eInside Briefs

Kent State’s College of Podiatric Medicine Names New Dean

Kent State University has appointed
Allan M. Boike dean of the university’s
College of Podiatric Medicine.

Allan M. Boike, D.P.M., FACFAS, has been named dean of Kent State University’s College of Podiatric Medicine. Boike currently serves as the director of the Podiatric Medical and Surgical Residency Training Programs and section head of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery in the Foot and Ankle Center of the Orthopaedic and Rheumatology Institute at the Cleveland Clinic. His primary practice locations are at the Cleveland Clinic’s main campus and the Strongsville Family Health Center.

“Dr. Boike is a nationally known podiatrist and educator who understands the future of podiatric medicine, and who is committed to steering the Kent State University College of Podiatric Medicine to the top of all podiatric schools in the country,” says Todd Diacon, Kent State’s senior vice president for academic affairs and provost. “We are fortunate to have someone with Dr. Boike’s skill, experience and reputation for excellence joining Kent State University."

Boike succeeds interim dean Bryan Caldwell, who has served in that position since October 2013. Caldwell, who has been with the podiatry school since 1994, will return to his position as assistant dean of the College of Podiatric Medicine.

Boike will start his new position on July 1, 2014.

“As the director of podiatric medical education at a large medical teaching institution and through my years serving as a member of the board of directors for the American Board of Podiatric Surgery, I have seen and appreciate the challenges faced by recent graduates in the field,” Boike says. “Kent State’s College of Podiatric Medicine is positioned to take the lead in podiatric medical education, and I’m thrilled for the opportunity to play a role in students’ journey to excellence.”

The college was known as the Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine before becoming a part of Kent State in July 2012.

After completing his undergraduate work at Wayne State in 1975, Boike graduated from the Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine in 1982, receiving his doctor of podiatric medicine degree. He completed his podiatric surgical residency at the New Berlin Memorial Hospital in Wisconsin in 1983.

Boike has more than 20 years of experience in treating foot and ankle problems, including work at Mt. Sinai Medical Center in Cleveland, where he was in private practice for seven years. Previously, he was an associate professor in the Department of Podiatric Surgery at the Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine and its Cleveland Foot and Ankle Clinic, where he served as the director of the Podiatric Surgical Residency Training Program. Boike is a Fellow of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons, and has served as a member of the American Podiatric Medical Association and the Ohio Podiatric Medical Association. He is board-certified in foot and ankle surgery by the American Board of Podiatric Surgery and has since served the board as an oral examiner and as a member of the written examination committee. He recently served on the board of directors of the American Board of Podiatric Surgery.

Boike has lectured at more than 100 seminars throughout the United States on a wide range of topics related to the treatment of foot and ankle conditions. In 1997, he was honored with the William J. Stickle Silver Award for Podiatric Research. Areas of special interest for Boike include foot surgery, especially correction of bunion deformities, hammertoe correction, rheumatoid foot reconstruction, surgery for soft tissue masses and tumors of the foot and treatment of heel pain.

Kent State’s College of Podiatric Medicine is a four-year, graduate-level medical college, granting the degree of Doctor of Podiatric Medicine. Founded in 1916, the college has graduated more than 6,000 podiatrists who have made outstanding contributions to the field and study of podiatric medicine. The college’s mission is to educate students to be highly competent doctors of podiatric medicine who will excel in residency training.

For more information about Kent State’s College of Podiatric Medicine, visit www.kent.edu/cpm.

Kent State’s Faculty Professional Development Center Redesign: We Need Your Input

Since this past September, the Kent State University Faculty Professional Development Center Redesign Steering Committee and Advisory Board have been working hard to develop an understanding of the faculty development possibilities at Kent State. This process has included:

• Reviewing several past Faculty Professional Development Center review documents
• Exploring relevant literature
• Analyzing and mapping the faculty development services already offered
• Conducting a two-day virtual conversation with leaders in the field 
• Creating and defining possible mission/value statements for faculty development at Kent State
• Analyzing more than 30 centers across the country
  

From all of these analyses, the committee has identified 15 key functions/services that are offered at other institutions like ours. We would like to know which of these services you think are critical here at Kent State.

In order to gather your feedback in a systematic manner, the committee has created a space on the Civic Commons website that will allow you to select and rank the key services that you think the new center should offer. Additionally, you can add comments or other suggestions through the conversation tool provided. We need your insights and feedback as we move forward with the redesign process.

