eInside Briefs

Game Time Change for Golden Flashes Post-Holiday Game Nov. 26

Kent State's football game against Ohio University on Friday, Nov. 26 will be aired live on ESPNU with a new start time of 11 a.m.  The Mid-American Conference East Division rivalry game at Dix Stadium will mark the third nationally televised contest of the season for the Golden Flashes.

Later that night, fans can bring their football ticket stubs to the M.A.C. Center for free admission to the Kent State men's basketball game against Lehigh at 7:30 p.m.

Last season, Kent State handed Ohio its only conference loss of the year, downing the Bobcats 20-11 in Athens.

Call 330-672-2244 for ticket information.

Kent State Voted a Best Business School

The Princeton Review, a publication of college rankings based on how students rank their schools, recognized the Kent State University's College of Business Administration and Graduate School of Management as one of the top 300 outstanding educational institutions for business students.

The 2011 edition of the Princeton Review, titled The Best 300 Business Schools, was released in October and is available in stores nationwide. The publication created the list based on surveys of 19,000 students attending the 300 business schools. The publication does not rank the schools in a hierarchy, and there is no single school that is "best overall."

Yank Heisler, dean of the Kent State College of Business Administration, says the faculty and staff work hard to provide an excellent education that will help distinguish students from others in the workforce.

"We added a required soft skills course that focuses around writing resumes, public speaking and dining etiquette," Heisler says.

Heisler says faculty and staff are excited about the recognition, but know there is also an opportunity for even greater success.

"We believe our MBA program can be even better and we hope our graduate program continues to grow and is received in the business community as an excellent program," Heisler says.

This designation adds to the impressive list of recent Kent State University awards. Earlier this fall, Kent State was recognized by Times Higher Education, a higher-education magazine based in London, as one of the top 200 universities in the world in its 2010-2011 World University Rankings. The university was also listed in the September issue of U.S. News and World Report as one of the best national universities.  Kent State is now ranked as the second largest public university in the state of Ohio. Fall semester enrollment figures were the highest recorded in the university's 100-year history.

For more information about the Princeton Review's top 300 list, visit http://www.princetonreview.com/business-school-rankings.aspx.

Reeves Visits White House to Discuss Impact of Health Care Reform on College Students

In response to the ongoing debate surrounding and uncertainty about the impact of health care reform on college student health care insurance plans, Mary De Michele Reeves, director of University Health Services and Student Accessibility Services, was one of several people invited to an October meeting with representatives from the White House Office of Health Reform in Washington, D.C.

In an attempt by the White House to listen to many voices in the healthcare reform debate, the Office of Health Care Reform invited a wide variety of individuals from diverse groups to the meeting. 

"Given that Kent State, a large public university, offers a school-sponsored plan and also accepts private health insurance, I believed that it would be important for policy makers to hear our perspective," Reeves says.

Even though Kent State does not mandate the student health insurance policy, of the more than 24,000 students enrolled at Kent State, approximately 90 percent are insured.   Most are covered under their family's insurance policy.

"We are hopeful that more students will have coverage in the future as one of the first mandated changes of the Health Care Reform Act is that students are now able to stay on a family insurance policy until the age of 26," Reeves says.

Reeves adds that the new Ohio law mandates that students can stay on a family plan until age 28. For students not in that category, there is the option to enroll in the Kent State-sponsored student health plan.

Reeves explained that with more than four million young adults on student health plans, it is critical that families have choices and that there are strong consumer protections for students as allowed under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. 

In a separate yet related initiative, and with the goal of educating young consumers, the Ohio Department of Insurance and the Ohio Association of Health Plans created a campaign to target college students and their parents and inform them of the importance of healthcare coverage. Through brochures, posters and e-mail, these groups are reaching out to students at Ohio colleges and universities. A student consumer group, The Young Invincibles, also created a campaign that includes videos on YouTube, a Facebook page and a Twitter account.

To read more about healthcare reform in Ohio, visit, www.insurance.ohio.gov.

For more information about the Young and Invincible Campaign, visit, www.youngandinvincibles.com.

By Allison Brookes

Follow President Lefton in the Community From the President's Page

Lefton (center, with blue hat) enjoys Homecoming
with students

Did you know that there is a page on www.kent.edu that you can visit to learn more about Kent State University President Lester A. Lefton?

The president's page resides at http://www.kent.edu/president/index.cfm. There, you can review past issues of In a Flash, the president's weekly messages to the university community, speeches and strategic initiatives.

The page also features a photo essay, which is updated each month, with a few of the president's favorite images that capture some of the events he attends or hosts on behalf of Kent State.

To view the photo essay, go to this link:

http://www.kent.edu/president/photoessays/index.cfm.

New Features Now Available for Expense Reimbursements

Employees who utilize the expense reimbursement workflow will notice some new features that became available Nov. 21.

An individual's FlashLine user name will be displayed when selecting either payee or reviewer.  The new feature will provide clarification as to the person being selected, especially when multiple individuals have the same name.     

Draft expense reimbursements will be deleted after 90 days of inactivity.  All draft expense reimbursements currently in your queue will be assigned a date of Nov. 21, 2010.  Therefore, if the draft reimbursement is not opened and updated within 90 days of this date, the reimbursement request will be deleted. 

Approvers will now be required to acknowledge an approver attestation statement on each reimbursement.  This feature is similar to the payee and reviewer certification currently required for the reimbursement to be sent for review or approval. 

For additional information, contact Katie Brown or Judy Bivens in accounts payable at payments@kent.edu.

