eInside Briefs

Kent State’s Danielle Hupp Honored With “30 for the Future” Award

Danielle Hupp, Kent State University’s
assistant director of annual giving, was
honored as one of the recipients of the
“30 for the Future” award by the Greater
Akron Chamber.

Danielle Hupp, Kent State University’s assistant director of annual giving, was honored as one of the recipients of the “30 for the Future” award by the Greater Akron Chamber.

Hupp, a resident of Akron, Ohio, has been with Kent State since April 2013 and raises funds from Kent State faculty and staff. Hupp’s fundraising provides opportunities for employees to have a lasting impact at the university and to support the research, scholarship or academic program that means the most to them. 

“My job is to help foster a culture of philanthropy at Kent State University,” Hupp says.

Iris E. Harvey, Kent State’s vice president for university relations, presented Hupp with the award during the Sept. 11 ceremony. The “30 for the Future” program recognizes 30 young professionals, ages 25-39 living or working in the Greater Akron region, whose contributions affect his or her industries in a positive way based on community service, team building and dynamic leadership. 

Hupp was nominated for the award by members of the Greater Akron Chamber, mentors and people she has worked with in the past. 

“I felt excited, honored and humbled all at once by this award,” Hupp says. “The 29 other honorees this year are all amazing people, and I was proud to be recognized as a part of this group of well-deserving young professionals.”

Hupp received her bachelor’s degree in public relations and Master of Public Administration in nonprofit management from Kent State. She currently serves as president-elect of the Association of Fundraising Professionals North Central Ohio Chapter. Before joining Kent State, Hupp was the communications coordinator for the National Inventors Hall of Fame Foundation, director of communications and events for Habitat for Humanity and resource development manager for University Park Alliance. 

Hupp has been actively involved in many nonprofit organizations during her professional career, including the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank, Victims Assistance Program, Ronald McDonald House of Akron, LeBron James Family Foundation and the University of Akron’s Pay It Forward program, to name a few. 

For more information about Hupp receiving this award, a video interview is available at www.youtube.com/watch?v=reH-WniG3ak&feature=youtu.be&list=PLp3N0A9H3Y9Dr6R78j5Moz30irAUTl0aB.

For more information about Kent State’s Division of Institutional Advancement and its Annual Giving Program, visit www.kent.edu/advancement.

Cyber Self-Defense: How Information Services is Raising Cyber Security Awareness

Kent State University’s Division of Information Services
has launched a campuswide awareness campaign to
mark National Cyber Security Awareness Month.

In early October, Kent State University’s Division of Information Services launched a campuswide awareness campaign in support of National Cyber Security Awareness Month. Established in 2004 by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the goal of this national event is to raise awareness of cyber security and build the ability of faculty, staff and students to defend against cyber criminals. Just like computers, individuals store, process and even transfer information on a daily basis, and security awareness is the most effective way to reduce risk of attack.

With more than 40,000 students and about 6,000 faculty and staff at Kent State, it is vital to protect sensitive information, such as personal, financial, medical and academic records. To bring the topic of cyber security to campus, the Division of Information Services joined other institutions across the country in spreading awareness and resources to keep faculty, staff and students safe online.

“Falling for a phishing attack means a hacker can gain access to your password, which they can then use to steal your identity,” explains Kim Price, IT security engineer at Kent State. “So, being able to identify suspicious elements in an email message can go a long way toward protecting yourself. Being aware of common threats and device safety can help you spot warning signs of an attack before it happens – and that’s what October is all about.”

Kent State's Division of Information
Services is emphasizing the role strong
passwords and guarding against phishing
attacks can play in protecting identities.

Cyber Security Awareness Month at Kent State

Using a variety of communication methods, the campaign emphasizes the role strong passwords and guarding against phishing attacks can play in protecting identities. A very visible component of this campaign will appear in Risman Plaza throughout the month of October. Sidewalk chalk, banners and other items will provide visible reinforcement and messaging around phishing, password management and identity protection. All pieces also will point to http://secureit.kent.edu, the Division of Information Services’ central portal for security resources, quizzes and training courses, where students, faculty and staff can practice their cyber security skills and increase their security IQ.

With the skyrocketing use of mobile apps and expectation of ubiquitous internet access, people are more connected than ever — and that can make them vulnerable. Participating in National Cyber Security Awareness Month is one way the Division of Information Services is reaching out to the campus community to ensure every individual has the tools and skills needed to stay safe online.

To follow the campaign and access additional resources, follow Kent State’s Division of Information Services on Twitter (@KSUHelpDesk), look for #NCSAM and visit http://secureit.kent.edu.

Volunteers Needed for WKSU's Fall Fund Drive

WKSU needs your help

WKSU’s Fall Fund Drive takes place from Thursday, Oct. 16, through Saturday, Oct. 25. The fund drive is one of two major on-air appeals to listeners and a vital funding source as WKSU continues its transition to becoming the region’s public radio news leader.

During the drive, listeners are asked to call the station and make a financial donation. The station is looking for volunteers to answer phones and record donor information. Through decades of refining this process, it is now very easy and even fun to take pledges! The other volunteers are friendly and helpful, and you have the chance to speak with people who truly love WKSU and want to help keep the station strong. Plus, volunteers are provided with food and snacks and can enter a drawing for special prizes!

Volunteer shifts are available between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. on weekdays, and from 7 a.m. to noon on the two Saturdays (Oct. 18 and Oct. 25). If you are able to spend a few hours answering phones during WKSU’s Fund Drive, please contact Joyce Adams, WKSU membership director, at adams@wksu.org or at 330-672-9161.Your help is truly appreciated!

