eInside Events

Register Today for the 2011 Distinguished Scholar Awards Luncheon

The Division of Research and Sponsored Programs invites you to register for the 2011 Distinguished Scholar Awards Luncheon on Friday, April 15. There is no cost for the luncheon, but reservations must be made by 5 p.m. on April 11.

The Distinguished Scholar Awards will be presented during the luncheon, which takes place from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m., in Room 306 of the Kent Student Center. The recipients of the 2011 Distinguished Scholar Award are: Theodore Albrecht, Ph.D., School of Music, (musicology and ethnomusicology); Ran Barniv, Ph. D., Department of Accounting; and Declan Keane, Ph. D., Department of Physics.

Theodore Albrecht

Albrecht, a Kent State University faculty member since 1992, teaches musicology and music history and is best known as a Beethoven specialist. Albrecht is widely known for his work in Classical and Romantic music, and early-20th-century and American music.

Letters to Beethoven (a three-volume collection of more than 500 documents, dozens never before available in any language) was written by Albrecht and published by the University of Nebraska Press in 1996. For this work he was given the 1997 Deems Taylor ASCAP award and Barry Cooper, BBC Music Magazine (May, 1997), hailed it as "the largest and most important collection of Beethoven source materials to be published in English for many years."

Recently, Albrecht has been offered a contract by the widely respected Indiana University Press for a book titled, Beethoven and the Orchestral Musicians of Vienna, to be published in late 2013.

Ran Barniv

Barniv is globally recognized as one of the top accounting scholars and regularly presents his scientific work at primary international and national conferences. His research interests are in financial accounting and international accounting with a focus on regulation of corporations and capital markets, and financial analyst performance. His scientific work has an impact on research paradigms for academia with implications for regulators, standard setters and investors.

Since joining Kent State in 1990, Barniv's publication record is exceptional, focusing on quality rather than quantity. He published many articles including 11 in the top ten out of 350 accounting journals; seven in the last five years. He has published two articles on regulation effects in the top-rated accounting journal The Accounting Review, which has a 90- 95 percent annual rejection rate. Barniv shares his passion for researching financial problems with fellow faculty members.

Declan Keane

Keane, a Department of Physics faculty member since 1988, is a prominent figure in the field of experimental nuclear sience. Keane's research group made world-wide headlines in 2010 after their discovery of the heaviest antimatter nucleus was published in the journal Science. This antinucleus was the first to contain a type of quark not found in ordinary nuclei or antinuclei, and the discovery opens a completely new region of the three‐dimensional generalization of the Periodic Table of elements. The published measurements have direct implications for on-going searches for new phenomena in the cosmos.

The postdoc and graduate students in Keane's group are stationed at Brookhaven National Laboratory, NY, where the experiments are conducted as part of a large international collaboration at an accelerator measuring 2.4 miles in circumference, while Keane himself mostly works remotely from Kent State. Previously, his focus was on an earlier generation experiment at Brookhaven, and he served as spokesperson for the 55 physicists from 12 institutions that carried out this research.

About 2011 Celebration of Scholarship

The events that comprise the celebration showcase research and creative activity and acknowledge, reward and support the culture of research and inquiry at Kent State University. All of the events are free and open to the public.

Other events for Celebration of Scholarship on April 15 include:

• From 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., student posters, exhibits, demonstrations and performances from each college will be shown in the public areas of the Library

• From 3 – 5 p.m. a Faculty Recognition Program Reception will be held on the first floor of the Library. Plated books will be on display and commemorative booklets will be available. Provost Robert Frank will recognize the faculty members who have received tenure and/or promotion in the last year. Family, friends and colleagues are encouraged to attend. Light refreshments will be served.

The 2011 Celebration of Scholarship is organized and sponsored by the University Research Council, Division of Research and Sponsored Programs, University Libraries and Division of Graduate Studies.

