eInside Briefs

CEO of Kent State’s College of Podiatric Medicine Has Died, Interim Dean Named

Thomas V. Melillo, D.P.M., who served
as chief executive officer of Kent State
University’s College of Podiatric Medicine,
died Oct. 22 after a battle with cancer.

Thomas V. Melillo, D.P.M., who served as chief executive officer of Kent State University’s College of Podiatric Medicine, died Oct. 22 after a battle with cancer. He was 68 years old. Melillo led one of the largest and most respected podiatric medical education institutions in the country and the only accredited podiatry school in Ohio since August 1984. The college was known as the Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine before becoming a part of Kent State in July 2012.

“Dr. Melillo played a key role in the Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine becoming a part of Kent State University, helping to create a positive opportunity for the college to provide the best education and training for podiatric medicine students,” says Todd Diacon, Kent State’s senior vice president for academic affairs and provost. “We mourn the loss of Dr. Melillo and share our thoughts and prayers with his family, friends, colleagues and members of the podiatry community.”

Under Melillo’s leadership, the podiatry school prospered, expanded, enhanced its reputation and became recognized as one of the national leaders in podiatric medicine education. He was responsible for developing three new and different clinic sites for the Cleveland Foot and Ankle Clinic, relocating the college to its impressive Georgian-style building in the Cleveland suburb of Independence, Ohio, building a modern, high-tech facility to provide the best training for its students and supervising the friendly acquisition of the Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine by Kent State. Melillo had been the longest-serving president of a podiatry college in the United States.

After completing his undergraduate work at Rutgers State University in 1965, Melillo graduated from the Pennsylvania College of Podiatric Medicine in 1969, receiving his podiatric medicine degree. He completed his residency and received his M.S. in surgery at the California College of Podiatric Medicine in 1971. Between 1971 and 1984, Melillo served in several key positions at the California College of Podiatric Medicine, including academic dean, professor of surgery, chief of podiatry and director of hospital education.

Board certified since 1975 by the American Board of Podiatric Surgery, Melillo wrote several publications during his career. He also served on numerous hospital and national committees, lending his expertise in the field of podiatric medicine.

Melillo is survived by his wife, Judith, five children and 13 grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to the Kent State University Foundation at P.O. Box 5190, Kent, OH 44242-0001. The donations will be used to fund a scholarship in Melillo’s memory.

Melillo had planned on retiring in 2014, so a search for his permanent replacement already had been initiated.

Bryan Caldwell, D.P.M., has been
named interim dean of Kent State’s College
of Podiatric Medicine.

In the meantime, Diacon has announced Bryan Caldwell, D.P.M., will serve as interim dean of Kent State’s College of Podiatric Medicine. Caldwell has been serving as assistant dean of clinical education and operations at Kent State’s College of Podiatric Medicine. He has been with the podiatry school since 1994.

“It is with a heavy heart that I accept the position of interim dean of the Kent State University College of Podiatric Medicine,” Caldwell says. “Many knew Dr. Melillo as a great podiatric leader, but our relationship had become much closer over the years as I worked directly for him as the dean of clinics. Dr. Melillo was always the voice of reason. Regardless of the circumstances, he would always listen to the ideas of others and treat others with respect.
 
“My condolences to Judie and to his children,” Caldwell continues. “Judie and Tom had a special relationship that was truly remarkable. My wife and I were always moved by their genuine love for each other. I also had the honor of teaching some of his children, each with the same intelligence, passion for the podiatric profession and kind spirit portrayed by their father. I know that Tom is watching over us today, and I promise to continue to serve the College of Podiatric Medicine and our great profession of podiatric medicine as he so willfully did.”

Caldwell received his bachelor’s degree from the University of South Florida, master’s degree from the University of Notre Dame and podiatric medicine degree from the Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine. He completed his residency at Florida Hospital in Orlando, Fla.

Caldwell has been board certified by the American Board of Podiatric Orthopedics and Podiatric Primary Medicine since 1997. He has received numerous awards and honors, including being named Faculty Member of the Year twice by the Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine. Caldwell also serves as principal investigator or co-investigator on several research grants, including a grant from the National Institutes of Health involving the nonvisual foot examination for people with diabetes and visual impairment.

