eInside Briefs

It's Faculty Appreciation Week

Kent State University faculty members will be honored
during Faculty Appreciation Week from April 15-19. 

Kent State University honors its faculty members with a week of celebration from April 15-19. Faculty Appreciation Week, with the theme “You Inspire Us!,” is coordinated by the Office of the Provost and recognizes the impact that faculty members make on the university and student success.

“Universities can and do exist in a nearly infinite variety of forms and structures. However, no university can exist without students and faculty,” says Todd Diacon, Kent State provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. “It is fitting that, as we approach the end of this academic year, we honor our faculty in April and celebrate our students when they graduate in May.”

The week of celebration begins with a faculty appreciation breakfast event on Monday, April 15, at 8 a.m. at the Kent Student Center Ballroom. A promotion and tenure dinner, by invitation only, will take place Tuesday, April 16, at Laziza Restaurant in downtown Kent, and a Faculty Author Recognition event will take place Wednesday, April 17, at 4:30 p.m. in the Quiet Study Area of University Libraries.

The celebration continues Thursday, April 18, with a Faculty Club reception that will recognize new and retiring emeritus faculty members, from 5-7 p.m. at the Schwebel Dining Room. The week concludes on Friday, April 19, with “Faculty Favorites,” an opportunity for faculty members to enjoy community discounts and deals.

For more information about Kent State’s Faculty Appreciation Week, visit www.kent.edu/facultyweek.

Dedication of Lights at Schoonover Stadium Set for Wednesday

Kent State University will hold a Dedication of Lights
ceremony at Schoonover Stadium on April 17. Pictured
are the lights being installed at the stadium.

A Dedication of Lights ceremony at Schoonover Stadium is set to take place Wednesday, April 17, prior to Kent State University’s baseball game versus Niagara at 5 p.m.
 
The ceremony will recognize and thank those who made the addition of lights to Kent State’s baseball facility possible. Kent State President Lester A. Lefton, Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration Gregg Floyd and Associate Vice President of Facilities Planning and Operations Tom Euclide will be on hand to throw out the ceremonial first pitches. Athletic Director Joel Nielson, head coach Scott Stricklin and Michael Bruder, director of design and construction in the Office of the University Architect, will also be a part of the ceremony.
 
The facility upgrade is part of the university’s Foundations of Excellence: Building the Future initiative. This campus transformation involves the construction of new buildings, facility upgrades and the establishment of dynamic, new spaces. The university has embarked on a major, multifaceted initiative to make each of Kent State’s eight campuses everything a world-class, 21st century campus should be, for the sake of the students, faculty, staff, alumni and the greater community enriched by the institution.
 
Changes to the Kent Campus are mirrored in the incredible renaissance of downtown Kent, strengthening the town-gown relationship and creating the enriching experience of a rising college town.
 
The new lights are part of continuing upgrades to the Kent State baseball facilities at Schoonover Stadium. In 2005, a field turf surface was installed, along with an underground drainage system, new dugouts, bullpens, backstop and outfield fencing. For the 2007 season, a home locker room, players’ lounge, restrooms and concession stand were added. The updated scoreboard in right field was installed in 2008. Future projects will include a parking area and indoor and outdoor hitting facilities, made possible by both public and private funding.
 
The Dedication of Lights ceremony is scheduled to take place 10 minutes prior to the game’s first pitch at 5 p.m. Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for children and seniors. Kent State students, faculty and staff receive free admission. Tickets may be purchased the day of the game only. 

2013-2014 Faculty/Staff Online Parking Permit Renewals

Online faculty/staff parking permit renewals begin April 15 through May 18.  After May 18, permits can be purchased in person at the Parking Services office located in Room 123, Schwartz Center.  For permit renewal assistance or for additional information, contact Parking Services at 330-672-4432.

Renew your faculty/staff parking permit here:  https://solutions.kent.edu/parkingservices/Login.aspx?LoginType=STAF.  

Kent State University Police Services Survey

Kent State University’s Police Services is conducting a survey of all Kent Campus students, faculty and staff members. This survey offers you an opportunity to provide feedback to the Kent State Police Services unit about the work we do for the Kent State community and to tell us what you think our most important concerns and priorities should be as we plan our work and shape our agency to serve the university community.

