eInside Briefs

Kent State University at Stark Announces Teaching Award Recipients

Julie Cremeans-Smith, Ph.D.,
associate professor of psychology,
received Kent State University at Stark's
Distinguished Teaching Award, a tribute
that is presented to a full-time Kent State
Stark professor.

Kent State University at Stark recently announced the recipient and finalists of the 2013-2014 Distinguished Teaching Award and the recipient of the Award of Distinction. The faculty members were recognized during the Spring 2014 Commencement Ceremony at Umstattd Performing Arts Hall in Canton.

This year’s recipient of the Distinguished Teaching Award, a tribute that is presented to a full-time Kent State Stark professor, is Julie Cremeans-Smith, Ph.D., an associate professor of psychology. A resident of Canton, she has been a Kent State employee since 1998, when she worked as a research assistant at the Kent Campus. In 2004, she accepted a position as a research and evaluation coordinator for Kent State Stark’s Corporate University. Prior to her employment at Kent State, Cremeans-Smith earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Ohio Dominican University in Columbus. She later earned her master’s and doctorate degrees, both in experimental psychology, from Kent State.

In Fall Semester 2008, Cremeans-Smith joined the Department of Psychology as a Kent State Stark faculty member. She currently instructs the following courses: General Psychology, Health Psychology, Psychology of Motivation and Biopsychology. She is actively involved on campus and with her students, serving as advisor for the Kent State Stark Psychology-Sociology Club, on Kent State Stark’s Faculty Council, a member of the campus’s Undergraduate Student Research Travel Committee and on the Department of Psychology’s Faculty Advisory Committee.

Included in the nominations submitted for Cremeans-Smith, one student wrote, “She is as dedicated as they come and deserves to be recognized as a distinguished teacher! When you wake up in the morning and love what you do, it is obvious, and she has motivated me to not just get a degree, but to pursue a career that will make me just as happy in life. Dr. Cremeans-Smith sets a great example for Kent to promote success from its students. ”

Cremeans-Smith feels honored to receive the Distinguished Teaching Award.

“I am honored and humbled to be receiving this year’s Distinguished Teaching Award,” she says. “I wish to express my sincere gratitude to the students who submitted nominations and to those who served on the selection committee. It has been my privilege, over the past 10 years, to work with faculty and staff colleagues who all possess a passion for teaching and dedication to student success.”           

The finalists for the Distinguished Teaching Award are Douglas Henry, M.S., lecturer of mathematics, and Matthew Lehnert, Ph.D., assistant professor of biological sciences. Henry, a resident of Canton, earned both his bachelor’s degree in integrated mathematics and his master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from Kent State. Lehnert, a resident of Kent, holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Central Michigan University. He earned both his master’s and doctorate degrees in entomology from the University of Florida. Lehnert also was a postdoctoral fellow in entomology at Clemson University.

Frank Alexander, an adjunct professor
of marketing, received the Award of
Distinction, an honor presented to a
part-time Kent State Stark faculty member.

The recipient of the Award of Distinction, an honor presented to a part-time Kent State Stark faculty, is Frank Alexander, M.B.A., an adjunct professor of marketing and a member of the Kent State Stark faculty for the past two years. After retiring as the director of executive briefing programs at Diebold World Headquarters, where he worked for more than 18 years, Alexander followed the path of teaching. In addition to instructing courses at Kent State Stark, he teaches at Stark State College and Malone University. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a minor in secondary education from the University of Findlay and a master’s in business administration from Ashland University.

A student’s nomination for Alexander stated, “Professor Alexander is, by a long shot, the best teacher that I have had up until this point in my school career. From day one, he assures you that everyone will benefit and succeed, not only in his class, but life in general. His teaching abilities are incredible. He keeps us focused and interested for all of the two hours and 40 minutes of the class. You can tell that he truly cares about every single student that he teaches. His sense of confidence in his student body makes it easy to succeed in his class.”

“I’m both honored and humbled to receive the award,” Alexander says, in response to his selection for the award. “I’m very fortunate to share the ‘learning experiences’ with our students. They bring meaning and purpose to my retirement and I feel really good about giving back to the community that has been so good to me and my family.”