He is a member of the American Podiatric Medical Association, Ohio Podiatric Medical Association, Northeast Ohio Podiatric Medical Association and American College of Physician Executives. He has authored books, chapters and papers, including several in the Journal of the American Podiatric Medical Association. He also serves as a journal reviewer for the Journal of Foot and Ankle Surgery and the Journal of the American Podiatric Medical Association.

Kent State’s College of Podiatric Medicine is a four-year, graduate-level medical college, granting the degree of Doctor of Podiatric Medicine. Founded in 1916, the college has graduated more than 6,000 podiatrists who have made outstanding contributions to the field and study of podiatric medicine. The college’s mission is to educate students to be highly competent doctors of podiatric medicine who will excel in residency training.

For more information about Kent State’s College of Podiatric Medicine, visit www.kent.edu/cpm.

Kent State University at Tuscarawas Dean to Leave Post in July

Gregg L. Andrews, Ph.D., dean and
chief administrative officer of Kent State
University at Tuscarawas, has announced
he will resign as dean effective July 1, 2014.

Gregg L. Andrews, Ph.D., dean and chief administrative officer of Kent State University at Tuscarawas, announced he will resign as dean effective July 1, 2014. He plans to accept an assignment to become the special assistant to the associate provost and Regional College dean at Kent State and will teach at Kent State Tuscarawas. It is his intention to retire July 1, 2015, after 30 years of service to the university.
 
Andrews was hired as the dean of Kent State Tuscarawas in August 1995. He is the third and longest-serving dean of the campus. While serving as campus dean, Andrews also taught sociology, and from 2008-2009, he served as the interim executive dean for Regional Campuses. Prior to coming to Kent State Tuscarawas, he was the director of special programs and continuing studies at Kent State University at Stark.
 
In his announcement to the campus community on Oct. 23, Andrews said, “I am extremely proud of the progress Kent State Tuscarawas has made during the past 18 plus years. Together, we have built an outstanding, highly credentialed, student-centered faculty; significantly expanded new degree program opportunities to meet the needs of our local community; expanded our commitment to economic and community development; and have completed numerous facility renovations and new construction, including our state-of-the-industry Science and Advanced Technology Center and our world-class Performing Arts Center. The campus is well-positioned financially and programmatically for the future. It has truly been my privilege and honor to serve as the dean and chief administrative officer of this very special campus.”
 
Milestones achieved under Andrews’ leadership include:

• Enrollment increased from 1,100 to more than 2,400 this semester
• Associate degree programs offered on the campus have grown from 12 to 18
• Bachelor’s degrees were launched in 1997 and now total 10 that can be completed on campus
• A strong focus on student success initiatives
• Full-time resident faculty members now total 53
• Facility expansions and renovations have transformed the campus. In addition to the Science and Advanced Technology Center and the Performing Arts Center, facility expansions include the expansion of the Founders Hall lobby and the renovation and repurposing of vacated classrooms in Founders Hall.
• A major renovation of Founders Hall and the campus library completed this past summer
• Facility enhancements with a high priority for safety and security protocols
• Fostering of entrepreneurship through student-based initiatives and business training and counseling
• Enhanced student activities and athletics
• Established a master plan to strategically outline the future development of the campus
• Development of online courses
  

“Gregg Andrews cares deeply about the Tuscarawas Campus,” says Todd Diacon, Kent State’s senior vice president for academic affairs and provost. “He always embraced its mission and continued throughout his career to speak passionately on behalf of the campus’ students, faculty and staff. I especially treasure the time I have had to work with Gregg and to learn from him. In short, all of us salute Gregg for a job done exceptionally well.”

A national search will be conducted to secure a replacement for Andrews before the end of the academic year.

For more information about Kent State Tuscarawas, visit www.tusc.kent.edu/index.cfm?campuses.

WKSU’s Amanda Rabinowitz Recognized With a National Edward R. Murrow Award

Amanda Rabinowitz, WKSU's assistant news director,
was presented a prestigious National Murrow Award from
the Radio-Television-Digital News Association.

WKSU's Assistant News Director Amanda Rabinowitz was presented a prestigious National Murrow Award from the Radio-Television-Digital News Association (RTDNA) at an Oct. 14 ceremony at the New York Marriott Marquis in Times Square. The award was presented by ESPN investigative reporter T.J. Quinn during the live-streamed formal event. The winning entry previously won a Regional Murrow, competing against work from large market radio stations in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Michigan.