More information is available online

Posted April 11, 2011

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Earth Day 2011 at Kent State Stark Features Environmental Education, Activities and Entertainment

Kent State University at Stark commemorates Earth Day 2011 on April 17 from 1 – 4 p.m. with the presentation of events to inspire the awareness of environmental responsibility and to improve the appreciation for our planet’s natural resources. Kent State Stark has partnered with the following sponsors to present these events: The Repository, Diebold Inc., Cain Toyota, The Print Shop, AEP Ohio and Enviroscapes. The event will take place at Kent State Stark at the Campus Center and the pond area.

Attendees will enjoy a family-friendly afternoon filled with environmental educational activities, entertainment, demonstrations and discussions for all ages. All events are free and open to the public.

Activities include:

• Children’s Area – 1-3:45 p.m.: Face painting; Mock fossil dig; Decorative seed cups; Games – Earth Day Bingo, three-legged races and sack races; and more.
• Guided Walks – 1:30-3:30 p.m.: Planetary, geologic and nature walks.
• Presentation – 2:35 p.m.: The Arbor Day Foundation will formally honor Kent State Stark as a 2010 Tree Campus USA University for its dedication to campus forestry management and environmental stewardship. This is the second consecutive year that Kent State Stark has received this distinction.

Entertainment Schedule:

• 1:30-2:15 p.m.: Garbage Busters Recycling Show – Tess the Trash Lady teaches children how recycling can be fun and educational. With puppetry, comedy magic, storytelling and music, the program shows children simple concepts of the importance of recycling and how they can make a difference for our planet.
• 2:45-3:30 p.m.: Singer Foster Brown will perform original children’s nature songs and stories while he accompanies himself on the guitar, banjo, fiddle, dulcimer and various percussion instruments. He encourages the audience to participate in the lively songs with hand motions, call-and-response and sing-alongs.

Throughout the event, Kent State Stark student organizations and contributing groups will conduct demonstrations and discuss how to positively impact our world. Participating organizations include: Stark Parks; Canton Audubon Society; Stark State College of Environmental, Health and Safety Technology; The Stock Pile; Beech Creek Botanical Garden and Nature Preserve; Stark-Tuscarawas-Wayne Joint Solid Waste Management District; Ohio Environmental Protection Agency; Leaf Guard of Northeast Ohio; Stark County Department of Health; Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry; Project REBUILD; National Environmental Science Education Center Inc.; Shake a Leaf; Ohio Chapter of ISA; and Master Gardeners of Ohio.

The event will include a Toyota Prius on display from Cain Toyota, as well as Kent State Stark’s security vehicle, a 2011 Ford Escape Hybrid.

For more information on Kent State Stark’s Earth Day Celebration, call 330-244-3223 or visit www.stark.kent.edu/EarthDay.

Posted April 11, 2011

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Honors Week Wraps Up With Guest of Honor University Artist/Lecture Series Speaker

The Honors College welcomes Nancy Giles to Kent State as this year’s Guest of Honor University Artist Lecture Series speaker. Giles will present My Wacky Adventures in Race and Racism, on April 13 at 5 p.m. in the Kent Student Center Kiva. The speech is free and open to the public.

After the speech, beginning at 6:30 p.m., a reception for Giles will be held in Room 206 of the Kent Student Center.

CBS Sunday Morning contributor, comedienne and actress Nancy Giles delights TV audiences with her social commentaries and theatre fans with her solo pieces. She is a funny, perceptive and provocative observer of today’s world.

A self-described “six-foot, one-inch black woman who’s not model-thin,” Giles has made her mark dismantling misconceptions about race, feminism and sexism. Her one-woman New York stage show, Black Comedy: The Wacky Side of Racism, was called “smart and unforgiving” by The Village Voice. Her acclaimed work on CBS Sunday Morning has provided the largest audience yet for her unique blend of laugh-out-loud humor and common sense wisdom.

A veteran of Chicago’s esteemed Second City improve troupe and winner of the Theatre World Award for the Off-Broadway musical Mayor, Giles also appeared for three seasons on the TV drama China Beach and played a secretary in the movie Working Girl. In September 2010 Giles performed in the Off-Broadway production of Love, Loss, and What I Wore written by Nora and Delia Ephron.