WKSU is an award-winning public radio station and service of Kent State University that broadcasts to 22 counties in Northeast Ohio from the station’s primary signal at 89.7. WKSU content can also be heard over WKRW 89.3 (Wooster), WKRJ 91.5 (Dover/New Philadelphia), WKSV 89.1 (Thompson), WNRK 90.7 (Norwalk) and W239AZ 95.7 (Ashland). The station adds WKSU-2 Folk Alley, WKSU-3 The Classical Channel and WKSU-4 The News Channel over HD Radio and as streaming audio at www.wksu.org.

Giving Back: Blackstone LaunchPad Introduces MaPP

Mentor and Protégé Program propels minority student entrepreneurs to success

The Kent State University Blackstone LaunchPad's Mentor
and Protégé Program provides mentoring opportunities for
minority entrepreneurs at Kent State.

Minority-owned businesses are the fastest growing population of small business owners in the U.S., making up nearly 15 percent of the 28 million small businesses. Yet, minority founders are often at the great disadvantage of lacking the necessary resources— such as capital and prior entrepreneurship experience — to sustain business growth.

Kent State University’s Blackstone LaunchPad’s Mentor and Protégé Program (MaPP) will provide minority entrepreneurs at Kent State with dedicated mentorship to help minority-owned businesses flourish. With more than 30 percent of Blackstone LaunchPad participants identified as minorities, the MaPP program will allow minority student entrepreneurs to be matched with minority business leaders for further mentorship and connection to resources.

“We are so excited about launching the MaPP,” says Stacey Banks-Houston, founder and director of MaPP and venture advisor at Blackstone LaunchPad at Kent State. “In addition to the venture advising that the protégés will receive from Blackstone LaunchPad, the mentor relationship gives them another perspective of business ownership. The protégé will receive foresight from their mentor's hindsight. That experience itself is priceless.”

“As an alumnus of this great university, one tends to look for ways that one can give back, which does not always entail money,” says Darrell L. McNair, president and CEO of MVP Plastics of Cleveland and a member of the Blackstone LaunchPad Advisory Board. “I am excited to be working with Stacey at Blackstone LaunchPad and particularly with MaPP where I am able to share my entrepreneurial experiences, good and bad, to aspiring entrepreneurs looking to launch that revolutionary product or service.”

For Blackstone LaunchPad clients, the MaPP rollout cannot come soon enough.

“MaPP offers the opportunity of a lifetime to learn from an established entrepreneur who shares similar beliefs and educational values,” says Kent State student Jarrell Sullins, a Blackstone LaunchPad client and founder of Burst-On Development Corporation. “Over the next several months, I envision myself maturing substantially, not just as a person, but more importantly, as a young minority entrepreneur.”

The Mentor and Protégé Program will launch with a luncheon and accompanying speed-dating activity on Saturday, Oct. 18, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Kent Student Center Ballroom Balcony. During the speed-dating portion of the event, student entrepreneurs will be able to network with available mentors to identify which one best suits their business needs.

For more information on how to be involved with MaPP, contact Banks-Houston at sbanks8@kent.edu or 330-672-6784.

For more information about the Blackstone LaunchPad program at Kent State, visit www.kent.edu/blackstonelaunchpad.

Kent State’s School of Visual Communication Design Featured in PRINT Magazine

A semester-long project by students in Kent State
University's School of Visual Communication Design was
featured in the August 2014 edition of PRINT Magazine.

The August 2014 edition of PRINT Magazine featured a story about a semester-long project led by Kent State University Associate Professor Ken Visocky O'Grady's graduate seminar students in the School of Visual Communication Design. The article is titled "Test and Iterate: Grad Students Tackle a Major Global Health Problem That Can Be Solved With the Simplest Action: Hand-washing."

“PRINT Magazine is one of the most respected publications in our industry, and it is an honor to have them do a spotlight on us," says Visocky-O'Grady. "I'm really excited that our school is getting coverage in publications that reach broader audiences, not just academic ones. It's one of the best ways we can get our name out there."

The featured project began in the fall of 2013 when Justin Ahrens of Rule29 design firm – a previous project partner of Visocky O'Grady – recommended Visocky O'Grady's students to his new client, Lifewater International. Lifewater is a nonprofit water development organization that is currently working to promote the education of hand-washing to prevent the spread of diseases like Ebola. The graduate seminar students' task was to create a new curriculum to teach hand-washing across the African continent and to any developing nation where Lifewater operates.

The students studied photos of the environments for which they were designing the curriculum. The visual communication problem they faced was that to develop a curriculum specific to each country where Lifewater works would be both time consuming and costly.  To overcome this, the students discovered that a universal icon-based system could be understood by a wide array of cultures and dialects.

“Done well, these visual symbols could work, and they could work everywhere," Visocky O'Grady says in the article.

The students created a series of drawings and graphics, which will be tested by Lifewater International in the near future. Visocky O'Grady hopes that his future graduate students can continue to build on this project based on the results of current testing.

Important Information About Final Grading of Fall 2014 First 7 Weeks (W1) Classes

Online final grading for fall 2014 First 7 Weeks (W1) courses meeting from Aug. 25 through Oct. 11 began Friday, Oct. 10, via FlashFAST. Grading also is now available for any fall 2014 course section that was flexibly scheduled and has an end date no later than Oct. 11. The deadline for grading submission is midnight on Tuesday, Oct. 21. Any final grades for fall 2014 First 7 Weeks (W1) courses not reported in FlashFAST by the grades processing deadline will have to be submitted using the Grade Change Workflow. These fall 2014 First 7 Weeks (W1) courses will be available in the Workflow on Thursday, Oct. 23.

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 are 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 FAQ may be found on the Office of the University Registrar's website at www.kent.edu/registrar/faculty-grades-processing. Any faculty members 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, log in 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 the Helpdesk at 330-672-HELP (4357) for one-on-one assistance and technical issues.