U.S. Rep. Ryan Briefed on New College of Technology Curriculum in Innovation

U.S. Representative Tim Ryan (OH-17) joined Don Bubenzer, dean of the College of Technology, in announcing the development of a new minor in innovation during a recent visit to campus.  With input from Kent State's corporate partners, including Goodyear, Lubrizol and the Stanford Research Institute, the College of Technology is cultivating one of the nation's first formalized programs that will teach both the process and mechanics of innovation, as well as its practical application.

The College of Technology is currently involved in fuel cell and vehicle electrification technology, as well as surface material and programmable logic controller technology.  This new program will tie Kent State's strong reputation for research and development into an excellent track record for fostering industrial and corporate partnerships, eventually resulting in an interdisciplinary, targeted curriculum of sustainability and innovation.

 "Kent State University continues its great work in proactively developing curricula that will place their students at the forefront of the new economy," states Ryan. "For the United States to regain its preeminence in manufacturing, we must continue to innovate in all industrial sectors, but most importantly in growing fields like alternative energy and sustainable development.  With this kind of forward thinking, northeastern Ohio can continue to drive new products, new processes and new technologies into the economy, build wealth and create jobs."

Ryan and Kent State have a history of working together on issues of innovation and sustainability.  The partnership has its roots in the 2006 Northeast Ohio Innovation Forum, which Ryan hosted to provide research universities with the opportunity to showcase their capabilities and projects to the regional business community. 

"Kent State University continues to work in conjunction with its industrial partners to create innovative educational opportunities for our students," adds Bubenzer.  "We believe that this new curriculum is an opportunity to combine educational, governmental and private industrial support to promote sustainable economic growth in northeastern Ohio while fulfilling the university's primary mission of best preparing our students to thrive in the new economy."

For more information on the College of Technology, visit its website:  www.kent.edu/technology.

By Heather MacMahon

(Pictured from left to right are Daniel Potter, Air Traffic Control Technology  program student; Barbara Ewing, Economic Development Coordinator, Office of Congressman Tim Ryan;  Congressman Ryan;  Dr. Don Bubenzer, dean, College of Technology)

Kent State Senior Awarded Liggett Stashower Communications Scholarship

School of Journalism and Mass Communication seniorIsabelle Jones, was recently named one of only two 2010 winners of the David L. Stashower Visionary Scholarships in communications. The $2,000 scholarship is awarded annually by Liggett Stashower to communications students attending an Ohio college or university. The program honors David Stashower, former chairman of Liggett Stashower, who retired from the Cleveland branding and communications agency in 1997.

Jones, a Kent resident, is pursuing a degree in advertising, with a minor in Web design and programming.  She was chosen in part because of her valuable experiences in the communications field, proven track record in the classroom and strong work ethic she exhibited throughout her college career.

In fall 2009, Jones was editor of Kent State's student media website where she helped initiate changes to develop an improved site called Kentwired.com. She is interning at The Tannery, a student-run integrated marketing and communications firm, as a copywriter.  Jones will study abroad next spring in Florence, Italy as part of a program sponsored by the College of Communication and Information.

Established in 1998, the David L. Stashower Scholarships are merit awards based on academic achievement, faculty recommendations and documentation to support the applicant's request for consideration. Students majoring in advertising, graphic design, public relations or communications at Ohio colleges or universities are eligible.

School of Library and Information Science Names Honored Alumni, Friends

More than 80 alumni, faculty and friends of the School of Library and Information Science gathered during Homecoming weekend in celebration of the annual Alumni and Friends Honors and Awards Dinner.

Don Wicks

"This is an event where alumni and faculty reconnect with former colleagues and students, make new acquaintances and celebrate their successes," says Don A. Wicks, Ph.D., School of Library and Information Science interim director and associate professor.

Wicksnamed Sharon Schmitt, M.L.S. '94, Alumna of the Year, for her significant contributions to the profession. Schmitt is the enterprise information architect at the International Monetary Fund.

Other alumni and friends honors and awards included:

Friends of the Year
Joseph Graham, Office of the University Architect
Daniel Tonelli, TeleProductions
Allan Fenner, TeleProductions
Jason Forbes, TeleProductions
Honored for their contributions in the construction of and equipment for the new School of Library and Information Science Digital Lab

Friend of the Decade
Dr. Rick Rubin, Associate Provost for Extended Education
School of Library and Information Science Director, 1999-2010
First-time award, for an alumnus who has served the school in incomparable ways for longer than a decade

August Alpers Award
Shelley Blundell
For students who have contributed the most to the school while maintaining a good grade point average

Beta Phi Mu Student Achievement Award
John Cook
For the student who has the emblematic qualities of Beta Phi Mu: scholarship, leadership and service

H.F. Group Preservation Award
Jeffrey Zarate
Sasha Westgate
For students who demonstrate outstanding scholarship and an interest in the area of library preservation

Sidney Jackson Award
Jon Longacre
For students who have written outstanding essays on the history of social responsibilities of libraries or intellectual freedom

Dan Maclachlan School Library Media Award
Trent Roberts
Angela Wojtecki
For graduates who have exhibited creativity, leadership and dedication to the K-12 audience

Jesse H. Shera Memorial Award
Robin Smith
Brandon Walker
Presented to students who maintain an excellent academic record and demonstrate potential for future scholarly research and publication.

Rose L. Vormelker Award
Jessica DeCaro
Shea Ann Herzog
For students who rank high academically and show the most promise for special library work

Janice Smuda Children's Librarianship Award
Nancy Messmore
For students who demonstrate creativity, leadership and dedication to children's librarianship through outstanding academic achievement

For more information on the School of Library and Information Science, go to its website.