The conversation is available at http://theciviccommons.com/conversations/fpdc-critical-services-ballot.

To encourage your participation, the committee is collecting a series of prizes that will be randomly given to participants on the Civic Commons website. These prizes include gift cards to Dunkin’ Donuts, iTunes, Tree City Coffee and Starbucks, as well as other fine local establishments. Also, a lucky winner may receive an iPod shuffle or some other “spectacular” surprise gift. All you need to do to be eligible is to contribute your voice to the conversation on the future direction of the Faculty Professional Development Center.

The committee appreciates your input as it takes the next step in the process.

For questions or comments, email David Dees at ddees@kent.edu.

Idea Olympics Competition: Explore and Advance Your Entrepreneurial Ideas

Applicants with entrepreneurial idea, including concepts
related to a for-profit or nonprofit venture, are invited to
participate in the 2014 Kent State University Idea Olympics
Business Competition.

The annual Kent State University Business Idea Competition (appropriately renamed Idea Olympics this year) recently launched with the opportunity to win $4,000 in cash awards. This competition is open to all Kent State students – undergraduate, graduate and Ph.D. – regardless of major.

“For this year’s competition, we particularly identified with the theme of the Olympics since Blackstone LaunchPad serves Kent State students, faculty, staff and alumni across all majors, disciplines and campuses,” says Zach Mikrut, marketing manager for Kent State’s Blackstone LaunchPad. “The competition offers the opportunity to win not only money for your business-related idea, but also reap the benefit of resources and connections that can propel your idea forward.”

The winner of the Kent State Idea Olympics competition will advance to the Entrepreneurship Education Consortium’s ideaLabs, a regional competition consisting of 11 Northeast Ohio member universities. 

Applicants with any entrepreneurial idea, including concepts related to a
for-profit or nonprofit venture, are welcome to apply. The deadline for the competition is Feb. 20. Selected finalists will present their concept in front of judges on Feb. 27. This event is free and open to the public. For more information on how to register or attend the event, visit www.ksuideaolympics.com.

Kent State’s Blackstone LaunchPad promotes entrepreneurship as a viable career path. Through mentoring, workshops and events and connecting entrepreneurs to resources, Blackstone LaunchPad helps Kent State students, faculty, staff and alumni to create new startups or grow existing businesses in Northeast Ohio.

Kent State to Hold 29th Annual Graduate Research Symposium

Kent State University graduate students work on a poster
presentation at the Kent Student Center. The 29th annual
Graduate Research Symposium will take place on April 11.

The Graduate Student Senate at Kent State University will host the 29th annual Graduate Research Symposium on April 11 from 8:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. at the Kent Student Center. The symposium celebrates research and scholarship across all disciplines, and is an opportunity for graduate students to gain experience presenting their work in an academic setting and for networking with faculty members.

Graduate students from neighboring institutions and undergraduate students from Kent State also are invited to participate. Both oral and poster presentations are welcome at the symposium, and monetary awards will be given for outstanding presentations. The awards luncheon speaker is Melody Tankersley, Ph.D., associate provost for academic affairs.

Faculty members are encouraged to inform their students and encourage them to participate as presenters or observers.  If you would like to serve as a judge, contact Natalie Fox, chair of this year’s Graduate Research Symposium, at nfox7@kent.edu.

Registration for the symposium, including the awards luncheon, ends Feb. 28, and can be completed by visiting www.kent.edu/graduatestudies/gss/researchsymposium/registration.cfm.

For more information about the symposium, visit www.kent.edu/graduatestudies/gss/researchsymposium/index.cfm.

New Undergraduate Student Symposium on Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity

Kent State University will hold its first Undergraduate
Symposium on Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity
that is open to students in all majors and at all Kent State
campuses.

Research, scholarly work and creative activities are an integral part of a student’s college experience, and Kent State University wants to give our students an opportunity to showcase and be recognized for this work. On April 2, the university will hold its first Undergraduate Symposium on Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity. Students in all majors and at all campuses are encouraged to participate.

Faculty members who engage students in research, either independently or through course-based projects, should encourage students to participate.