The Guest of Honor University Artist/Lecture Series is funded by the Office of the Provost and is coordinated by the Honors College.

For addition information or to request special accommodations, call the Honors College at 330-672-2312.

Posted April 11, 2011

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Yearlong 100 Commitments Initiative Draws to a Close With April 12 Event

Over this past academic year, more than 1,000 Kent State University faculty, staff and students explored the diversity that makes up our university. We watched movies — such as Milk and Spinning Into Butter. We walked in others’ shoes — such as with the Oxfam Hunger Banquet. We shared our cultures — such as with Kent State University at Stark’s Classical Indian Dance and R U KSU’s New Modern Family. And, we honored greatness — such as with the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration and the Read-in at Kent State University at Salem to celebrate National Women’s History Month.

Now, as we come to the end of Kent State’s first-ever, yearlong initiative to engage the entire greater Kent State University community in diversity, the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion invites the community to come together to celebrate the diversity that makes up Kent State.

On April 12, from noon to 2 p.m., we invite each and every Kent State faculty member, staff member and student to join us on Risman Plaza as vice presidents Greg Jarvie and Alfreda Brown and various student leaders wrap up this year’s 100 Commitments Initiative. The celebration will feature music, contests and activities, as well as the presentation of certificates to the top university divisions, colleges, Regional Campuses and student organizations that demonstrated commitment to inclusive excellence at Kent State University.

We invite all to “join hands” in the “KSU Committed Hands Around Campus” closing celebration. The goal of the event is to not only celebrate but also demonstrate the diversity and inclusive representation of Kent State University’s standard of inclusive excellence.

For more information, please contact Geraldine Nelson, Ph.D., or Avery Danage at 330-672-8563.

Posted April 11, 2011

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Kent State Again Hosts Vegan Iron Chef Competition

Standing Rock Cultural Arts in cooperation with Vegiterranean Restaurant, The University of Akron and Kent State University Dining Services presents the third annual Vegan Iron Chef competition. The event is being held in conjunction with the annual "Who's Your Mama?" Earth Day and Environmental Film Festival on April 17. The Iron Chef events take place from 1 – 5 p.m. in the Kent Student Center, Kent Market II Cafeteria.

In additional to Garde Mange, a fruit and vegetable carving competition and student and professional chef competitions, a silent auction will be conducted to benefit Kent Social Services.

Reservations are required for the professional chef competition. A $20-per-person donation is suggested. Reservations may be made at 330-673-4970.

The annual “Who’s Your Mama?” Earth Day and Environmental Film Festival is produced by Standing Rock Cultural Arts. This annual event is held in Portage County and was developed to celebrate Earth Day.

For more information on the events, visit www.whosyourmama.org.

Posted April 11, 2011

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Business After Hours at the Kent State University Library

Kent State University Libraries Dean Jim Bracken invites the Kent State University community, the Kent Area Chamber of Commerce and friends for tours of new and continuing renovations of the building on April 21.

5 p.m. – Building tours begin in the first floor lobby

6:15 p.m. – Welcome from Provost Robert Frank in Room 1018

6:20 p.m. – Remarks from Dean Jim Bracken in Room 1018

6:30 p.m. - Tours resume and include the 12th floor

Special Collections and Archives

Complimentary food and drinks will be available between 5 -7 p.m. in Room 1018.

This is a great opportunity to see the space, learn about future plans for the building and mingle with the Kent State University community, Kent Chamber and friends.

Please RSVP by April 15 to Mary Lovin at mlovin@kent.edu or 330-672-4483.

Posted April 11, 2011

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Relay for Life Comes to Kent State April 16 and 17

Kent State University’s version of the American Cancer Association’s annual fundraising event, Relay for Life, will take place 10 a.m. on April 16 and continue through until April 17 at the track adjacent to the Liquid Crystal Institute.

The relay is a continuous 24-hour walk of the track by teams raising money to fight cancer. Kent State student organizations such as sororities, residence halls, fraternities and extracurricular groups formed teams and set donation goals.

