eInside Briefs

Joint Resolution Celebrates and Reaffirms Strong Town-Gown Ties Between Kent State and City of Kent

Meeting in the newly opened Kent State University Hotel and Conference Center and looking out at a downtown buzzing with new businesses, the Kent State University Board of Trustees joined with Kent City Council on Sept. 18 to pass a joint resolution that celebrates and reaffirms the town-gown partnership that led to the revitalization of downtown Kent.

The resolution expresses gratitude to the city of Kent, Kent State President Lester A. Lefton and the university community, and the other public- and private-sector partners involved in a historic transformation of downtown Kent that includes new retail and dining options, corporate offices, a parking deck, an upscale apartment building, and the Kent State University Hotel and Conference Center.

“The remarkable level of collaboration among the city, the university and a growing list of public-private partners has produced unparalleled results,” the resolution states, noting that the reinvestment in the city and campus communities exceeded $300 million; and that the downtown transformation was recognized in June 2013 as the nation’s best town-gown collaboration by the International Town-Gown Association and was honored as Ohio’s best project in 2012 by the Ohio Economic Development Association.

The joint resolution, which was passed by Kent City Council at its meeting on Sept. 18, includes a joint commitment to continuing the positive and productive partnership between the city and university.

Board Gets Report on Great Enrollment News
The Board of Trustees received a comprehensive report about Kent State’s record enrollment for the current semester following the release of official 15-day enrollment statistics last week. The report included the achievement of the largest (4,314 students) and highest-achieving (average grade-point average of 3.3) Kent Campus freshman class in university history. The good news also includes a 10.37-percent increase in international student enrollment; increases in AALANA (African American, Latino American and Native American) freshmen; and significant enrollment growth in the university’s College of Business Administration, School of Digital Sciences and College of Public Health.

In other actions:

• In keeping with the Ohio Revised Code, the Board adopted uniform standards for assessing the readiness of newly admitted students to take college classes without remedial coursework (“remediation free”). The standards, which assess reading, writing and mathematics skills and are effective Fall Semester 2014, were set by the presidents of Ohio’s public universities in December 2012. Ohio’s higher educational institutions are not required to place students whose assessments do not meet “remediation-free” standards in remedial courses. They may place these students in credit-bearing mathematics and English courses in conjunction with additional academic support.
• The Board ratified the action taken by its Finance and Administration Committee at a special, Board-authorized meeting held Aug. 27, 2013, approving construction of a new home for Kent State’s College of Applied Engineering, Sustainability and Technology. The special meeting was held to ensure that foundation work could begin before the additional cost of winter weather protection was required.
• The Board authorized a property agreement that will allow the Delta Upsilon fraternity to move from its Lincoln Street location to the building on Fraternity Circle that now houses the offices of the Kent State University Foundation Inc. Fraternity Circle, located off Summit Street, is home to several other fraternities and sororities. A lease-back agreement will allow the Foundation staff to remain in its current building until a new building is constructed that will house all offices in the university’s Division of Institutional Advancement. The agreement will provide land that the university needs to build a new home for its nationally recognized College of Architecture and Environmental Design. The agreement will now be submitted to the state’s Controlling Board for final approval.
• The Board established a university policy regarding education abroad and other international travel by Kent State students and faculty members. The policy is intended to ensure, to the greatest degree possible, the safety and security of participants in university-sponsored programs.
• The Board established a university policy to formalize how agreements with universities and other educational institutions outside the United States are established. The policy is intended to ensure uniformity across multidepartmental endeavors.
  

To read more board actions, visit www.kent.edu/news/news-detail.cfm?newsitem=32ABA3BC-C96F-C09E-96B0C0C2E910F56D.

Kent State Athletic Director Joel Nielsen Receives Two-Year Extension

The Kent State University Board of
Trustees approved a two-year contract
extension, through June 2017, for Kent
State Director of Athletics Joel Nielsen.

Kent State University Director of Athletics Joel Nielsen has been awarded a two-year contract extension, through June 2017, as approved by the Kent State Board of Trustees on Wednesday, Sept. 18.

Nielsen completed the third year of his original five-year contract this past spring after being hired in March of 2010.

“I would like to thank President Lefton and the Board of Trustees for their continued confidence and support of our efforts in Kent State Athletics,” Nielsen says. “Sharon, my daughters and I are extremely grateful for the extension and are happy to remain part of the Kent community. I am very proud of what the coaches and student-athletes have accomplished over the last three and a half years, and I look forward to continuing the Kent State tradition of academic and athletic excellence throughout our program.”

Under Nielsen’s leadership, the Golden Flashes have reached remarkable heights. Academically, the department’s 3.11 grade point average in spring 2013 marked the best semester in recorded history with 61 percent of student-athletes reaching a GPA of 3.0 or higher, including 24 individuals who posted a perfect 4.0.

In the competitive arena, Nielsen has witnessed football’s first bowl appearance in 40 years (2013), baseball’s first appearance in the College World Series (2012), wrestling’s first NCAA champion (Dustin Kilgore, 2011) and women’s gymnastics’ first-ever NCAA championship appearance (2011).

Overall, Kent State remains the premier program in the Mid-American Conference. In the last three years, the Golden Flashes have been a frontrunner in the Excellence in Management Cup, the top MAC school in the Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup, won the Reese Trophy every year for men’s all-sports excellence and won the Cartwright Award for program excellence for the 2012-13 school year.

During Nielsen’s tenure, Kent State’s athletic programs have captured an unprecedented 20 conference
titles, 12 NCAA team appearances and numerous NCAA individual qualifiers.

For more information about Kent State Intercollegiate Athletics, visit www.kentstatesports.com.

