eInside Briefs

Kent State’s Eboni Pringle Named Dean of the University College

Eboni Pringle, Ph.D., has been named
the new dean of the University College
(formerly Undergraduate Studies) at
Kent State University.

Eboni Pringle, Ph.D., of Kent, Ohio, has been selected as the new dean of the University College (formerly Undergraduate Studies) at Kent State University after an internal search. Pringle has served as interim dean of the college since Oct. 1, 2012. She will begin serving as the permanent dean on July 1, 2015.

“As dean, I am honored to continue working with the University College staff and the university community to deliver high-impact experiences, superior student-centered support and resources to help students achieve the goal of earning a bachelor’s degree and finding meaningful careers,” Pringle says.

Established in 1994 as Undergraduate Studies, the unit provides educational experiences to ensure student success. Its mission is to provide a dynamic and engaging environment for maximizing the academic and personal potential of each student while fostering a successful transition from high school to college graduation.

“Dean Pringle brings a wealth of experience to this position,” says Todd Diacon, Kent State’s vice president for academic affairs and provost. “She has improved student success at every level of appointment and responsibility, and has proven that she is exactly the right person to propel student excellence at Kent State.”

Pringle began working at Kent State in 1998 as an academic advisor in Undergraduate Studies’ Student Advising Center. She also has served as residence hall director, financial aid counselor, assistant director of admissions, as well as assistant director, associate director and executive director of Student Success Programs. Since 2011, she has held leadership positions in Undergraduate Studies, serving as interim executive director, assistant dean and her current role as interim dean. Prior to joining Kent State, Pringle served as assistant dean of admissions at Hiram College.

Among her accomplishments at Kent State, Pringle has implemented a systemwide undergraduate research symposium to provide a high-impact experience for Kent State students, coordinated systemwide President’s Symposium on Retention to assist members of the Kent State community in understanding their unique contributions to student success, and conceived and served on the implementation team for the creation of the Dynamic Checklist, an online checklist to assist new students in completing the necessary steps to enroll, to ensure access and seamless transition to Kent State. She also co-led a complete review and overhaul of the Kent State placement processes for all eight Kent State campuses to ensure appropriate placement and academic success in beginning courses.

Active in the community and on campus with various committees, Pringle has been recognized with multiple awards and honors, including the President’s Excellence Award from Kent State and the 30 for the Future Award from the Greater Akron Chamber of Commerce.

Pringle received both her Ph.D. in higher education administration and a Master of Education in higher education and student personnel from Kent State. She received her Bachelor of Science in speech and hearing from Ohio University.

As the home for exploratory majors, the University College serves the largest population of first-year students, with nearly 650 exploratory students admitted to the Kent Campus each academic year. The unit provides a structured and coherent process to assist students in identifying areas of interest and selecting a major. In addition to working with exploratory students, the University College annually serves more than 15,000 Kent State students through departmental offerings, including Destination Kent State, the First-Year Experience course and the Academic Success Center. It also is responsible for the coordination of many universitywide educational experiences, including Undergraduate Research, Degree Completion Program, College Credit Plus (formerly Dual Enrollment and Postsecondary Enrollment), university tutoring and supplemental instruction.

The college has recently moved to the Center for Undergraduate Excellence, in the newly renovated Lake/Olson Hall. Additional information about the departments, programs and services offered is available at www.kent.edu/undergradstudies.

Mark Kretovics to Serve as Interim Dean of Kent State’s College of Education, Health and Human Services

Mark Kretovics, Ph.D., has been
named interim dean of Kent State
University's College of Education, Health
and Human Services.

Mark Kretovics, Ph.D., associate professor of higher education administration and student personnel at Kent State University and a resident of Kent, Ohio, has been named interim dean of the College of Education, Health and Human Services, effective July 1, 2015.

Todd Diacon, Kent State’s senior vice president for academic affairs and provost, made the announcement, which provides a one-year appointment with a national search for a permanent dean to commence in the fall.

Kretovics succeeds Daniel Mahony, Ph.D., who was recently named president of Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina.

“In Mark Kretovics, we are fortunate to have an administrator with great experience and capacity,” Diacon says. “Truly, Mark continues to go above and beyond the call of duty to move the College of Education, Health and Human Services forward.”

Kretovics received his Ph.D. from Colorado State University, and his research interests have included the assessment of student learning, business practices in higher education, distance education and pedagogical issues in compressed courses. Kretovics has more than 20 years of administrative experience within higher education before transitioning into his current faculty role. He joined Kent State in 2001.

“The College of Education, Health and Human Services has a great group of faculty, staff and students, and I am excited about this opportunity to provide the support needed during this time of transition,” Kretovics says. “I anticipate this coming year to be very enjoyable.”

For more information about Kent State’s College of Education, Health and Human Services, visit www.kent.edu/ehhs.

Fit for Life Workshop Replaces Faculty/Staff Exercise Program

Kent State University employees participate in a Fit for Life
class. Fit for Life is a new 1-credit workshop that replaces
the university's Faculty/Staff Exercise Program.

Kent State University’s School of Health Sciences has a new 1-credit workshop, Fit for Life, for Kent State students, faculty, staff and their adult family members. Enhance your health and well-being while having fun with your co-workers, family members and friends.

For employees and students eligible for tuition benefits, this exercise program is free. Fit for Life is an individualized exercise program where participants move at their own fitness level. The 60-minute class begins with a warm-up of stretching and calisthenics, followed by a choice of aerobics (walking, jogging, bicycling, aqua aerobics and more). Next, to strengthen given muscle groups through a range of motion, is an anaerobic workout using light weights. It closes with a cool-down of stretching and relaxation exercises.