Teams can register on the Relay for Life website. The deadline for teams who would like a campsite is April 12. Individuals can also register with a $10 fee at the event. Each individual (including team members) is encouraged to set a goal of raising $100.

The first lap of the relay is completed solely by cancer survivors. Survivors may register at the website listed below. Relay officials say that the goal is to get that group of walkers to grow every year. From then on, each student organization sends out a team member to take over the relay. A team member from each team must be on the track at all times through the duration of the relay.

In the evening, the Luminaria Ceremony commences. Participants set up luminarias, each one is dedicated to a person who has battled cancer.

This year, the national theme is Birthday Party. Each team and their tent keep with the theme of the relay, decorating their campsite and team members to suit the theme.

For more information on the Kent State’s Relay for Life or to register a team, visit http://www.relayforlife.org/ksu.

Questions should be directed to tjackson@kent.edu.

By Jamie Ramos

Posted April 11, 2011

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Women’s Center Announces Walk a Mile in Her Shoes

The Women's Center, in collaboration with members of the campus community, is planning Walk a Mile in Her Shoes, The International Men's March to Stop Rape, Sexual Assault and Gender Violence for April 13, 2011.

Frank Baird started Walk a Mile in Her Shoes® in 2001 with just a small group of men. Ten years later, the event has grown to become a worldwide movement with tens of thousands of men and women raising millions of dollars for local rape crisis centers, domestic violence shelters and other sexualized violence education, prevention and remediation programs.

The mission of Walk a Mile in Her Shoes is to co-create a united gender movement where men will be a part of the solution to ending sexualized violence by marching a mile in heeled shoes.

Goals for the Walk a Mile Steering Committee include raising community awareness and an educational focus on what it means to be a woman in today's society.

Men participating in Walk a Mile in her Shoes will provide their own heels for the event. Women are encouraged to wear tennis shoes.

The approximate schedule of events is as follows: Registration will take place at Risman Plaza at 5 p.m. At 5:45 p.m., the rally and march will begin.

To pre-register for Walk a Mile Her Shoes, visit the Women’s Center website at www.kent.edu/womenscenter.

For more information about the event, contact Amanda Roder at aroder@kent.edu or 330-672-9230.

Additional Walk a Mile in Her Shoes: The International Men’s March to Stop Rape, Sexual Assault and Gender Violence is available at www.walkamileinhershoes.org.

Posted April 11, 2011

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College of Technology Hosts 13th Annual Vision 21 Ceremony

The College of Technology’s 13th Annual Vision 21 Induction Ceremony is set for Saturday, April 30, from 6-9 p.m. at the Kent Student Center. The ceremony honors corporate partners, outstanding alumni and scholarship recipients.

Associate Provost Rick Rubin, Ph. D. is the keynote speaker and will discuss the current issues and bright future of the College of Technology.

In addition to Rubin’s speech, the Industrial Hall of Fame will welcome its first class of inductees – Parker Hannifin, Rockwell Automation and 3DP Technology. Representatives from each company will be present to accept the awards.

“We wanted to show our appreciation for our partners’ historic generosity, so we are including the First Annual College of Technology Industrial Hall of Fame Awards,” says John DeCola, director of institutional advancement for the college.

Several scholarships will also be presented, including: the Flight Safety Type Rating Scholarship for the Outstanding Aero Student, The George Schneider Jr. Experiential Learning Award, The Leland Keller Outstanding Scholar Award, The Clinton Van Deusen Technology Scholarship, the Richard Schwabe Aeronautics Scholarship and The Keller Innovation and Sustainability Award.

The following alumni will be honored:

• Andrew Behary, Brunswick, Ohio
• James Cody, Bedford Heights, Ohio
• Mark Ferrara, Masury, Ohio
• John Fu, San Marino, Calif.
• Alejandro Galioto, Thousand Oaks, Calif.
• William Kessler, Berea, Ohio
• Colonel Lawrence Pence, Falls Church, Va.
• Lt. Col. Dan Sarachene, Austintown, Ohio
• Leanne Schumacher, Hudson, Ohio
• Brian Schweinhagen, Hebron, Ky.
• Ashlee Steiner, Akron, Ohio
• Stephanie M. Johnson, Canton, Mich.

