement to promote safety for all.

Visualize for a moment the image that has been shown on many television and movie screens -- the image of small red dots representing an epidemic spreading across a computer-generated map of the U.S. With alarming speed, those individual dots spread and duplicate until the entire map is glowing red as a result of millions of individual red dots. Each red dot on this map represents an act of power-based personal violence, such as sexual assault, intimate partner violence and stalking.

This fall, Kent State’s Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, through its Office of Sexual and Relationship Violence Support Services, will launch a bystander intervention movement to change the map at Kent State. Green Dot at Kent State is about preventing red dots on the university’s map and replacing them with green dots, which represent any behavior or choice that promotes safety for all and communicates intolerance for any form of violence.  

Green Dot has two main components, a bystander skills workshop open to faculty, staff and students, as well as a social marketing movement to change the message at the university. The first two workshops are scheduled for Sept. 12 and Sept. 20 for leaders within the Kent State community.  Faculty and staff are encouraged to nominate and refer student leaders who they believe will influence the community around change. To nominate someone, email Jennie O’Connell, director for Kent State’s Office of Sexual and Relationship Violence Support Services, at joconne5@kent.edu. For future workshop information, visit the Green Dot website at www.kent.edu/greendot.

Green Dot will officially launch at Meet Up at the Green Dot on Sept. 24 from 2-6 p.m. at Risman Plaza, with an afternoon of activities, awareness and prizes. Anyone from the Kent State community is welcome to stop by and learn about Green Dot and how to get involved in the movement.

To help fund Green Dot at Kent State, the university received a $5,000 grant from the Avon Foundation for Women through its Speak Out Against Domestic Violence initiative. This is the second year Kent State has received funding from the Avon Foundation for Women.

The grant is one of 30 Avon campus grants totaling $150,000 awarded to colleges nationwide to fund programs for preventive education on dating abuse and violence, sexual assault, stalking and the promotion of healthy relationships, as well as offer local resources and provide referrals for community-based domestic violence experts. The grant also supports educator training, materials and support sessions about healthy relationships.

The Office of Sexual and Relationship Violence Support Services provides education, awareness and response services for the Kent State community. The office is located in the Carriage House on the Kent Campus. Staff members are available to provide workshops and educational presentations for classes and student groups around power-based personal violence, as well as training for faculty and staff regarding responding to students and Title IX reporting requirements.

For more information about Green Dot at Kent State, contact O’Connell at joconne5@kent.edu or 330-672-8041, or visit the Green Dot website at www.kent.edu/greendot.

Department of Public Safety Will Initiate Fire/Emergency Evacuation Drills on Sept. 10

On Wednesday, Sept. 10, at 11 a.m., the Kent State University’s Department of Public Safety will test the emergency notification system on the Kent Campus.

The purpose of this annual exercise is to familiarize students and employees with building evacuations and precautions to be taken in event of a fire or any other type of emergency.

No actual evacuation will take place during this exercise. Instead, classroom instructors and unit supervisors are asked to review the guidelines with their respective students and employees. As always, listen to the message and follow the instructions given.

Additional information on emergency response, building evacuation and fire guidelines are available in the emergency guide area of the Kent State website at http://www2.kent.edu/publicsafety/emergencyguidehtml.cfm.

At the end of the exercise, if you experienced any problems understanding or hearing the message, please email or call Assistant Chief Bill Buckbee, assistant director of emergency and special services, at wbuckbee@kent.edu or 330-672-1034.

Kent Student Center Survey – Sponsorships and Advertising: Win a $25 Starbucks or Amazon Gift Card

Pictured is the Kent Student Center. 

Kent State University’s Center for Student Involvement is conducting a survey of all Kent Campus students, faculty and staff members. The purpose of this survey is to gather feedback about the use of sponsorships and advertising within the Kent Student Center. Your feedback is important to ensure the university maintains the integrity of the building, while exploring ways to support enhancements to the existing programs and activities provided for students.

If you haven’t already completed this survey at the Black Squirrel Festival, please visit http://studentvoice.com/kent/fall14sponsorship by Sept. 21 to take a five-minute survey. Once you have completed the survey, you will be entered into a random drawing to win your choice of a $25 Starbucks or Amazon gift card. Four gift cards will be awarded. Respondent confidentiality is guaranteed.

Thank you for your participation. If you have any technical issues accessing the survey, please email elewis9@kent.edu. 

Kent State University Museum Survey: Win $100 to Nordstrom, Macy’s or Starbucks!

The Kent State University Museum, which features fashion, textiles and decorative arts, is conducting a survey of students, faculty and staff at all campuses. The purpose of the survey is to measure awareness of the museum and to find out which types of exhibits would be of most interest to survey participants.

Please visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/KSUMuseum to take a five-minute survey by Sept. 26.

Once you have completed the survey, your name will be entered into a random drawing to win your choice of a Nordstrom, Macy’s or Starbucks $100 gift card. Five $100 gift cards will be awarded.

If you have any technical issues accessing the survey, please email elewis9@kent.edu. If you’d like to find out more information about the Kent State University Museum, please visit our website at www.kent.edu/museum.

Thank you for your participation. Your input is greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,

Jean Druesedow
Director, Kent State University Museum 

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