As the end of the semester draws near and we begin to think about the next academic year, it is important to consider our future as an institution and challenges we face, both in the state and nationally. First, however, I want to draw your attention to Issue 1 and the vitally important May 4 ballot. Issue 1 is a proposed renewal of Ohio’s Third Frontier program, a public-private partnership created in 2002 to establish Ohio as a leader in innovation, create jobs and fuel long-term, technology based economic growth in the state. To date, the initiative has provided Kent State with more than $20 million in research funding. Its renewal would authorize $700 million in additional bonds for the program. I highly encourage you to support Issue 1 so that the Third Frontier program may continue to engender innovation and economic development across our region and state.

The Third Frontier program provides many opportunities for Kent State to continue its pioneering research. But the full definition of our academic success lies in addressing issues across Academic Affairs’ numerous challenges. Achieving the goals set forth in the Academic Strategic Plan are important to the vitality of Kent State. A few months ago, I laid out the essential academic improvements we must make to catapult us into the community of nationally prominent large public research universities. These improvements are even more necessary in light of our uncertain economic future. The instability of state budgets, many of which were supported by federal stimulus funding that disappears in FY 12, suggests that deeper cuts for higher education lay ahead. Indeed, Ohio faces potential shortfalls of as much as 17% in the forthcoming years. Ohio is not the only state facing an uncertain future. Thirty nine states have cut assistant to higher education, with a reprieve nowhere in sight.

As the effect of these fiscal pressures are brought to bear, it is likely that the number and type of universities and colleges nationwide will change. Public research universities will see a shake-out in which some will not be able to compete and will have to create new niches, while others will cease to exist altogether. And there will be enormous pressure to recognize the ‘consumer’ side of education by offering convenient classes and formats of educational delivery.

I believe many are vastly underestimating the currents of change swirling about higher education. During the next decade, we will likely see the same level of profound changes in higher education that banks have experienced over the past two decades, and that are currently affecting the news industry. These changes emphasize the need for faculty to be highly informed about trends affecting universities and the implications for our operations. The need for efficiency in operations and careful consideration of expenditures is great.

Responsibility Center Management (RCM) has forced us to rethink how we look at the daily costs of running our academic programs and units.  The cost of operating the university is very high. For example, it costs $583,175 per work day to operate the RCM units. Numbers like these force us to ask such questions as: what resources are needed to operate a college for a single day? How many days can specific units operate on reserves? And how do we address budget shortfalls in critical programs? In our highly competitive market, now, more than ever, our fiscal decisions affect our very ability to fulfill our vision for the future.

A recent Chronicle of Higher Education article reported that career colleges have grown nine percent per year over the last 30 years (Chronicle, February 12, 2010). This year, the Chronicle reported, the University of Phoenix passed the California State System as the second largest higher education system in the United States with more than 455,000 students. The for-profit higher educational business is now a permanent and likely increasing part of the higher education landscape.

At the same time, public universities have been forced to make difficult financial decisions. While taxpayers provide an ever-decreasing portion of the university’s budget, general economic concerns have increased the state government’s sense of control in university operations, leading to increased demands for information from public universities and a relentless emphasis upon the value and quality of a college education. Economic concerns are driving us to demonstrate the value of a bachelor’s degree. We are increasingly being asked to define what skills and knowledge a graduate must possess and how those are measured. The development of for-profit educational programs that mimic traditional universities requires us to define what makes a public research university different. Do we provide better quality than a non-traditional program and how can we show that we do?

Of course, Kent State has determined its strategic future in this changing landscape – we will remain a public research university, and we have developed a vision to prepare us to meet that strategic future. Our strategic goals will enable us to overcome our short and long term challenges if we can adhere to an overall standard of excellence in scholarship and teaching – and make the tough decisions that will hold us accountable to those standards. We must improve our scholarship and research funding to be among the best universities. We must monitor the quality of student learning. And we must continually ask ourselves if we are doing the best in scholarship and teaching.

These ideas are not new. Kent State has always pushed to perform well. Now, however, the consequences of poor or just weak decision-making will have greater impact as the economic pressures upon universities build. As we make the many individual decisions, for example, who will we promote? Who will we not reappoint? How do we evaluate teaching? How do we become more competitive in grant funding? How do we assure faculty continue to contribute throughout their career? How do we recognize superior or inferior performance? We must also realize these decisions will have a significant impact upon the future of Kent State University.

To assure our continued success as an educational institution, we must monitor the quality and delivery of our classes. We must have sensitive tools able to measure changes created by education. Unfortunately, our current course evaluation system does not provide, in my opinion, the information we need from students. I believe it is time for the Faculty Senate to thoroughly review our current practices. We should look at the best practices in this field and also try our own innovations.

Historically, we have emphasized the promotion and tenure system as a means of evaluation. We know the system has many evaluation points, but too much of our emphasis is upon the final promotion or tenure decision. The best system is more continuous, beginning with the date of hire. We must focus even more critically upon the annual evaluations and reappointments. Rigorous annual evaluation with special consideration at the midway third year review is crucial. Too often, we avoid tough decisions during the review period. We must also move from our far too legalistic approach of counting successes. Our handbooks, in my opinion, are losing the academic evaluative nature of scholarship and teaching expectations. Focusing on a semi-legal approach to rules during the evaluation of scholarship and teaching devalues the substantive nature of our work. Clearly, we need broad criteria for promotion and tenure. At Kent State, however, we have moved to a model that almost suggests tenure and promotion are a right rather than a reward for excellence.

We have made great progress over the last year in the creation of an array of tracks to serve the expertise of faculty. The very strategic NTT tracks enable the alignment of the ambitions and strengths of the faculty member for the mutual benefit of the faculty and the university. Recognizing the value of the separate faculty roles, be it instructional, clinical, practitioner or research, fosters greater success with more clearly defined expectations.

