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Kent State Hosts See You @ College Conference to Increase Enrollment and Graduation of First-Generation College Students

Kent State University will host a one-day conference that is expected to bring together about 300 community organizations and leaders to discuss ways to increase college enrollment and graduation of first-generation and academically motivated students in Northeast Ohio. The See You @ College conference will take place on Thursday, Feb. 13, from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Kent Student Center Ballroom. The conference is free and open to high school and college educators and administrators, community leaders, educational organizations and more. Registration is required and can be done at www.kent.edu/seeyouatcollege/register.

The See You @ College: Northeast Ohio Pathways to Success is an inclusive, long-term college access collaborative initiative designed to engage community leaders and organizations to become involved in guiding and assisting first-generation families and their students in finding more pathways to a college education.

“The See You @ College initiative was the vision of Rev. Ron Fowler, special assistant to the president on community engagement, and Iris Harvey, vice president for university relations, who initially sought to increase college access for students by working with faith-based organizations,” says Said Sewell, Ph.D., assistant provost. “Their efforts were in line with Complete College America and Complete College Ohio that noted that young people either are not going to college or attending but not graduating because they are not well-prepared. The Complete College Ohio taskforce further noted that if the state of Ohio is to stay competitive in the global market, it is imperative that the state, by 2020, increases its total number of college graduates by at least 56 percent, or 845,000 people. See You @ College is one of Kent State’s efforts toward that goal."

The conference, which is a collaboration with other Northeast Ohio institutions of higher learning and nonprofits, is intended to engage community leaders in discussions with a diversity of other leaders who are engaged daily in promoting the value of a college degree. The See You @ College framework is to harness the power of those in a community who have contact with and are trusted by families and to further empower them with information, resources and tools about higher education so that they can be part of the emotional and motivational support system that many families need in order to get their first-generation students prepared and enrolled in college.

Among the panelists at the conference will be representatives from across the Kent State campuses. An exhibit area will be available for Kent State units and other organizations to display materials about their programs. Interested parties who wish to exhibit should contact Lashonda Taylor at ltaylo33@kent.edu or 330-672-8657.

Greg Darneider, senior advisor for college access at the U.S. Department of Education, will serve as opening speaker at the conference, and Steve Perry, Ed.D., author, principal and CNN educational contributor, will serve as luncheon speaker.

Breakout sessions at the conference will explore topics such as “Dual Enrollment, Upward Bound, Post-Secondary Educational Opportunity Programs,” “Why Is College Important and How Do We Make It an Expectation?,” “Making Dreams a Reality: Finding the Best Fit” and “The Holistic Impact of Education Attainment.”

Watch a short video that shows the testimonials of first-generation college students to learn why the See You @ College initiative is important to Kent State.

For more information about Kent State’s See You @ College initiative and conference, call 330-672-2220 or visit www.kent.edu/seeyouatcollege/register.

Posted Feb. 3, 2014

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Wick Poetry Center to Host Poets Daniel Carter and Allison Davis

Kent State University’s Wick Poetry Center will host poets Daniel Carter and Allison Davis as part of its reading series on Feb. 12 at 7:30 p.m. in Room 306 ABC at the Kent Student Center. The event is free and open to the public.

“Audience members will be treated to a wonderful evening from two rising stars in American poetry,” says Jessica Jewell, program manager for the Wick Poetry Center. “Students will get a chance to see how poetry can be experienced across disciplines and voice and craft, and hopefully will demystify some of the old concepts of what poetry is at the university.”

Carter is the author of Here Both Sweeter, which won the 2011 Wick Chapbook Competition for Ohio poets. A chapbook is a small book containing poetry, ballads and short stories. Carter’s poetry has appeared in numerous publications such as Crazyhorse, The AWL and The Offended Adam.

Davis’ poetry has been featured in multiple journals and anthologies including Verse Daily, The New Republic and The American Dream. Her chapbook, Poppy Seeds, is the winner of the Wick Poetry Chapbook Competition. Davis plans to move to California in the fall as a Wallace Stegner Fellow at Stanford University.

The Wick Reading Series is an annual event that hosts writers and poets ranging from beginners to award winners. The featured individuals provide readings, lectures and workshops for the general public.

