eInside Events

World Vision Leader, Youth Activist to Speak at Kent State

The Rev. Adam Taylor, vice president of advocacy for World Vision, U.S., will share his vision and present, "The Future of Social Justice Activism for a Post-Civil Rights Generation" at Kent State University on Thursday, Oct. 20, at 7 p.m. The fall symposium is hosted by the Center for the Study of Information and Religion in the School of Library and Information Science. The talk will take place in Room 317 of the Kent Student Center.

Taylor in his book Mobilizing Hope, draws upon the heritage of faith-based activism to encourage young people to be politically engaged and to fight for justice and human rights.

After earning degrees at Emory University and Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, Taylor founded and served as executive director of Global Justice, an organization that mobilizes students around issues of global human rights and economic justice. He went on to become a senior political director at Sojourners and a White House Fellow in the Office of Cabinet Affairs, Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs in the Obama administration. He is also an ordained minister at First Baptist Church in Washington, D.C.

Taylor's presentation will focus on what it means to re-invent and revitalize activism for a younger generation. He will build on lessons from previous movements like the civil rights and anti-apartheid movement while focusing on new methods and strategies that will be effective in today's society.

"I will draw upon concrete examples both from my own career, as well as from other young leaders and activists who have been successful in changing policies, laws and budgets at the local, national and international level," says Taylor.

Taylor hopes his talk at Kent State will help students, faculty and staff better understand that they can play a critical role in combating injustice and inequality in today's society.
"I hope that they will leave the presentation feeling challenged, inspired and empowered to use their voice, gifts and influence to impact some of the most pressing justice issues facing our nation and world," he says.

As a child, Taylor grew up fascinated by the civil rights struggle, often feeling he was born in the wrong era.

"Over time I realized that my generation inherits the unfinished business of that and other movements for human dignity and justice," Taylor says. "I wrote Mobilizing Hope to draw lessons from previous social movements that can be applied to the most pressing injustices today while also offering new wineskins for activism that fit the current political and economic landscape."

Taylor has been involved in justice for most of his life, but it wasn't until graduate school that he formally connected his activism with a legitimate form of discipleship and ministry.

"Through my studies and experiences I've learned that the majority of the most successful social movements were anchored in and fueled by faith," he says. "My faith centers my perspective in the struggles and aspirations of the least, the last, and the lost and helps me avoid the temptation of accessing power for personal gain or selfish motives."

The Center for the Study of Information and Religion is a research initiative of the School of Library and Information Science at Kent State University. The center was founded in 2009 with the goal of facilitating research on the various institutions and agents of religion and their effect on social knowledge through the use, dissemination and diffusion of information.

For more information, visit www.kent.edu/slis/research/csir.cfm.

Posted Oct. 17, 2011

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Holocaust Survivor Eva Schloss Comes to Kent Stage on Oct. 18

Eva Schloss, Holocaust survivor and stepsister to wartime diarist Anne Frank, will participate in a multimedia performance, “And Then They Came for Me: Remembering the World of Anne Frank,” on Tuesday, Oct. 18, from noon to 1:30 p.m., at the Kent Stage on 175 E. Main St. in downtown Kent.

The performance features members of the Kent community, Kent State University and high school students, and is free and open to the public, with limited seating available. Schloss will address area students about her experiences after the presentation.

Schloss was born in Vienna, Austria, in 1929. She and her family immigrated to Belgium and eventually to Holland in 1938, shortly after Adolph Hitler annexed Austria. After the Germans invaded Holland in 1942, Schloss and her family went into hiding. In May 1944, they were betrayed, captured and sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp. Only Schloss and her mother survived.

After the war, her mother married Otto Frank, father of Anne Frank. The Diary of Anne Frank, her account of hiding from the Germans during the occupation of the Netherlands, was first published in 1950. Initially popularized through play and film adaptations, it is now one of the most widely read books in the world.

“This event takes us back in time to give a vivid picture of the sad occurrences that marked world history,” says Chaya Kessler, director of the Jewish Studies program at Kent State. “This is a great opportunity to hear firsthand from Eva about her experiences and those of her stepsister, Anne Frank.”

