eInside Briefs

Kent State Alumni Association Hosts Its First Alumni College

Kent State University alumni became
students again as they returned to
campus for Alumni College.

Kent State University alumni became students again as they returned to campus for Alumni College. Held May 21, the event gave attendees the opportunity to reunite with one another and revisit the campus.

“Welcoming more than 100 alumni back to campus for our first Alumni College was very exciting,” says Brittney Braydich, assistant director of outreach for the Kent State University Alumni Association. “Watching them reconnect with each other and hearing their excitement about all the advancements on campus made the entire day a huge success! We plan to make Alumni College an annual event.”

Educational sessions were offered throughout the day to attendees. Kent State faculty members taught classes on topics such as Katharine Hepburn’s fashion, the basics of wine, liquid crystals and more.

Besides the classes, participants enjoyed a bus tour of campus. For alumna Marguerite Spears, ’39, M.A. ’50, the tour was one of the day’s highlights.

“The campus has grown,” Spears said. “None of this was here when I was. I wanted to come back while I was still able to, and I’m glad I came today. This whole day was just wonderful.”

In addition to seeing the changes on campus, alumni also listened to a university update from Kent State President Lester A. Lefton during lunch.  The day concluded with a reception where alumni received “diplomas” and a stuffed black squirrel for attending.

Leona Brown, ’51, says she was happy she attended the event and would consider coming again.

“I did enjoy myself,” she says. “And, I think if you asked anyone here, they’d tell you they enjoyed themselves, too.”

Plans for next year’s Alumni College are already being discussed.

“Our hope is to build on the success and positive feedback from this first year,” Braydich says. “We’re considering expanding the program and developing an alumni committee to help guide our efforts for future Alumni College programs.”

Kent State Students Enjoy In-depth Experience at D.C. Museums

SLIS “New Vision” scholarship recipients on the steps of
the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. Front row
(left to right): Steve Kemple (to the left of the railing);
Maria Trivisonno (in striped top); Maryann Haller; Jennifer
Mille; Maria Vega. Back row: Kiersten F. Latham, Ph.D.
(to the left of the railing); Greg Byerly, Ph.D.; Carolyn S.
Brodie, Ph.D.; Yin Zhang, Ph.D.; Michelle Baldini, M.L.S.

Five students from the School of Library and Information Science (SLIS) at Kent State University recently traveled to Washington, D.C., as part of a federally funded grant program made possible through the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS).

Maryanne B. Haller, of Strongsville; Jennifer Mille, of Brunswick; Steven Kemple, of Cincinnati; Maria Trivisonno, of Lyndhurst; and Maria Vega, of Sidney, each received an IMLS Laura Bush 21st Century scholarship that was part of a $643,007 grant titled “Youth Services, Librarians and Museums — A New Vision of Learning.” The grant co-directors, School of Library and Information Science Professor Carolyn S. Brodie, Ph.D., Associate Professor Greg Byerly, Ph.D., and Professor Yin Zhang, Ph.D., accompanied the students, along with Michelle Baldini, M.L.S., grant coordinator, and Kiersten F. Latham, Ph.D., assistant professor.
 
In Washington, D.C., the students took part in a cohort experience of touring museums, libraries and historical landmarks. They also had the opportunity to interact with professionals in the field of museums and special librarianship. Scheduled tours included the Library of Congress and behind-the-scenes tours of several of the Smithsonian Institution libraries. Students also visited the Institute of Museum and Library Services, where they met IMLS Deputy Director Mary Chute and senior program officers Mary Alice Ball, Kevin Cherry, Ph.D., and Anthony Smith.

The students are enrolled in the Master of Library and Information Science (M.L.I.S.) program at Kent State and will complete the degree in 2011. The “New Vision” scholarship covers the cost of tuition up to 36 credit hours, as well as the all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C., as part of a special topics class. Recipients pursue coursework that includes an emphasis on the use of museums with children and young adults. They must pledge to work as a librarian, either in a public library or as a librarian in a museum, archives, historical society or other cultural institution, after receiving their M.L.I.S. degree.

