eInside Briefs

Kent State Keeps Tuition Increase Under State-Set Cap; Entire Increase Goes to Student Financial Aid

Pointing to Kent State University’s successful efforts to meet the needs of 21st-century students and manage the university’s finances efficiently and responsibly, the Kent State University Board of Trustees on June 27, 2013, enacted a 1.5-percent tuition increase and announced that all of it will be used to help students come to, stay in and graduate from college.

The increase in undergraduate and graduate tuition, which is effective Fall Semester 2013 and is expected to generate about $4.75 million, is part of a $638 million ($638,233,178) balanced operating budget for Fiscal Year 2014 that the Board approved on June 27. All of the tuition increase will fund scholarships, grants and other financial aid for students across Kent State’s eight campuses.

“The Board could not have been more diligent as we weighed the many factors that affect the budget,” says Board Chair Jane Murphy Timken. “Keeping the affordability concerns of our students and their families foremost in mind, we allocated funds in a way that keeps university operations fiscally efficient and also allows the continuation of improvements that are attracting thousands of high-achieving students to Kent State. Our success in areas such as enrollment, retention and fundraising led the Board to conclude the 1.5-percent tuition to be appropriate.”

About $1.7 million of the tuition increase will be dedicated to Trustee Scholarships for new freshmen enrolled at the Kent Campus. About $1.75 million of the tuition increase will be earmarked for scholarships and grants awarded in previous years, or for nonfreshmen. And about $1.1 million of the tuition increase will support financial aid for students at the university’s seven Regional Campuses.

The tuition increase is the lowest enacted by Kent State in the last four years and is less than the state-mandated, 2-percent limit on undergraduate tuition for the 2013-14 academic year. Kent State’s continuing, robust enrollment — including a record number of commitments from incoming freshmen who will attend the flagship Kent Campus this fall — was a key factor in the decision to keep the increase under the state-mandated cap.

“We continue to do an outstanding job of managing our finances and growing enrollment,” says Kent State President Lester A. Lefton. “This allowed us to help our students by keeping the tuition increase below the state-mandated limit and at a rate below many of our sister institutions.” The tuition increase is expected to keep Kent State’s full-time tuition and fees seventh lowest among Ohio’s 13 public universities.

Effective Fall Semester 2013, undergraduate tuition for students at the Kent Campus will increase $72 per semester (from $4,836 to $4,908). Graduate tuition will increase $77 per semester (from $5,145 to $5,222).

The educational and operating budget approved by the Board for Kent State’s eight-campus system spans Fiscal Year 2013-14 (July 1, 2013–June 30, 2014) and reflects a projected increase in the university’s state allocation resulting from a new formula that rewards positive enrollment and student graduation trends. Priorities addressed in the budget include investments in student financial aid beyond the funds generated by the tuition increase; investments in academic programs and new faculty to support strong enrollment; support for library collections; facility repairs and improvements; the annual repayment of bonds that are allowing the major, multiyear building and renovation initiative known as Foundations of Excellence: Building the Future; costs associated with contract agreements with employees represented by bargaining units; and a 2-percent, salary-increase pool for full-time, unrepresented employees.

In other action:

The Board unanimously passed a resolution of appreciation to Jacqueline Woods, former AT&T Ohio president, who is ending her nine-year term on the volunteer Kent State University Board of Trustees, and honored her with the designation of Trustee Emeritus of Kent State University. Woods’ service includes two years as Board chair, a year as chair of the External Relations and Development Committee, and a year as chair of the Finance and Administration Committee. The Board’s resolution commended Woods, a Solon resident, for providing leadership during “a tremendous time of change and revitalization in the life of the university”; for devoting “extraordinary time, effort and passion to her stewardship of Kent State University”; and for her focus on the “bottom lines” of financial integrity and academic excellence.

Jeff Duncan Named Head Baseball Coach at Kent State

Jeff Duncan has been named the new head baseball
coach at Kent State University. Duncan was the associate
head coach at Purdue University before his appointment
at Kent State. 

Jeff Duncan, former associate head coach at Purdue University, was named the new head baseball coach at Kent State University on June 25, as announced by Kent State Director of Athletics Joel Nielsen.

“One year removed from the College World Series, this head coaching position was very attractive and it was evident throughout the search,” Nielsen says. “In no particular order, we set out looking for someone who could coach and motivate our current players and incoming class, a dynamic recruiter, a person familiar with successful college baseball in the North, a serious commitment to academics and a good role model. Needless to say, we’re excited to introduce Jeff Duncan to the Kent State community, along with his wife, Lauren, and son, Bryce, and I’m looking forward to building on our success. Kent State baseball is in good hands moving forward.”

“Today is the most exciting day of my coaching career,” Duncan says. “The opportunity to be the next head coach at Kent State, a storied program with tradition, 21 major leaguers, 12 regional appearances and a trip to Omaha in 2012. The program has great former players, a fantastic alumni base and a great university and community behind it. I look forward to replicating and building upon the great program that Scott Stricklin and the coaches before him have built.

