eInside Briefs

Kent State Dedicates the New Home of the Wick Poetry Center and Poetry Park

University holds dedication celebration on Sept. 26

On Sept. 26, Kent State University will dedicate the new
home of the Wick Poetry Center. Located on the Lefton
Esplanade, the Wick Poetry Center is now housed in the
historic former residence of one of Kent State’s first faculty
members, May Prentice.

For 30 years, Kent State University’s Wick Poetry Center has been encouraging new voices – locally, regionally and nationally – and bringing poetry to people’s everyday lives through readings, publications, workshops and scholarships. Now, the Wick Poetry Center, part of the College of Arts and Sciences, begins a new era by relocating from Satterfield Hall to the Lefton Esplanade.

A dedication ceremony will be held Friday, Sept. 26, at the center’s new location on the Esplanade. The dedication includes remarks at 10 a.m. from Kent State President Beverly Warren and others, a dedication poem read by young poets in the Wick Juniors program at 10:20 a.m. and a ribbon cutting at 10:25 a.m. There also will be an open house from 10:30 a.m. to noon for people to tour the building and grounds. The dedication events are free and open to the public.

The new home of the Wick Poetry Center is the historic former residence of one of Kent State’s first faculty members, May Prentice. Prentice was on the faculty of Kent State from 1912 to 1930 and taught English, history of education and school management. She lived in the house on Willow Street until her death in 1935. The university preserved the 112-year-old house, moving it from its original location on Willow Street to its new location on the Lefton Esplanade.

Given the Wick Poetry Center’s growing popularity and community impact, the center was in need of larger and more flexible space for its programming. The new center includes a digital community classroom and versatile meeting space for various public functions, the Hometown Bank Foyer, the Jo Woodward Reading Room, the Stan and Tom Wick Library, the Maggie Anderson Director’s Office and other named spaces.

The “Seated Earth, 2014” sculpture is featured in the
Poetry Park adjacent to the Wick Poetry Center’s new
home. The 12-foot bronze sculpture was designed and
donated by Kent State alumnus, former art faculty member
and Wick Poetry Center co-founder Robert Wick. Although
the house retained its historic look, it underwent renovation
to convert it to an academic structure and to meet current
building codes.

“Relocating the center to the Lefton Esplanade allows us to be more accessible to the Kent community, and offers us a plethora of opportunities for expanded programming,” says David Hassler, director of the Wick Poetry Center. “Both the Esplanade and the Wick Poetry Center serve as bridges that connect the Kent State campus and the community, and we are excited at the opportunity to serve and engage a larger audience.”

Another exciting feature of the Wick Poetry Center’s relocation is an adjacent interactive Poetry Park featuring trees provided by the Davey Tree Expert Company and the Joan and Ron Burbick Outdoor Gallery, a showcase of the award-winning Traveling Stanzas™ poetry posters designed by Kent State’s graphic design students. Using the newly designed Wick Poetry Center mobile application, www.wickapp.com, visitors can digitally interact with the poetry posters through audio, video and animation.

The Poetry Park also is a gathering space for quiet reflection or public events and performances in the Professor Edwin S. Gould Amphitheatre, donated by Carol W. Gould. The Poetry Park also features the Klaben Family Pathways, and Albert and Rosaline Klaben Gateway as well as “Seated Earth, 2014” a 12-foot bronze sculpture designed and donated by Kent State alumnus, former art faculty member and Wick Poetry Center co-founder Robert Wick, ’57.
 
The total budget for the relocation and renovation of the house and the creation of the Poetry Park was $1.07 million. Major donors who contributed to these projects are:

• Kent State University College of Art and Sciences
• The Klaben Family
• Carol W. Gould
• The Woodward Foundation
• Joan and Ron Burbick
• Hometown Bank 
• The Dominion Foundation
• Paul and Eileen Gaston
• The Davey Tree Expert Company  
• The Kent Community  
• Dr. Judith Gold Stitzel
• Walter and Robert Wick, and Wick Communications
• Kent Displays
  

One of the leading university poetry centers in the United States and the only one with an interactive poetry park, the Wick Poetry Center is unique for its range of impactful programming, which includes education, performance, publications and outreach. The Wick Poetry Center was established in 1984 by brothers Robert and Walter Wick in memory of their sons.

For more information about the Wick Poetry Center and its 30th anniversary events, visit www.kent.edu/wick.

University Libraries Debuts New Online Database to Make Research Easier, Faster

Kent State University students study on a computer at
University Libraries. The library has initiated a new,
comprehensive online tool called Discovery@Kent State to
allow for an easier way to research information.

This fall, students will be discovering a quick and easy way to research information at University Libraries with the rollout of a new, comprehensive online tool: Discovery@Kent State.