Kent State has the only M.L.I.S. program in Ohio that is accredited by the American Library Association. The school is recognized by U.S. News and World Report as one of the nation’s top 20 graduate schools in the field, and its youth librarianship program is ranked 13th. It is one of the largest library schools in the country, with nearly 700 students enrolled.

Discussion Group Participants Needed - Receive a $15 Starbucks Gift Card

Kent State’s University Communications and Marketing invites faculty and staff members to participate in a discussion group. Your help is needed in selecting a graphic to represent sustainability efforts at Kent State. Participants will receive a $15 Starbucks gift card, and light refreshments will be served.

The discussion group will be held on Tuesday, June 28, from 5:15 to 6:15 p.m., in the Administrative Services Building on the Kent Campus.

If you are interested in attending the discussion group, please visit www.surveymonkey.com/s/UCMDiscussion to sign up. Participation is limited to eight people, so reserve your spot today.

Outstanding Teaching Award Deadline Extended to June 30

Honor that unforgettable faculty member and share your favorite classroom memories of how he or she inspired you — submit a nomination for the Outstanding Teaching Award today.

Sponsored by the University Teaching Council, the Outstanding Teaching Award is intended to honor outstanding teaching by nontenure-track and part-time faculty at Kent State University. The awards parallel the Distinguished Teaching Awards sponsored by the Kent Alumni Association: Every year, three Kent faculty members will be honored with awards of $1,500 each for their outstanding achievements in teaching.

But first they must be nominated, and that is up to you.

ELIGIBILITY

1. A faculty member must have been on a nontenure-track or part-time contract at the Kent Campus or any Regional Campus of the university for a minimum of five consecutive years (annually, not necessarily every semester), including the current academic year. (Returning emeriti are excluded.)
2. Those receiving the awards must be on contract during the semester (fall 2011) in which the awards are presented.
3. Those who received an Outstanding Teaching Award previously are not eligible.
   

You can nominate your favorite professor NOW by visiting the online form. Deadline for nominations is June 30, 2011. 

Kent State University Professor Receives Outstanding Ohio Accounting Educator Award

Norman R. Meonske, Ph.D.

The Ohio Society of CPAs (OSCPA) announced that retired Kent State professor Norman R. Meonske, Ph.D., was named the 2011 Outstanding Accounting Educator at the American Accounting Association Ohio Region (AAA) meeting on May 13 in Dublin, Ohio.

Co-sponsored by OSCPA and AAA, the 2011 Outstanding Ohio Accounting Educator Award is presented annually to a college professor whose teaching and dedication to students have positively impacted the accounting profession.

Meonske was also recognized at OSCPA’s Members Summit and Annual Meeting on June 16 in Columbus. He served as a professor of accounting at Kent State’s College of Business Administration before his retirement in 2010.

Chosen by his colleagues for his “immense service to the professional community” and his “commitment to students and the CPA profession,” Meonske leaves a 38-year legacy of shaping students and the accounting profession in Ohio.

During his tenure, Meonske has served as the accounting internship coordinator and the advisor for accounting student organizations at Kent State. Most recently, he has worked with the design and delivery of online classes for undergraduate and executive MBA students.

Meonske has been lauded for developing and delivering continuing professional education to ac-counting professionals, including an online Accountancy Board of Ohio-approved ethics course for CPAs. A published author in several academic journals, he has made more than 250 professional pres¬entations to CPAs across Ohio and beyond as a thought leader in the industry.

One of his most successful endeavors is the annual Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) Conference hosted at Kent State, which Meonske started 36 years ago. Since then, he has helped grow the conference into a nationally-recognized accounting event, consistently presenting leading authorities from academia and corporate America, and from regulatory and oversight bodies such as the Securities and Exchange Commission and Public Companies Accounting Oversight Board.

Even in retirement, Meonske continues to help students reach their dreams of becoming a CPA through the Norman R. Meonske Endowed Scholarship Fund.

The Ohio Society of CPAs, established in 1908, represents more than 22,000 CPAs in business, education, government and public accounting.  The society’s members not only meet statutory and regulatory requirements as CPAs, but also embrace the highest standards of professional and ethical performance.  This is achieved through ongoing professional education, comprehensive quality review and compliance with a strict Code of Professional Conduct.

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