eInside Briefs
News Briefs
- Kent State Names Amy Reynolds as Its New Dean of the College of Communication and Information
- NSF Funding Provides 21 New Undergraduate Scholarships at Kent State
- Kent State’s Veronica Cook-Euell Wins Advocate of the Year Award From Ohio Minority Supplier Development Council
- It’s “Mugshots” Competition Week at Kent State
Kent State Names Amy Reynolds as Its New Dean of the College of Communication and Information
Amy Reynolds, Ph.D., will serve as the
new dean of Kent State University’s
College of Communication and Information.
Following a national search, Amy Reynolds, Ph.D., has been selected to serve as the new dean of Kent State University’s College of Communication and Information. Todd Diacon, Kent State’s senior vice president for academic affairs and provost, made the announcement.
Reynolds currently serves at Louisiana State University as the director of the Reilly Center for Media and Public Affairs, part of the Manship School of Mass Communication, where she manages all aspects of the center and oversees its research facilities. She will join Kent State on July 1, 2015.
Reynolds succeeds AnnMarie LeBlanc, who has served as interim dean of the college since July 1, 2014.
“We are most fortunate to have someone of Dr. Amy Reynolds’ experience and talent joining our leadership team,” Diacon says. “A prolific scholar in her own right, Amy will bring to Kent State valuable experience as a professor, director and associate dean at Indiana University and LSU. She is taking over an excellent college that is quickly building a national reputation for excellence.
“I especially want to thank Interim Dean AnnMarie LeBlanc for her outstanding service this year,” Diacon continues. “The College of Communication and Information has not lost a beat due to her steady hand, and I am mindful of the value AnnMarie has added to our School of Visual Communication Design.”
Reynolds says she is looking forward to her new position at Kent State.
“I’m excited to join Kent State’s academic community,” Reynolds says. “During my time on campus, I could feel the energy and enthusiasm of the campus leadership, faculty and students toward both the university and the College of Communication and Information. Kent State is an excellent institution with a one-of-a-kind College of Communication and Information that is poised to serve as a national leader for the professional and academic disciplines it serves. I am really impressed with the quality of the college’s faculty, staff, students and alumni, and I look forward to working with them, as well as with Provost Diacon and President [Beverly] Warren.”
Reynolds joined Louisiana State University in 2010 and served for four years as the associate dean for graduate studies and research in the university’s Manship School of Mass Communication. She also currently serves as co-director of the Press Law and Democracy Project and as the Thomas O. and Darlene Ryder II Distinguished Professor, both in the Manship School of Mass Communication. Reynolds worked at Indiana University from 2000 to 2010, serving in the School of Journalism as associate dean for research and graduate studies, director of the Indiana University’s School of Journalism National Teaching Fellows Workshop, associate professor and assistant professor. She also has held faculty positions at the University of Oklahoma and Miami University of Ohio.
The focus of Reynolds’ research is on dissent and the First Amendment, First Amendment history and media sociology, particularly in relationship to media coverage of breaking news and terrorism. She has authored or co-authored seven books and has written several articles and book chapters.
Prior to her career in higher education, Reynolds worked at various news organizations, including Erie Daily Times and WSEE-TV in Erie, Pennsylvania; Orlando Sentinel, College Press Service and Generation X Press in Orlando, Florida; and WTIU Public Television in Bloomington, Indiana. Positions she held include reporter, managing editor and news director.
Reynolds received her bachelor’s degree in English writing from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, her master’s degree in journalism from Indiana University Bloomington and her Ph.D. in mass communication from the University of Texas at Austin.
She and her family will be moving to the Kent, Ohio, area from Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
For more information about Kent State’s College of Communication and Information, visit www.kent.edu/cci.
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NSF Funding Provides 21 New Undergraduate Scholarships at Kent State
A student works in a science lab in Williams Hall. The
National Science Foundation has awarded the Kent State
University Scholarships for Broadening Participation in the
Sciences Program with funding to annually provide 21
scholarships of $5,000 each for undergraduate students.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded the Kent State University Scholarships for Broadening Participation in the Sciences Program with funding to annually provide 21 scholarships of $5,000 each for undergraduate students. The scholarship program, led by Committee Chair Jonathan Maletic, Ph.D., Kent State professor of computer science, was started in 2007 and is designed to assist financially disadvantaged students who show promise in the sciences by enabling them to pursue a full-time program of study that can be completed in four years.
The program also is designed to increase diversity in the sciences by recruiting women and minority students who are traditionally underrepresented in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields.
“We work hard to recruit underrepresented groups to the sciences,” Maletic says. “Only 10 percent of undergraduate students in computer science are women, which is problematic for many reasons. There is a national need for more computer science graduates in the workforce partly because few women are pursuing degrees in this field. Also, having software being designed and built only by men but used by both genders can lead to less than optimal solutions of usability and overall quality.”
In addition to the financial support, the scholarship recipients will receive mentoring support. Mentors will lead discussions on career options, the pros and cons of graduate school, research opportunities and other topics to assist the students in planning for their future. The mentors try to ensure that their students are making sufficient progress in their programs and stay on track to graduate.