In addition, this year was the first time faculty could use Folioweb to provide an electronic record for promotion and tenure consideration. During this year’s review, each faculty member determined if he or she wanted to use Folioweb or submit the traditional paper dossier. The vast majority of faculty chose to use Folioweb. The FPDC and Dr. David Dalton oversaw several training sessions for Folioweb. The system is fairly intuitive for both applicants and reviewers. The feedback on Folioweb has been very positive, which bodes well for next year’s mandatory implementation of the program.

Another critical factor in achieving academic program success is predicting the impact of enrollment changes upon our programs. We have asked the Tiger team, an internal consulting group, to analyze the impact of enrollment changes upon our programming. To perform this analysis, the Tiger Team reviewed classes in the Kent Core (where enrollment increases have the fastest impact) and within our majors, making several important findings:

• Of the 100 courses in the Kent Core, there are 81,519 available seats
• The average class size is 42; and
• We use only 80% of the available seats.

In addition, upon examining the effects of 5, 10, 15, 20 or 25% growth in all of our academic programs, they discovered the following:

• Architecture, Nursing and Accounting currently operate at capacity
• 28 additional programs reach capacity with a 10% enrollment increase; and
• 42 programs do not reach capacity with a full 25% enrollment growth.

Clearly, programs that don’t fill with a 25% enrollment growth are now underutilized. Many universities are looking at these programs to determine if such programs are critical to the university. Better management of course offerings minimizes the impact of these programs and assures higher enrollment when courses are offered.

Currently, we are implementing the Infosilem System, a course/classroom management system that enables us to easily match teaching needs to rooms and student needs. With Infosilem, we will be much more effective in managing the utilization of personnel and buildings. Currently, we are in a pilot test period that matches our current approach to a “dummy” Infosilem enrollment program. I look forward to the strides we will make when Infosilem is fully implemented, most importantly creating conflict free schedules for students that will aid in timely graduation rates.

The topics I have outlined are but a few of the means by which Kent State can assure its success as a public research institution. As we respond to the fiscal pressures experienced throughout higher education, and strive to proactively shape our future, our progress will be defined by our ability to self-examine and implement the academic improvements outlined in our strategic vision. And as I noted at the outset, another significant step in solidifying our future as a public research institution is the renewal of the Third Frontier Program. I encourage you to support Issue 1 on May 4. I wish you success in the final weeks of the semester, and look forward to our continued journey of making essential academic improvements in support of our strategic goals.

With warmest regards,

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

Over the last three years, we have made significant progress in the review and analysis of our undergraduate curriculum. Last year, based on the work of the 21st Century Philosophy work group, we established the four “pillars” of a Kent State undergraduate curriculum – knowledge, insight, responsibility and engagement, concepts which are fundamental to all of our undergraduate teaching. They have guided our conversations, proposals and key changes to the undergraduate curriculum. I would like to touch on these changes and some other key projects affecting Academic Affairs.

Kent Core

Recently, with the advice of the Faculty Senate, the Kent State Board of Trustees recognized some fundamental changes to the LER system with the adoption of the Kent Core. Importantly, with the Kent Core, Kent State will continue to meet the requirements of the Ohio Transfer Module, set by the Ohio Board of Regents. The key changes include:

• Adoption of the name Kent Core
• Requiring all courses in the Kent Core to have specified learning outcomes by the year 2010; and
• Allowing students to use specified courses to satisfy both university requirements and their individual  courses of study.

Engagement

These steps are important and much needed. We cannot, however, rest on these changes. Many faculty members had the opportunity to hear Ken Bain speak at the FPDC learning institute, “What do the best college teachers do to cultivate learning?” Throughout his presentation and subsequent conversations, he emphasized the importance of posing the right questions to students in an innovative manner as a way of engaging students and approaching instruction at their knowledge level. His message was clear: the importance of engagement – the faculty member to the student; the student to the material; and the student to the application of the material in the real world is essential in good teaching.

One of the 21st Century work groups, the Curriculum Implementation Task Force, has recognized this factor of success in their work over the last two years. The Task Force recently provided me and you with their report. One of their key recommendations matches the importance Bain places on engagement and our own recognition of engagement as a pillar of undergraduate education, recommending that every student at Kent State should participate in at least one experiential learning activity.

As these events demonstrate, across KSU many vectors are merging to move us toward a more dynamic, engaged undergraduate program. To facilitate our discussion of the opportunities and our path to implementation, the Office of the Provost is hosting the “Innovative Curriculum Summit” on Feb. 22 from noon – 2 p.m. Chairs and directors and Regional Campus deans nominated faculty to participate in the Summit. The Summit will provide a path for our next generation of innovation in undergraduate education. It is my hope that we will identify several key ideas we want to develop, and hopefully the work of the Curriculum Implementation Task Force will be recognized and we will push forward on experiential learning.

Further Experiential Learning Opportunities

As we discuss experiential learning, let me also note that the Office of Experiential Education and Civic Engagement is conducting “Conversations with Colleagues,” a series of eight conversations designed to provide faculty a forum for contributing to discussion on the legitimacy of experiential education and civic engagement. The Conversations serve as a prologue to the Advancing Community – Engaged Scholarship Institute, scheduled for March 11 – 12. The Institute will explore the validation of experiential education in the tenure and promotion process. For more information and to register, visit http://www1.kent.edu/experiential/.

International Education

Our philosophy of an undergraduate education emphasizes the importance of international education opportunities. To that end, I am pleased to co-host the International Education Summit on March 3 with the Office of International Affairs. In this day-long event, key stakeholders across the university and Kent community have been invited to see presentations and discuss a number of subjects affecting international education. They range from recruitment, retention and strategic planning to community partnerships and distance learning. These are just a few of the many topics to be discussed. We look forward to sharing key insights from the event with you later this spring.

Space

As the president has noted over recent months, many of our facilities are in need of updating and our current instructional and research space is in need of expansion. Over the next few years, as our current discussions on space become formalized plans, Kent State will be a beehive of construction activity. Allow me to step back, however, and provide some insight on the context and details of these conversations.

