eInside Events

Grand Opening of Kent State University’s Blackstone LaunchPad Program Set for Sept. 28

The Kent State University Blackstone LaunchPad program
offers Kent State students, employees and alumni a safe
place to discuss and develop business ideas.

Kent State University will hold a grand opening of its Blackstone LaunchPad program on Friday, Sept. 28. The event celebrates the establishment of the entrepreneurial initiative at the university. Kent State faculty, staff, students and alumni are invited to attend an open house that will take place from 1 - 4 p.m. at the Blackstone LaunchPad office on the first floor of the Kent Student Center, beside the University Bookstore. A press conference will be held prior to the open house.

Kent State’s Blackstone LaunchPad program emphasizes entrepreneurship as a viable career path and gives Kent State students, faculty and alumni the skills, knowledge and guidance they need to start new companies. The program, which accommodates all students regardless of major, and involves local entrepreneurs as mentors, started offering services to students in late May.

“Faculty and staff should attend the open house to clearly see what Blackstone LaunchPad offers,” says Julie Messing, executive director for Entrepreneurship Initiatives at Kent State. “It is more than just advising entrepreneurs on the startup of their business. It is a safe place to discuss ideas without judgment, and receive the guidance and networking to help transform those ideas into businesses.”

The Blackstone Charitable Foundation and The Burton D. Morgan Foundation, sponsors of the initiative, committed to a $3.2 million, three-year partnership with Kent State University and three other area colleges and universities to make the Blackstone LaunchPad program possible. Both foundations hope to foster entrepreneurship and job growth in Northeast Ohio through the program.

Messing says that to get started with the Blackstone LaunchPad program, faculty, staff, students and alumni can complete the personal profile form that is on the program’s website, after which they get validated and invited to submit a venture form and establish meetings with venture advisors.

“We want to emphasize that the Blackstone LaunchPad program is a free and confidential service. Students, faculty, staff and alumni can be reassured that their business concepts are kept completely confidential by LaunchPad staff,” says Kate Harmon, program manager for Kent State’s Blackstone LaunchPad program. “All LaunchPad staff, including student employees, sign nondisclosure agreements to uphold this level of confidence.”

Harmon says that Blackstone LaunchPad clients can schedule meetings at their own pace with the program’s venture advisors who will mentor them through the development of their businesses and introduce them to a network of leading industry entrepreneurs. One-on-one entrepreneurial guidance is also supplemented with Blackstone LaunchPad events and workshops that broadly address common start-up business concepts and highlight local entrepreneurs in specific industries.

For more information about the Blackstone LaunchPad program at Kent State, visit www.kent.edu/blackstonelaunchpad.

Author of Summer Reading Book to Visit Kent State, Sept. 12

Author of Kent State University’s
summer reading book, The Other Wes
Moore, will visit the Kent Campus on
Sept. 12.

Wes Moore, author of Kent State University’s Summer Reading Program book The Other Wes Moore, will visit the Kent Campus on Sept. 12.

The Other Wes Moore focuses on the choices of two individuals with the same name who grew up in the same area. One Wes Moore became a Rhodes Scholar and the other went to prison.

“The goals of the book are to help students get connected and share a common experience with other students on campus,” says Meghan Cisar, assistant director at the Office of Student Success Programs.

Three events will be held to celebrate Moore’s visit. Moore will speak at a campus and community event in the Kent Student Center Ballroom at 7 p.m. It is free and open to the general public. The talk will focus on the book, decision making and the importance of education and finding mentors who can help students to be successful in college and life.

Moore will speak to faculty and staff earlier in the day at 2 p.m. in the Kiva. The talk will focus on helping, supporting and mentoring students. The event is free, but registration is required by Sept. 12 at noon. Registration is available online at www.kent.edu/hr/register.

Moore is also scheduled for an invitation-only event for student leaders at 4 p.m. focusing on leadership.

Kent State Will Hold Volunteer and Experiential Learning Fair on Sept. 13

Kent State University’s Office of Quality Initiatives and Curriculum will hold its Volunteer and Experiential Learning Fair on Thursday, Sept. 13, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Kent Student Center.

The fair, which is open to all Kent State students, faculty and staff, offers opportunities to explore volunteer, community-based learning, service learning and internship possibilities with local and regional non-profit organizations. More than 45 agencies will attend the fair and share information about how they serve the community and how they can provide learning and service opportunities to students. Participating agencies will be looking for interns, practicum students, service-learning partners and volunteers to meet agency needs.