Since 1985, Schloss has been active in Holocaust education. She received an honorary doctorate in civil law from the University of Northumbria in Newcastle, England, and is a trustee of the Anne Frank Educational Trust of the U.K. Eva’s Story, written with Evelyn Julia Kent, was published in 1988, allowing Schloss to share her experiences with a wider audience.

Schloss received a Women of Inspiration and Enterprise (WIE) Visionary Award at the second WIE Symposium in New York in September. She shares the award with Ambassador Nancy Brinker, founder and CEO of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation.

The Oct. 18 event is co-sponsored by the Jewish Studies program at Kent State University, B’nai B’rith of Youngstown, the Terry and Sam D. Roth Philanthropic Fund and the Youngstown Area Jewish Federation.

For more information, contact Kessler at ckessle7@kent.edu or 330-672-8926.

Posted Oct. 10, 2011

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The Kent State School of Theatre and Dance Continues Season With A Chorus Line

A musical about a group of Broadway hopefuls auditioning for a spot on a chorus line

Kent State University’s School of Theatre and Dance will continue its 2011/2012 production season with 1975’s box office smash,
A Chorus Line. Directed by Terri Kent and choreographed by MaryAnn Black, the show will run from Nov. 4 through Nov. 13, in the E. Turner Stump Theatre.

The Pulitzer Prize-winning production, originally directed and choreographed by Michael Bennett, follows 17 Broadway dancers hoping to land a place in a chorus line. The dancers are asked to describe themselves to the director in order to get a role. This collection of background stories, hopes and dreams is told through 12 songs and 19 lead roles. The book is by James Kirkwood, Jr. and Nicholas Dante, lyrics by Edward Kleban and music by Marvin Hamlisch.

“The audience will identify with the hopes and dreams of aspiring young professionals — those hopes and dreams transcend all careers even though this is specific to musical theatre,” says Kent. “What is interesting about our production is that MaryAnn Black was in A Chorus Line on Broadway. She was with the show originally in California and is recreating the original choreography.”

Kent is the director of the musical theatre program and also serves as the artistic director of Porthouse Theatre, the professional summer theatre, which is affiliated with the School of Theatre and Dance. Her local professional acting and directing credits include the flowing venues: The Cleveland Playhouse, Great Lakes Theatre Festival, Cain Park, the Ensemble Theatre, the Working Theatre and Weathervane Playhouse among others.

Black received her Master of Fine Arts in Theatre from Kent State University and brings a professional résumé to her dance instruction at Kent State and the University of Akron. Black offers an authentic point-of-view because she played the role of Maggie in the first national tour of A Chorus Line at the Schubert Theatre in Los Angeles and performed on Broadway when it became the longest-running American show on Broadway.

Shows run Tuesday through Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. The box office is open weekdays from noon – 5 p.m. and one hour prior to each performance. For tickets or more information, call 330-672-2497. The box office accepts Visa, MasterCard, Discover, checks and cash. Tickets are $8 for students, $14 for faculty, staff and Alumni Association members, $12 for seniors (60+) and $16 for adults. Groups of 10 or more are $7 per person.

On Wednesday, Nov. 9, students can receive 500 Flash Perk points by attending this performance.

The School of Theatre and Dance 2011/2012 season will feature A Chorus Line, Nov. 4-13; Ragtime,
Feb. 17-26; the Student Theatre Festival, Apr. 5-7; Dance ’11 Parallel + Intersect, Dec. 2-4; B.F.A. Senior Dance Concert, Mar. 1-3; Student Dance Festival, Mar. 4; and Kent Dance Ensemble: Break Out!, Mar. 30-April 1.

Posted Oct. 17, 2011

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Kent State University at Stark Organizes Boo U Fall Festival

Kent State University at Stark invites the community to campus for Boo U, a free, family-friendly, educational fall celebration for elementary school-aged kids. The event will take place on Thursday, Oct. 27, from 5:30-7:30 p.m., at the Campus Center and pond area.

