Faculty/Staff News Now: Trumbull Earns Regional Chamber Award; College of Arts on Voice of America News; Hagan Whiteleather Prof in Honors College; Tyler Hostetler Pursues New Passion; Talk On Combats Mental Illness; IMPACT Solutions; Financial Webinar

Chamber, Valley's Higher Education Institutions Announce Collaboration to Promote Internship Opportunities

By Kim Calvert, VP of Marketing and Member Services
Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber

The Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber, in partnership with Eastern Gateway Community College, Kent State University at Trumbull and Youngstown State University, held a press conference this morning to announce a unique collaboration to promote and further enhance internship opportunities at the non-profit business organization.

Having moved to a new, larger office at 100 E. Federal Street last summer, the Chamber team identified three semi-private offices that they wished to dedicate as permanent internship space.

Read the full story.


Kent State University Thai Ensemble Continues Making Music Through COVID-19

Kent State University's Thai Ensemble, one of only three in the United States academic system, has continued to learn and practice Thai classical music through the COVID-19 pandemic. Housed in Kent State's Glauser School of Music and led by Assistant Professor Priwan Nanongkham, Ph.D., the ensemble was recently featured in a piece by VOA (Voice of America) News, which serves an estimated 280 million people weekly. Read the full story.


Kent State Grad Turned Honors Colloquium Professor

Hagan Whiteleather, a Kent State University graduate, is in her second year with the Kent State Honors College as a Freshman Honors Colloquium professor. 

Whiteleather graduated in 2015 from Kent State University with a Bachelor of Arts in both English and Psychology as well as minors in writing and teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL). She followed her undergraduate work by earning her Masters of Fine Arts in 2019 in Creative Writing and Environment at Iowa State University. Read the full story.


Geauga Alum Takes Pragmatic Approach to Pursue New Passion

College students often face a daunting academic crossroad; to either pursue their passion or settle for a practical career. Few young adults recognize a third option beyond this dichotomy. Tyler Hostetler, MSN, AGACNP-BC is one Kent State University at Geauga alum who discovered an untapped passion while on a practical path.

“Kent State wasn’t actually my first undergraduate experience,” Hostetler explains. “After high school, I received an associate degree in recording arts to pursue my passion for music. After graduating, I returned home and reevaluated my career goals, but couldn’t decide what route I wanted to go on, until my brother-in-law mentioned the nursing profession.” Read the full story.


Talk On Takes On Stigma of Mental Illness

Talk On is a mental health awareness campaign for the Kent State community provided by the Student Mental Health Coalition in the Kent State University, College of Public Health, Center for Public Policy and Health, Division of Mental Health and Substance Use.
   
This campaign is aimed at reducing mental illness stigma by encouraging Kent State students, faculty and staff to share their personal experiences with mental health. It also encourages students, faculty, and staff to offer messages of support to those who may be experiencing a mental illness. Talk On accepts these mental health experiences or messages as submissions and then publishes them on virtual platforms.

You can participate in Talk On in one of two different ways:

  1. Show your support as a mental health ally, someone who supports the mental health of others. Those who choose this option are asked to write a one or two sentence message of support to those who may be experiencing a mental illness or struggling with mental health. 
  2. Submit your personal experience with mental health through forms of art, such as stories, song lyrics, poetry, drawings, paintings, sculptures, videos, audios, photos, etc.

There are many reasons to participate in Talk On as it may give you a way to express your feelings, encourage others to seek help for mental health, or show others they are not alone in mental illness. You can choose to remain anonymous in your participation in Talk On. By sharing our experiences and showing our support, we can stop the stigma of mental illness.

For more information about Talk On, visit the Talk On website.


Reminder: Great Colleges To Work For Survey Closes Soon

As a reminder, an invitation to take the "Great Colleges to Work For" survey has been distributed to a random selection of our employees. If you received an invitation but haven’t completed the survey, please take a moment to do so. The deadline to complete the survey is April 2.

Whether or not our institution is recognized, we can learn from the feedback and make improvements for our future. Everyone’s participation is encouraged and appreciated. A high response rate helps ensure an accurate representation of our community.

For more information, contact Dr. Susan Perry, Assistant Provost for Accreditation, Assessment and Learning, at assessment@kent.edu.


Webinar: Take a Tour of the New and Improved Impact Solutions 

Tuesday, April 27, from noon - 1 p.m. 

Impact Solutions, Kent State's Employee Assistance & Work/Life Program (EAP), has joined the AllOneHealth network to provide an even wider array of resources and services to KSU employees and their families. Come take a virtual tour with our Impact account manager, Alan Gecht, MA, LPCC, to learn more about some of Impact's newest features, including the MyLifeExpert member portal, TESS-an artificial intelligence chatbot, Telemental health services and more. Many attendees of this webinar believe it should be required for all employees. So, come take a tour and learn what's new with your Impact Solutions EAP. 

This webinar is ideal for all full- and part-time faculty and staff. For full-time, benefits-eligible employees participating in the wellness rewards program, this session is worth 10 points toward your Tier 2 total. Click here to register.  

For questions regarding wellness offerings for faculty and staff, please contact Employee Wellness at wellness@kent.edu or 330-672-0392.  


Financial Wellness Webinar: The Savvy Spender 

Thursday, April 29, from noon - 1 p.m. 

This session is designed to help attendees uncover habits, attitudes and myths to help gain control over their finances and money choices. Join presenters DJ Enga and Megan Cooper as they discuss how to master the basic skills that will support your ability to follow a budget and focus on the impact of keeping a spending plan.  

This webinar is open to all full- and part-time faculty and staff. For full-time, benefits-eligible employees participating in the wellness rewards program, this session is worth 10 points toward your Tier 2 total. Click here to register.  

For questions regarding wellness offerings for faculty and staff, please contact Employee Wellness at wellness@kent.edu or 330-672-0392. 

POSTED: Monday, March 29, 2021 07:19 AM
Updated: Monday, March 29, 2021 07:57 AM