eInside Events

Q&A Session for Million-Dollar Knight Arts Challenge to Be Held at Kent State

The Knight Arts Challenge seeks the best
ideas for building community through the
arts. Enter today by submitting your
150-word application at knightarts.org.

Kent State University is partnering with the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to promote the Knight Arts Challenge.

The foundation is offering a share of $1 million for the best arts ideas for the city of Akron.

A question-and-answer session will take place at Kent State on Tuesday, Sept. 8, from 3-4:30 p.m. in the Kent Student Center Kiva. Light snacks will be provided.

Kent State faculty, staff and students are encouraged to attend the informational session to learn more about the arts challenge.

Applications to participate in the challenge are due Sept. 14.

For more information, visit www.KnightArts.org or contact Kent State Corporate and Foundation Relations at 330-672-1461.

Kent State Introduces New Firestone Lecture Series in Finance

David C. Mauer, Ph.D., from the University
of North Carolina’s Belk College at Charlotte,
will serve as guest speaker at the Kent
State College of Business Administration's
Firestone Lecture Series in Finance on
Sept. 18.

Kent State University’s College of Business Administration is proud to introduce the Firestone Lecture Series in Finance with the inaugural presentation scheduled for Friday, Sept. 18.

The series is sponsored by the college’s Department of Finance. The presentations will be lecture-based and research-oriented. The department’s goal is to feature innovative finance research that provides real-world industry applications.

Kent State will work with other area universities including Youngstown State University, Case Western Reserve University, University of Akron and Cleveland State University to showcase research in their institutions and provide timely financial information that affects Northeast Ohio and beyond.

The lecture series is being funded by a generous gift from the Bridgestone Trust Fund, formerly known as the Firestone Trust Fund, dedicated to advancing financial education through research and innovative teaching.

The first guest speaker is David C. Mauer, Ph.D., from the University of North Carolina’s Belk College at Charlotte. His presentation is titled “Financing Uncertain Growth.” Previously, Mauer was a finance faculty member at the University of Iowa, Texas A&M University, Southern Methodist University and University of Wisconsin at Madison.

Mauer’s research focuses on corporate finance and has appeared in numerous journals, including Journal of Finance, Journal of Financial Economics, Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Journal of Corporate Finance, Financial Management and top economics journals. He has won numerous awards, such as the prestigious, universitywide Altshuler Distinguished Teaching Award at Southern Methodist University and the Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award at the University of Texas at Dallas.

“We are honored to have Dr. Mauer speak at our first Firestone Lecture Series in Finance,” says Steven Dennis, Ph.D., chair of Kent State’s Department of Finance and the Firestone Chair of Corporate Finance. “His presentation is timely and appeals to anyone in business or financial academics. He brings a wealth of experience and will prove to be very informative.”

The Firestone Lecture Series in Finance will be in held in the Business Administration Building in Room A325 on the Kent Campus starting at 10:30 a.m. The seminar is free and open to the public.

As the event has limited seating, early registration is recommended at https://cobamarketing.wufoo.com/forms/z48lavz08yvffe/ or by contacting Dennis at sdenni14@kent.edu.

For more information about Kent State’s College of Business Administration, visit http://business.kent.edu.

Massillon High School Football Subject of Photography Exhibit at Kent State

Kent State University’s School of Art Gallery will feature
“Tiger Legacy: Playing for Your City,” a display of work
from the Tiger Legacy photographic storytelling project, a
visual chronicle of high school football culture in Massillon,
Ohio. The exhibit runs from Sept. 3-25.

Kent State University’s School of Art Gallery will feature “Tiger Legacy: Playing for Your City,” a display of work from the Tiger Legacy photographic storytelling project, from Sept. 3-25. The Tiger Legacy project (tigerlegacy.net) is a visual chronicle of high school football culture in Massillon, Ohio, and is also represented by a second, concurrent exhibition, “Our Tiger Football Family,” which runs Sept. 12- Nov. 1 at the Massillon Museum.