Rabinowitz was honored for Best Sports Reporting for an in-depth report on the misuse of prescription painkillers by college athletes. Her story followed the overdose deaths of two former University of Akron football players who died within six months of each other in 2011. Their parents claimed they became hooked on painkillers when they got injured and feared losing their scholarships. The parents also claimed the school did little to help.

Rabinowitz spent several months researching the issue, exploring all sides of the story. She spoke with nationally recognized sports orthopedic surgeons about common painkiller prescriptions, as well as representatives of the NCAA and the Mid-American Conference regarding their drug testing policies and procedures and the University of Akron. To learn more about this very personal issue, Rabinowitz drove to Columbus, Ohio, to conduct a two-hour interview with the family of one of the profiled boys — learning everything from memories of his childhood to the horrible moment when his mother found him in his bedroom dead from a heroin overdose.

Rabinowitz has been a reporter and producer at WKSU since 2007, and she is currently WKSU’s weekday host for NPR’s Morning Edition. Along with three Regional Murrow wins, she has been recognized multiple times by the Press Club of Cleveland, Ohio Associated Press Broadcasters, Ohio Society of Professional Journalists, Ohio Professional Writers and the National Federation of Press Women. Rabinowitz came to WKSU from WJER-AM/FM in Dover, Ohio, where she won an Ohio Associated Press Broadcasters' award for Best Reporter in the state. In May 2008, she completed the master's degree program in communications at the University of Akron.

RTDNA is the world’s largest professional organization devoted exclusively to electronic journalism. It has honored outstanding achievement in electronic journalism with Murrow Awards since 1971. For more information about the association, visit www.rtdna.org.

WKSU is a service of Kent State University and broadcasts to 22 counties in Northeast Ohio from the station’s primary signal at 89.7, along with WKRW 89.3 (Wooster), WKRJ 91.5 (Dover/New Philadelphia), WKSV 89.1 (Thompson), WNRK 90.7 (Norwalk) and W239AZ 95.7 (Ashland). The station adds WKSU-2 Folk Alley, WKSU-3 The Classical Channel and WKSU-4 The News Channel over HD Radio and as streaming audio online at www.wksu.org.

Kent State’s United Way Campaign Holds Can Sculpture Competition to Benefit Families in the Area

The team from Kent State University's Blackstone LaunchPad
program sculpted a replica of its mascot, Burt Blackstone, the
entrepreneurial squirrel, using rolls of paper towels and cans. 

Kent State University’s United Way Campaign sponsored a Can Sculpture Competition on Oct. 21 at Risman Plaza to benefit the Portage County Food Drive. 

Four teams competed for a first prize of $300 and a second prize of $200. Although the teams were in competition with each other, the real winners are the families benefiting from the Portage County Food Drive.

The Kent State Blackstone LaunchPad, a program that promotes entrepreneurship located on the first floor of the Kent Student Center, came in first at the competition.

“It was very rewarding to participate in a fun competition that directly benefits those in need,” says Katherine Harmon, program manager of Kent State’s Blackstone LaunchPad.

The team from Blackstone LaunchPad sculpted a replica of its mascot, Burt Blackstone, the entrepreneurial squirrel, using 143 rolls of paper towels and 108 cans.

“We wanted to use this worthwhile opportunity to showcase our program’s mascot, Burt,” Harmon says.

Second place was awarded to the Division of Information Services, which made a town out of cans and boxes of food. Also participating in the competition was University Health Services with a replica of a prescription bottle made out of cans, toilet paper and tea bags, and Sigma Phi Epsilon, which constructed its fraternity letters out of cans.

The Can Sculpture Competition was organized by Christopher Hicks, senior integrative studies major and student worker for the Division of University Relations. All items used in the structures were donated to the Portage County Food Drive.

The competition was judged by Justin Hilton, senior associate vice president for university relations, Stephanie Rummel, United Way director of development, and Kent State student Jessica Gahan. Each sculpture was evaluated on creativity, overall appearance and amount of nonperishable goods used.

Kent State University Hotel Offers Special Discount to Faculty and Staff

The Kent State University Hotel and
Conference Center's Ninteen10 Bar is
offering a discount, now through Dec. 31,
to Kent State faculty and staff members.