In years past, library users needed to search KentLINK, OhioLINK and other online databases one at a time to find information from books, periodicals, electronic articles and more.

But with Discovery@Kent State, the new online database available through University Libraries, the research process is streamlined. Discovery@Kent State simultaneously searches the metadata of KentLINK, OhioLINK and more than 300 different sets of databases and brings up all findings within a matter of seconds.

George Leggiero, Kent State University Libraries senior applications support analyst, calls Discovery@Kent State a comprehensive first stop for students to begin their research.

“Some students are daunted by different silos of information that we have, but this puts them all together in one place,” Leggiero says. “It changes the focus from ‘where do I search?’ to ‘which ones are my best choices to use?’”

And choices abound. With more than 300 different databases being searched at once, users can be given too much information. When that happens, students are able to use filters, questions and other variables to refine their search and bring up the most relevant information to their research topic.

"Within two to three clicks, you have access to the article,” Leggiero says. “If we don’t have access to it, students can click a link to request a copy to be sent to the library within a few days.”

Leggiero and staff at University Libraries hope Discovery@Kent State will make the research process easier for students, thereby reducing research anxiety and, ultimately, increase the odds of students graduating.

Discovery@Kent State is available now to all Kent State students, faculty and staff directly from the University Libraries homepage. For more information about Discovery@Kent State, contact Leggiero at 330-672-1918. 

Foundations of Excellence Initiative Brings Exciting Transformations to Kent State

Institutional Advancement launches website with live views of new building initiatives

Kent State University's Division of Institutional
Advancement has launched a website at foe.kent.edu
that highlights the latest efforts of the Foundations of
Excellence: Building the Future initiative at the new
Aeronautics and Technology Building, the Center for the
Visual Arts, and the Center of Architecture and
Environmental Design.

One of the most all-encompassing transformations in university history is taking place right now at Kent State University. The Foundations of Excellence: Building the Future initiative includes the construction of new buildings, facility upgrades and establishment of dynamic, new spaces. These projects support academic success, while demonstrating Kent State’s leadership in campus safety, accessibility and sustainability and serving as a powerful magnet for top students, employees and partners.

Newly completed projects include the new home of the Wick Poetry Center and the Poetry Park, the Lester A. Lefton Esplanade, the Tri-Towers Sky Lounge at Wright Hall and a 12,000-square foot addition to the Field House. Projects underway are the Center for Undergraduate Excellence at Olson Hall and the Sciences Building at Kent State University at Stark.

These exciting developments on our campuses mirror the exciting projects underway in the city of Kent and in many communities served by Kent State Regional Campuses. When the Foundations of Excellence: Building the Future initiative is realized, Kent State be able to say that it was part of an investment in the future totaling nearly $700 million; helped create nearly 1,700 jobs; and improved the quality of life in Northeast Ohio.

You Can Help Shape the Future 

Alumni, friends, faculty, staff, foundations and corporations are donating vital funding for Kent State programs through the Foundations of Excellence (FoE) Campaign. Learn more about these exciting opportunities on the Foundations of Excellence campaign website! And watch the future being built in real time by visiting foe.kent.edu.

Foe.kent.edu showcases the latest efforts of the Foundations of Excellence initiative at the new Aeronautics and Technology Building, the Center for the Visual Arts, and the Center of Architecture and Environmental Design. The website features renderings of what the new buildings will look like, live webcams at each construction site, animated flyovers of all the changes on campus, interactive floor plans with gift and naming opportunities, college videos and much more. Projects highlighted on the foe.kent.edu website include:

Aeronautics and Technology Building: Construction is well underway at the new facility for the College of Applied Engineering, Sustainability and Technology. The proposed building is approximately 55,200 square feet and will include air traffic control training rooms in a lower level, classrooms and shop areas on the first floor and faculty offices and classrooms on the second floor. 

The Center for the Visual Arts: Construction has also begun on this project, which combines two existing buildings: Van Deusen Hall and the Art Annex/Power House. Through repurposed and new construction, the College of the Arts revitalized studios, classrooms and gallery spaces will include approximately 115,000 square feet of space that will provide access to a range of media, resources and expertise.

Center for Architecture and Environmental Design: This new structure will present Kent State as an economic and design force in Northeast Ohio, and will consolidate students, including those in the construction management program, in one location, enhancing peer-to-peer learning that is vital in the design fields. It will also maximize the interaction of faculty, students and administration and aid in efforts to continue to integrate the campus and community, all while demonstrating the university’s commitment to sustainable design and operations.