In addition to participating in the fitness program, participants will take part in a series of functional fitness tests both at the beginning and on completion of the term. These tests will include a standard lipid profile and a series of exercise tests aimed at evaluating flexibility, aerobic endurance and anaerobic strength. Participants also will receive a MOVband fitness tracker to help increase awareness of daily activity level and to inspire the healthy decision to keep moving.

Improve your fitness and health through knowledge, diet and exercise, and reduce cardiovascular factors.

This workshop is offered every semester and will meet in the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center Annex (MACC Annex) on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, from 6-7 a.m., noon-1 p.m. and 5:30-6:30 p.m. Ellen Glickman, Ph.D., professor of exercise science/physiology, is the program coordinator. She can be reached at eglickma@kent.edu. Registration for the program can be done on FlashLine. For CRN information and other registration options, visit www.kent.edu/ehhs/hs/exph or call 330-672-0538. 

Kent State University Museum Closes for Renovations June 8-26

The Kent State University Museum will be closed for
renovations from June 8-26.

The Kent State University Museum is currently preparing for renovations to its gallery spaces and will be closed June 8-26. Visitors should note that the exhibit The Great War: Women and Fashion in a World at War, 1912-1922 closed on June 7 rather than its originally scheduled date of July 5 due to the renovation project. The museum apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause. The museum will reopen on June 27, 2015. Guests are encouraged to call the museum at 330-672-3450 or visit the website at www.kent.edu/museum to verify the reopening date.

KSU Advising Replaces Web Scheduler Student Advising Software

KSU Advising has replaced Web Scheduler to meet
growing student and advisor demands.

KSU Advising replaced Web Scheduler on June 1, 2015. Web Scheduler, a home-grown system, has been in use since 2005. It was originally created by Brian Dehoff in the College of Education, Health and Human Services for the Vacca Office of Student Services. Over the past 10 years, Web Scheduler has expanded to include 77 groups and served as a notes, referral and appointment system for advisors. KSU Advising also will serve these functions and more.

KSU Advising was created by the Division of Information Services for University Advising to meet growing student and advisor demands. It is SAS/ADA-compliant and is connected to Banner Student Data. The new system offers consistent user experience among all groups using the system.

KSU Advising offers university advising and resource offices a one-stop shop in accessing students’ history, including a 360-degree picture of students’ experiences for the faculty, staff or administrator offering them assistance. The new system also supports the university’s “Students First” vision.

The following are additional customization features that KSU Advising offers advising offices:

• Advisors can add their availability for appointments.
• Receive and send referrals to university resource offices.
• A variety of university resource offices can use the appointment feature.
• Basic Student Banner Data is viewable in students’ records.
• Multiple views and access of information throughout the software that meets more user expectations.
  

For more information, contact Steven Antalvari, director of University Advising, at jantalva@kent.edu or 330-672-0958.

Important Information About Final Grading of Summer 2015 Intersession Classes

Online final grading for summer 2015 intersession courses meeting from May 18, 2015, through June 5, 2015, began Thursday, June 4, 2015, via FlashFAST. Grading is also now available for any summer 2015 course section that was flexibly scheduled and has an end date no later than June 5, 2015. The deadline for grading submission is midnight on Tuesday, June 9. Any final grades for summer 2015 intersession courses not reported in FlashFAST by the grades processing deadline will have to be submitted using the Grade Change Workflow.  These summer 2015 intersession courses will be available in the Workflow on Thursday, June 11.

Incomplete Mark and NF/SF Grades

The administrative mark of IN (Incomplete) may be given to students who are unable to complete the work due to extenuating circumstances. To be eligible, undergraduate students must be currently passing and have completed at least 12 weeks of the semester. The timeline shall be adjusted appropriately for flexibly scheduled courses. Graduate students must be currently earning a C or better grade and unable to complete the required work between the course withdrawal deadline and the end of classes. Instructors are required to complete and submit an Incomplete Mark Form to the department chair when an incomplete mark is assigned. Access the form from your Faculty Toolbox in FlashLine.

The grade SF (Stopped Attending-Fail) denotes that the student stopped attending the course and did not formally withdraw and must be accompanied by a date of last attendance in the course.

The grade NF (Never Attended-Fail) denotes that the student neither attended one class session nor formally withdrew from the course.

For complete information on university grading policies, including Incomplete Mark and NF/SF grading policies, procedures and timelines, please visit the Grading Policies and Procedures section in the university catalog at www.kent.edu/catalog.

Grades Processing Tips and FAQs may be found on the Office of the University Registrar's website at www.kent.edu/registrar/faculty-grades-processing. Any faculty member needing personalized instruction on submitting their grades via FlashFAST should contact their campus Registrar's Office during normal business hours for assistance.

To access FlashFAST to post your final grades, login to FlashLine from www.kent.edu (click FlashLine Login from top right menu bar) then click the Faculty & Advisor Tools tab. Locate the Faculty Toolbox, and select Final under the Submit Grades heading.

Troubleshooting TIP: FlashFAST is accessible from any Internet-capable computer that has the cookies function enabled. We recommend that you clean out your cookie and cache files regularly to help your computer run faster, and to potentially restore and/or improve your access to FlashFAST and/or FlashLine by improving your connection to the server. Our Helpdesk is prepared to offer assistance with these issues. Please contact them at 330-672-HELP (4357) for one-on-one assistance and technical issues.