eInside Briefs

Kent State University Sets 2011-2012 Tuition

In the last year, Kent State University recorded its highest enrollment in its 100-year history, resulting in Kent State now ranking as the second largest public university in the state of Ohio. The university was  recognized by Times Higher Education of London as one of the top 200 universities in the world in its World University Rankings and by U.S. News & World Report as one of the best national universities. With the state facing serious financial challenges, Kent State has been proactive in anticipating how to respond to lower state funding during a time of increasing need for more college-educated Ohioans.

The university has been restructuring its financial position, guided by four principles: preserve the high value of the education and services provided to our students, protect and enhance enrollment growth, increase efficiencies and maintain responsibility-centered management.

To enable the university to continue its multifaceted efforts to provide high-quality academic programs to an increasing number of students, Kent State University officials have approved a 3.5 percent tuition increase for undergraduate and graduate students on the university’s eight campuses effective Fall Semester 2011.

The action comes following the passage of the state of Ohio’s biennial budget. Based on the new state budget, Kent State is projected to receive about $16 million less from the state in 2011-12, across its eight campuses. On June 2, the Board of Trustees authorized the board chair, chair of the board’s Finance and Administration Committee, and the president to set tuition and related fees for Fall Semester 2011 within guidelines set forth in the final state budget bill.

The approved increase is in keeping with a state-mandated limit on undergraduate tuition increases for the 2011-2012 academic year, and it is expected to leave Kent State’s tuition ranked in the middle of Ohio’s public universities. Effective Fall Semester 2011, undergraduate tuition for students at the Kent Campus will increase $158 per semester (from $4,515 to $4,673). Graduate tuition will increase $168 per semester (from $4,803 to $4,971). There was no increase in the surcharge for non-Ohio residents.

"Students and their parents recognize the great educational experience and value that Kent State provides," says Kent State President Lester A. Lefton. "We meet the expectations of our students by offering world-class programs taught by first-rate faculty in a diverse, inclusive and vibrant community. Kent State is dedicated to ensuring student success and continues to be one of Ohio’s most affordable public universities.”

Jacqueline F. Woods, chair of the Kent State Board of Trustees, expressed appreciation to state officials for their support of higher education, even as they must deal with a very challenging economic climate for Ohio.

“We appreciate that Governor Kasich, the General Assembly and Chancellor Petro continue to value higher education and wish to place Ohio among the best higher education systems in the country in terms of quality, access, value and impact,” she says. “Kent State is working diligently to deliver high value to our students, to the state and to the communities we serve.”

For more information about Kent State, visit www.kent.edu.

Posted July 4, 2011

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Jack Graham Appointed New Interim Dean of the College of Technology

Dr. John “Jack” Graham has been appointed interim dean of the College of Technology at Kent State University for a one-year period beginning July 1, 2011. As interim dean, he will be responsible for such matters as the development and supervision of the program budget, recommendations regarding the appointment and retention of all staff, recommending and implementing program and course offerings, establishing course assignments and workloads, assisting in the administration of the university’s personnel and affirmative action policies, and enforcing all university regulations, policies and procedures. He replaces Dr. Don Bubenzer, the college’s previous interim dean, who is retiring.

Graham is a professor emeritus of psychology who joined the Kent State faculty in 1968. He received his graduate training in clinical psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He served as chair of Kent State’s Department of Psychology for eight years. He is an accomplished researcher in the area of personality assessment. 

His research involves personality and forensic assessment using the MMPI-2 and MMPI-A. The MMPI, or the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, is a self-report personality inventory that is one of the most frequently used personality tests in mental health. Graham is the author of several books about the MMPI and its applications, as well as numerous empirical articles. He played a major role in the development of the MMPI-2 (the first major revision of the MMPI) and MMPI-A (a version of the test designed for adolescents). He has taught workshops on the test throughout the world, placing him among the foremost researchers in the world on the most used measurement technique.

He resides in Kent with his wife, Mary Ann Stephens, Kent State’s dean of Graduate Studies.

Posted July 4, 2011

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Chinese Library Administrators visit Kent State’s School of Library and Information Science and University Libraries

Representatives from Peking University, Beijing, and Nanjing Library, Nanjing, visited Kent State University’s School of Library and Information Science and University Libraries on Monday, June 20, to learn more about library education and professional librarianship in the United States.
Li Guoxin, professor, Department of Information Management, Peking University, Beijing, and Jianye Xu, deputy director, Nanjing Library, Nanjing, were accompanied by Cleveland Public Library (CPL) representatives Caroline (Xiao Fang) Han, senior subject department librarian, and John Skrtic, M.L.I.S. '03, acting public services administrator. CPL hosted their visit to the area.