The Foundations of Excellence projects will advance student success and allow the university to keep pace with growing enrollment and anticipated future growth. Visit foe.kent.edu today to see for yourself the continued transformation of Kent State.

Train Your Brain With Fall Tech Workshops

Pictured is Tom Mahon, manager of training and outreach
with Kent State University's Division of Information
Services. The division is offering a free Fall Tech Training
Series on topics, such as Google Apps, social media and
more.

Attendees of the Summer Tech Training series will be pleased to learn that the Division of Information Services’ free tech workshops have been extended to include the fall semester as well. The fall program (visit http://training.kent.edu) not only addresses an expanded topic list -- including courses on the cloud, Google Apps, social media and more -- but also marks the debut of the Division of Information Services’ state-of-the-art training space in University Libraries.

“The library has been very accommodating,” says Tom Mahon, manager of training and outreach with the Division of Information Services. “Through our partnership with them, we now have a dedicated training space — if you want tech training, Room 152 at University Library is the place to go.”

The new space is located conveniently on the first floor of the library, near the computer lab. With brand new computers and two 80” flat panel display screens, the space allows for an interactive training experience that can be catered to the needs of the audience and the content.

“We still maintain the same high standards in our workshop materials and hands-on activities, but the new tech eliminates any lag or loading wait time in the software, making the student experience that much more seamless,” says Jay Frye, director of service management with the Division of Information Services.

Kent State University's Division of Information Services’
free tech workshops have been extended to include the
fall semester.

In addition, use of the new wall displays ensures that every student can follow along with the instructor, no matter where they are seated in the room.

As the Division of Information Services continues to partner with the Faculty and Professional Development Center through faculty-focused training sessions and other efforts, use of the upgraded space is another option for faculty who are looking to practice with digital learning tools.

“We would love to work with faculty who are interested in using Room 152 as a space to test new technologies,” Mahon says. “And if academic units are thinking about using flat panels for content delivery, this is a great opportunity to test out materials, presentations, etc. in this type of space, before you enter the classroom.”

The Fall Tech Training series will run through Nov. 20. For workshop descriptions, dates and registration, visit http://training.kent.edu.

Questions regarding the workshops or training space can be directed to Mahon at tmahon@kent.edu.

Kent State Aims for Recycling Rate of 35 Percent for 2014-15

Recycling saves money, resources and landfill space. Kent State University’s Office of Sustainability is working to increase the campus recycling rate from 25 to 35 percent for 2014-15.

“I just want everyone to get excited about recycling,” says Melanie Knowles, Kent State’s sustainability manager.

More items in the university’s waste stream can now be recycled. Previously, only No. 1 and No. 2 plastics were accepted. In January 2014, Kent State started accepting No. 1 – No. 7 plastics as part of its recycling program. Kent State is a single-stream recycling campus: all recyclable items including plastic, aluminum and steel cans, cardboard, glass, paper, and paper cartons and cups can be placed in the same recycling bin. Plastic bags, styrofoam and items contaminated with food are not recyclable in single-stream bins. Food containers, like pizza boxes, should be as clean as possible.

“Our biggest push now is just to get everyone to understand that they can recycle on campus,” says Chris Tankersley, assistant director of residence services at Kent State. “The more the students conserve, the less that we have to spend as an institution, and we can use more money for fun things like renovating a residence hall lounge or getting new furniture."

Kent State’s Office of Sustainability has partnered with various departments on campus to increase awareness about recycling and to update campus users about recycling changes. Most recently, the Office of Sustainability and Residence Services posted 4,000 recycling guides at the beginning of the semester in all residence hall rooms.

Over the summer, University Facilities Management custodial staff took a tour of a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF), a high-tech recycling sorting operation, to see what happens to recyclables after they are placed in blue bins. One staff representative from each of the five custodial areas visited the MRF.

“We’re trying to increase our recycling rate,” says Leah Graham, outreach recycling coordinator at Kent State. “We are currently at 23 percent and, while that’s good, there is definitely room for improvement. I think 35 percent is an achievable recycling goal for us this year.

“The national leaders in RecycleMania have recycling rates of 80 to 90 percent. We’re looking forward to seeing what we can achieve as a campus this year with everyone’s involvement,” Graham adds.

For more information and details about items that are recyclable, visit Kent State’s Office of Sustainability website at www.kent.edu/sustainability/wastemanagement.cfm.

Share Your Achievement in e-Inside

Did your article get published in a journal? Did you write a book, chapter in a book or magazine article? Did you present or participate in a conference? Did you receive an award or other professional achievement? Kent State University faculty and staff can share their achievements in e-Inside. 

Read about your colleagues’ recent achievements, and share yours through the online form at the bottom of the page at www2.kent.edu/einside/recognition.cfm.