The Kent State University Hotel and Conference Center is appreciative of the hard work that Kent State faculty and staff do in educating the minds and enriching the lives of students. Therefore, the hotel is offering Kent State faculty and staff an exclusive Hall Pass for specials at the hotel’s ultra-chic Ninteen10 Bar.

Come in between 4 and 7 p.m., Monday - Wednesday, now through Dec. 31, and receive $2 off your regular priced drink of choice. There are no brand or mixer restrictions whatsoever. Just come in and enjoy a little downtime with some classic cocktails, wines and brews after your intense workday.

Kent State faculty and staff members can present their business cards at the bar to receive their Hall Pass.
 
For more information about the Kent State Hotel and Conference Center, Nineteen10 Bar or the Zenas restaurant, visit www.kentstatehotel.com.

School of Communication Studies Refreshes Brand With Redesigned Website and Logo

Kent State University's School of Communication Studies
has launched a new website that incorporates responsive
design for mobile, and offers easy integration to social
platforms and audience-specific content.

The School of Communication Studies at Kent State University has a new website and look, viewable at www.kent.edu/comm. Launched in October, the school aims to provide a Web presence that is reflective of the experience students have in the school. The site uses responsive design for mobile, offers easy integration to social platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter, and audience-specific content.

Current and future students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends of the school will find the website fresh, easy to use and instantly comfortable. The site offers optimal search abilities, new content, and a feeling of comfort and ease of information access. A page specifically developed for international students provides information and a brochure in Chinese. From start to finish, student feedback influenced the design decisions, content organization and site structure.

Based in the university's content management system, CommonSpot, the site is one of the first at Kent State to use responsive design for mobile devices, making it easily accessible and user-friendly on a range of interfaces, such as smartphones, tablets and laptops.

"Our goal was to portray not only what the School of Communication Studies has to offer, but also the way students feel when they get here – confident, welcome and at home," says Anne Dudley, marketing coordinator for the schools of Communication Studies and Visual Communication Design. "The clean design, warm colors and focus on usability is reflective of the research findings and testimony from our students and faculty."

Research for the new Web presence began in late January and included focus groups, a business-needs analysis, heuristic evaluation, review of the site's analytics, and an online survey of 106 communication studies faculty, staff, alumni, graduate students, undergraduate students and international students.

Staff members and students at IdeaBase (formerly known as The Tannery) conducted research, testing, design and implementation of the site. Operations Manager Evan Bailey, Business Development Manager Kristin Dowling and a team of students designed and built the site. IdeaBase is a student-staffed, multidisciplinary creative agency in downtown Kent.

Chris Hallahan, interactive designer and developer at Kent State University Communications and Marketing, managed the site development and built custom templates in CommonSpot. Hallahan was integral in developing the responsive design for mobile, creating custom functions and collaborating with the school to build a unique solution that also met university brand standards.

Director of the School of Communication Studies Paul Haridakis supported the campaign for the new website, and Dudley coordinated the content creation and research in the school.

Kent State University Bookstore Holds One-Day Flash Sale on Oct. 29

The Kent State University Bookstore will hold a one-day Flash Sale on Tuesday, Oct. 29. Members of the Kent State community can get a 25 percent discount in-store and online on men’s, women's and kid’s fleece sweatshirts and pants, including hoodies, crewnecks, etc. Please note: Columbia Sportswear Polar Fleece is excluded from the sale.

A 25 percent in-store only discount also is available on a variety of other products, such as all student reference books/materials (e.g., dictionaries, bar charts, test prep, foreign language, etc.), imprinted notebooks and binders, Memorex TravelDrive and SanDisk Cruzer flash drives up to 32 GB and more. Also take an additional 25 percent off clearance items in the store.

For more information, visit www.bkstr.com/Home/10001-10064-1?demoKey=d.

Fourth Annual Spirit of Women in Business Conference Call for Papers

Kent State’s College of Business Administration requests presentations to be submitted for the Spirit of Women in Business Conference to be held in March 2014

Attendees at the 2013 Spirit of Women in Business
Conference listen to a guest speaker in the Kent Student
Center Ballroom.There is a call for papers for the 2014
conference with an Oct. 31 deadline for submissions.

Kent State University’s College of Business Administration will host its Fourth Annual Spirit of Women in Business Conference on Wednesday, March 5, 2014.