David Foster and Gary Harwood, photojournalism faculty members in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Kent State, led a team of seven student photographers, who spent four years capturing Massillon High School football — the Tigers, their culture and their community. Far from a facile, play-by-play recreation of the games themselves, the photographs revel in moments most spectators might not see.

“The Tiger Legacy project focused on images that depict commitment, connection and a cultural experience that is unique to Massillon,” the project’s website states.

The Massillon Tigers are a subject of national historical interest. Their rivalry with the Canton McKinley Bulldogs is over a century old and is considered by many to have influenced the development of professional football.

The reception for “Playing for Your City” will take place Sept. 10 from 5-7 p.m. Kent State also will host a panel discussion on the Tiger Legacy project on Sept. 25 at noon opposite the School of Art gallery in Room 202. The gallery, reception and panel discussion are all free and open to the public.

The School of Art Gallery is located on the second floor of the Art Building (400 Janik Drive in Kent). Gallery hours are 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Tuesday through Friday.

For more information, contact Anderson Turner, director of galleries, at haturner@kent.edu or 330-672-1369.

Kent State’s School of Communication Studies to Hold Fall Colloquium Series

Kent State University School of Communication Studies
interim director Jeff Child presents during the Spring 2015
Colloquium Series.The series continues this fall, beginning
Friday, Sept. 4.

Kent State University’s School of Communication Studies will host its fall Colloquium Series beginning Friday, Sept. 4. Each semester, the school hosts the series, which consists of three to four lectures presented by faculty and graduate students from the school, the university and around the country.

The series provides an opportunity for faculty and graduate students to foster intellectual and collaborative discussions and to stay informed about current research efforts. All faculty and graduate students are invited to attend at no cost.

The Colloquium Series is held the first Friday of each month at 4 p.m. in Taylor Hall, Room 146.

The dates for the Fall 2015 Semester are:

• Friday, Sept. 4
• Friday, Nov. 6
• Friday, Dec. 4
  

The Sept. 4 colloquium is “Desi Films: Articulating Images of South Asian Identity in a Global Communication Environment,” presented by Rekha Sharma, Ph.D. candidate and School of Communication Studies assistant professor. The discussion will focus on an examination of Indian diasporic films as a vehicle for cultural articulation and debate. Sharma will present her research and take questions from the audience.

A colloquium will not be held on Oct. 2, as the school will instead host its Centennial Award Celebration. Additional details about the upcoming colloquiums will be available at www.kent.edu/comm at a later date. For questions or consideration for a future colloquium, contact Suzy D’Enbeau at sdenbeau@kent.edu.

20th-century Textile Artist Luella “Waddy” Williams Gets Kent State Exhibit

The Kent State University School of Art Galleries will
display “Fortuitous Nature: The Textiles of Luella ‘Waddy’
Williams” at the Downtown Gallery, Sept. 3-26.

The Kent State University School of Art Galleries will display “Fortuitous Nature: The Textiles of Luella ‘Waddy’ Williams” at the Downtown Gallery, Sept. 3-26. There will be an opening reception on Sept. 10 from 5-7 p.m. Both the gallery and reception are free and open to the public.

Williams was a textile artist active in Ithaca, New York, during the 1950s and 1960s. Her artworks were primarily weavings that incorporated found or harvested plant materials. During her lifetime, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London acquired one of her hangings for its permanent collection, and Williams was represented in shows at Corning Glass Center, Pennsylvania State University, Cornell University and the Worcester Art Museum.

Kent State’s School of Art Galleries would like to thank Linda McDonald, Ph.D., special academic faculty at Kent State’s Center for International and Intercultural Education. McDonald is the widow of Luella Williams’ nephew Peter McDonald, and has kept a significant amount of Williams’ work safe in archival boxes and on display throughout her home.

This exhibition was researched and curated by Anderson Turner, the School of Art’s director of galleries. It is Turner’s hope that putting Williams’ work on display will help to foster interest in her work and in the textile artists who taught and worked with her in the greater Ithaca area.