President Lefton has outlined five guiding principles for construction initiatives at Kent State:

• The safety and accessibility of our facilities
• Support for high-priority strategic directions
• Functionality
• Energy conservation; and
• The pride, look and feel of our buildings.

These are the principles that have guided the conversations among the Offices of the University Architect, Vice President for Business and Administration, the President and Provost and staff in Academic Affairs regarding the allocation of project funds. It has become increasingly apparent that the university’s needs far exceed the dollars that we can obtain through bonds and capital payments provided by the state each biennium. With that in mind, we have used the five guiding principles outlined above to begin to develop a model of renovation and construction for consideration by the Board of Trustees. Several key priorities have emerged concerning our avenues for broad-based success with capital improvements projects:

• Front Campus should be dedicated to academic programs
• The housing of all support programs should be on the campus periphery
• Finding a home for the College of Public Health is an important campus-wide initiative
• Moving the College of Architecture and Environmental Design to a new building will create optimal space opportunities
• Bowman, Satterfield, Van Deusen and the Art building require substantial to nearly total renovations; and
• The science buildings require extensive renovations to laboratories, facades and internal space.

At this point, the process has focused on the careful identification of needs meeting the criteria set forth by President Lefton. We are now working at a broad conceptual level. During the coming year, a more complete and detailed proposal will be presented to the campus community and then taken to the Board of Trustees for consideration.

Infosilem

Addressing our facility improvements is only part of the solution to our space concerns. We must also develop a better system to both describe and allocate our academic space. Several years ago, the university purchased the software program Infosilem. Infosilem is valuable in that it provides the ability to characterize classroom attributes to match learning needs and to program space efficiently. With Infosilem, the onus of spending hours looking for available rooms will be removed from departmental staff. The program enables us to easily match teaching needs to rooms and student needs.

The implementation of Infosilem is one of the most important strategic steps Academic Affairs will undertake over the next 36 months. The process will require the combined efforts of departments, colleges, The Offices of the Provost and the University Architect for a successful implementation. In addition, Infosilem will match the Graduation Planning System (GPS) we are developing to teaching space and classroom planning. Between these two systems, we will be able to predict the utilization of personnel and buildings – our two largest resources. They will move us to a level of information management that will advance our program delivery significantly.

Graduate Education

Graduate education programs are critical to the reputation of the university and to our ability to contribute to Ohio and the nation. Kent State runs a staggering number of doctoral and master’s degree programs. We have reason to be proud of the strength of many of our programs, but we have yet to take the systematic approach of assuring the quality of each and every program. The support for these programs is fragmented and often different between colleges. We fail to achieve economies of scale in the management of like programs and lack systematic marketing efforts for all programs. Many of our difficulties reflect the diffusion of graduate programs among an array of colleges and an Office of Graduate Studies not realizing its full potential.

I believe we need Graduate Studies to utilize the best practices available in graduate education to both evaluate our programs and provide support services. To this end, I have asked Interim Dean Mary Ann Stephens to lead a work group to address the structure of Graduate Studies at KSU. I expect this effort will lead to a consolidation of doctoral programs in the College of Graduate Studies. In addition, the work group will make recommendations regarding master’s programs that should be exempted from the centralized graduate school.

I look forward to sharing the progress we make on these initiatives in the coming months. And, I hope that you will take advantage of opportunities to share your insight and ideas on curriculum innovation and programming at the events I mentioned. In the meantime, I wish you continued success in your research, teaching and outreach efforts.

With warmest regards,

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

In mid-October, we proposed strategic priorities for the Division of Academic Affairs.  Utilizing the revitalized mission, vision and strategic planning framework established this year by President Lefton and the Board of Trustees, our Deans’ Council has envisioned a number of dynamic academic opportunities summarized in six broad categories.

Our six strategic priorities are:

• Kent State will be a nationally prominent public research university
• Kent State will be committed to advancing student success
• High-quality teaching and learning will drive student success and academic excellence
• Kent State must engage the global, national and regional communities in its initiatives
• Kent State will operate as an integrated eight-campus system, and
• Financial stability will ensure the sustainability and quality of our academic plan.

Each of these priorities is discussed in depth in a white paper entitled “A Renewed Spirit of Academic Excellence:  Six Strategic Priorities for Academic Transformation.” I invite your close reading of it, and I look forward to your response.

The Deans’ Council also welcomes your feedback, specifically on a series of next steps derived from the six priorities.  These commitments, metrics and methods are posted online at http://www1.kent.edu/Administration/provost/Initiatives-and-Announcements.cfm, along with an interactive feature for recording your input.  Your thoughts are important as we prepare for discussion in each college on these priorities.  The period for comments will close on November 24.

In addition to the announcement of our new strategic priorities for Academic Affairs, a number of critical initiatives across the division have been taking place.

College of Public Health

Work in the College of Public Health is steadily progressing. I am pleased to share that the Ohio Board of Regents has approved our proposal for a Bachelor of Science degree in public health. This degree will equip entry-level practitioners with the skills and knowledge demanded by today’s public health agencies.

In addition, the EPC and the Faculty Senate have approved proposals for the Master of Public Health and the Ph.D. in public health. The next step for these proposals is presentation to the Board of Trustees. The Board will vote on the resolutions for the two degree programs at their November 17 meeting. We anticipate forwarding the full proposal to the Board of Regents after we receive approval from the Board of Trustees.

Regional College

Another important agenda item going before the Board of Trustees on November 17 is the establishment of a Regional College. The proposed college will serve as the administrative home for programs and associated curricular issues unique to the Regional Campuses.

In addition to enabling us to move forward with the statewide priority of providing bachelor’s degrees on Regional Campuses, a Regional College will provide many other important opportunities, including:

• Accelerating the transformation of our Regional Campuses
• Establishing a seamless, integrated, university-wide system for curriculum
• Providing Regional Campuses greater autonomy in establishing degrees unique to the Regional Campus system, and
• Enabling the campuses to better meet the needs of the students and the local communities that they serve.