The event will include the following:

• Photo station (bring your camera)
• Trick-or-treating (begins at the main parking lot off Frank Road)
• Swamp walk
• Storytelling
• Games and activities (candy guessing game, pin the nose on the witch, coloring contest, science display)
  

Allergy Warning: Candy and edible prizes may contain nuts, eggs, soy and milk products.

Participants are encouraged to wear weather-appropriate costumes for indoor and outdoor activities, dress in layers and bring their coats along.

For parking and directions, follow the Special Event signs on campus and park in the Frank Road parking lot. View driving directions and campus map.

Click here for more information about the event.

Posted Oct. 17, 2011

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First KACC-Kent State Tip-Off Scholarship Breakfast Will Hold On Oct. 25

As the Kent State Golden Flashes basketball teams prepare to tip-off the 2011-2012 season, The Kent Area Chamber of Commerce (KACC) and Kent State University Athletics invites you to the first KACC-KSU Tip-Off Breakfast. The breakfast will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 25, at 7:30 a.m., at the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center (MACC).

The cost to attend the event is $20 for an individual seat and $125 for a table of seven. A Kent State coach will fill the eighth seat at each table. Proceeds from the sale of tickets will benefit the KACC 2012 scholarship fund. Reservations must be made to 330-673-9855 no later than Oct. 19.

Guests have the opportunity to meet women’s coach Bob Lindsay and new men’s head coach Rob Senderoff, and other members of their coaching staff. The event will also provide the opportunity to hear firsthand what the game plan is for the upcoming season. There’s also the chance to be the Honorary Coach at a home basketball game.

For more information about Kent State Athletics, visit www.kent.edu/athletics/index.cfm.

Posted Oct. 10, 2011

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School of Library and Information Science to Celebrate Alumni Awards Oct. 17

The School of Library and Information Science (SLIS) at Kent State University announces its alumni award winners for 2011, including honors for Alumni of the Year, Friend of the Year and nine other awards based on areas of scholarship and specialization. The recipients will be recognized at a dinner program on Monday, Oct. 17, from 5:30 p.m., in Room 206 of the Kent Student Center. The cost to attend is $25 per person. Reservations are required.

The Alumna of the Year Award is given to a graduate who has made a significant contribution to the profession. This year's winner, Andrea Muto, M.L.S. '98, is a senior legal advisor for a USAID project in Pristina, Kosovo, where she has been working since April 2011 to develop a new master's program (LL.M.) in contracts and commercial law. She is also responsible for library materials selection and acquisition for the program, which began in fall of 2011.

The 2011 SLIS Friend of the Year Award, which honors an individual who has made a significant contribution to the school, goes to Deva Walker, M.L.S. '01, of University Heights, Ohio. Walker holds a Bachelor of Science in biochemistry from Eastern Michigan University and an M.L.I.S. from Kent State University. Through the years, she worked in almost every library department from children to adult, most recently as interim branch manager for Cleveland Public Library, until her retirement last year.

Read more about these and other award winners. Guests may park at the Student Center visitor lot. Bring your ticket to be validated at the registration table.

For more information or to make a reservation, contact Flo Cunningham at fcunning@kent.edu or 330-672-0003.

Posted Oct. 10, 2011

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Workshop Series Teaches Happiness to Faculty and Staff

Out of the Matrix, a series of five workshops that teach the benefits of being happy, will take place every Wednesday, beginning Nov. 2 through Dec. 7, except for the week of Thanksgiving, from 3 - 5 p.m., in Room 319 at the Kent Student Center.

The self-empowerment workshop, a $395 value, is free and open to faculty, staff and graduate students. Out of the Matrix is focused on teaching individuals about happiness. The knowledge learned can be applied in both the workplace and at home, and can result in more peace of mind, better productivity, more self-confidence and a greater sense of purpose.

Click here to register for the workshop.

For more information, contact Kent State Professor Emeritus Walter Davis, Ph.D., at 330-931-1116 or wdavis@kent.edu or visit www.outofthematrix.org.

Posted Oct. 17, 2011

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