eInside Briefs

Online Forum, Listening Posts and Surveys Gather Communications for 1 University Commission

Kent State University's 1 University Commission (1UC) is
a presidential initiative charged with strengthening the
university system.

The 1 University Commission (1UC) has posted new questions to the online discussion at http://theciviccommons.com/1uc. Your feedback will help to strengthen our university system and create more value for our students, our communities and our state.

Questions posted today, Monday, Dec. 1, include:

Academics and Curriculum

1. How should the university prepare faculty, at all campuses, to teach distance learning courses?

Faculty Roles and Responsibilities

1. Are there inconsistencies between Kent State policies and actual practices about engaging with faculty on the regional campuses? If yes, please provide specific examples.

Student Experiences

1. What currently connects you with other campuses in the Kent State system?

Participation in the 1UC discussion is easy. There are three ways you can provide your comments:

1. You can join a conversation on the Civic Commons website.
2. You can complete an anonymous online survey.
3. You can attend one of the listening posts to be held on all campuses.
   

If you plan to attend a listening post, check out the listing for upcoming sessions.

Upcoming Listening Posts

Kent State University at Stark
Monday, Dec. 1, 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Library Conference Room

Kent State University at Ashtabula
Monday, Dec. 1, 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Lake Room

Kent State University at Trumbull
Tuesday, Dec. 2, 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
117 Technology Building

Kent State University at Tuscarawas
Wednesday, Dec. 3, 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
A207 Founders Hall

College of Podiatric Medicine
Wednesday, Dec. 3, 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Multi-Purpose Room - Lower Level

Kent State University at Geauga
Thursday, Dec. 4, 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
The Gallery

Share your opinion and share it often.

We are one university; we are greater than the sum of our parts, and we are a force to be reckoned with in Ohio and the world.

Kent State School of Theatre and Dance and Porthouse Theatre Nominated for Multiple BroadwayWorld Cleveland Awards

Awards include recognition in performance, direction, choreography, musical direction and design

Pictured is a scene from Porthouse Theatre's My Fair Lady,
which earned nominations for Best Actress in a Musical for
Kayce Cummings portrayal of Eliza Dolittle, and Best Costume
Design of a Musical, both in the Guest Artist Theatre category.

BroadwayWorld Cleveland has recognized Kent State University’s School of Theatre and Dance and Porthouse Theatre with multiple nominations for productions that took place in the spring and summer of 2014. Nominations for the awards are submitted by BroadwayWorld readers and verified by the BroadwayWorld Cleveland editorial team.

The Kent State School of Theatre and Dance received two nominations:

Kent State graduate student Jim Weaver is nominated for Best Choreographer of a Musical in the Educational/Community Theatre category for his choreography of Legally Blonde.

Legally Blonde is nominated for Best Production of a Musical in the Educational/Community Theatre category.

Porthouse Theatre received nine nominations:

Terri Kent, Kent State professor and Porthouse Theatre’s producing artistic director, is nominated for Best Director of a Musical in the Guest Artist Theatre category for her direction of Oliver!

Eric van Baars, acting director for Kent State’s School of Theatre and Dance, Porthouse Theatre executive producer and Equity actor, is nominated for Best Actor in a Musical in the Guest Artist Theatre category for his portrayal of Fagin in Oliver!

S.Q. Campbell, associate professor of costume design in the School of Theatre and Dance, is nominated for Best Costume Design of a Musical in the Guest Artist Theatre category for her costume design of My Fair Lady.

MaryAnn Black, assistant professor of dance and Porthouse Theatre assistant artistic director, is nominated for Best Choreographer of a Musical in the Guest Artist Theatre category for her choreography of Oliver!

Jonathan Swoboda, associate professor in the School of Theatre and Dance and music director, is nominated as Best Musical Director of a Musical in the Guest Artist Theatre category for his music direction of Oliver!

Colleen Longshaw, graduate student in the School of Theatre and Dance and Equity actress, is nominated for Best Actress in a Musical in the Production House category for her portrayal of Diva/Eleanor’s Mother in Starmites.