Our regional footprint is one of our greatest assets. Now is the time to move our strategic agenda forward and enable the Regional Campuses to reach their full potential by serving their local communities in developing an educated and enlightened workforce.

Interdisciplinary Collaboration – Medieval Drama Boot Camp

North America’s oldest and most prestigious dramatic society: the University of Toronto’s Poculi Ludique Societas (Cup and Game Society) will stage a newly edited version of the complete Chester Cycle of processional plays as it was performed in the city of Chester, England until 1575. Kent State University has been invited to contribute one of the 24 plays that comprise the cycle. Honors faculty members Don-John Dugas from the Department of English and Chuck Richie from the Department of Theatre have agreed to mount one of the most demanding: The Raising of Lazarus; Jesus at the Home of Simon the Leper; The Entry into Jerusalem/Judas’ Plot.

In a fine example of linked courses, Professors Dugas and Richie will team-teach two consecutive, linked Honors classes over the 2009-2010 academic year. Twenty-eight Honors students and students from a wide variety of majors have been selected to participate in this extraordinary, once-in-a-lifetime experience. The year-long class includes traditional coursework in medieval English language, drama and theatre history, acting, voice and movement training and rehearsals as well as the design and construction of the costumes, set and props for the performance. This is truly an innovative interdisciplinary collaboration.

Kent Core

In September, the University Requirements Curriculum Committee and the Educational Policies Council approved the proposal to establish the Kent Core Requirements for Undergraduate Education. After the input of more than 200 faculty members throughout the proposal development process, and the approval by the URCC and EPC, it is my hope that the Faculty Senate will approve the model and allow our students the opportunity to earn their undergraduate degrees with greater ease.

The Kent Core is a vital and central component to achieving that priority. Let me note that we have not undertaken a complete overhaul of the LERs since the internet was in its infancy. Given both national and international trends, to remain competitive, it is essential that we complete the important task of general education reform.

The easily navigable Kent Core will:

• Align LERs with the faculty generated 21^st Century Philosophy Statement, which was approved at all levels of shared governance
• Build on examples of excellence in LER courses across disciplines and campuses
• Address weaknesses of LERs identified in the 2007 URCC review
• Create a campus-wide emphasis on learning outcomes, and
• Enable us to assess learning outcomes of the program as a whole.

By ensuring all Kent Core courses can be aligned to any major, we will, at the very least, have reduced the major navigability problem for our students.

The probability of LERs not transferring between majors is as high as 50% in our social science courses. In math and the humanities, the probability ranges between 33 and 38%. Consider those percentages with the fact that over half of our students change majors throughout their academic career, with 35% of them changing colleges in the process.

The Kent Core model will enable us to take the first step towards improving the pathways to graduation for our students. It is a big step on the way to allowing students to complete their degrees in four years without having to take additional LERs every time they change majors or degree focus.

Fund Balances

In addition to our many successes over the past year, it is ironic that we now are feeling the brunt of last year’s market failures. Across the nation, higher education institutions have been bracing for the continuing effects of significant portfolio losses. Earlier this fall, we saw Harvard and Yale report significant portfolio losses of 27.3% and 24.6%, respectively.

Although Kent State has also experienced a significant portfolio decline, the losses are not as great as some institutions have faced. In a recent letter to unit leaders, Vice President Gregg Floyd stressed the fact that Kent State’s investment portfolio is comprised of all fund balance resources across the university including the Regional Campuses and true auxiliaries like Residence Services, as well as the divisions and colleges on the Kent Campus. As such, the losses must be proportionately distributed among all fund balances.

After a year of such great success, it can be disheartening to see the results of last year’s market decline across all units. We must now account for some of the losses we experienced. Waiting for further improvement is not an option. However, I would stress we are fortunate that because of the recent market recovery, the $100 million portfolio loss of last fall has improved to approximately $62 million. The university remains optimistic that further recovery will be experienced in the current fiscal year, so the write-down in each respective fund balances of 21.8% reflects only one-half of the loss.

Coordinated Hiring Initiative

I am pleased to end my newsletter by noting the success of the first iteration of the Coordinated Research Hiring Initiative. As you will recall, the Coordinated Hiring Initiative is designed to enhance research and extramural funding through the investment in multiple faculty hires in a specific thematic or academic area.

Nine full proposals were received, all of which were very strong. Through a difficult process, three finalists were chosen, and ultimately, the proposal from the Departments of Psychology and Biological Sciences was selected for funding.

The coordinated research hires for the Department of Psychology and Department of Biological Sciences will consist of six new tenure-track faculty members to work in the field of mental and physical health consequences of trauma and adversity. Psychology hires will focus on the areas of behavioral neuroscience, adult psychopathology and child clinical or pediatric psychology. Biological Sciences hires will focus on the areas of neurological/mental health disorders, developmental processes and molecular bases of health and disease. All positions will begin August 2010.

This is an extraordinary opportunity for developing new collaborations and new approaches to the study of trauma and health.

In closing, as Thanksgiving draws near, I wish you and yours a safe and happy holiday season and look forward to working with you over the remainder of the year.

With warmest regards,

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

For over 20 months, Academic Affairs has evaluated and re-evaluated the core elements of delivering a world-class education at Kent State University. Stemming from our evaluations, we have set our standards for attainment high – from increasing our retention rates to doubling research dollars, we have committed ourselves to success in the short and long-term. Short term goals are critical to the success of the university. Achieving short-term goals strengthens the platform upon which we create our own destiny as an institution. Long-term goals will enable us to look forward – beyond our current budget challenges and into a successful future for our growing university while building upon our current successes.