The scholarship is renewable each year and will be available through the 2017/2018 academic year. It is only available to students on the Kent Campus who are considered financially disadvantaged as defined by federal financial aid guidelines. Students unsure of their financial eligibility can visit www.FAFSA.ed.gov to check their status.
To learn more about the scholarship and apply, eligible students should visit the program’s website at www.stem-scholarships.kent.edu. The deadline for applications is April 30.
The NSF was founded in 1950 as an independent federal agency designed to promote the progress of science. It is the funding source for approximately 24 percent of all federally supported basic research conducted by America’s colleges and universities. In many fields such as mathematics, computer science and the social sciences, the NSF is the major source of federal backing. More information about NSF funding and awards is available at www.nsf.gov.
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Kent State’s Veronica Cook-Euell Wins Advocate of the Year Award From Ohio Minority Supplier Development Council
Veronica Cook-Euell, Kent State
University’s supplier diversity program
manager, was recently named Advocate
of the Year by the Ohio Minority Supplier
Development Council.
Veronica Cook-Euell, Kent State University’s supplier diversity program manager, was recently named Advocate of the Year by the Ohio Minority Supplier Development Council at its annual Awards Gala and Silent Auction.
According to the council’s website, the Advocate of the Year award is given to those who “support minority business development, are visible in the business community, exhibit a strong commitment to supplier diversity and contribute to the efforts of the Ohio Minority Supplier Development Council.”
A resident of the Akron, Ohio, area, Cook-Euell works to expand the diversity of suppliers to Kent State by developing relationships with Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) vendors, which are businesses that are 51 percent or more owned and operated by a minority.
She attributes her success in part to her ability to develop internal advocates within various university departments and divisions.
“I am an educator of the value of supplier diversity within the university, as well as working to implement a strategy that has direct benefits for our internal partners,” Cook-Euell says.
Kent State was recognized as Best in Class for Supplier Diversity in 2013 from the Commission on Economic Inclusion, reflecting Cook-Euell’s efforts to strengthen the diversity base through the new ideas and techniques she brings to the university.
“Kent State’s commitment to diversity excellence extends to our external partners – suppliers and vendors – who are vital to our university’s success,” says Alfreda Brown, Ed.D., Kent State’s vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion. “This award recognizes Veronica’s hard work and dedication to diversifying our supplier base at Kent State, as well as the continued growth of our supplier diversity program, which offers minority-owned businesses a chance to succeed.”
Last year, Kent State achieved a 14.15 percent MBE spend, which was slightly below the goal of 15 percent. This was an achievement for Cook-Euell and the university because it marked the first time in Kent State’s history that it was that close to its initial spend target.
“Building relationships and collaborative partners across the eight-campus system is an ongoing effort to increase our supplier diversity spend,” Cook-Euell says.
The recognition for Kent State’s Supplier Diversity program is a tribute to Cook-Euell’s efforts, says Gregg Floyd, Kent State’s senior vice president for finance and administration.
“Veronica’s vision, positive spirit and passion for her work have strengthened our supplier diversity program,” Floyd says. “These qualities are demonstrated in all that she does and by her recent advocacy award and other recognition that our program has received in the past few years.”
Cook-Euell’s emphasis on practices that benefit both the university and its MBE diversity suppliers made Kent State stand out among other Ohio universities. Unlike private corporations and universities that can limit and screen vendors before allowing them into their database and that have a closed-bid policy, Kent State has an open bid policy that provides all vendors an equal chance of being selected.
“Everyone has an opportunity to bid on every contract available, and I work to level the playing field and tear down barriers so they can all access the necessary information,” Cook-Euell says.
For more information about Kent State’s supplier diversity program or to learn about its vendors, visit www.kent.edu/procurement/diversity.
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It’s “Mugshots” Competition Week at Kent State
Kent State University faculty, staff and students are
encouraged to use reusable mugs and water bottles for
"Mugshots," the RecycleMania competition for the week
of Feb. 15-21, and share their photos with Kent State's
Office of Sustainability.
Kent State University students, faculty and staff are encouraged to bring their own reusable mug or water bottle to campus for “Mugshots,” the RecycleMania competition for the week of Feb. 15-21. Enter to win prizes by telling or sharing photos of how you used your mug or water bottle with Kent State’s Office of Sustainability.
Students should use #KSURecycles on Twitter or Instagram or email lgraha13@kent.edu. Faculty and staff can email lgraha13@kent.edu or use both #KSUrecycles and #OfficeRM on Twitter or Instagram and mention their department or building. The office with the most submissions wins a prize and bragging rights.
Reusable mugs and water bottles divert thousands of pounds of waste from landfills, protecting the environment and conserving natural resources. In case you forget your mug, all paper to-go cups on campus are recyclable, including the plastic lid with a “#1-#7” on top and the cardboard sleeve.
RecycleMania is a competition for college and university recycling programs that help to promote waste reduction activities in their campus communities. The competition started Feb. 1 and runs for eight weeks. Colleges report the amount of recycling and trash collected each week and are then ranked based on various categories.
For more information about RecycleMania and weekly competitions at Kent State, visit www.kent.edu/sustainability/recyclemania.
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