“Our students can enhance their learning and work skills, and gain more experience in their chosen fields of study by connecting to volunteer and service opportunities with participating agencies,” says Ann Gosky, senior special assistant in the Office of Quality Initiatives and Curriculum. “By working with these nonprofit agencies, students become more engaged in their community and expand their view of the world. This engagement reflects on their commitment to community and also looks great as experience on a résumé.”

Gosky says that faculty members who are interested in service experiences or service-learning opportunities for classes will have an opportunity to meet with agencies that have a variety of service-learning options.

“This is a great opportunity to discuss spring semester service-learning ideas and classes,” she says.
Agencies that will be represented at the fair include those that work with the homeless, those that experience hunger and other issues associated with poverty; individuals with developmental disabilities, healthcare clients, the elderly, job training programs, veterans, youth in after school programs, Alzheimer’s patients and more.

Click here to see a list of participating agencies.

For more information about the fair, contact Gosky at agosky@kent.edu.

The 46th Kent State Folk Festival Comes to Kent, Sept. 20-22

Workshops move to downtown venues

The five-member group Delhi 2 Dublin will perform a
free concert on Manchester Field on Thursday, Sept. 20,
as part of this year's Kent State Folk Festival.

(Photo provided by Delhi 2 Dublin)

The 46th Kent State Folk Festival once again lays claim to its autumnal residency with concerts and events lined up from Thursday, Sept. 20, through Saturday, Sept. 22. The Kent Stage hosts concerts each night with Folk Alley ‘Round Town driving up the musical temperature throughout Kent on Friday and a big move downtown for the free Saturday workshops.

The folk frenzy kicks off with two main stage shows on Thursday, Sept. 20. Both shows begin at 8 p.m. On Manchester Field at Kent State University, Delhi 2 Dublin brings a raucous international flavor to the stage. With a mix of Celtic, Bhangra percussion and Asian spice, the five members of Delhi 2 Dublin twist multiple genres into a high-energy stage show that has been an international hit at summer festivals, bringing audience members to their feet wherever they go. This concert is presented in conjunction with Kent State University’s Center for Student Involvement.

The line-up for the 46th Kent State Folk Festival (all concerts at The Kent Stage unless otherwise noted):

Thursday, Sept. 20, at 8 p.m.: Delhi 2 Dublin (Manchester Field at Kent State University) – FREE

Thursday, Sept. 20, at 8 p.m.: John Gorka and Tracy Grammer – $21

Friday, Sept. 21, (various times): Folk Alley ‘Round Town (35 venues throughout Kent) – FREE

Friday, Sept. 21, at 8 p.m.: Over the Rhine with Girlyman – $26

Saturday, Sept. 22, noon-5 p.m.: Workshops (nine venues throughout Kent) – FREE

Saturday, Sept. 22, at 8 p.m.: Legends of Folk featuring Tom Paxton, The Red Clay Ramblers and John McCutcheon – $43 gold circle, $30 reserved

Tickets are now on sale for all Kent State Folk Festival concerts and are available at the Kent Stage by phone at 888-718-4253 or online at www.TheKentStage.com. The Kent Stage is located at 175 E. Main St. in downtown Kent, and the box office is open Monday through Friday from 1 to 6 p.m. The festival website – www.KentStateFolkFestival.org - offers artist bios and videos, along with the complete list of free Folk Alley ‘Round Town performances and Community Workshops at venues throughout the city of Kent.

Festival support is provided by Kent State University, the City of Kent, Cascade Auto Group, Great Lakes Brewing Company, Audio-Technica, Lehman’s, PARTA and Dominion East Ohio.

Kent State Tuscarawas to Celebrate Constitution Day

Kent State Adjunct Professor of History Todd Hartline, Ph.D.,
will present “The Enduring Legacy of the United States
Constitution” at Kent State University at Tuscarawas on
Sept. 12 to mark Constitution Day.

Todd Hartline, Ph.D., will present “The Enduring Legacy of the United States Constitution” at Kent State University at Tuscarawas on Sept. 12 at 7 p.m. in Founders Hall Auditorium. His presentation will examine the longevity of the U. S. Constitution, the longest reigning and functioning constitution in history.

The program is being held in celebration of Constitution Day which commemorates the signing of the U. S. Constitution on Sept. 17, 1787.

Sponsored by the Kent State Tuscarawas Artist/Lecture Series, the event is free and open to the public with no tickets required. The auditorium doors open at 6:30 p.m., with seating available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Hartline has been an adjunct professor of history at Kent State Tuscarawas for more than 10 years. He specializes in Modern American History, particularly on World War II.

Kent State Tuscarawas is located at 330 University Dr. N.E. in New Philadelphia.