During the last year, we have faced significant challenges. Most recently, the announcement that the state’s newly enacted biennial budget cuts the Ohio College Opportunity Grant (OCOG) by $224 million statewide, affecting 7,000 Kent State students; compounded with the cut to the State Share of Instruction (SSI) funding is disheartening. These losses will not be offest with the 3.5 percent tuition increase. The budget challenges we have faced, and will continue to face, challenge our ability to move forward with all of our initiatives. But across our campuses, we have the ability to build upon our short-term successes, define the future goals of our university and continue to move into the 21st century with our forward thinking academic planning process.

The 21st Century Graduate Project defined the undergraduate vision at KSU. And in many ways, the 21st Century Graduate Project served as an impetus to drive our forward-thinking planning and implementation processes. The project gave us opportunities to evaluate our current methods and the impact of budget reductions while exploring new avenues for the support of student success. I congratulate and thank each and every participant in the process. We have completed a philosophy statement upon which to build a Kent State education. Destination Kent is in full swing, having welcomed new students to the university throughout the summer and culminating in a revised Week of Welcome prior to the start of the fall semester. In addition, guiding principles for the new Kent Core have been created. Soon, we will update the old LERs to create the Kent Core focusing on learning outcomes. And the Kent State undergraduate curriculum is under review.

It is critical that we continue to provide the support necessary to keep every student on the path to graduation. Current fall enrollment numbers show the diligence of faculty, staff and administrators across the university. We are soundly surpassing the 75 percent goal for Kent Campus retention and are steadily improving upon Regional Campus retention rates. In fact, as of July 27, Kent Campus retention reached 78.6 percent and Regional Campus retention reached 53 percent.

Further success is evident in a number of impactful areas. Summer enrollment jumped this year more than 18 percent across the university system. Extramural funding for research, instruction and public service for FY 2009 has surpassed the FY 2008 level by 43 percent. In just one year, research funding rose from $18.4 million to $31.8 million. Over the next year, we will continue to work on critical initiatives, including public health implementation and a revised and strengthened Regional Campus system.

Our short term successes are meaningful across the Kent State system. But their impact will have greater measure as we define our long-term goals. As part of our academic planning process, we must make tough decisions about defining our core strengths while focusing on providing an overall quality education to our students. We must define what we intend to achieve as an institution and where our greatest impact will be. While these important discussions await us, let me say again thank you and congratulations. Faculty and staff across our campuses have demonstrated Excellence in Action with notable achievements throughout the last year.

With warmest regards,

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

The end of the spring semester gives us ample opportunities to recognize the achievements made by faculty, staff and students throughout the year. We do so in many ways, including awards receptions and dinners and news articles, to name just a few. Another avenue of recognition is Points of Pride, notable achievements by units and members of the university community. You can read about the many Kent State Points of Pride at http://www.kent.edu/SuccessStories/Pride/index.cfm. As you will note, there are simply more examples of Excellence in Action at Kent State than can be mentioned here. Just this past semester, we have witnessed the achievements of:

• Rosemarie K. Bank of the School of Theatre and Dance, who was inducted as a fellow of the Fellow of the College of Fellows of the American Theatre at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
• Drs. John Dunlosky and Katherine Rawson, who are part of a multi-university collaborative team studying principles of learning and memory from cognitive psychology to enhance educational practice, supported by a James M. McDonnell Foundation 21^st Century Science Initiative in Bridging Brain, Mind and Behavior Collaborative Award
• Trumbull Campus Business Management and College of Business students, who have been applying the business fundamentals they have learned by conducting K-8 classroom instruction on financial management, entrepreneurship and other skills necessary to succeed in the business world in partnership with Junior Achievement of Mahoning Valley, Trumbull and Mahoning County Schools and the Trumbull Campus Business Management program
• Sara Gonzalez, a Trumbull Campus student studying psychology and justice studies, who earned first place in the American Criminal Justice Association’s national student writing competition
• And the Hospitality and Tourism Management program, for offering the only Master’s Degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management in Ohio beginning in Fall 2009.

Every semester, I see hundreds of examples of the outstanding successes of members of our Kent State community. I look forward to the many successes yet to come.

Destination Kent State Update

Many examples of Excellence in Action will come from the incoming Fall 2009 Freshman Class. Our next freshman class will be the first to experience the three Destination Kent State (DKS) programs. All three are moving steadily forward in preparation for their summer launch:

• The six-week Advising and Registration program begins on June 1. During the program, students will register for fall classes, learn about their college and other university services and meet fellow students in a 1½ day overnight program.
• Welcome Weekend plans are being finalized. From August 27-30, students will experience a newly designed Freshman Convocation Ceremony and numerous other planned activities that will launch the Fall semester at Kent State.
• Finally, faculty and staff across all colleges have been redesigning the First Year Experience course for new freshmen, working in collaboration with Dr. Jeffrey Pellegrino from the fpdc. To optimize connections with new students, faculty and staff developed the course according to three university learning outcomes and incorporated college-specific information to encourage student success from their first year through graduation.

Joanna Liedel, Associate Director of the Student Success Unit (SSU); Eboni Pringle, Director, SSU; and Debbie Barber, Executive Director of SSU and GPS, have been designing and developing all three programs to support the Excellence in Action agenda and to promote greater student success. These programs have an extensive reach and impact faculty and staff in all colleges and in many service and support areas. While it is not possible to individually name all the faculty and staff members who are involved, I want to thank and recognize the efforts of everyone who helped prepare DKS for our next class of students.

LER Reform Update

When the 21^st Century LER core committee first began meeting, it was with three specific goals in mind: to enhance the quality of the LER program, to improve the educational experience of undergraduate students by increasing their level of engagement in learning and to reduce the complexity of the LER requirements in order to help students navigate the system more easily.

After five months of intense work, the committee has created a set of guiding principles for the new “Kent Core” (LER’s in our old language). The Kent Core is premised on a learner-centered approach to education that focuses on the programmatic learning outcomes of knowledge, responsibility, insight and engagement (KRIE). In addition to fulfilling Transfer Module Requirements, the model includes a diversity requirement, capstone requirements and an applied literacy requirement.

