“It’s the best of both worlds; not a step-down!” Busting the myth that a regional campus college experience must be second-rate, Dominic Selvaggio has nothing but glowing praise for his experience at Kent State University Regional Academic Center in Twinsburg.
Dominic was originally planning to attend Ohio State University after high school graduation, but he was hesitant about leaving home and relocating to a giant campus in Columbus. A lifetime Twinsburg resident, he was comforted to discover that Kent State has a regional campus location in his hometown. He figured the Regional Academic Center would be a great place to start.
But three years later and now a junior, Dominic wouldn’t dream of going elsewhere for an excellent college education. “It’s got it all!” he says. “To start, it’s inexpensive with such a nice and welcoming community. Beyond that, I’ve been surprised at how professional yet helpful the faculty has been. They treat me less as a number and more like a human being, which is not always the case on a big campus.”
Dominic is pursuing a double major in business management and computer information systems (CIS), taking six classes this semester; some at the Regional Academic Center and others at the Kent campus. Now that he has experienced both worlds, he recognizes, “It’s a totally different atmosphere in Kent. If I could, I would take all my classes at the Regional Academic Center!”
Dominic added his second major in CIS during this junior year, which can feel overwhelming due to the punishing workload. Regardless, he is proud to be a dual major who can bridge the gap commonly found between business managers and information technology (IT) professionals.
“I’m drawn to managing business groups and projects, but I also love the IT side of the equation. I can build a computer with my eyes closed; I speak seven computer programming languages, and yet I am an entrepreneur at heart,” he says. “My dream job is to help others and advance technology as much as possible.”
As Dominic works toward his dual-major bachelor’s degree, these are steps along his journey toward a master’s degree from Kent State University, which merges business and computer information systems into one program.
Despite his excitement about the worlds of business and technology, Dominic says that his sociology class has made the greatest impact on him, thanks to adjunct professor Les Giesler. “My sociology professor has changed my life!” Dominic attests. “He has helped me to look at the world in a different way. He has influenced me to be less fatalistic and more humanistic.”
Dominic’s experience at the Regional Academic Center illustrates the goals of a liberal arts college education: to engender a love of learning in students, teaching them vital life concepts, such as the meaning and value of work, cognitive and relational skills, and human values. While technical instruction equips students for a specific career, a liberal arts education acknowledges that students are primarily human persons; secondarily skilled workers. As Dominic put it, students are “less numbers; more human beings.”
With that in mind, Dominic has some advice for prospective college students: “If you’re looking for a great education with instructors who actually care about you, you should go to the Kent State Regional Academic Center!”