The conference has sold out for the past two years and brings together women from diverse professional backgrounds.

Last year, Bernett L. Williams, vice president of external affairs at Akron Children’s Hospital, and Collette Carlson, human behavior expert and author, were the keynote speakers. More than 350 professional business women attended the conference.

The conference includes three break-out sessions featuring 12 topics aimed at enhancing your professional life, breakfast, lunch and a networking reception.

“This is an amazing event that provides women who are continually seeking knowledge for their personal and professional development with learning and networking opportunities,” says Corianne Kocarek, outreach program manager for Kent State. “Learning opportunities are focused on providing actionable insights that will advance skill development and positive lifestyle changes.”

This year, the conference is seeking programming that can speak to the informed woman.

Kent State is currently soliciting program proposals and encouraging presentations on the following topics: philanthropy, technology, healthcare, professional development opportunities, women in inclusion, starting and growing your own business, time management, work/life balance, networking, leadership, financial literacy, performance improvement, the Sandwich Generation, coaching/mentoring and workplace skills.

The presentation requirements can be found on the proposal form.

The deadline to submit a proposal for the 2014 Conference is Oct. 31, 2013. You can submit proposals to P.O. Box 5190, Attn. Corianne Kocarek, Room 204 Schwartz Center, Kent, Ohio, 44242-0001 or email them to Kocarek at ckocarek@kent.edu.

For more information about Kent State’s College of Business Administration, including the Spirit of Women in Business Conference, visit www.kent.edu/business.

Kent State Sustainability Groups Recognized on Campus Sustainability Day

Kent State University hosted several events on Oct. 23 for the 11th annual Campus Sustainability Day, a day dedicated to recognizing sustainability in higher education. The events, which took place at the Kent Student Center, included a guest panel and Q&A session, displays set up by student sustainability groups, and a national keynote and broadcast webinar titled “Climate Adaptation: Resilient Campuses and Communities.”

Kent State has several campus sustainability initiatives, including energy-efficiency installations, construction waste management, green building strategies, recycling programs and electric vehicles. Committees are involved in many sustainability-driven projects, including making the campus bicycle-friendly and maintaining the community garden.

Many Kent State students are involved in sustainability initiatives on campus. Sustainability-focused student organizations on campus include:

U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)
Founded in 2011, USGBC’s local Kent chapter strives to “educate members about green building and sustainable technologies, encouraging the community to be more sustainability minded.” The group has an architectural focus but accepts students of any major. Members volunteer, listen to guest speakers and tour colleges and buildings.

For more information, visit www.facebook.com/pages/USGBC-Students-Kent-State-University/198336493529751 or www.usgbc.org.

Net Impact
Kent State’s local Net Impact chapter for graduate students is housed in the College of Business Administration. According to the organization’s website, Net Impact works “for a sustainable future” by “empowering a new generation to use their careers to drive transformational change in the workplace and the world.” Members go on business tours, volunteer, listen to guest speakers, go to sustainability conferences and participate in fundraisers.

For more information, visit www.kent.edu/business/StudentOrgs/netimpact/index.cfm.

C.R.I.C.K. (Cuyahoga Watershed Research Information and Conservation at Kent State)
C.R.I.C.K. is a new organization on campus that works with the Center for Ecology and Natural Resource Sustainability (CENRS) to “unite students, faculty and environmental leaders from multiple disciplines for the purpose of engaging in research on the Cuyahoga River Watershed.” The group participates in restoration projects, workshops and meetings.

For more information, visit www.facebook.com/groups/CRICKKENT or http://crickkent.webs.com.

Kent Interhall Council (KIC)
KIC is a residence hall association that unites individual hall councils on campus to “create a structured environment for residents.” The group is not focused on sustainability but advocates several sustainability programs, such as RecycleMania.

For more information about KIC, visit http://kic.kent.edu.

For more information about RecycleMania, visit www.kent.edu/sustainability/recyclemania.cfm.

Biology Club
The Kent State Biology Club, open to any students interested in biology, concentrates on various topics, including conservation and zoology. The club goes on field trips, listens to group speakers and participates in hands-on activities.

For more information, visit www.facebook.com/groups/ksuzoocon.

For more information about sustainability initiatives at Kent State, visit www.kent.edu/sustainability/index.cfm.