Reports on the Kent Core have been submitted to EPC. Faculty Senate will receive reports in July and September of this year. Development of the Kent Core and LER reform is a critical step in the future of Kent State University. Our faculty workgroup, a diverse group of 14 faculty, considered each aspect of the challenge – fully realizing that to move forward, compromises must be made by all parties.

I am pleased with the progress made and I want to thank these individuals for their efforts. We look forward to the implementation of these critical courses for our students.

As evidenced by the many achievements across our campuses and the dedicated involvement of faculty and staff in critical Academic Affairs initiatives, we are reaching the goals set forth in the Excellence in Action agenda. I look forward to the progress we will make over the coming months. But as the semester comes to a close, I wish you an enjoyable and productive summer.

With warmest regards,

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

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

Happy New Year! I hope that you have enjoyed the holidays, and are now enjoying the start of a new semester. The weeks between the fall and spring semesters are cold and quiet across our campuses, and I’m sure you will agree that our students’ return brings a welcome flurry of activity (and hopefully a bit of warmer weather).

Provost’s Office Update

Over the last few months, many changes have occurred in the Provost’s Office. Allow me to summarize the changes that will enable Academic Affairs to continue to improve our efficiency and effectiveness:

Senior Associate Provost
Dr. Timothy Chandler has accepted the position of senior associate provost, effective January 15. Dr. Chandler’s office is located in the Provost’s Suite of the Executive Offices, Kent Campus Library.

Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs
Ms. Sue Averill joined the Provost’s Office in December as associate provost for faculty affairs. She previously served as executive director of the AAUP-Kent State Chapter and instructor in the Department of Justice Studies. She returns to Kent State after serving three years at Cleveland State University as assistant university legal counsel.

Associate Provost for Quality Initiatives and Curriculum
Dr. Stephane Booth has assumed oversight of curriculum services, a duty held previously by Dr. Gayle Ormiston.

Special Projects
Ms. Terri Christensen has fully transitioned into her new role as assistant to the provost for special projects.

Institutional Research and Student Success
Ms. Deborah Barber has been appointed interim executive director, degree planning and student success, reporting to Dr. Sally Kandel, associate vice president for institutional research and student success. Ms. Eboni Pringle has been appointed interim director, student success, reporting to Ms. Barber.

College of the Arts
Dr. John Crawford has been appointed interim dean of the College of the Arts. A search committee is being formed to begin a national search for the position of dean.

College of Communication and Information
Professor Jeff Fruit has been appointed interim dean of the College of Communication and Information. The search committee, chaired by Dean Dan Mahony, has begun a national search to fill the position of dean.

Research and Graduate Studies
Dr. Satyendra Kumar, professor of physics, has been appointed interim associate vice president for research. Dr. Sonia Alemagno has been appointed interim associate dean for graduate studies.

Office of the University Registrar
The University Registrar, including the Transfer Center, has moved from Enrollment Management and Student Affairs to Academic Affairs.

21^st Century Graduate Project Update

The 21^st Century Graduate Project continues to move forward, as planned. The LER and Curriculum Workgroups have been meeting since the beginning of the Fall semester. Both groups are ready to report to the university community for feedback. The LER Workgroup has scheduled a series of town hall meetings:

Friday, January 23
9:30 – 11:00 a.m.
KSC Room 204

Tuesday, January 27
1:30 – 3:00 p.m.
KSC Room 204

Friday, January 30
1:30 – 3:00 p.m.
KIVA

The final LER Workgroup meeting on the 30^th will be broadcast to all campuses. Please take the opportunity to attend one of the meetings and provide your feedback on this critical Element of Excellence. In addition to the meetings, you can visit http://lercore.kent.edu for a full report by the LER committee and an opportunity to provide your input.

The Curriculum Workgroup will announce their plans for presentations to the university in the near future.

Challenges We Face

The hiring of new faculty plays a vital role in advancing our excellence agenda. The influx of new research, scholarship and teaching methods that come with new faculty helps us execute the strategies that further Kent State’s success. Currently, Kent State’s University Policy Register limits our ability to attract mid-career faculty who have established their research and scholarship. We need these individuals with a proven record of success to jump-start our research agenda.

We can attract highly qualified potential candidates to the university by appointment at a higher rank. However, I believe our current policy limits our ability to entice these high performers because we cannot immediately award tenure if we are promoting the new faculty member to professor. Under our current policy, a faculty member promoted by appointment from a lower rank at their prior institution to professor at Kent State must still complete a probationary period before being eligible for tenure. I believe highly qualified individuals who have secured the support of faculty in their departments and college should be eligible for appointment at the rank of professor with tenure without a probationary period.

Our University Policy Register is the foundation upon which we make decisions for the good of the university. When a policy limits our potential for future success, we should consider moving beyond the way things have always been done and examine new strategies for conducting university business. The Professional Standards Committee of the Faculty Senate is currently discussing changes in the university’s appointment policy, which would play an important role in furthering our excellence agenda. In addition, we have asked the Professional Standards Committee to consider a more current description for excellence in research, teaching and scholarship.

Academic Quality

In a recent announcement, President Lefton charged the university to continue to strive toward achieving our excellence agenda. The need for our perseverance is especially great in light of our current economic challenges. Our students, our region and our state are relying upon our ability to excel – and clearly meet the higher education needs in the State of Ohio. This is not a time to wait out the storm. It is a time to pursue and engage in the creative and forward-thinking initiatives that will continue to increase the quality of a Kent State degree.

An increased ability to move quickly and nimbly to harvest critical opportunities that will support our excellence agenda is imperative:

· We must continue to move quickly and decisively on plans to expand our efforts to retain students and keep them on the path to graduation in a timely manner. Continued support of Student Success initiatives and the 21^st Century Graduate Project is vital.