For more information about the Wick Poetry Center, visit www.kent.edu/wick.

Posted Feb. 3, 2014 | Grace Snyder

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Amy Cuddy to Open Kent State University’s Spirit of Women in Business Conference

Nationally recognized speaker and professor, Amy Cuddy, Ph.D., will kick off the Kent State University College of Business Administration’s annual Spirit of Women in Business Conference on Wednesday, March 5, at the Kent Student Center.

Cuddy, an associate professor at Harvard Business School, studies how people perceive and interact with one another. Her research on social judgments, emotions, nonverbal behaviors and hormones revealed that these variables help to shape emotions, intentions and behaviors in both business and society.

“We are honored to have Dr. Amy Cuddy as the opening keynote speaker at the Spirit of Women in Business Conference. Her research provides insight into how body language shapes how you are perceived by others,” says Deborah Spake, dean of the College of Business Administration. “Dr. Cuddy’s expertise in this area of power and influence provides a commanding message for business women and men alike.”

Cuddy’s presentation – “Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are” – was named one of “15 TED Talks That Will Change Your Life” by Mashable.com. Her work has been featured in a variety of news sources, including “The Today Show,” CNN, MSNBC and in The New York Times, Harvard Magazine and The Wall Street Journal. In 2013, Business Insider named Cuddy one of the 50 Women Who Are Changing the World and Time magazine named her one of 2012’s “Game Changers”.

The conference also will feature Farai Chideya, a journalist, entrepreneur and sociopolitical analyst, as the luncheon keynote speaker. Chideya’s background includes being an award-winning reporter for Newsweek magazine, a political analyst for CNN, a reporter and guest host for ABC News and a host for NPR.

The mission of the College of Business Administration’s Spirit of Women in Business Conference is to provide a program that enhances personal and professional development through education and networking opportunities. Along with the keynote speakers, the daylong program includes breakout sessions on professional development and business topics, and concludes with an evening networking reception.

The conference annually sells out, so early registration is encouraged. For more information, including sponsorship opportunities, or to register, visit www.kent.edu/business/wib/index.cfm.

Posted Feb. 3, 2014

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Pianist Holly Roadfeldt Kicks Off the Vanguard Guest Artists Series at Kent State University

Kent State University’s Hugh A. Glauser School of Music presents pianist Holly Roadfeldt as the inaugural performer of the new Vanguard Guest Artists Series. Roadfeldt will perform a solo recital on Monday, Feb. 3, at 8 p.m. in Ludwig Recital Hall.

“What’s great about the Vanguard Series is that the performers are presenting brand new music along with standard contemporary music literature,” says Anthony Donofrio, professor in Kent State’s School of Music.

Roadfeldt has premiered more than 70 works for solo piano and for various chamber ensembles. In 1996, she was awarded "Best Performance of a 20th Century American Composition" in the Frinna Awerbuch International Piano Competition, which resulted in a performance in Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall.

The program will include the world premiere of Donofrio’s “Piano Sonata.”

“I’m very excited,” says Donofrio. “She’s been working on it for about eight months now. It’s very difficult.”

The Vanguard Guest Artists Series will continue with performances by the A/B Duo on Monday, March 10, and Jeri-Mae G. Astolfi on Monday, April 14.

The concerts will take place in Ludwig Recital Hall, located in the Center for the Performing Arts at 1325 Theatre Drive on the Kent Campus.

Tickets for the performance are $15 for adults, $13 for seniors and Kent State faculty and staff, $10 for groups of 10 or more patrons, $8 for non-Kent State students, $5 for children and free for full-time Kent Campus undergraduate students.

Tickets and more information are available by calling 330-672-ARTS (2787) or visiting www.kent.edu/music.

Posted Feb. 3, 2014 | Grace Snyder and Hannah Hamner

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School of Library and Information Science to Host International Document Academy Conference

Kent State University's School of Library and Information Science will host the 11th annual meeting of the Document Academy (DOCAM) from Aug. 7-9 with an optional preconference gathering on the evening of Aug. 6. Co-chairs of this year's conference are Kiersten F. Latham, Ph.D., assistant professor, and Jodi Kearns, Ph.D., adjunct instructor in Kent State’s School of Library and Information Science.