Students who take part in the Undergraduate Symposium can:

• Compete for cash awards.
• Develop research and presentation skills.
• Prepare for graduate school or professional opportunities.
• Share the topic they explored with the Kent State community.
  

Students can begin the process by submitting a brief abstract about their research projects, scholarly initiatives or creative activities between now and March 3. Details about the symposium can be found at www.kent.edu/undergradstudies/ugresearch. If you have any questions about the symposium, contact Eboni Pringle at epringle@kent.edu.

The symposium is sponsored by the Office of the Provost, Honors College, Research and Sponsored Programs, Undergraduate Studies and University Libraries.

Director of Kent State’s Wick Poetry Center Inspires at TEDx Akron Event

David Hassler, director of Kent State University’s Wick
Poetry Center, presented a talk in November at TEDx Akron,
an independently organized offshoot of the national TED
conferences.

(Photo Credit: Phil Masturzo/Akron Beacon Journal)

David Hassler, director of Kent State University’s Wick Poetry Center, received a surprising call in October. The organizer of TEDx Akron, an independently organized offshoot of the national TED conferences, wanted Hassler to give a speech at the November event.

“It literally only gave me about four weeks advance notice to prepare a 17-minute talk,” Hassler says.

Hassler had to quickly learn the mechanics of giving a TED talk, including the “arc” of discussion and the strict timeframe.

“It was more challenging than I thought it would be because I’m not used to having a timeframe to talk,” he says. “I had a real sense that it was very verboten to go over 17 minutes. This invisible cane would come out and wrap around my neck and pull me off the stage.”

Fortunately, no cane yanked him off the stage, and Hassler’s “Giving Voice: The Conversation of Poetry” speech was a success. He centered on group poetry and the discussions that come from writing and collaborating. Hassler discussed the “aha moment” that happens when writers feel the spark of their creativity and connection with a peer.

His talk focused on an experience in 1995 working with a 5th-grade class at St. Sebastian in Akron.

“That truly has been a bottomless source of inspiration, humbly looking back at that first day of walking into a classroom, having no real plan,” Hassler recalls. “I learned from the children in that class how a group poem can be triggered and what works and how we are most inspired.”

Hassler says he regularly draws inspiration from many of his peers, from the Wick Poetry Center’s former director, Maggie Anderson, to his own 5th-grade teacher, as well as poets of the past and people he connects with through the pages of his writing.

“When I teach and help inspire others, the effectiveness of my teaching is partly all the influences of the people who have shaped and informed me,” Hassler says. “There’s a long chain always stretching way back, and we are just a part of that. That’s really the greater satisfaction: It doesn’t begin and end with me.”

Hassler says presenting his TEDx talk was a part of this conversation about writing and sharing.

“It was almost a ritualistic way to formalize and give voice to that sense of a larger chain,” he says. “I could say my TEDx talk was a gratitude talk to being in this larger conversation.”

Hassler’s speech continues to affect others, garnering 1,286 YouTube views as of Feb. 12. He calls the feedback “wonderful and surprising” as he received emails from friends and strangers reacting to the speech. The most significant response came from a woman who was in that 5th-grade class in 1995. The woman, now a special education teacher near Canton, said she remembers the experience of writing poetry that day. Hassler now has plans to visit her classroom this semester.

“It’s wonderful to think of my message being passed on,” Hassler says. “Poems are a wonderful way of keeping gifts in motion.”

Hassler says he appreciates the exposure and conversations created by YouTube and the TEDx website. YouTube views aside, he says the Wick Poetry Center, which celebrates its 30th anniversary in September, will continue to focus on the fundamentals.

He wants to use digital technology to bring in “the oldest technology, which is literally writing and, before that, language itself,” Hassler says. “I don’t ever want the newer digital technology to replace the value of being physically present with each other and using that presence to inform others how we create and inspire.”

Participating in the local TEDx talk has stirred in Hassler the desire to give a speech at a national TED event. He says the stories of the Wick Poetry Center and Kent community, his hometown and current residence, deserve to be told.

“I’ve lived abroad, and I’ve lived in many different places around this country, and I chose to come back to Kent,” says Hassler, who received his bachelor’s and master’s at Cornell and Bowling Green State University, respectively. “It has a deep, resonate feeling for me to have the opportunity to work in this community. I think that Kent has a story to tell about our creativity.”

To learn more about the Wick Poetry Center, visit www.kent.edu/wick.