eInside Briefs

Kent State University at Tuscarawas Announces Full Inaugural Season for New Performing Arts Center

Twenty-two diverse productions highlight the outstanding inaugural season for the Performing Arts Center at Kent State University at Tuscarawas. Scheduled between November 2010 and April 2011, the season offers entertainment for a variety of audiences.

Tickets sales for packages begin Sept. 7 followed by individual event ticket sales beginning on Sept. 13.  Ticket prices, which vary per event, range from $16 to $75 and can be purchased online, by phone, in-person or by mail.

"Every time our curtain opens we believe the audience will be amazed by the quality of the production they are here to see, as well as our magnificent 50,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art venue," said Dr. Gregg Andrews, dean and chief administrative officer of Kent State Tuscarawas. "Our outstanding schedule includes well-known performers Clint Black, Josh Gracin and Michael Bolton. We are also featuring the national tours of Lord of the Danceand Oklahoma!, the State Ballet Theatre of Russia's Swan Lake, the amazing Peking Acrobats, comedian Bill Engvall and the bluegrass music of Cherryholmes, to name just a few."

Additional events being released for the first time include: the theatrical productions of The Wizard of Oz, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Improvised Shakespeare Company and Cirque Mechanics' Boom Town; and the musical performances of Ricky Nelson Remembered, Jars of Clay and Percussion Group Cincinnati.  The opening week's events announced in June include the Tuscarawas Philharmonic, Jim Brickman, Luna Negra Dance Theater, Cats, A Christmas Carol and Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood.

"We have received a great deal of interest in the opening week schedule of events since its announcement earlier this summer," adds Mike Morelli, general manager of the Performing Arts Center. "We think the public will respond with equal enthusiasm to the remainder of our inaugural season of entertainment."

"Several of our productions have been grouped into packages to provide a savings to our patrons, says Morelli. "The opening week package gives patrons the opportunity to choose at the minimum four events and receive a price break. And with great performers, high-flying performances and perennial crowd pleasers, the opening week has something for everyone!"

Ticket Information

Opening Week Series:

Pick any number of concerts, minimum of four, from the opening week's events. Package pricing varies by number of concerts and the specific concerts chosen.

Broadway Series

Cats -Monday, Nov. 29, 7:30 p.m.
OKLAHOMA! -Sunday, Jan. 16, 2011 7:30 p.m.
Lord of the Dance -Wednesday, Feb. 23, 7:30 p.m.
Wizard of Oz -Sunday, March 6, 7:30 p.m.
Package Pricing $159 - $217

Laugh Out Loud Series

Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood -Saturday, Dec. 4, 7:30 p.m.
Bill Engvall -Saturday, March 12, 6:30 and 9 p.m.
The Improvised Shakespeare Company -Tuesday, April 26, 7:30 p.m.
Package Pricing $84 - $122

Pick-A-Plan

Pick any number of concerts, minimum of four, from our entire season. Package pricing varies by number of concerts and the specific concerts chosen.

2010-2011 Inaugural Season for the Performing Arts Center at Kent State Tuscarawas

Tuscarawas Philharmonic  -  Sat., Nov. 27
7:30 p.m.  -  Tickets $9-$32

Luna Negra Dance Theater -  Sun., Nov. 28
3 p.m.  -  Tickets $31-$45

Jim Brickman  -  Sun., Nov. 28
8 p.m.  -  Tickets $38-$55

Cats  -  Mon., Nov. 29
7:30 p.m.  -  Tickets $46-$67

A Christmas Carol  -  Tues., Nov. 30
7:30 p.m.  -  Tickets $28-$40

Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood
Sat., Dec. 4 - 7:30 p.m. - Tickets $37-$54

"OKLAHOMA!"  -  Sun., Jan.16, 2011
7:30 p.m.  -  Tickets $39-$58

Ricky Nelson Remembered  -  Fri., Jan. 21
7:30 p.m.  -  Tickets $21-$33

Jars of Clay  -  Sat., Jan. 29
7:30 p.m.  -  Tickets $21-$33

A Midsummer Night's Dream - Sun., Jan. 30
7:30 p.m.  -  Tickets $21-$33

Josh Gracin  -  Fri., Feb. 4
7:30 p.m.  -  Tickets $23-$34

The State Ballet Theatre of Russia'sSwan Lake - Tues., Feb. 8
7:30 p.m.  -  Tickets $38-$55