The Document Academy originated as a co-sponsored effort by the Program of Documentation Studies, University of Tromso, Norway, and the School of Information, University of California, Berkeley. Members of the organization represent an international network of scholars, artists and professionals in various fields who are interested in the exploration of the concept of the document as a resource for scholarly, artistic and professional work.

The Document Academy fosters a multidisciplinary space for experimental and critical research on the document in the widest sense, drawing on scholarship, traditions and experiences from the arts, humanities, social sciences, education and natural science, and from diverse fields, such as information, media, museum, archives, culture and science studies.

The theme of this year's meeting is "Documents Without Borders," which embodies the interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary natures of document studies. In this light, the program committee encourages proposals promoting document discourse that is open to all formats, contents and disciplines.

The 2014 conference at Kent State will include a new feature that takes advantage of the unique facilities offered in the School of Library and Information Science. For the "DOCAM’14 Instantiation," the planning committee design and arrange a three-dimensional space in the new MuseLab in the School of Library and Information Science to showcase documents representing all accepted proposals for the annual conference. Representative documents will be sent in by authors and can be of any possible form, assuming it can be exhibited within given parameters. The MuseLab, where the Instantiation will be held, is a creative and collaborative space for thinking, doing and learning about museal things.

For more information about the conference and the call for proposals, visit the DOCAM’14 website at www.kent.edu/docam14. Proposal submissions should be sent to Kearns at jkearns@uakron.edu no later than March 15. Decisions will be announced by April 15.

Posted Feb. 3, 2014

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Kent BeatleFest Celebrates 50th Anniversary of Beatlemania stimulation

On Feb. 7, 1964, the Beatles landed at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City for their first visit to the United States. Two days later, the Fab Four broke television audience records with their history-making appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” on CBS. The world would never be the same.

The Kent BeatleFest will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Beatlemania on Feb. 7- 8 in downtown Kent. The event will feature free live Beatles and British Invasion music at 12 downtown Kent venues on Friday, Feb. 7, along with ultra-rare Beatles films at the Kent Stage.

Artists include Abbey Road, Colin Dussault’s Beatles Project, the Liverpool Lads, Cats on Holiday, Ryan Humbert, British Invasion and Grammy Award-winning guitarist Doug Smith.

“We have a great lineup of music, including excellent Beatles tribute bands as well as classical ensembles and even a jazz-rock big band,” says Mike Beder, owner of the Water Street Tavern and the Venice Café. “There truly is something for everyone, and it’s all free and within easy walking distance.”

On Saturday, Feb. 8 at 8 p.m., the Beatles tribute band Hard Day’s Night performs at the Kent Stage. The concert will feature the Northeast Ohio band performing songs from all phases of the Beatles career, from “The Ed Sullivan Show” to their final album, “Let It Be.” Tickets are $15 in advance and $18 on the day of the show. Tickets are available at www.thekentstage.com.

The Kent State University Hotel and Conference Center is offering a special rate of $119 per night for Kent BeatleFest weekend. Reservations can be made by calling 330-346-0100 or online at www.kentstatehotel using the rate code BFM.

Find a complete schedule and details on the Kent BeatleFest website.

Main Street Kent, a non-profit organization focused on the revitalization of downtown Kent, is joining in the celebration of the Beatles 50th anniversary with a special offering on Feb. 8.

The Beatles 50th Anniversary Progressive Event will feature an evening of cocktails, food and live music and food, including the Hard Day’s Night show at the Kent Stage. The event begins at 5 p.m. at the newly revitalized Venice Café, where ticketholders will enjoy two cocktails of their choice and live music. The event will then move to the Laziza restaurant for a full dinner from 6:15 p.m. to 7:45pm. Following the 8 p.m. concert at the Kent Stage, the event will conclude with dessert and a nightcap at the Secret Cellar, Kent’s new wine and jazz bar.

Tickets, limited to 60, cost is $75 each or $125 for a pair and are available at www.mainstreetkent.org.

For more information on the Main Street Kent Beatles event, call 330-677-8000.

Posted Feb. 3, 2014

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