If you haven’t already completed our 5-minute survey, we invite you to take it at www.surveymonkey.com/s/KSUPolice by April 24.

Your responses to the survey will be anonymous. All data will be reported in a form that will make it impossible to determine the identities of individual respondents. Police Services will use the survey results as part of a self-assessment we are undertaking as part of an ongoing strategic planning process.

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

Sincerely,

Assistant Chief Dean Tondiglia
Kent State University Police Services

Kent State Receives Alcoa Bin Grant for RecycleMania

Kent State received 75 recycling bins as part of the 2013
RecycleMania collegiate recycling competition.

The Alcoa Foundation, in partnership with Keep America Beautiful and the College and University Recycling Coalition, provided Kent State University with 75 recycling bins as part of the 2013 RecycleMania collegiate recycling competition.

The grant is an incentive to boost competition scores for universities and colleges and bring awareness about recycling. This is the second year the Alcoa Foundation provided Kent State with bins.
RecycleMania is an international, friendly competition among colleges and universities. During the competition, the schools compete for awards in nine categories to see which schools recycle the most on a per capita basis, produce the least amount of waste and recycle the largest percentage of their overall waste.

This is Kent State’s fourth year competing in RecycleMania, and, although the university has never placed first, Melanie Knowles, sustainability manager for Kent State’s Facilities Planning and Operations, is happy with the overall success from the program.

According to Knowles, this year’s bins have been placed in the Roe Green Center and in University Libraries building.

“We’re always trying to increase recycling on campus,” says Knowles. “Last year, we increased recycling outdoors. This year, we realized we needed to increase it indoors.”

As part of the grant, Kent State must monitor how recycling increases in both the Roe Green Center and the library.

“We have many opportunities for improvement,” says Knowles. “Every year we see improvement.”

During RecycleMania, Kent State competes in informal head-to-head competitions with other schools including The University of Akron. Not only is the school right down the road, but the two schools usually are neck-and-neck in the rankings.

“This year, we are way ahead of The University of Akron,” Knowles says. “So right now we need to focus on beating Youngstown State University.”

Winners of the RecycleMania competition will be announced this month.

For more information on what items are recyclable, visit www.kent.edu/sustainability/upload/ksu_single_stream_recycling_guide.pdf.  RecycleMania also has a Facebook page.

Kent State University 2013 Common Reading Book Announced

Who Owns the Ice House? by Clifton
Taulbert and Gary Schoeniger has been
selected as the 2013 common reading
book for new students. 

The Common Reading Committee and the Office of Student Success Programs is pleased to announce the selection of this year’s Kent State Common Reading book Who Owns the Ice House? by Clifton Taulbert and Gary Schoeniger.

Who Owns the Ice House? is a true story that takes place in the Mississippi Delta at the height of legal segregation. This was a time when opportunities for African-Americans were limited by cultural and legal constraints that were beyond their control. For most, it was a time and place where opportunities seemed out of reach. Yet, an ordinary man named Uncle Cleve stood out as someone who defied convention and triumphed over adversity as an entrepreneur.

Who Owns the Ice House? highlights eight life-lessons Uncle Cleve passed along to his young nephew, Clifton Taulbert. Drawing on the wisdom he gained from his Uncle Cleve, the book chronicles author Taulbert’s journey to be as what Time magazine referred to as “one of our nation’s most outstanding entrepreneurs.” While Taulbert describes the life-changing influence of his Uncle Cleve, Schoeniger captures the entrepreneurial life lessons that can empower anyone to succeed.

For more information about Who Owns the Ice House?, please visit http://whoownstheicehouse.com/.

The Common Reading Program is designed to welcome and connect incoming students to the Kent State academic community. The goal for reading the book is to provide common ground for new students to share with their peers, and offer inspiration to commence their college career with a strong academic beginning. The objectives of the program are:

• To help students get acclimated to the academic life of the university
• To provide students with an understanding of the university values, principles and standards
• To build and maintain relationships that foster success with peers, faculty, staff, administrators and community members
  

All new students will discuss the book with faculty, staff and alumni on Aug. 23 during Destination Kent State: Welcome Weekend. The program as a whole will build a supportive and encouraging atmosphere that will ease the transition to university life. The book will be available for purchase at the University Bookstore.