“I would like to thank Joel Nielsen and Janet Kittell for their professionalism during the search and their confidence in me to lead Kent State into the future,” Duncan continues. “I look forward to meeting everyone in the coming days and getting to work.”

Duncan spent four seasons at Purdue, helping lead the team to a school-record 45 wins in 2012, including a Big Ten Regular Season Championship, Big Ten Tournament Championship and a NCAA Regional Host. He was named associate head coach in September of 2012. Duncan was named the assistant in the Big Ten most ready for a head coaching job by College Baseball Insider and was listed as one of the top assistant coaches in the nation by Baseball America.

While a part of the Boilermakers program, Duncan served as the hitting, base running and outfield coach and also as the recruiting coordinator. He signed three recruiting classes that were ranked nationally by Collegiate Baseball Magazine. He helped lead the Purdue program to 133 wins in his four years on staff.

Prior to Purdue, Duncan was an assistant coach at Auburn University from August 2008 to September 2009 where he served as the third base coach and assisted with the team’s offense and outfielders. While there, he coached nine position players who were drafted by Major League Baseball and helped the team set a single-season record of 103 home runs.

Duncan played baseball professionally for nine seasons in the Mets, Padres, Blue Jays and Dodgers organizations. He spent two of those years at the Major League level with the Mets during the 2003 and 2004 seasons. Duncan also was a three-time All-Star selection while in the Minor Leagues. He was drafted twice: in the seventh round by the Mets in 2000 and in the 1997 MLB Draft by the Cubs out of high school.

Before going pro, Duncan played baseball at Arizona State. Batting .360 in his career as a Sun Devil, Duncan was captain of the 2000 team that went on to win a PAC-10 Championship.

Duncan and his wife, Lauren, have one son, Bryce, who is eight months old.

Read what others are saying about Duncan on the Kent State Intercollegiate Athletics website.

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

Kent State’s Division of Enrollment Management and Student Affairs Announces Organizational Changes

University Colleagues:

This correspondence is to update you on a number of organizational changes taking place within the Division of Enrollment Management and Student Affairs (EMSA). Each of these changes, I believe, reaffirms the division’s commitment to provide quality services and programs that enhance student learning and student success. The changes also reflect our commitment to “leading with purpose,” an ongoing strategic priority for our division.

Center for Student Involvement/Kent Student Center

Various initiatives throughout the past year have aimed to integrate certain functions and goals of the Center for Student Involvement and the Kent Student Center. This planned transformation has been designed to produce streamlined operations, enhanced facilities/technologies and greater engagement opportunities for students, faculty, staff and university guests. Timeka Rashid, Ph.D., assistant dean of students and director of the Center for Student Involvement, has been promoted to associate dean of students and will have primary responsibility for directing the Kent Student Center/Center for Student Involvement’s renewed, integrated missions. Rashid will continue to report to Shay Little, Ph.D., associate vice president for student affairs and dean of students.

Department of Residence Services

Jill Church has been appointed director, Department of Residence Services, the division’s largest administrative unit. Jill has served in various administrative leadership roles with Residence Services for the past 12 years and most recently served as interim director. The department continues to manage an aggressive, strategic facilities renovation and renewal plan while maintaining primary focus on creating residential communities that support student development and success. Jill will continue to report to me in my position as vice president.

University Health Services

Upon the recent successful completion of an on-site accreditation review by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care, the fourth consecutive three-year term of accredited status for University Health Services, I was pleased to announce the appointment of Angela DeJulius, M.D., as director, University Health Services. DeJulius, a board-certified family medicine physician, has served as University Health Services’ interim director/chief university physician for the past year and will now lead ongoing departmental efforts to provide quality healthcare services to the university community and enhanced cross-divisional collaborations involving health and wellness.

Student Accessibility Services

Amy Quillin, Ph.D., has assumed the role of director, Student Accessibility Services (SAS), after having served as senior associate director in the Student Accessibility Services for the past two years. Quillin’s prior administrative experience at Kent State University includes leadership roles in Residence Services and the Career Services Center. In serving the needs of approximately 1,000 SAS-registered students annually, Quillin and her staff strive to foster an educational community that is fully accessible and seamlessly inclusive of people with disabilities. Both DeJulius and Quillin will report to John Gosky, Ph.D., associate vice president-administration.

Office of the University Registrar

The university has identified a number of registrar-specific projects that will require concentrated attention and effort to reach completion. Toward that end, we have recently asked Glenn Davis to apply his professional expertise to address the assorted tasks, and he has accepted. In his new assignment as assistant vice president for enrollment management, Glenn will work closely with David Garcia, associate vice president for enrollment management.

