eInside Events

Department of Philosophy Hosts Biblical Scholar, Writer and Distinguished Professor Bart Ehrman

Bart Erhman

Bart Ehrman, one of the world's leading authorities on the Bible, will speak at Kent State University on Thursday, Jan. 20, at 7 p.m. in the Kent Student Center Kiva. Ehrman's speech is called "Jesus, Interrupted: Revealing the Hidden Contradictions in the Bible (And Why We Don't Know About Them)," which is also the title of his latest book. Ehrman is a distinguished professor of religious studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and author of more than 20 books. He is a leading authority on the New Testament and the history of early Christianity.

A reception and book signing will follow Ehrman's lecture in Room 204 of the Kent Student Center, and copies of his most recent books will be available for purchase at the reception. The events are free and open to the public. Ehrman's appearance at Kent State is sponsored by the university's Religious Studies Program; departments of Philosophy, History, Modern and Classical Language Studies, and English; and the College of Arts and Sciences.

Ehrman is the James A. Gray Distinguished Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He came to UNC in 1988 after four years of teaching at Rutgers University. At UNC, he has served as both the director of Graduate Studies and the chair of the Department of Religious Studies.

Ehrman's fields of scholarly expertise are the historical Jesus, the early Christian apocrypha, the apostolic fathers and the manuscript tradition of the New Testament.

For more information on the Jan. 20 Ehrman lecture, contact Dr. David Odell-Scott, professor and chair of Kent State's Department of Philosophy and coordinator of Religious Studies, at 330-672-2315 or dodellsc@kent.edu.

2010 National Teacher of the Year to Speak at Kent State

Sarah Brown Wessling

Iowa native, Sarah Brown Wessling, who was recognized by President Obama as the 2010 National Teacher of the Year, will present a Gerald H. Read Distinguished lecture on Tuesday, Jan. 25 at 4:30 p.m. in the Kent Student Center Kiva.

During the April 2010 rose garden ceremony in honor of Wessling, President Obama remarked, "Whether teaching basic writing to at-risk freshmen or literary theory to advance placement seniors, Wessling writes, "I see a story in every learner, unique and yearning to be read." That's why she creates individualized podcasts for each student with extensive feedback on their papers - prompting one parent to report that his own writing had improved just by listening to her comments to his daughter. Her students don't just write five paragraph essays, but write songs, public service announcements, film story boards and even grant proposals for their own not-for-profit organizations," he said.

Wessling teaches 10th-12th grade English classes at Johnston High School in Johnston, Iowa. The married mother of three is a graduate of Iowa State University and has taught for 11 years.

This lecture is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Dr. Linda Robertson, director of the Center for International and Intercultural Education in the College of Education, Health and Human Services at lfrobert@kent.edu or call 330-672-0563.

International Student Reception to be Held Jan. 21

International Students and their families are invited to a welcome reception on Jan. 21 from 5 -7 p.m. in the first floor quiet study area of the Main Library. The reception is sponsored by Kent State University Libraries and International Student and Scholar Services.

Students will have the opportunity at the reception to learn about the wide variety of supportive services available to them. Library staff will be available to answer questions. Light refreshments will be provided.

Practice Yoga at the Women's Center This Spring

The Women's Center announces two yoga classes for Kent State staff and faculty members this spring.

A class is offered Mondays, from Jan. 24 to Feb. 28 and another session is offered on Thursdays from Jan. 27 through March 3. Both classes will be held from 5:15 to 6:15 p.m. and will be held at the Women's Center for a fee of $55 each.

To sign up for class, contact the Women's Center at 330-672-9230 to set up a time to complete a required health form and to make payment. Registration prior to the start of class will hold your spot.

Roe Green Visiting Director Series Brings Acclaimed Director to Present All-American Favorite, Grease

One of Michael McIntosh's many productions of Grease

The School of Theatre and Dance at Kent State University presents the all-American favorite, Grease, on Feb. 18 - 27 in E. Turner Stump Theatre. The production is directed by Michael McIntosh, guest choreographed by Felicity Stiverson, and School of Theatre and Dance's Jonathan Swoboda is the music director.

Grease is a musical written by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey and is set in California in 1959. The show stars characters Danny Zuko and Sandy Dumbrowski, who meet during their summer vacation and sadly must part. But, they soon find, after Sandy's family relocates to California, they now attend Rydell High together. But things at school are different. He's a too-cool greaser with the T-birds; she's a bobby-sockser trying to fit in with the Pink Ladies.