Equity actress Kayce Cummings is nominated for Best Actress in a Musical in the Guest Artist Theatre category for her portrayal of Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady.

Nolan O’Dell is nominated for Best Scenic Design of a Musical in the Guest Artist category for his scenic design of Oliver!

Porthouse Theatre’s production of Oliver! is nominated for Best Production of a Musical in the Guest Artist Theatre category.

Voting is currently ongoing on the BroadwayWorld Cleveland website located at www.broadwayworld.com/cleveland. Voting closes on Dec. 31.

Kent State University Board of Trustees Meeting, Dec. 3

The Kent State University Board of Trustees will hold its next regular business meeting Wednesday, Dec. 3. The Board will convene at 2 p.m. in the George Urban Board of Trustees Conference Room, which is located on the second floor of the Kent Campus Library.

Trustees will retire into executive session at 8 a.m. to consider specific topics as provided for under Ohio’s “Sunshine Law.” 

Trustees will meet as a Committee of the Whole from 8:45-10:20 a.m. This will be followed by Board standing committee meetings as follows:

• Academic Excellence and Student Success Committee – 10:30-11:30 a.m. in the Urban Conference Room.
• Audit and Compliance Committee – 10:30-11:30 a.m. in Room 222.
• External Relations and Development Committee – 12:45-1:45 p.m. in the Urban Conference Room.
• Finance and Administration Committee — 12:45-1:45 p.m. in Room 222.
  

The Board meeting agenda is available at www.kent.edu/bot/meetings/index.cfm.

New Mediation Service at Kent State Offers Conflict Management for Students

Kent State University's Student Mediation Services is
conducting an art competition with the themes
transformation, recognition, empathy and empowerment.
The winning art will decorate the walls of the Student
Mediation Services' office. 

A new on-campus mediation service is underway at Kent State University for students experiencing conflict. Student Mediation Services, which began this fall, is led by Jacquelyn Bleak and is located at 118 Twin Towers on the Kent Campus.

Although the office is providing services now for students, its main focus this semester is conducting a needs assessment of all students. The assessment includes formal and informal surveys, as well as focus groups, to narrow down the particular needs of Kent State students.

“If I know how students deal with conflict in their everyday life, I can better understand what services might work best and how to deliver those services,” Bleak says. “We are also trying to figure out what it’s going to take for students to reach out.”

The three main services the office will provide include mediation, facilitation and conflict coaching. Mediation is a confidential and voluntary process in which an impartial third party assists two or more people experiencing a conflict or disagreement. Facilitation deals with a neutral third party intervening to assist a group conflict or a conflict between two groups. Conflict coaching is a process in which an individual works one-on-one with a conflict coach to improve problem-solving skills or design options for approaching a certain conflict.

“We’ve seen on other campuses and universities that have embraced conflict management that it’s really worked out for the students’ benefit,” Bleak says. “Students who participate in mediation end up doing better in school, graduating more often and are less likely to be so distracted by a conflict that it impacts their grades or their academic standing.”

Bleak says referrals from trusted faculty and staff are imperative.  

“One of the benefits of mediation is how effective it is,” Bleak says. “If a student is experiencing a challenging situation, they may be more likely to reach out to the service if the referral comes from someone whom they can count on. Faculty and staff are more than welcome to refer students to the office, and word-of-mouth will be especially helpful for the long-term success of the office.”

The mission of the office is to have a lasting impact on students.

“My goal is that we can provide these services to students throughout their career here at Kent State,” Bleak says. “Ultimately, when they leave us, they’ll already have those tools available to them when they find themselves in the workplace because conflicts do not end when we leave college.”

Because the office is so new, Bleak says she needs art to decorate the walls. Students are invited to participate in an art contest and submit a piece of art to hang in the front lobby. The winning piece should be able to fit in a 6 x 9 foot space. Artists are asked to consider the office’s themes of transformation, recognition, empathy and empowerment as they are designing their pieces. Artwork is due on Dec. 12 and can be submitted to the Student Mediation Services office via email. The winner will receive a $100 Amazon gift card.

Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to reach out to the office to provide insight as to how the service could be improved or to offer any thoughts they may have.

For more information about Kent State's Student Mediation Services, visit www.kent.edu/mediation, email mediation@kent.edu or stop by the office location at 118 Twin Towers.

Kent State Increases Recycling Statistics at Game Day Challenge

Kent State University mascot Flash stands beside
recycling bins at the Game Day Recycling Challenge on
Nov. 4 to encourage recycling at the football game.

Kent State University participated in its second Game Day Recycling Challenge on Tuesday, Nov. 4, and increased the amount it recycled per person since last year’s challenge.

The challenge, which promotes waste reduction and recycling at university football games all over the country, awards the school with the most recycled goods. Waste that can be recycled includes cans, cardboard and plastics.

Melanie Knowles, sustainability manager at Kent State’s Facilities Planning and Operations, says even though the attendance was relatively low this year, the event was still a success.

“Game Day Challenge is one opportunity we take each year to support recycling,” Knowles says. “Sporting events are a good opportunity to capture recycling and also to get people excited about recycling by harnessing their competitive spirit.”

The home football game against the University of Toledo welcomed more than 7,400 people. Attendees generated 1,953 pounds of waste at the football game, of which 963 pounds were recycled and 990 pounds were sent to the landfill. Kent State increased its amount of material recycled from 0.104 pounds per person in 2013 to 0.129 pounds per person this year. As a result of recycling efforts at the game, 1.55 metric tons of greenhouse gasses were avoided, equivalent to taking one car off the road for four months.

“Increasing recycling reduces materials going to the landfill,” Knowles says. “Recycled materials are sorted and go back into the manufacturing process, reducing the need to harvest or extract raw materials. This reduces negative impacts on the environment and supports business.”

Since schools have different scheduled game days, the results from this year’s Game Day Challenge will be available after Dec. 15. To check Kent State’s standings in the competition, visit http://gamedaychallenge.org.

For more information about Kent State’s sustainability initiatives, visit www.kent.edu/sustainability.

Recommend Your Colleague to be Honored as a Women’s Center “Mother, Mentor or Muse”

“Mothers, Mentors and Muses” is the Kent State University Women’s Center signature event that recognizes Kent State female faculty or staff who have made a significant difference in the life of a student or colleague. More than 200 women across the university have received this honor. Kent State President Beverly Warren will keynote the 2015 event.

You are invited to submit the name and a descriptive statement of a Kent State woman for the 2015 “Mothers, Mentors and Muses” event.

This award is intended to honor women of Kent State who have served in any of three roles:

• Mother – one who has helped “birth” ideas, thoughts and academic endeavors in others or who serves as a nurturing individual to others.
• Mentor – one who serves as a trusted counselor, colleague and/or role model.
• Muse – one who inspires creativity and artistic/academic passion in others.
  

Who can be recommended for the honor?

Any female Kent State faculty or staff who has worked at the university for two or more years, with the exception of those who have previously been honored at this event. See the list of previous honorees from 2010 to 2014.

Who can submit?

Any member of the Kent State community, including faculty, staff, emeriti, students and alumni can submit. Click here to complete the submission form. The deadline for all submissions is Jan. 16.

Honorees will be celebrated at the Women’s Center’s “Mother’s, Mentors and Muses” annual scholarship fundraiser on March 10 to which the university community is invited to attend.

* Note that all names and submissions will be recognized the night of the event.

For questions, contact Cassandra Pegg-Kirby at cpeggkir@kent.edu.

For more information about Kent State’s Women’s Center, visit http://www2.kent.edu/womenscenter/index.cfm.

Last e-Inside Issue for the Fall 2014 Semester

The last e-Inside issue for the Fall 2014 Semester will be published Dec. 8. Copy submissions for this issue should be emailed to einside@kent.edu by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 2. e-Inside will resume production on Jan. 12.