eInside Briefs
News Briefs
- Register Now for the Fall 2013 Bowman Breakfast
- Kent State Approves Work to Begin on New Building for the College of Applied Engineering, Sustainability and Technology
- Bill Beisel Appointed Director of Business and Community Services at Kent State Tuscarawas
- Kent State’s Department of Public Safety Will Initiate Fire/Emergency Evacuation Drills on Sept. 11
- Kent State Professor Receives Jazz Journalists Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award
- Hillel at Kent State Receives Award at Annual Conference
Register Now for the Fall 2013 Bowman Breakfast
Marcello Fantoni, Ph.D., associate
provost for global education at Kent State,
will speak on the topic “The International City
of Kent” at the fall 2013 Bowman Breakfast
on Oct. 2.
The fall 2013 Bowman Breakfast will take place at Kent State University in the Kent Student Center Ballroom on Wednesday, Oct. 2. Doors open at 7 a.m., breakfast begins at 7:30 a.m. and the program will follow at 8 a.m. The featured speaker is Marcello Fantoni, Ph.D., associate provost for global education at Kent State. Fantoni will speak on the topic “The International City of Kent.”
The cost to attend is $10 per person at the door, payable by cash or check. No invoicing is available for this event, and payment at the door is required.
Reservations can be completed online or by contacting Mary Mandalari at 330-672-8664 or mmandala@kent.edu no later than Thursday, Sept. 26. No shows will be billed. If you find you cannot attend, please contact Mandalari at 330-672-8664 or mmandala@kent.edu to cancel your reservation by Sept. 26.
Kent State is committed to making its programs and activities accessible to those individuals with disabilities. If you or a member of your family will need an interpreter or any other accessibility accommodation to participate in this event, please contact the university’s accessibility liaison Jacqueline Gee by phone at 330-672-8667, by video phone at 330-931-4441 or via email at accessKSU@kent.edu.
The Bowman Breakfast, a tradition since 1963, is sponsored by Kent State and the Kent Area Chamber of Commerce.
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Kent State Approves Work to Begin on New Building for the College of Applied Engineering, Sustainability and Technology
Last September, the Kent State University Board of Trustees approved construction of new facility for the College of Applied Engineering, Sustainability and Technology, as a prioritized project within the “Foundations of Excellence: Building the Future” initiative. Since that time, the programming, schematic and development design was completed and the final design and budget were prepared.
At a special meeting held Aug. 27, the Kent State Board of Trustees Finance and Administration Committee authorized a resolution that will permit the issuance of contracts and the beginning of construction on the building’s foundation. The committee action, passed by a unanimous vote, also caps the cost of the project at $17,750,000.
The request for the expedited approval was made in order to meet the time-sensitive schedule associated with the installation of foundations and other underground work prior to the onset of winter weather. This is a critical first project in a sequence of relocations enabling the overall "Foundations of Excellence" program.
During the committee meeting, Kent State President Lester A. Lefton said he was excited that the project was moving forward and that steel would be in the ground soon.
The proposed building is approximately 55,200 gross 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. Approximately 6,500 square feet of the building will be shelled for future completion.
Kent State’s College of Applied Engineering, Sustainability and Technology has experienced near double-digit growth in recent years, with nearly 1,000 students. The college offers a Bachelor of Science degree in four areas: aeronautics, applied engineering, technology and construction management.
For more information on Kent State’s College of Applied Engineering, Sustainability and Technology, visit www.kent.edu/caest.
For more information about Kent State’s “Foundations of Excellence” initiative, visit www.kent.edu/foundations.
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Bill Beisel Appointed Director of Business and Community Services at Kent State Tuscarawas
William "Bill" Beisel, Ed.D., has been
appointed director of Business and
Community Services at Kent State
University at Tuscarawas.
William "Bill" Beisel, Ed.D., has been appointed director of Business and Community Services at Kent State University at Tuscarawas in New Philadelphia. Beisel replaces Pat Comanitz who retired in December 2012.
“With a career of more than 25 years in continuing studies, Bill brings extensive workforce development and contract training experience to our Business and Community Services office,” says Gregg Andrews, Ph.D., dean and chief administrative officer of Kent State Tuscarawas. “He also has valuable hands-on knowledge regarding continuing education and certification for various professions, and programming in areas such as business, leadership, quality process improvement, industrial maintenance, community development and allied health. Bill is an outstanding addition to our campus community.”
Beisel’s responsibilities include program development of open enrollment continuing education classes, management of the Advanced Technology Center, contract training, development of internal and external partnerships, director of the American Heart Association Regional Training Center and overseeing management of the Ohio Small Business Development Center.
Prior to coming to Kent State Tuscarawas, Beisel was director of Continuing Education at Lakeland Community College, where he was responsible for leadership of the department, including academic planning, operations, financial management, program development and business and community engagement. The department annually generated 10,000 participant enrollments and $1.5 million in revenue.
Beisel earned his Bachelor of Science degree from SUNY Plattsburgh, and he received his master’s and doctoral degrees from Pennsylvania State University. He also holds certificates in management and leadership in education from Harvard University and Leadership Ashtabula. Beisel is a U.S. Air Force veteran and a former New York certified volunteer firefighter.
