Greetings,

The last several months have been anxious months at Kent State, and for higher education as a whole. Now knowing that Academic Affairs will indeed contribute $3.6 million in university budget cuts for the next fiscal year brings us face to face with a seemingly daunting task. Further, the $3.6 million in budget cuts in Academic Affairs is in addition to a $2 million elimination of a number of earmark appropriations by the state. Total university cuts amounting to $7.5 million are very significant. However, the projects undertaken by Academic Affairs over the last 18 months have prepared us well for the challenge of weathering the budget cuts while providing world-class programs on reduced resources, and meeting the goals set forth in the university’s strategic initiatives. Despite extraordinary external challenges, our faculty have undertaken an aggressive series of programs, critical to the future of the university. Here are some examples of what faculty are doing and how the projects will impact the success of the university:

· Examining and revising the entire student experience through the 21^st Century
Graduate Project prepares us to meet the demands of a global society within our
own state.
· Creating a model for restructuring LERs will provide greater coherency and flow for
students throughout their academic careers.
· Forming a consensus on strategies to address issues affecting the entire university
through the work of the Regional Campus Think Tank will serve to improve the
functioning of the Regional Campuses and the Kent Campus.
· Expanding majors across the university to admit more students, known as the
Bandwidth Project, will serve to improve admissions and retention numbers – critical
elements to meeting the need for more college graduates in Ohio.
· Creating a College of Public Health will enable the university to serve as a much
needed catalyst for a public health system in the State of Ohio.
· Redesigning the freshman experience through the new Student Success Programs
Unit – including the Destination Kent State freshman experience – will enable us to
serve incoming students more effectively and with greater results.
· Launching a series of initiatives to increase the availability of non-traditionally
delivered courses will enable our students more ease in completing coursework.

Despite the funding cuts we are instituting for the fiscal well-being of the university, our willingness and ability to examine our academic programming will enable us to emerge from our challenging economic climate even more successful than before. With that in mind, I am pleased to provide you with an update on three of the aforementioned initiatives.

Destination Kent State: A Unified Approach

Every fall, high school juniors across the nation flood college campuses looking for the campus that will be “the one.” With choices made, high school seniors send applications to their top picks, anxiously awaiting the all important admittance letter. But the admittance letter is not where the work ends. Rather, it is the starting point where students and colleges must work together to bridge the gap between high school graduation and freshmen year at college. This gap is where Student Success Programs, in concert with University Communications and Marketing, Enrollment Management and Student Affairs and Information Services, has made a critical leap – redesigning the Advising and Registration Process for admitted freshmen.

In a great example of cross-divisional support, they have created an aggressive and comprehensive campaign to prepare and encourage admitted students to take the next step in their journey to Kent State. The campaign’s clear, personal and well-timed format incorporates the instant access and immediate feedback sought by today’s students with the need to communicate numerous important messages to our next class in a clear and consistent manner. Let me take you through the new Advising and Registration Process.

· Kent State receives an applicant’s admissions application.
· The student is accepted into the university.
· Taking the information from the application, a series of targeted and personalized
correspondences in mail and email form guide the student to a comprehensive
Advising and Registration website.
· The student logs into the FlashLine via the Destination Kent State website and
completes the program registration process. Students will find within FlashLine on
the New to KSU tab a portal dedicated to Advising and Registration. (This is not the
first time they log into FlashLine. They also login to pay the matriculation fee.)
· Here, the student schedules a Destination Kent State visit, answers targeted
questions that will assist in preparing for their visit – questions including but not
limited to guiding the advising process.
· The student is provided immediate feedback via email with scheduling reminders.

In addition, all admitted students are provided with contact information to speak with a Destination Kent State representative for additional questions or program registration assistance. With a consistent message and a web-based response system, the Destination Kent State campaign will eliminate confusion for our potential students. And as we move forward, it will serve as a launching pad for continued progress in timed communications to incoming freshmen.

Graduation Planning System Update

One of the next steps in assuring the success of all students includes the implementation of the Graduation Planning System. Here is an update on the progress made thus far.

Web page development for the system is well underway, slated for completion in August of this year. Upon completion, the system will display information on all undergraduate programs including descriptions of each program, roadmaps to degree completion for the respective programs and related concentrations. The information will be accessible to both prospective students and current students who may be exploring majors.

The majors will align within interest areas, which will help students identify all programs that match their particular skills and abilities. The interest areas include: business, computers, math and technology, communication, journalism and media, performing arts, design and visual arts, education/teaching, healthcare, hospitality and tourism, human services and social sciences, languages, literature and cultures, public safety and government, science and environment, and sports and recreation.

You will be provided with further and more detailed information as the project nears completion.

College of Public Health Update

On January 30, the Board of Trustees approved a resolution for establishing the Kent State University College of Public Health. The groundwork to create the college that began months before the meeting continues in earnest, with a series of important steps occurring this spring. Although there are many more details that comprise the creation of a college, let me share some of the major steps taking place this spring:

· A Faculty Advisory Committee comprised of those internal faculty who move to the
College of Public Health will be formed by the middle of Spring 09.
· Searches will begin to fill the positions of dean and associate dean, academic affairs
and curriculum development.
· Internal and external faculty searches begin and will continue through the summer
months.

Following the finalization of the administrative structure, faculty hiring, and importantly, approval by the Ohio Board of Regents, pathways to degree completion may begin as early as spring semester 2010, with plans for:

· The first class in the Bachelor of Science degree in Public Health (BSPH) to enter in
August 2010, although students interested in taking courses that will lead to the
BSPH may begin as early as spring semester 2010.
· The first classes for the Master of Public Health degree (MPH) to enter in August
2010.
· The first Ph.D. class to enter in August 2010, with two more to follow within the
next year.

Training the next generation of public health workers at Kent State will serve critical needs in Northeast Ohio, including but not limited to enhancing the scope of services provided to the community, promoting an effective and efficient public health infrastructure and increasing externally funded research.

Finally, the university recently announced the offering of a voluntary separation program, coordinated by Educators Preferred Corporation (EPC). The program is designed to provide faculty and staff who will have 15 years of service with Kent State with a separation package, should they determine that they will take advantage of the program. Prior to offering the University Employee Separation Plan, the university examined EPC’s performance on a number of other voluntary separation programs. We spoke with key groups in universities and other groups that have used EPC to assess the quality and effectiveness of the service. Our research revealed a very strong record of performance for EPC. One feature of their services I especially like is the availability of professional counselors to speak with eligible employees. If you are eligible, these individuals can help you understand your financial outcomes should you decide to take advantage of the program. I highly encourage you to begin speaking with the counselors, if you are eligible. The program lasts only 45 days and will not be repeated in the near future.

With warmest regards,

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