In the School of Library and Information Science, they visited the Reinberger Children's Library Center, Marantz Picturebook Collection and Digital Laboratory. They were particularly interested in the school's strong programs in children's, youth services and school librarianship, areas that are not very strong in libraries in China, as they told Stanley Wearden, dean of the College of Communication and Information, and Don A. Wicks, interim director of the school.

Li Guoxin says enrollment in the library science program at Peking University is similar to that of Kent State. He is the co-chair of Academic Professional Committee of Library Society of China and has been the leader of the researching and legislating team for several years.

The visitors took a tour of the University Library with J. Mark Pike, associate director of University Libraries, and associate professor Wei-ping Zhang. The Chinese administrators also met with James Bracken, dean of University Libraries.

Kent State's School of Library and Information Science offers the only Master of Library and Information Science degree program in Ohio that is accredited by the American Library Association, and one of the nation's few Master of Science degrees in information architecture and knowledge management. The school is recognized by U.S. News and World Report as one of the nation's top 20 graduate schools, and its youth librarianship program is ranked 13th. It is one of the largest library schools in the country, with nearly 700 students enrolled.

Posted July 4, 2011

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Kent State Announces Football Kickoff Times

Kent State University announced the start time for 10 of its 12 football games for the 2011 slate, which includes a trio of television appearances.
 
The Kent State Golden Flashes will open the season under first-year head coach Darrell Hazell at Alabama on the SEC Network at 12:20 p.m. in their first trip to Bryant-Denny Stadium. Kent State will then appear on ESPNU on Friday, Nov. 4, at 6 p.m. as Central Michigan visits Dix Stadium. The final scheduled television date for the Flashes comes the next week at Akron, with the two rivals squaring off on SportsTime Ohio at 2 p.m.
 
Kent State’s home opener Sept. 10 with Louisiana is slated for a 7 p.m. kickoff, while the Sept. 24 game against South Alabama and the Oct. 15 Homecoming contest with Miami will begin at 3:30 p.m. Both the Bowling Green (Oct. 29) and Eastern Michigan (Nov. 19) tilts are set for a 1 p.m. kick.
 
The season finale Nov. 25 at Temple is part of the league’s ESPNU/ESPN3 multiple selection date with the start time to be announced later. In addition, the kick time for the Sept. 17 game at Kansas State has yet to be set.
 
Call the Kent State Athletic Ticket Office at 330-672-2244 for season ticket information.

2011 Kent State Football Schedule

9/3	at Alabama (SEC Network)	12:20 p.m.
9/10	vs. Louisiana	7 p.m.
9/17	at Kansas State	TBA
9/24	vs. South Alabama	3:30 p.m.
10/1	at Ohio*	2 p.m.
10/8	at Northern Illinois*	3:30 p.m.
10/15	vs. Miami* (Homecoming)	3:30 p.m.
10/29	vs. Bowling Green*	1 p.m.
11/4	vs. Central Michigan* (ESPNU)	6 p.m.
11/12	at Akron* (SportsTime Ohio)	2 p.m.
11/19	vs. Eastern Michigan*	1 p.m.
11/25	at Temple* (ESPNU/ESPN3)#	TBA
12/2	at Marathon MAC Championship Game (ESPN2)	7 p.m.

All times are Eastern
* Mid-American Conference Game
# ESPN multiple-game selection date


Posted July 4, 2011

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Kent State Departments and Campuses to Receive New Table Saws With Special Safety Feature

Kent State University’s Occupational Health and Safety office has partnered with a number of university departments and campuses to replace existing table saws with a new safety saw from SawStop. Nationwide, traditional table saw use results in approximately 31,000 injuries each year with about 10 percent of those injuries considered to be very serious.

The saw from SawStop has a unique safety feature that can help prevent significant injuries. Each saw has a computer that detects electrical conductivity. If the safety device detects conductivity levels similar to what is found in human tissue, a braking device is activated, and the saw immediately stops.

“There are a number of YouTube videos available that demonstrate the remarkable effectiveness of safety system installed on these saws,” says Dennis Baden, manager of Occupational Health and Safety at Kent State. “This partnership improves safety in our classrooms, improving our learning, teaching and working environment and reduces the costly risk of loss to the university.”

In total, this partnership resulted in the purchase of at least 13 table saws that will soon be delivered to select campuses and departments.

To watch a video demonstration on SawStop, visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTUOhYcw4ZY. More information about the safety system is also available at www.sawstop.com.

Posted July 4, 2011

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