Greetings,

I believe that the best word to describe Kent State this fall is “transition.” We have welcomed new and familiar faces to key positions on campus over the past several weeks. And from the First Year Experience to an initiative to address Regional Campus concerns, proposals and new programs are quickly taking shape across our campuses. I hope that you, as I do, will find the progress we have made over the past 10 months to be encouraging and exciting as the future of Kent State takes form.

New Appointments

Beginning this week, Robert “Yank” Heisler begins his appointment as dean of the College of Business Administration and Graduate School of Management. He came to Kent State in 2007 as special assistant to the president for community and business strategies and recently served as interim vice president of administration and finance. Yank’s extensive corporate experience – he is the retired chairman of KeyBank and retired chief executive officer of McDonald Financial Group – will serve the University well as he works to bring the college to its next level of success.

On Oct. 1, Deb Huntsman joined KSU as executive director of the Office of Continuing and Distance Education. She comes from Roger Williams University, where she most recently served as assistant provost for continuing and professional studies. We look forward to the expertise Deb will bring to the table as she works to:

· Support and market distance learning programs
· Expand outreach opportunities to nontraditional students
· And identify new programming opportunities and new audiences for Kent State
distance learning programs.

Finally, we welcomed Mary Anne Saunders as the new executive director for International Affairs. Mary Anne will work closely with Vice Provost Steve Michael to move forward on key initiatives:

· Increase international student enrollment
· Increase number of students studying abroad
· Significantly expand international-related grant activities.

Mary Anne comes to Kent State from George Washington University, where she served as executive director of the Center for Professional Development and director of the Center for International Training and Education.

United Way Campaign

Beginning this week, pledge forms will be distributed for the United Way campaign. The campaign has just passed its half-way point and continues to Nov. 15. To learn more about the United Way campaign, or to print a pledge form, visit http://www.kent.edu/unitedway/. To make your pledge online, login to FlashLine and visit the My HR tab for the United Way E-give link.

You can also support the annual campaign at the traditional pasta buffet on Thursday, Nov. 13 from 5 to 8 p.m. in the Kent Student Center Second Floor Cafeteria. All Kent State faculty, staff and students, as well as members of the community, are invited to participate. Presale tickets are $10 for adults, $6 for students, $6 for children ages 6-11. Children under 6 are free with adult admission. To purchase tickets, contact Peta Denno at 330-672-6322 or pdenno@kent.edu. Proceeds from the dinner go to the United Way campaign.

I encourage you to support the campaign and help Kent State make an impact on the communities we serve.

Expanding Opportunities at Regional Campuses

Last Friday, you received an email from me concerning the Regional Campus Think Tank and proposed changes to the Regional Campus System. Over the last year, it has become clear that the University must streamline and more effectively coordinate its approach to Regional Campus issues. Imperative steps for consideration and action include:

· Giving Regional Campuses more autonomy to respond to local community needs
· Improving Regional Campus’ ability to provide a range of educational opportunities
that serve the local community – including offering more baccalaureate degrees
· Consideration of how to better use Regional Campus resources and integrate faculty
and programs throughout the Kent State University system

To address these steps, we must create a “Regional Campus – Kent Campus System” that serves all of Northeast Ohio. To this end, in May 2008, a group including faculty and leadership from across the Kent State University system was formed to discuss possible steps to improve the functioning of the Regional Campuses and the relationships of the Regional Campuses with the Kent Campus. The group developed a series of recommendations as a starting point for a university-wide conversation. I urge you to read the document and discuss it with your colleagues. You can find it online at http://cms.kent.edu/Administration/provost/Initiatives-and-Announcements.cfm.

The RC Think Tank will hold three town hall meetings beginning in four weeks to discuss the ideas set forth in the document. One meeting will be held on the Trumbull Campus, a second meeting will be held on the Stark Campus and a third meeting will be held on the Kent Campus. The Kent Campus meeting will be teleconferenced to the Regional Campuses. The schedule of meetings will be distributed soon. After the town hall meetings, the Think Tank will consider the input received and provide President Lefton with final recommendations. President Lefton will then determine which projects should go forward for faculty governance review and consideration.

First Year Experience Proposal

Earlier this year, I apprised the university community of progress made on the 21^st Century Graduate project. Out of the project, the 21^st Century First Year Experience committee has made great strides in designing a First Year Experience for Kent State students to unify and strengthen the existing stand-alone first-year programs into a single, cohesive model.

Effective July 1, 2008, the three existing programs – PASS, Week of Welcome and the First Year Course – were administratively merged into the Student Success Unit. Previously, the programs were housed in separate administrative divisions or units. The move was designed to build upon existing program strengths and uses staff and resources more efficiently and effectively.

The next step of the project, as proposed by the Student Success Unit, would take the three stand-alone programs and merge them into a single cohesive program with three distinct sections: Advising and Registration, Welcome Weekend and First Year Course. The entire 18 month transition process from registration through the end of the first semester would be aptly named Destination Kent.

The model has been shared with multiple University stakeholder groups, including the 21st Century First Year Experience Working Group, Academic Deans Council, Associate and Assistant Deans Council, Chairs and Directors and Student Retention Working Group, as well as through two town hall meetings. The proposal was revised based on feedback from these groups. The next step is the formal approval process with the university’s governance groups, including the University Requirements Curriculum Committee, Educational Policies Council and Faculty Senate.

Meeting the needs of our first-year students is critical to their success on the path to graduation. I look forward to sharing with you further updates on the progress of the Destination Kent proposal.

With Warmest Regards,

Robert G. Frank
Senior Vice President for
Academic Affairs and Provost