DeCola says the event will be well worth attending.

“We have an entertaining and outstanding master of ceremonies,” DeCola says. “It’s also a great time to reunite with alumni and friends while celebrating the successes of those same friends and our wonderful college.”

Tickets for the ceremony and dinner are $50 per person or $360 for a table of eight. Reserve a ticket or table by contacting Peggy Studer at 330-672-5822 or mastuder@kent.edu. Event sponsorships are also available from the $500 bronze level to the $2,000 platinum level. To learn more about sponsorships, contact DeCola at 330-672-8754 or jdecola2@kent.edu.

By Carrie Drummond
Posted April 11, 2011

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Planetarium Show to Explore the Beginning and End of the Universe

The Kent State University Planetarium announces its final show of the academic year “Birth, Death and Rebirth in the Universe.” The show will be presented April 15, 16 and 22 at 8 p.m. at the Planetarium, Room 108 in Smith Hall.

Spring is a time of birth, rebirth and renewal here on planet Earth. What is less well-known is that birth and rebirth of star, planets and even galaxies continuously take place in the sky above us. The springtime planetarium show is all about these common, yet wondrous and often violent happenings in our universe.

We will tour the night sky and the many wonderful things you can see every clear evening. We will look at stars that died in cataclysmic explosions, scattering the matter from which fresh stars are born. We will see huge clouds of dust that slowly come together, giving birth to new planets that begin their long, lonely orbits in unnamed solar systems. And then, most mysterious and wonderful of all, we will look at a baby picture not of stars or galaxies, but of the universe itself.

This show is free, and open to all, but is not recommended for children under age six.

Since our seating capacity is limited. Reservations must be made by calling 330-672-2246. Persons needing special accommodations are requested to call at least one week in advance.

For more information, visit the Planetarium website.

Posted April 11, 2011

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Department of Pan-African Studies Presents Finkelman Lecture on Ohio Slave Fugitive Law and Oberlin Case

As part of its Cosmopolitanism and Diversity in the African World lecture series, Kent State University’s Department of Pan-African Studies presents a lecture by Paul Finkelman, the William McKinley Distinguished Professor of Law and Public Policy and Senior Fellow at the Albany Law School’s Governor Law Center in Albany, N.Y. The lecture takes place Wednesday, April 13, at 7:30 p.m. in Room 214 of Ritchie Hall. The event is free and open to the public.

Finkelman’s talk is titled “The Ohio Slave Fugitive Law and the Oberlin Case.” An expert in areas such as the legal history of slavery, race relations and segregation in the United States, Finkelman will speak about the Ohio Slave Law and a famous 19th-century case in Oberlin, Ohio, involving those codes.

He is an expert in constitutional history and constitutional law, freedom of religion, the law of slavery, civil liberties and the American Civil War and legal issues surrounding baseball. Finkelman is the author of more than 150 scholarly articles and more than 25 books. He has been named the ninth most-cited legal historian according to Brian Leieter's Law School Rankings.

Finkelman has written extensively on Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln. He was the chief expert witness in the Alabama Ten Commandments monument case, and his scholarship on religious monuments in public spaces was cited by the U.S. Supreme Court in Van Orden v. Perry (2005). His scholarship on the Second Amendment also has been cited by the Supreme Court. In 2002, he was a key expert witness in the suit over who owned Barry Bonds’ 73rd home run ball.

In fall 2010, C-SPAN was on the Albany Law School campus to tape Finkelman's two-hour class on the Dred Scott case. The program aired nationally and is now part of C-SPAN’s American History TV series. He also has appeared on other C-SPAN programs, PBS and the History Channel. Finkelman’s op-eds and shorter pieces have appeared in The New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today and on the Huffington Post.

For more information on the Department of Pan-African Studies, visit www.kent.edu/CAS/PAS.