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Kent State’s Department of Public Safety Will Initiate Fire/Emergency Evacuation Drills on Sept. 11
On Wednesday, Sept. 11, at 11 a.m., 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 building evacuation and fire guidelines are available in the emergency guide area of the Kent State website at www.kent.edu/publicsafety/eguide_fire.cfm.
At the end of the exercise, if you experienced any problems understanding or hearing the message, please email or call Bill Buckbee, assistant director of Emergency and Special Services at the Kent State Police Department, at wbuckbee@kent.edu or 330-672-1034.
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Kent State Professor Receives Jazz Journalists Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award
Willard Jenkins, Kent State University adjunct professor
and alumnus, receives the Jazz Journalists Association’s
2013 Lifetime Achievement Award in Jazz Journalism.
Kent State University adjunct professor and alumnus Willard Jenkins has received the Jazz Journalists Association’s (JJA) 2013 Lifetime Achievement Award in Jazz Journalism. Jenkins received the award in June. Jenkins graduated from Kent State in 1973 and has taught the course Jazz Imagines Africa in the Department of Pan-African Studies since 2005. Jenkins also has served as artistic director for the Tri-C JazzFest in Cleveland since 1995.
“It felt great to receive the JJA Lifetime Achievement Award, particularly because it’s an award voted on by peers, and I accepted the award from the distinguished poet, playwright, author and jazz writer Amiri Baraka,” says Jenkins.
Jenkins created his blog, “The Independent Ear,” has several publications and collaborated with National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master Randy Weston on the autobiography African Rhythms, which was published by the Duke University Press.
Along with teaching at Kent State, Jenkins formerly taught Jazz History at Cleveland State University. Jenkins says he enjoys teaching Jazz Imagines Africa at Kent State because it gives him the opportunity to introduce jazz and jazz-related music to his students for the first time.
“It never ceases to amaze me that despite the fact that jazz is truly American classical music and getting down to its roots —black classical music, I constantly have students who remark that this course was their first-ever exposure to this wonderful world of music,” says Jenkins.
Jenkins has been a jazz journalist since 1969, when he started writing record reviews for the black student newspaper, The Black Watch, at Kent State.
“Kent State was my stepping stone to writing more extensively about jazz music,” says Jenkins.
Tim Moore, professor emeritus of Pan-African Studies at Kent State, was a student and witness to Jenkins’ involvement during his time at Kent State.
“It has been especially rewarding to see that he stayed true to his love of music, which has led him to a self-made, multifaceted career that has now earned him both national and international recognition and appreciation by his peers,” says Moore.
For more information about Jenkins and to read his blog “The Independent Ear,” visit www.openskyjazz.com.
For more information about Kent State’s Department of Pan-African Studies, visit www.kent.edu/cas/pas.
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Hillel at Kent State Receives Award at Annual Conference
Hillel at Kent State Executive Director Jennifer Chestnut
chats with the new Hillel Schusterman International Center
President and CEO Eric Fingerhut during Hillel Institute in
St. Louis, Mo.
Hillel at Kent State University recently received a prestigious Indispensable University Partner award from Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life.
The honor was one of five total awarded to Hillels around the world during the Vision and Values presentation on July 30. It was a part of Hillel’s annual weeklong professional development conference, called Hillel Institute, which took place at Washington University in St. Louis, Mo.
Being an Indispensable University Partner is one of the four elements of success for the more than 550 campus Hillels, as stated in the organization’s strategic plan. The award is given to a Hillel that demonstrates full immersion into the life of the university and is regarded by the campus community and administration as an indispensable partner that enhances student life.
“We are really proud of this meaningful award,” says Jennifer Chestnut, who is entering her 15th year as executive director for Hillel at Kent State. “This is really a recognition for all to share, as it shows the genuine partnerships that we have at both campuses.”
Hillel at Kent State is the home-away-from-home for the 1,500 Jewish students at Kent State and the University of Akron. The staff received a plaque and a banner that states: “For exemplifying the spirit of genuine partnership by embracing campus life at both Kent State University and The University of Akron.”
“It is my honor to recognize the Hillel at Kent State for their commitment to being a vital campus partner and leader in the areas of diversity, tolerance and multiculturalism,” says Scott Brown, Hillel’s vice president of talent, as he presented the award. “The Hillel at Kent State continues to promote an inclusive environment on campus that is a model for others to follow.”
Kent State administrators assisted with the application process. Highlights included: Hillel’s long tradition of holding May 4 commemoration events, that the Cohn Jewish Student Center was the first Hillel building to be erected on state land, and Hillel’s many co-sponsorship events on campus, such as the “Just 4 Day” service initiative.
“I have worked closely with the Kent State Hillel for the last 25 years,” says Greg Jarvie, Kent State’s vice president for enrollment management. “Their commitment to inclusiveness in regards to scholarship, leadership, cultural and religious awareness has been a major influence in the entire university community.”
For more information about Hillel at Kent State, please contact Hillel at Kent State's Development Associate Jacob Rosen at jrosen6@kent.edu or 330-678-0397 x. 111.
Hillel at Kent State is an independent 501(c) 3 Jewish student organization, a beneficiary of the Ohio Valley Hillel Consortium and not a department of or funded by Kent State University.
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