· We must continue to increase our research opportunities and more than double our level of external funding.

· We must be willing to explore new ideas and practices in and out of the classroom to meet the demands of our graduates.

· We must deliver more non-traditional programs: we must serve Northeast Ohio and the State of Ohio. One prominent example is the proposed College of Public Health.

· We must, even more diligently, find and refine the resources that help each and every student succeed.

Our nation is facing a difficult and arduous year. President Lefton has sent several messages describing the complexity of the state budget and the implications of the budget for the university. The fluidity of the financial crisis and the Congressional stimulus package leave a wide range of fiscal conditions to which we will need to respond. To address these various conditions, I have asked the deans to prepare plans for moderate and severe decreases in state support. The state has already reduced our current budget $1.25 million. We know further cuts in state support are likely, but the actual amount is unclear. Our planning will help prepare our responses when Governor Strickland clarifies the budget for state universities. We will keep you informed of information we receive on the budget.

There is no doubt that we must seek innovative strategies to achieve our goals at Kent State. I look forward to working with you over the coming semester and year. Together, I believe that we can excel as a university despite the challenges we face.

With Warmest Regards,

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

There is no doubt in my mind that this has been a “semester in the trenches.” From cost-cutting actions to the progression of many new projects, Kent State faculty, administrators and staff have been working diligently to further several new and ongoing initiatives. As we begin the last week of classes, this is an ideal time to take stock in the progress that Academic Affairs has made in the last several months.

Mid-Term Grades

The University’s success lies within the success of our students. Faculty and staff across the university have stepped up to the plate, devoting extra time and effort to ensure the success of our freshman class. And I am pleased to inform you that the increased focus on incoming freshmen is paying off. The midterm GPA of first-time freshmen at the Kent Campus have improved significantly over previous years. In fact, the number of freshmen with a mid-term GPA of less than 2.0 dropped nearly 5% this semester to 31.7%, its lowest level since 2005. That’s the second lowest percent in 10 years. I extend my sincere gratitude for your commitment to student success, now and for years to come.

Use of Student Response and Poling Systems in Learning

As we work to serve learning and learners more effectively and efficiently, our faculty colleagues contribute in a variety of ways. For several years, individual faculty have engaged students with electronic polling devices, often called “clickers.” From this experience and recent changes in technology, the university is moving ahead to standardize a student response and poling system to provide our students with various tools to use in class at a lower overall cost and to participate in several courses that utilize the same technology. Additionally, faculty will have a tool that is simple, can be used on the fly or mined over time for research on student performance in your classes.

Over the last several years, clickers have gained popularity on campuses for uses ranging from “just in time” learning and other formative assessments of learning to developing contextual small group discussions. Administratively, clickers allow simple measurement of classroom attendance in large lecture halls and individual follow-up outside of class time.

During the 2005-2006 academic year, a faculty pilot study at Kent State recommended the adoption of a wireless classroom response system (CRS) using wireless connectively for classroom enhancement. Since the original study in 2006, significant advances in technology have provided new opportunities for engagement, while making some previous technological considerations obsolete. Critically, before moving forward on the original recommendations, it has been necessary to re-examine the pedagogical needs of faculty in relation to the use of the “clicker” technology. (You can access pedagogical research on the clicker technology on the fpdc website at http://fpdc.kent.edu/resources/a_stories/clickers.html.)

A process designed and facilitated by the fpdc was adopted to address the issues above:

· Current and potential users were invited to campus conversations throughout the month of October to communicate ideas and issues of classroom response systems directly from the Provost, deans and unit heads
· Three leading vendors were invited to campus for a presentation with the original pilot study members (and users of the technology), Information Services and the fpdc
· Recommendations were presented to the University Teaching Council for vetting
· A vetted recommendation was presented to me.

The recommendation was to standardize the use of TurningTechnologies XR and ResponseWare Web at Kent State, a recommendation I fully support. In the coming months, the fpdc and Information Services will communicate an implementation plan for the use of the clickers, so that faculty may begin using this technology as early as Spring 2009.

Regional Campus Think Tank

In my October update, I stressed the importance of a “Regional Campus – Kent Campus System” that strengthens Regional Campus autonomy, enables Regional Campuses to offer more baccalaureate degrees, and better uses Regional Campus resources and integrates faculty and programs throughout the Kent State University system. A successful and thriving Regional Campus system is vital to the success of Kent State University.

The Regional Campus Think Tank developed recommendations to begin a university-wide conversation on the subject. The first two town hall meetings to discuss the recommendations have taken place. The third and final meeting will take place this Friday, Dec. 5, from 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. in the Kent Campus Kiva. It will be telecast to all Regional Campuses. If you have not already done so, I encourage you to read the proposal and provide your input on Friday. You can find the proposal online at http://cms.kent.edu/Administration/provost/Initiatives-and-Announcements.cfm.

Public Health Efforts

The University System of Ohio’s strategic plan asks universities to leverage existing areas of excellence in accordance with the vision for higher education in the State of Ohio. Concurrently, in his State of the University Address, President Lefton set forth a nine-point roadmap for the future of Kent State which establishes a new College of Public Health to provide Ohio with a second College of Public Health. (Read more about the nine-point roadmap at http://www.kent.edu/Administration/President/Speeches/upload/State08THURS.pdf )

Public health is a multi-disciplinary field, and public health programs serve as a catalyst for research among numerous disciplines. By creating a College of Public Health, Kent State University has an opportunity to facilitate a unique regional strength in health services while building upon the considerable expertise of Kent State faculty in public health issues.

The intensive efforts to bring forth a proposal for a new college have been progressing steadily over the past several months. I am pleased to inform you that the proposal for a College of Public Health at Kent State was approved by Faculty Senate on Nov. 10. The next step is the presentation of the proposal to the Board of Trustees. We are hard at work on the materials for the curriculum. I look forward to keeping you apprised of the progress of this vital initiative in the coming weeks and months.