The Peking Acrobats  -  Sat., Feb. 19
7:30 p.m.  -  Tickets $25-$40

Lord of the Dance  -  Wed., Feb. 23
7:30 p.m.  -  Tickets $48-$57

Cirque Mechanics' Boom Town - Wed. March 2
7:30 p.m.Tickets - $34-$50

The Wizard of Oz -  Sun., March 6
7:30 p.m.  -  Tickets $46-$64

Bill Engvall  -  Sat., March 12
6:30 and 9 p.m.-  Tickets $44-$64

Michael Bolton  -  Thurs., March 17
7:30 p.m.  -  Tickets $52-$75

Clint Black  -  Sun., March 20
7:30 p.m.  -  Tickets $46-$67

Percussion Group Cincinnati Fri., April 22
7:30 p.m. - Tickets $16-$25

Cherryholmes  -  Fri., April 15
7:30 p.m.  -  Tickets $19-$30

The Improvised Shakespeare Company  -  Tues., April 26
7:30 p.m.  -  Tickets $18-$28

 

  Posted Aug. 30, 2010

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Redesigned E-Inside is Here

Kent State University's primary internal communications tool, e-Inside, is now sporting a new look for the new academic year! After extensive research, the e-Inside team has used the feedback provided by both readers and nonreaders to craft a fresh new version of this old favorite campus news source.

An online survey of faculty and staff members was conducted in January 2010 to assess the way the university community perceives and uses e-Inside. The online survey was completed by more than 1,200 readers and nonreaders of e-Inside. A cross-section of university employees completed the survey, including faculty members and classified and unclassified staff. All campuses were well represented.

As a result, Information Services and the University Communications and Marketing Web Team collaborated on building a new e-Inside tool in the university's content management system, CommonSpot, and changed the Monday morning e-mail presentation so that the new issue will be more "clickable" from the e-mail.

In addition, the new format provides more images right on the page, including a screen capture of the e-Inside video of the week, in most cases mirroring the image that is found on www.kent.edu, and is refreshed each week.

Also more visible are news briefs and events, sections in which research demonstrated readers find most useful. Main feature stories with news the university community can use, as well as fresh content about new programs, faculty accomplishments and student success stories will continue to be displayed prominently. Regional Campus news also has increased visibility in the new format.

Another sentiment clearly expressed by survey respondents was the desire to see the message board feature return. The new format of e-Inside will accommodate this.  The return of the online classified feature debuts with the new design, and new classified posts will be ready in early September.

Remember, e-Inside is your newsletter, so continue to send your news and achievements to einside@kent.edu.

 

  Posted Aug. 30, 2010

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Annual 'Celebrating College Teaching' Conference Calls for Abstracts

The 17th annual Celebrating College Teaching conference takes place Oct. 28 - 29, and those planning to present papers at the event are encouraged to submit their abstracts for presentations soon.

Potential presenters are asked to keep their topic areas consistent with the University Strategic Plan and Initiatives, with special attention to the Four Pillars of Engagement - knowledge, insight, responsibility and engagement. Submissions should be in electronic format with the subject line: "UTC Conference Submission." The submission requirements are to send a 100-150-word abstract describing the nature of the work with a clear indication of its content and applicability to teaching. It should include a title of 10 words or fewer, each author and institution(s) and the first author's address, phone number and e-mail. The submission division should be indicated (breakout, round table, poster) and to which of the four pillars the work is most aligned. The label of the file must be in the following format: Author name (last name, first) and the type of session (breakout, round table or poster).

The deadline for submissions is Sept. 1. Speakers will be notified no later than Sept. 15.

"We encourage everyone to plan to attend, it's an amazing conference and it's free," says Dr. Kimberly S. Peer, associate professor in the School of Health Sciences and conference chair.

Send all abstract submissions to Peer at kpeer@kent.edu.

By Erin C. Perkins

 

  Posted Aug. 30, 2010

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Professors Help Students Stay at the Forefront of Aquatic Science

Earlier this summer, doctoral students put Kent State University's first Integrative Graduation Education and Research Training (IGERT) grant in the amount of $2,756,719 into action.

The grant, which is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), focuses on environment aquatic resource sensing (EARS) and allows doctoral students to be trained in environment sensing to learn how to protect and sense things in aquatic environments. The training provided by this project will prepare graduate students for a variety of future careers relevant to freshwater resources.

In part, the grant was used to purchase buoys with sensors that were launched into lakes to be monitored to learn about local ecological systems.

