eInside Briefs

Faculty Appreciation Week, April 15-19, Will Honor Kent State Educators

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

Kent State University will honor 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.

Nominate a Faculty Member for Their Superior Teaching

Associate Professor of Chemistry Alexander Seed, Ph.D.,
was honored with a Distinguished Teaching Award by the
Kent State University Alumni Association. Nominations are
now open for the 2013 Distinguished Teaching Awards.

Nominate an outstanding colleague who has demonstrated extraordinary instruction in the classroom for the Distinguished Teaching Award.

Sponsored by the Kent State Alumni Association, qualified nominees of this prestigious award include Kent State tenure-track faculty who are currently employed by the university. Faculty and staff are reminded to also encourage students to participate in the nomination process.

The Distinguished Teaching Award is a lifetime achievement award, and past recipients are not eligible for nomination. Any unforgettable faculty or staff member who has touched a student’s life and helped to better their learning experience at Kent State would make an excellent nominee.

The deadline for nominations is June 30. Please visit www.ksualumni.org/dta to submit a nomination. 

Kent State’s Assistant Director of Residence Education Creates Video Project on University Housing

Kent State’s Assistant Director of Residence Education
Charles Holmes-Hope led a video project that discusses
issues that impact global university housing. Holmes-Hope
collaborated with the Association of College and University
Housing Officers-International to produce the video.

Kent State University’s Assistant Director of Residence Education Charles Holmes-Hope led a video project in collaboration with the Association of College and University Housing Officers-International (ACUHO-I) titled “Pillars of the Profession.” The video showcases and underscores the life legacies of directors of housing and residence life (or chief housing officers) to learn more about why they chose student affairs as a career, and in particular the housing profession, and what they believe will be some of the biggest challenges impacting the housing profession, including their thoughts on issues impacting university housing globally.

“The purpose of this video project was to focus on housing professionals, both then and now, to enhance our legacy and bring voice to a new generation of chief housing officers through conversations, sharing of life stories from experienced leaders and serving as a sounding board for aspiring chief housing officers and others in the housing profession,” says Holmes-Hope. “Our goal was to capture the essence and wisdom of these extraordinary individuals who will be retiring in the coming years. The profession wanted to learn more about their careers, accomplishments and successes.”

The project was recorded at the Association of College and University Housing Officers-International Annual Conference and Exposition, which took place in Anaheim, Calif. in July 2012. Holmes-Hope worked with ACUHO-I Past President Alma Sealine, and ACUHO-I Executive Director Sallie Traxler, to conduct 16 interviews with chief housing officers from universities around the world.

Holmes-Hope says the name “Pillars of the Profession” came from the spirit of celebrating the contributions of these outstanding chief housing officers.

“We wanted this project to serve as an anchor in preparing and concentrating on those key professional practices, habits, ideas and values that have led many of our housing pillars to date,” he says. “The ‘Pillars of the Profession’ project has gone global, being shown on our association’s YouTube site. I have received so many positive and uplifting emails, Facebook and Twitter messages about the project.  It has really taken over and has been well received. People are really gravitating to what is being said in the video.”

The idea of “Pillars of the Profession” project was to introduce and connect seasonal and graduate students to chief housing officers who are about to retire and to provide a comprehensive perspective to seasoned and entering professionals.

“What I know for sure is that we have amazing chief housing officers who have been at the forefront in transforming and influencing this profession guided by the philosophy: ‘People, Perspectives and the Possibilities,’” he says. 

Holmes-Hope watched several themes develop in the course of the project, such as affordability of campus housing, partnerships with private housing companies and amenities in housing.

He received funding for the project through Kent State’s Residence Services department. He says he hopes to continue the project this year at the 2013 ACUHO-I Conference.

“This has really blown my mind,” Holmes-Hope says. “I am happy that people are seeing the Pillars and that I was given the opportunity to interview these distinguished professionals.”

To view the “Pillars of the Profession” video project, visit www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8UUhowyImEEWbQnAC3vOqoJzdMkjyCDW. 

Kilgore Named MAC Wrestler of the Year

Kent State senior Dustin Kilgore was named Mid-American
Conference (MAC) Wrestler of the Year for the second time
in his career. Kilgore was the only MAC wrestler to advance
to the finals of this year’s NCAA Championships.

Kent State’s Dustin Kilgore (Berea, Ohio) was named Mid-American Conference (MAC) Wrestler of the Year for the second time in his career on Tuesday as voted on by the conference’s eight head coaches. The only MAC wrestler to advance to the finals of this year’s NCAA Championships, Kilgore went 43-1 on the season with 33 bonus-point victories, including a program record 18 pins.

The prestigious Cliff Keen Invitational and the Midlands Championships were among the six tournament titles Kilgore won from November to March, capped off by the fourth MAC crown of his career. He was also named Most Outstanding Wrestler at the MAC Championships.

Two of Kilgore’s 11 major decisions of the year came at the NCAA Championships, where he became Kent State’s first three-time All-American. Facing the nation’s top competition throughout the year, he earned 21 victories against NCAA qualifiers and went 16-0 in dual meets.

Dating back to his 2011 national champion run, Kilgore put together a streak of 62 straight NCAA victories. He also won 65 straight dual meets, going 20-0 in career MAC duals.

Set to graduate this May, Kilgore leaves Kent State as the program’s career leader in both victories (178) and pins (50). 

Behind Kilgore's efforts, the Golden Flashes finished 24th in the final team standings of the NCAA Championships. It was Kent State's fourth Top 25 finish in the last five seasons.

The Mid-American Conference also named Missouri’s Brian Smith its 2013 Coach of the Year on Tuesday and Ohio’s Cody Walters as Freshman of the Year. Kilgore’s first Wrestler of the Year honor came in 2011, becoming the sixth Kent State grappler to earn the award.

Dominion Foundation Announces $1.3 Million in Education Grants

Dominion East Ohio is encouraging school teachers and college faculty members in Ohio to apply for $1.3 million in educational support grants to help their students under a program sponsored by the company’s charitable foundation. The online application deadline is May 1.

The Dominion Foundation is offering grants for programs that help students in grades kindergarten through college and post-secondary training schools. The foundation is the philanthropic arm of Dominion Resources (NYSE:D), the parent company of Dominion East Ohio.

“Technological advances in the fields of energy and the protection of the environment is vital to the future of our youth,” says Thomas F. Farrell II, chairman, president and chief executive officer. “These grants will support teaching and training for the next generation.”

Dominion K-12 Educational Partnership grants are available in awards of up to $10,000 each. These awards help students strengthen their mathematics and science skills by studying energy and the environment. The majority of the grants will range from $1,000 to $5,000, with a few grants ranging from $5,000 to $10,000 for exceptional projects. The program also offers mini-grants up to $1,000 for projects that enhance the teaching of mathematics or science. Information is available online at www.dom.com/about/education/grants/index.jsp.

Dominion Higher Educational Partnership grants are for programs in business, skilled craft, engineering, environmental and technical studies and for student-led conservation programs in colleges, community colleges and post-secondary training schools. Grants up to $50,000 each will be awarded for exceptional programs based, in part, on having immediate benefits for students, the campus and the community. Information is available online at www.dom.com/about/education/grants/higher-educational-partnership.jsp.

Applications must be submitted online by May 1 for new projects for the 2013-2014 school year. Information, the application form and a listing of eligible locations are available on Dominion’s website at www.dom.com, search: grants.

Educators in Ohio, Connecticut, Maryland, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia and West Virginia are encouraged to check their eligibility.

For more information about Dominion, visit the company's website at www.dom.com.