Kent State’s Faculty Professional Development Center Announces Important Updates

The Kent State University Faculty Professional
Development Center will hold its fall 2013 Learning Institute
on Oct. 11 with discussions focused on ways to “Build a
Better Student.”

Welcome back to another school year! Over the summer months significant changes to Kent State University’s Faculty Professional Development Center have taken place. 

The Faculty Professional Development Center has named a new interim director, David M. Dees, Ph.D., and a new manager, Eve Dalton.

The center is making changes to the way it communicates with faculty members. In order to remain sensitive to faculty members’ time and obligations, the center is planning to leverage a variety of formats to inform you of upcoming programs and events. 

Although the traditional email approach will continue, the center will limit messages to high-priority events and information that are focused and direct, so that you can get the information you need in a timely manner. If you would like to receive email communications from the Faculty Professional Development Center, send an email to Dalton at edalton@kent.edu. If you prefer not to receive emails, you have the option to follow the center on one or more social media avenues, which gives you the freedom to pay attention to the information that matters most to you.

You can get news and information about the Faculty Professional Development Center from:

1.    The center’s website at www.kent.edu/fpdc
2.    The faculty and staff e-Newsletter (e-Inside)
3.    Social media: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The center has made a commitment to provide access to its resources 24/7. To that end, most of the center’s programs will be broadcast and recorded so that, in the event you can’t attend, you can access the information at your convenience.  The center also is building up its online resources to make it easier for you to find what you need to do your work better. To provide feedback about the resources that you would like to see online, email Dalton at edalton@kent.edu.

Finally, the center’s big event of the year is the upcoming fall 2013 Learning Institute on Oct. 11. Your faculty colleagues Chris Was and John Dunlosky will be discussing ways to “Build a Better Student” in your classes. Join us live or online. For more information about the event, visit http://bit.ly/2013LI. Also, watch a fun video about how to build a better student.

For more information about Kent State’s Faculty Professional and Development Center, visit www.kent.edu/fpdc.

Chad Conrad Named Director of Advancement at Kent State Tuscarawas

Local community leader Chad Conrad has been named
director of advancement at Kent State University at
Tuscarawas. 

Chad Conrad, a local community leader, has been named director of advancement at Kent State University at Tuscarawas. Conrad’s responsibilities will include donor cultivation and retention, coordination and management of capital and annual fund campaigns, grant development and alumni relations.

“Chad is a successful and well-respected member or our community, who will be an outstanding addition to our campus,” says Gregg L. Andrews, Ph.D., dean and chief administrative officer of Kent State Tuscarawas. “Chad has a reputation as an energetic and hard-working professional with extensive experience in building business and community partnerships. I am confident he will provide strategic leadership to our development office.”

Prior to his appointment at Kent State Tuscarawas, Conrad was the executive director of the American Red Cross – Muskingum Lakes Chapter, a position he held for 16 years.

"As a Kent State graduate, I am thrilled to come back to help students transform their lives and launch careers," Conrad says. "Our community is so fortunate to have such a valuable asset in the local campus. It will be a pleasure to work with dedicated staff, volunteers, alumni and community partners to ensure Kent State Tuscarawas continues to make a difference one student at a time."

An involved community leader, Conrad is a member of numerous community organizations, including the New Philadelphia Kiwanis, the Tuscarawas County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, the Tuscarawas County Community Improvement Corporation and the County Local Emergency Planning Committee.

Conrad earned a Master of Business Administration from Ashland University and a Bachelor of Science in public relations from Kent State University. He has certifications from Excellence in Nonprofit Management, Dale Carnegie Leadership Training and Leadership Tuscarawas.

He and his wife, Janet, have three sons and reside in Bolivar.

Kent State e-Postcards: A Wonderful Way to Inject a Little Joy into Someone’s Day

Pictured is a selection of Kent State University e-Postcards,
which can be customized with a personal message.

Kent State University introduces Kent State e-Postcards, a fast and free way of sending a little Kent State pride on special occasions. 

Kent State e-Postcards provide 211 different pictures to choose from and come in eight categories, including Athletics, Kent State Spirit, Friendship, Kent State Scenes, Campuses, Alumni, Classrooms and Celebrate Centennial.

The e-Postcards can be personalized by adding a title and message. The sender also has the option to be notified when the e-Postcard has been read.

This is a fast and easy way to send a little piece of Kent State to your friends and family. Visit http://kentstate.kent.edu/epostcard/ to view all the photos and send your Kent State e-Postcards today.
 

Diversity Training Survey: Chance to Win a $25 Starbucks Gift Card

Dear Kent State Faculty and Staff at all Campuses:

I invite you to take our five-minute survey about diversity training at Kent State by Oct. 4. Your participation in this short survey will help us better understand your needs and experiences related to diversity training at Kent State and will help us make improvements in the future.                                         

Once you have completed the survey, you will be entered into a random drawing to win your choice of a $25 Starbucks or Amazon gift card. Four gift cards will be awarded. Respondent confidentiality is guaranteed.

If you have not already completed the survey, please click on the link below to access it.

www.surveymonkey.com/s/DiversityTrainingKSU

If you have any technical difficulties accessing the survey, please contact Liz Lewis at elewis9@kent.edu.

Thank you in advance for your time and consideration in completing the survey. We value your feedback.

Alfreda Brown, Ed.D.                                                                                                                                 
Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

e-Inside Message Boards Available to Kent State Faculty and Staff

Want to share information about car-pooling opportunities, looking to buy or sell something, congratulate a colleague on an achievement or announce a birth or wedding? The e-Inside Message Boards offer Kent State University faculty and staff members the opportunity to post announcements, such as births, weddings, retirements, obituaries, classifieds and more.

Submit postings for the message boards at www.kent.edu/einside/messageboard. Please note that there may be a delay in posting your messages because they must first be approved by an e-Inside editorial staff member.