To fill the administrative role of university registrar, Gail Rebeta, current associate university registrar, has been appointed to serve as interim registrar and will report to Associate Vice President Garcia. A national search will be conducted to fill the university registrar position.

Office of the Vice President

An earlier change that many, though not all, may be aware of is the transfer of Donna Carlton from the Center for Student Involvement to the Office of the Vice President. As special coordinator, student affairs, Donna is supporting various EMSA development initiatives and coordinating special events including the engagement of student leader alumni, the formation of a parent association, and targeted outreach activities with the local community. Donna will also continue in her longstanding role of administrative liaison with Undergraduate Student Government.

All of the above noted appointments, with the exception of Dr. Rashid’s, which was effective May 1, and Donna Carlton’s on Feb. 1, are effective July 1, 2013. Please join me in congratulating Timeka, Jill, Angela, Amy, Glenn, Gail, and Donna as they undertake their important new leadership roles at Kent State University.

Have a safe, relaxing and rewarding summer!

Respectfully,

Greg Jarvie
Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs

Kent State Associate Counsel Earns Professional Award for Higher Education Law Practice

Michael Pfahl, associate counsel in Kent
State's Office of General Counsel, received
the National Association of College and
University Attorneys’ First Decade award,
recognizing outstanding service to the
association and to the practice of higher
education law. 

Kent State University Associate Counsel Michael Pfahl was conferred with the National Association of College and University Attorneys’ (NACUA) First Decade award at the association’s annual conference in Philadelphia, Pa., on June 19. The award recognizes outstanding service to the association and to the practice of higher education law.

Pfahl, a graduate of Kent State and the University of Akron School of Law, has been a member of the NACUA for six years. He serves in Kent State’s Office of General Counsel with responsibilities that include immigration, international law issues, university policy development, contract administration, affiliation agreements, student conduct issues and more.

“The award is really humbling and means a lot to me as an attorney in higher education,” Pfahl says. “I owe it all to the opportunities I've been given at Kent State University and the encouraging dynamic of our office to continue to strive for excellence in our profession and in our daily activities. It is a great organization, and I am truly honored.”

Pfahl began his career as a journalist before going to law school. He also has a Human Resource Studies certification from Cornell University School of Labor and Industrial Relations.  

As an active member of the NACUA, Pfahl has served as speaker, moderator, forum and discussion group leader for the association’s educational programs, including roles on several committees.  He currently serves on the association’s editorial board and has previously served on the editorial board of the Journal of College and University Law.

In conferring Pfahl with the First Decade award, members of the association describe him on the association’s website as a professional “who works for the betterment of the higher education law profession.” Pfahl’s colleagues also describe him as someone who has “an exceptional understanding of the intricacies of the rapidly growing and challenging area of immigration law.”

“I stay active because the profession itself encourages collaboration for the betterment of higher education in general. I am simply trying to follow the example set by others in the organization,” Pfahl says.

For more information about Kent State’s Office of General Counsel, visit www.kent.edu/universitycounsel.

For more information about the National Association of College and University Attorneys, visit www.nacua.org.

Important Information About Final Grading of Summer 2013 First 7 Weeks (W1) Classes

Online final grading for Summer Semester 2013 – First 7 Weeks (W1) courses meeting from May 13 through June 29, began Thursday, June 27, via FlashFAST. Grading is also now available for any Summer Semester 2013 course section that was flexibly scheduled and has an end date no later than June 29. The deadline for grading submission is midnight on Tuesday, July 2. Any final grades for Summer Semester 2013 First 7 Weeks (W1) courses not reported in FlashFAST by the grades processing deadline will have to be submitted using the Grade Change Workflow.

To access FlashFAST, log in to FlashLine at http://flashline.kent.edu and click the Faculty & Advisor Tools tab. Locate the Faculty Toolbox, and select Final under the Submit Grades heading.

Grades Processing Tips and FAQ may be found on the Office of the University Registrar's website at www.kent.edu/registrar/facstaff/facresc.cfm. 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.

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. 

Important Information about Final Grading of Summer Semester 2013 Summer I (S1) Classes

Online final grading for Summer Semester 2013 – Summer I (S1) courses meeting from June 10 through July 13 begins Thursday, July 11, via FlashFAST. Grading is also now available for any Summer Semester 2013 course section that was flexibly scheduled and has an end date no later than July 13. The deadline for grading submission is midnight on Tuesday, July 16. Any final grades for Summer Semester 2013 Summer I (S1) courses not reported in FlashFAST by the grades processing deadline will have to be submitted using the Grade Change Workflow.

To access FlashFAST, log in to FlashLine at http://flashline.kent.edu and click the Faculty & Advisor Tools tab. Locate the Faculty Toolbox, and select Final under the Submit Grades heading.

Grades Processing Tips and FAQs may be found on the Office of the University Registrar's website at www.kent.edu/registrar/facstaff/facresc.cfm. 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.

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.