In June, Kent State faculty and students launched three buoys, the first at West Twin Lake, followed by East Twin and Sandy lakes. The buoys are instrumented with a number of tools to provide information about the lake, says Darren Bade, assistant professor of biological sciences who is leading the project along with Laura Leff, professor of biological sciences.

The buoys are equipped to measure the temperature, pH and oxygen in the water. They are also capable of measuring how much dissolved materials are in the water, the clarity of the water along with the relative humidity, wind speed and direction and amount of rainfall. They even have a light sensor to measure how much sunlight is reaching the lake, which is important to know for the growth of life under the water.

"Ultimately, our goal is to use this data to better understand lake ecology, and at same time we hope this data will be of general interest to people who live near lakes, as well as fisherman or people who are sailing," Bade says.

"Buoys are becoming popular in research, and one of the goals in this research is to see what information can be gained from them," Bade continues. "We can train students in this emerging field that is becoming ever more abundant. We had the recognition that we needed students who could be trained in these types of technology along with their traditional training."

The grant, which is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, runs through 2014, and Leff says they are planning on reapplying for it to keep the buoy project ongoing. A highly competitive program, Kent State was one of more than 400 pre-proposals for the grant award. Ultimately, only 25 were funded.

 "We are trying to train the next generation of scientists, and we want those folks to be on forefront of this research. These buoys give them hands on experience. Rather than just textbook knowledge, they will have real world application," Leff says.

Part of that real world application, Leff says is working in teams and collaborating. The EARS project is interdisciplinary and currently, three doctoral students from Kent State and three doctoral students from Miami University of Ohio are participating in the EARS project.  

Since the launch, the next goal for the group is to make the information attainable from the sensors on the buoys and make it available to the public via the Web.

"We have the capabilities for anyone to look on the Internet and see the data coming from the buoys. They have a cellular technology inside them to send information to a database at Kent State," Bade says.

The next step is a developing a Web interface for the information.                                  

Bade says the project is significant to Kent State because it contributes to the university's high-caliber of research.

"It's an exciting program," Bade says. "It's highly beneficial to the students and puts us on the world map with other who are studying lakes using this technology, and more important our students are being exposed to new ways of learning and doing a science, which is an advantage in this job field."

By Erin C. Perkins

 

  Posted Aug. 30, 2010

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Kent State University Museum to Host Gala to Celebrate 25 Years of Dazzle

The Kent State University Museum is well-known for its dazzling collections and exhibits, which makes the name of its 25th anniversary celebration and gala event fitting. On Sept. 25, starting at 6 p.m., "25 Years of Dazzle" will celebrate the museum's two-and-half decades of providing the university and community opportunities to view important collections of fashion and decorative arts, attend public programs and make research appointments to study the collections. 

Jean Druesedow, the director of the museum, says the Hollywood-themed, red carpet event is a celebration of the museum and a fundraiser to support its continued efforts in the scholarship of research and exhibition, teaching and collecting.

"Of course we want to dazzle," says Druesedow, adding that people should come to the event to support the museum as a significant part of the community.  "We're important to the community, we're unique and we bring a lot to Northeast Ohio."

The museum's collection was originally established by a gift from fashion entrepreneurs Shannon Rodgers and Jerry Silverman three years before the museum opened.  The gift included 4,000 costumes and accessories, nearly 1,000 pieces of decorative art and a 5,000-volume reference library. The museum opened in October 1985, and has since expanded its collections to works from many of the world's great designers. Boasting a fashion and decorative arts collection of more than 40,000 pieces, the museum holds one of the most comprehensive teaching collections of fashionable design from the 18th century to the present.

To commemorate the 25th anniversary, the gala will feature an exclusive preview of the exhibition Katharine Hepburn: Dressed for Stage and Screen, which will run Oct. 2, 2010, through Sept. 4, 2011. The exhibit will showcase the screen legend's performance clothes, including stage and film costumes spanning Hepburn's career, as well as ensembles she wore for publicity purposes.

The evening at the gala will start off with cocktails in the museum library and a preview of Katharine Hepburn: Dressed for Stage and Screen, followed by dinner at 7 p.m. with music by Jack Hurd at the piano and a raffle. Robert Osborne, the host of Turner Classic Movies will introduce a private screening of the documentary,Katharine Hepburn: All about Me and guests will meet Hollywood legend Ann Rutherford, who appeared in Gone With the Wind and Pride and Prejudice.