A selected committee, consisting of representatives of the Kent State Stark faculty and students, chose the recipients and finalists for these awards after thorough examination of the nominations submitted by members of the campus community. Each finalist met the needed criteria, which consisted of being an instructor at Kent State Stark, having comprehensive knowledge of his or her field, being effective in organizing and presenting classroom material, having the ability to stimulate thinking and develop students’ understanding, demonstrating resourcefulness, being able to arouse student interest and having concern for students.

For more information about the Kent State Stark Distinguished Teaching Award and Award of Distinction recipients and finalists, contact Cynthia Williams at 330-244-3262 or cdwillia@kent.edu. 

The Crooked River Commute: Paddling the Cuyahoga River From Kent to Cleveland, July 25-26

Kent State University faculty and staff will embark on the first-ever Crooked River Commute from July 25-26. This kayaking trek along the Cuyahoga River from the Kent Campus to Kent State’s Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative is intended to promote the river as a shared regional asset for education, recreation and sustainability.

You are invited to cheer on participants at the start and finish of the trip. The kayaking trek will begin early morning on Friday, July 25, at Heritage Park in Kent and end with a celebration late evening on Saturday, July 26, at Wendy Park in Cleveland.

For updates about the trip, visit www.CrookedRiverCommute.org  or follow Kent State’s Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative on Facebook or Twitter. There will be live tweeting during the trip, using hashtag #RiverCommute

To learn more about the back story and goals of the trip, click here. 

Kent State Announces Alumni Award Recipients

The Kent State University Alumni Association has announced the five recipients of the 2014 Alumni Awards. The awards recognize and honor alumni who, through leadership, character and hard work, have made exceptional contributions in their chosen field, in their communities and at Kent State.

The following alumni have been selected for 2014:

Andy Baskin, ’90, Distinguished Citizen Award
John Garofalo, ’87, M.Ed. ’93, Kent State Advocacy Award
Lauren Kotmel, ’11, Outstanding New Professional Award
Patricia Shehan Campbell, Ph.D. ’81, Professional Achievement Award
Carter Strang, ’73, M.Ed. ’79, Distinguished Alumni Award

“The alumni association received many outstanding nominations that truly represent the diversity and success of our graduates,” says Joy Wesoloski, Kent State’s assistant director of alumni relations. “The 2014 alumni award recipients epitomize the characteristics of Kent State graduates and the impact they have on their professions and society.”

In addition to the alumni awards, one student award is given. This year’s Golden Flash recipient is Bitrus Audu, a Kent State senior studying business administration and human resource management.

All award recipients were selected by a committee of Kent State graduates.

The award recipients will be honored at an awards banquet hosted at the Kent State University Hotel and Conference Center on Oct. 17 and during the Homecoming football game on Oct. 18.

For more information on the alumni award recipients or to attend the awards banquet, visit www.ksualumni.org/alumniawardrecipients.

Kent State Magazine Is Available via App or Online

The spring 2014 issue of the Kent State
Magazine is available online and on the
Kent State App.

Features in the spring issue include:

• A Lasting Legacy — wide-ranging excellence agenda
• Brains and Beauty— profile and TV2 interview with Miss Ohio Heather Wells 
• Introducing Beverly Warren — short profile of Kent State’s 12th president
• Invested in Water — citizens and Kent State researchers are making a difference
• Man of Science. Man of Words.  — Presidential Speaker Neil deGrasse Tyson
• Batter Up! — groundbreaking at Schoonover Stadium
• 20 Things Alumni Love About Kent State — are your favorites among them?
• Turning Fond Memories Into Student Scholarships — remembering Kent State in a personal way
• The Ultimate 'Flashes Fan' Gives From the Heart —alumnus is one of Kent State’s biggest fans
• Philanthropy in Action — for this student, philanthropy is a way of life
  

Current and past issues of Kent State Magazine are available for you to read at your convenience via the Kent State App or online. The spring 2014 digital issue is the most recent addition to the website.

Send Us Your Summer Vacation Photos

It is summer vacation season again, and e-Inside wants to feature some of your best vacation or staycation photos.

Submit your favorite vacation or staycation photos to einside@kent.edu by Tuesday, July 22, and depending on the number of entries that we receive, they might be featured in e-Inside. Please use "Summer Vacation Photos" as your email subject line.