The Downtown Gallery is located at 141 E. Main St. in Kent. Gallery hours are Monday to Wednesday, 9:30 a.m.–6 p.m.; Thursday, 9:30 a.m.–8 p.m.; Friday, 9:30 a.m.–7 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.; and Sunday, noon–5 p.m.

For more information, contact Turner at haturner@kent.edu or 330-672-1369.

Fifth Annual Let’s Take a Ride/Walk Event Planned for Sept. 10

Kent State University students, faculty and staff stop for
a photo under the arch on the Lefton Esplanade before
heading to lunch provided by Kent State's Sustainability
Task Force and the Miracle on Main Street (M.O.M.S.)
office.

Kent State University faculty, staff and students are invited to ride a bicycle or walk along the Lefton Esplanade for the fifth annual “Let’s Take a Ride/Walk” event on Thursday, Sept. 10. “Let’s Take a Ride/Walk” is a free event that encourages the Kent State community to adopt walking and biking as part of a healthy lifestyle and enjoy the dining and shopping opportunities in the city of Kent as part of the town-gown initiative.

Participants must register before Tuesday, Sept. 1, as the event is limited to the first 150 registrants. Registered participants will meet in the Kent Student Center Kiva lobby at 11:30 a.m. and walk or bike to the Kent State Hotel and Conference Center via the Lefton Esplanade. Those who would prefer to ride a bicycle can either bring their own or rent one from Flashfleet, a free bicycle rental service operated by the university.

When the walkers and bikers arrive at the Kent State Hotel and Conference Center, they will be served a free lunch, compliments of Miracle on Main Street (M.O.M.S.), a source for office furniture and supplies. At the event, participants also will have the chance to learn about upcoming changes and new opportunities on campus. Kent State’s Office of the University Architect will present and describe the new Summit Street Improvement Project, along with available alternative transportation options. Kent State’s Office of Sustainability will address progress on campus and the expansion of Zipcars on campus, a car-sharing network for students.

Participants also will receive gift bags filled with promotional items and coupons to Kent restaurants and businesses. Students who participate will earn 300 FLASHperks reward points.

Marty Mundy, a Kent State’s facilities planner and co-chair of the event committee, says she sees “Let’s Take a Ride/Walk” as a way to continually inform the Kent State community about the current opportunities the city has to offer.

“My hope is that even more Kent State faculty and staff will have lunch and spend after-work time and weekends in downtown Kent, shopping, dining and attending special events,” Mundy says.

Seating at the table and checking participants in for the
"Let's Take a Ride/Walk" event are Marty Mundy,
facilities planner at Kent State and event co-chair, and
Melanie Knowles, Kent State's sustainability manager.

University Wellness Coordinator Laura Kenney also is looking forward to the event and sees it as a chance to bridge campus to downtown.

“We view this event as a way to continue the growth of the town-gown relationship,” Kenney says. “With the close proximity of the university to the town, faculty, staff and students have the opportunity to visit the many eating establishments, shops and businesses.”

“Let’s Take a Ride/Walk” was created in 2010 and was a result of a Kent State Sustainability Task Force that sought an environmentally friendly way to encourage the Kent State community to connect with downtown.

“With the construction of the new Esplanade a few years ago, we felt that this physical link needed to have an event that actually brought people from campus to downtown Kent,” says Alex Piteo, president of M.O.M.S. and co-chair of the event. “We wanted it to be a low-environmental impact event and promote the idea of taking a walk or riding a bike downtown for lunch or to do some quick shopping. It feels good to get out and take a refreshing break on a regular basis rather than just sit at your desk.”

To register for “Let’s Take a Ride/Walk,” visit http://tinyurl.com/KSURideWalk2015.

For more information about Flashfleet, visit www.kent.edu/recservices/commonly-asked-questions-0.

For more information about “Let’s Take a Ride/Walk,” contact Mundy at 330-672-9618 or Piteo at 330-673-6115.