RSVP is required. Ticket are:                                                                                           

Sapphire tickets at $150/person

Ruby tickets at $250/person (Includes program listing)

Emerald tickets at $500/person (Includes program listing, VIP program seating)

Dazzling Diamond table sponsor tables at $5,000 (Includes eight tickets to the event, program listing, VIP program seating)  

For more information, visit http://www.kent.edu/museum or call the museum at 330-672-3450.

By Erin C. Perkins

 

  Posted Aug. 30, 2010

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International Partnership Program Produces Award-Winning Teachers

Andrea Simms- Adderley, a nine-year teaching veteran currently posted at the Garvin Tynes Primary School in the Bahamas, recently was honored as ninth National Teacher of the Year for 2010-12. Simms-Adderley won four out the eight categories included in the evaluation process for the honor.

Simms-Adderley participates in an educational partnership program provided by the College of Education, Health and Human Services and the College of the Bahamas.

"As part of our extensive international outreach, the relationship with the College of the Bahamas has been particularly special," says Dean of the College of Education, Health and Human Services Dan Mahony. "The graduates of the many degree programs we have offered in the Bahamas have been great and have had a true impact on the students in that nation. Ms. Simms-Adderley is clearly at the top of that group, and we are very proud of her and this tremendous accomplishment."

According to the award committee, Simms-Adderley was chosen for her contributions to education which include devising academic and behavioral intervention plans for students with disabilities, staging workshops for teachers from both public and independent schools and working on the Bahamas Department of Education's curriculum team for primary school language arts.  

She has also conducted conclaves for teachers, teachers' aides and parents in a variety of subject areas including reading interventions, improving writing instruction, behavior modification and positive parenting skills.

Simms-Adderley received a crystal statue, $7,000 in cash from the Ministry of Education and Higgs and Johnson Law Firm and an additional grant to further her professional education.

Simms-Adderley will begin her doctoral program with Kent State's international program in the fall.

For more information about the College of Education, Health and Human Services' international programs, go to its website.

  Posted Aug. 30, 2010

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Students Invade Campus, Are Greeted by President Lefton

Did you know that there is a page on www.kent.edu that you can visit to learn more about Kent State University President Lester A. Lefton?

See new images of the orderly chaos of move-in time, when the president personally welcomed students to Kent State's residence halls.

The president's page resides at http://www.kent.edu/president/index.cfm. There, you can review past issues of In a Flash, the president's weekly messages to the university community, speeches and strategic initiatives. You can also sign up to follow President Lefton on Twitter from this page.

The page also features a photo essay, which is updated each month, with a few of the president's favorite images that capture some of the events he attends and hosts on behalf of Kent State.

To view the photo essay, go to this link:

http://www.kent.edu/president/photoessays/

 

Posted Aug. 30, 2010

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Bookstore Celebrates Grand Opening of New Apple Campus Store

The Kent State University Bookstore will hold a grand opening celebration for the new Apple Campus Store addition located inside the bookstore from Aug. 31 - Sept. 7.

The recent addition was a joint project between Apple Inc. and Follett Higher Education Group (FHEG) which began June 1.The goal of this partnership is to provide the Kent State community with a one-stop shopping experience for higher education technology needs.

Benefits of this partnership include special academic pricing on Apple computer laptops, desktops, and software and popular Apple licensed peripherals.  This broadens the choices students have when shopping at the University Bookstore, in addition to PC-based software and Dell and HP computers.

Available Apple products include:

•  MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air laptop computers
•   iMac and Mac Mini desktop computers
•   AppleCare extended coverage plans
• Apple software including the latest versions of iLifeiWork, Final Cut Studio, Logic Studio, Logic Express, Aperture and Snow LeopardOS X
• iPodtouch, Classic, nano and Shuffle players
• Accessories including Apple TV, Apple Wireless Magic Mouse, AirportExpress and Extreme and Apple Time Capsules.

The Kent State University Bookstore welcomes everyone to celebrate in the grand opening events. 

A special Buy a Mac, get a free ipod TouchBack-to-School offer will be effect during the event. 

Follett Higher Education Group is the leading provider of bookstore services and the foremost supplier of used books in North America. Follett services 4.5 million students and more than 400,000 faculty members through more than 825 stores. Follett also services more than 1,600 independent campus stores with its wholesale services, and has the most visited e-commerce collegiate website, www.efollett.com , that provides services and products through a network of more than 900 campus stores.

For more information, contact Michael Marquardt at 330-672-2762 or via e-mail at 0732mgr@fheg.follett.com .

More information about the bookstore is available at its website.

Posted Aug. 30, 2010

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E-Inside Message Boards Return

The e-Inside Message Boards, a popular classified ad-type feature that many of our readers frequently ask about, returns with this issue!