Banner Associated Projects

Your support of the continued Banner transition over the last several months has been critical to increased productivity post-conversion, and has resulted in some real progress to support Academic Affairs. Some of the many accomplishments that have been achieved include:

· Creation of an automated contact to students who withdraw during weeks 3-10 of the semester, with a weekly report provided to college office contacts
· Enhancement of the on-line admissions application
· Addition of meaningful course comments to transcripts
· Addition of a First-Year tab to Flashline for the dissemination of first-year student information
· Upgrade of the DARWIN System in preparation for the launch of the graduation planning system (GPS)
· Creation of a channel in the Flashline Faculty Tab for the verification of the posting of mid-term and final grades.

These are just a few of the improvements and enhancements that have been made over the last several months. Thank you for your continued support and expertise as we move forward on Banner related initiatives.

I look forward to seeing many of you on Dec. 11 and 13^th at Kent State’s 231^st commencement ceremonies, as we celebrate the accomplishments of Kent State’s newest graduates.

With Warmest Regards,

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

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

Welcome back to another outstanding year at Kent State! I hope that you took the opportunity to relax and recharge over the summer months. These first few weeks will undoubtedly be busy.

The summer months have been very productive at the university. Here are some of the activities and projects that have been occurring.

Tiger Team

The July 21 e-Inside touched on an exciting project currently underway to enhance academic support functions. Academic support functions are all the services which touch and interact with students as they navigate the university – for example, academic advising, registration, orientation, the bursar, first-year experience and career planning.

The Tiger Team, a full-time team of experienced members of the university community, representing a broad cross-section of academic support, has spent the summer collecting information across the university to uncover every aspect of how students are presently served. They are charged with determining the challenges and issues concerning each academic support function and developing a plan for supporting, enhancing, and revising current strategies by year’s end.

If you are contacted by the team during the fall semester, I encourage you to support this very important initiative. The work we do now to support our students will greatly enhance student experience and student retention at Kent State for years to come.

Graduate Studies News

It has been a busy and productive summer for Graduate Studies. During the Spring semester, the unit previously known as Research and Graduate Studies underwent a transition reflective of the maturation of both into stand-alone, self-sufficient units. The transition will allow for a more directed and independent response to both research and graduate studies initiatives. A continued collaboration and close working relationship will continue between the two units, as their relationship is intrinsically interdependent.

On another note, graduate students will no longer need to worry if they are contacting the correct office when applying for graduate school. Beginning at the end of the year, on-line application will list one central office as a point of contact, thus eliminating current confusion in the application process.

21^st Century Graduate Update

The 21^st Century Graduate Project, under the direction of Associate Provost Stephane Booth, is moving forward as planned.

At the Town Hall Meeting held at the end of the Spring semester, we received vital feedback on the 21^st Century Philosophy Statement. The feedback has resulted in a revised philosophy statement that incorporates the comments and feedback from the meeting. The new draft statements have been distributed for review to deans, chairs and directors and the EPC for input prior to the next Town Hall Meetings, to be held:

· Sept. 2 at 4 p.m. in KSC 204
· Sept. 5 at 11 a.m. in KSC 310

I invite and encourage you to attend one of these meetings. For more information on them, you can contact Stephanie Dowler at x28525.

The First-Year Experience committee has completed its discussions. They have resulted in a good deal of innovative ideas and plans that will be beneficial to student success. The Office of Student Success is taking the feedback it has received from the discussions and is implementing new First-Year Experience strategies that will be complete for the Fall 2009 Freshman Class.

Moving forward, the Liberal Education Requirement and Curriculum committees will be named in mid-September. Discussions on the last two Elements of Excellence will begin in mid-October, with committee reports due for open discussions in February.

Responsibility Center Management

As you will recall, the RCM model will provide for a decentralized approach to budgeting at the university and assign greater control over resource allocation decisions, in most cases, to deans. The decentralized nature of the model provides leaders with more control of financial resources and leads to a more informed decision making process for the university.

During the Spring semester, the Faculty Senate Budget Advisory Committee (FaSBAC) was convened to work in conjunction with the Academic Affairs RCM Committee on planning for the new university budget model. The budget model will be implemented on July 1, 2009.

You can find out more about the Responsibility Center Management budget planning process at http://www.kent.edu/Administration/business_finance/RCM/Index.cfm.

Interim Coverage for the Associate Provost for Academic Affairs and Curriculum

Associate Provost Gayle Ormiston’s departure to serve as senior vice president for academic affairs and provost at Marshall University this month has left many roles to be filled. A search is currently underway to fill the position of Associate Provost for Academic Affairs and Curriculum. In the meantime, a core group of individuals will handle the duties of the position:

· Academic Personnel: Laura Davis, Associate Provost
· Curriculum: Therese Tillet, Director, Curriculum Services
· Grievances: David Ochman, Associate University Counsel
· Promotion and Tenure: Stephane Booth, Associate Provost

Please feel free to contact these individuals when you have a question or concern.

Upcoming Events

Mark your calendars for the following upcoming events:

21^st Century Graduate Town Hall Meetings on the 21st Century Graduate Philosophy Statement
· Sept. 2, 4 p.m.; KSC 204
· Sept. 5, 11 a.m.; KSC 310
Parent’s Day – Sept. 13
Faculty Club hosted by the College of Nursing
· Sept. 15, 4 – 6 p.m.; Crossings at Golden Pond
Doctoral Students’ Academic Commitment Ceremony
· Sept. 24, 4 p.m.; Cartwright Hall Auditorium
State of the University Address
· Sept. 25, 4 p.m.; Kiva

On August 22, we had the opportunity to welcome new freshmen to Kent State at the annual University Convocation. Seeing the excitement on their faces reminded me of how each academic year is a new start, with new opportunities for academic and personal discoveries and successes. In that spirit, I wish you the best on the start of the 2008-2009 academic year.

Sincerely,

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