"I'm elated to be returning to Kent State to direct Grease," says McIntosh, a 2000 Kent State graduate. "My first Grease experience was in 1998 playing Danny here at Kent State. Since then, I've become a long-time "greaser" performing in or directing the show more than seven times in five countries and two languages."

McIntosh's exciting new version of Grease has never been seen before in the United States. His version still includes all of the favorite tunes like Summer Nights and You're the One That I Want, but the choreography and orchestrations have been reworked.

Performances are Feb. 18, 19, 23, 24, 25 and 26 at 8 p.m. and Feb. 20 and 27 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $16 for adults, $12 for seniors and $8 for students with a valid college ID or for those under the age of 18. Groups of 10 or more are $7 each. To order tickets, call 330-672-2497. Please note, this production is rated PG-13 due to mature language and situations.

Patrons can beat the box office by ordering tickets online at www.theatre.kent.edu. The box office will reopen on Tues., Feb 1. The box office is located in the lobby of the Roe Green Center for the School of Theatre and Dance; hours are from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.

Roe Green Visiting Director Series
Roe Green is a local arts patron and activist. In 2003, the Roe Green Foundation pledged to donate $25,000 a year for five years to the School of Theatre and Dance in order to establish a guest director's series. In 2008, Green renewed her pledge for an additional $25,000 and five more years.

Two Kent State University Group Presentations at the eTech Ohio Conference

Two groups from Kent State are presenting at The eTech Ohio Conference at the end of January. The conference provides more than 6,500 attendees from colleges and universities across Ohio with the opportunity to network and learn best practices from their peers, and to acquire resources to assist them with advancing learning through technology. The three-day conference runs from Jan. 31 to Feb. 2.

The first presentation, "Neighbors 'Moving in Together': Innovative Collaborations in Library Spaces" by Jeanne Smith, director of the Writing Commons; Jeffrey Pellegrino, assistant director of the Faculty Professional Development Center; and Gary Mote, manager of the Student Multimedia Studio in University Libraries, brings together their collaborative experiences and plans for the creation of a collaborative space within Kent State University's main library at the eTech Ohio Education Technology Conference in Columbus, Ohio, this spring.

Building upon the conference theme, "Learning Through Innovation," Smith, Pellegrino and Mote identified what they see as the next innovation toward improving teaching and learning at Kent State University: surprisingly, not a new technology but creating collaborative spaces where all constituents of the academic community including faculty, students and their support teams can more efficiently and effectively work together.

Their presentation will explore the challenges of innovating across campus from separate locations, and will explain evolving plans to co-locate many of our institutional functions. As a first step towards future collaboration, the campus Writing Commons and Student Multimedia Studio are leading an effort to co-locate technology and learning support spaces on campus within the main library. The impetus for presenting at this conference is to share educational theory's application to practical issues of space, resources and money.

The second presentation, "High Tech + High Touch: Integrating Information Literacy into the First Year Experience" by the University Library's Jamie Seeholzer, assistant professor; Clare Leibfarth, reference and instruction librarian; and Vanessa Earp, liaison librarian for education, explains a multifaceted approach for integrating multiple learning technologies with small group hands-on instruction to teach information literacy skills. Kent State University Libraries has successfully used a team-based approach to teaching freshmen through Web-based tutorials followed by hands-on computer lab instruction. Classroom response system "clickers" were used to test content comprehension. Attendees will be able to apply what they learn to design and implement effective information literacy instruction in their own institutional environment.

Galleries Launch Semester With New Shows

The Kent State University School of Art's Downtown Gallery presents "Moving On," an exhibit of current work by Kent State painting program alumni. The exhibit is curated by Martin Ball.

The show features the work of Anthony Bartholomew, Tim Callahan, Chad Hansen
Neil Macdonald, Lorri Ott, ,Erica Raby, Todd Schroeder, Sarah Sutton, Lorrie Slawson and Ibojka Radawec.

An opening reception will be held Friday, Jan. 21 from 5-8 p.m. at the Downtown Gallery.

At the School of Art Gallery, the "Centennial Alumni Exhibition II: Nexts" recently opened. That exhibit will close Feb. 11. The School of Art Gallery is located in the Art Building on the Kent Campus. The Downtown Gallery is located at 141 East Main Street, and is open Wednesdays - Fridays from noon to 5 p.m. and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

More information on both shows can be found at http://galleries.kent.edu