Due to technical issues, the Message Boards were inactivated. Now, with a new technology, the Message Boards are available once again.

Clicking on the link to the Message Boards will take you to a submission form. Please fill it out completely, and don't forget to make a selection from the drop-down menu, indicating in which section you would like your message to appear.

Please feel free to indicate a date range for your message, but know that messages do not remain on the Message Boards indefinitely.

All messages must be approved by e-Inside editorial staff. As we reactivate the Message Boards function, please understand that there may be a delay in posting approved messages. In all cases, please allow several days of lead time in the event you would like to post a time-sensitive message.

The Message Boards are intended to be a service available to Kent State faculty and staff only.

  Posted Aug. 30, 2010

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Ask Me! Button Campaign Says Welcome to Campus

Since many new students arrive on campus with far more questions than answers, Kent State University has enlisted the campus community to welcome its newest members with an on-the-spot information campaign.

Even beyond Welcome Weekend, continuing students, faculty and staff will proudly wear or display the Ask Me! button to let new and other returning students know that they are valued members of the Kent State community, and that no question is silly when it comes to navigating the collegiate experience.  The campus community continues to stand ready to help.

All Kent State employees hold a commitment to excellence and a willingness to share that commitment with the students that they serve. Whether it is giving a lost student directions to the student center or helping someone find a classroom, the Ask Me! initiative is designed to support the successful launch of the new semester.

So wear or display you Ask Me! button to help welcome new students to campus and get the semester off to a great start.

Thank you for wearing or displaying the button and for your continued commitment to excellence in all Kent State University does.

If you have questions about the Ask Me! Button campaign or need a button, contact the office of your vice president.

  Posted Aug. 30, 2010

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September is Critical for Sick Leave, Vacation Conversion

The Records unit in the Division of Human Resources reminds employees of two important dates during the month of September that can have an impact on your sick and vacation leave balances. Please read the information below on the annual sick leave conversion and the vacation accrual maximums.  If you have questions on either process, contact a member of the Human Resources Records staff at 330-672-2901.

Annual Sick Leave Conversion
The annual sick leave conversion for eligible staff employees will take place Sept. 1 through Sept. 14.  During this period, eligible classified and unclassified employees with a continuing appointment may convert accrued sick leave to vacation per administrative policy 3342-6-11.2.  

 Eligible full-time employees who have a balance of at least 500 hours of sick leave may convert:

• A maximum of five days (40 hours) per fiscal year of sick leave to vacation; or
• A combined maximum of five days (40 hours) per fiscal year of sick leave to vacation and personal leave.
  

Eligible part-time employees who have a balance of at least 250 hours may convert:

• A maximum of three days (24 hours) per fiscal year of sick leave to vacation; or
• A combined maximum of three days (24 hours) per fiscal year of vacation and personal leave.

Eligible classified employees represented by AFSCME who have a balance of at least 500 hours of sick leave may convert a maximum of five days (40 hours) per fiscal year of sick leave to vacation. 

The conversion process will be done online through FlashLine.The system will tell you how much sick and vacation leave you currently have and how much you are eligible to convert.  With the electronic process, employees will receive a confirmation e-mail and will also see the conversion reflected immediately in their FlashLine leave balances.

Eligible employees received information about the conversion in an Aug. 24 e-mail and in the Personal Announcements channel of the My Campus tab in their FlashLine accounts.

Vacation Accrual Maximums
All Kent State staff who are eligible to earn vacation should be aware that any hours exceeding your vacation leave maximum will be forfeited at the end of September, per administrative policy 3342-6-11.7. Employees who have exceeded the maximum accrual for vacation have until Sept. 30 to use vacation time or lose any hours accrued beyond the maximum. As with all vacation leave, it must be scheduled in advance and approved by your supervisor.

Vacation hours are earned each pay period and vary according to your years of service with Kent State and your job appointment (i.e. classified or unclassified status).  An explanation of vacation accrual rates, eligibility and usage is explained in more detail in the university's policy regarding annual vacation leave for nonteaching unclassified and classified personnel. According to the policy, the maximum amount of vacation an employee can accrue is that which can be earned in a three year period.  Each year, at the end of September, vacation balances are cut back to the maximum accrual allowed per the policy.

Employees can check their leave balances at any time by logging into Flashline, clicking on the "My HR Tab" and then clicking on the "Leave Balances" link in the "Employment Details" channel.

Posted Aug. 30, 2010

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