Posted April 11, 2011

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School of Theatre and Dance Wraps Up Season With Production of Hamlet

The School of Theatre and Dance will complete its 2010-2011 season with one of Shakespeare's most powerful and influential tragedies, Hamlet. The play will be staged from April 15 through April 23 in Wright-Curtis Theatre. On Tuesdays through Saturdays, the curtain goes up at 8 p.m., and on Sundays the play begins at 2 p.m.

Written somewhere between 1599 and 1601, this play recounts how Prince Hamlet exacts revenge on his uncle Claudius for murdering King Hamlet, Claudius's brother and Prince Hamlet's father, and then succeeds to the throne and marries Gertrude, King Hamlet's wife and mother of Prince Hamlet. The play vividly portrays real and feigned madness, and explores themes of treachery, revenge, incest and moral corruption. Director Mark Monday innovatively takes the subject of moral corruption, along with human greed and the struggle for power, to new heights as he introduces religion as an additional component of turmoil.

For tickets call 330-672-2497 or visit www.theatre.kent.edu to order online. Adult tickets are $16; seniors, Kent State alumni, faculty and staff are $12; students with valid college ID or those under the age of 18 are $8. Groups of 10 or more can receive a group discount of $7 per ticket.

Posted April 11, 2011

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WKSU-FM Collaborates on Multiple Media Education-Related Programming

Often, the only news heard about schools in Northeast Ohio is dire. Newscasts frequently center on budget cuts, layoffs, student drop-out rates and on stories showing how students and teachers are not “making the grade.”

The region’s two NPR stations, WKSU-FM and 90.3 WCPN-FM, along with WVIZ/PBS-TV are collaborating on a project that documents innovative educational initiatives underway in Northeast Ohio. Three radio reports — scheduled to air on both stations Wednesday through Friday, April 13-15 during NPR News’ Morning Edition (5 – 9 a.m. on WKSU-FM and 6 – 9 a.m. on WCPN-FM) and rebroadcast during All Things Considered (4 – 6:30 p.m. on WKSU-FM and 5 – 6:30 p.m. on WCPN-FM) - look at schools, specifically middle schools, that are showing signs of progress. On WVIZ/PBS-TV, a segment about successful schools will air during the broadcast of NewsDepth on Wednesday, April 13 at 7:30 p.m.

To tell the story, the series visits three schools; one suburban, one urban and one rural. The schools are Beachwood Middle School in Beachwood, Roswell Kent Middle School in Akron, and Minerva Middle School in Minerva (located southeast of Canton). A report on Beachwood Middle School will also air on WVIZ/PBS on April 13 at 7:30 p.m. during a broadcast of the weekly NewsDepth series.

The Beachwood report (on both radio and television) centers on the school’s emphasis on technology as a route to student improvement. The Roswell Kent Middle School report tells how rewarding positive behavior and attitude is helping students navigate physical, emotional and relational change, as well as improve their grades. Finally, the report from Minerva Middle School shows how parental involvement and a focus on student progress from day one through high school graduation, has led to the district’s “excellent” rating from the Ohio Department of Education.

For more information on WKSU-FM’s programming, contact Ann VerWiebe at 330-672-9153 or verwiebe@wksu.org.

Posted April 11, 2011

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2011 B.F.A. Exhibition: Free AgentsOpens This Week

The Kent State University School of Visual Communication Design announces the 2011 Bachelor of Fine Arts exhibition Free Agents on April 12-15, in the Main Art Gallery of the Art Building. The gallery hours are Tuesdays – Fridays from 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. The exhibition will showcase the portfolios of Bachelor of Fine Arts students concentrating in two-dimensional and three-dimensional graphic design and illustration.

A public reception will be held on April 15, from 6 – 8 p.m. with an awards ceremony at 7:30 p.m. Area professionals are invited to review portfolios and meet with graduating seniors, prior to the public reception, at 4:30 p.m. Interested participants are asked to please contact the school for further information: 330-672-7856

The School of Visual Communication Design wishes to acknowledge exhibition sponsors Genie Repros, All Media Art Supply, and AIGA/Kent. Additional information can be found at www.VCDSeniorShow.com.

Posted April 11, 2011

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