WKSU Resumes Grant-Funded Collaborative Reporting Projects
Kent State University’s public radio station, WKSU, has partnered with The Cleveland Plain Dealer and Spectrum News 1 on two separate collaborative reporting projects. One project will focus on eviction and tenant rights, and the other will address the issue of infant mortality.
The goal of this work is to provide basic needs information to people within the Akron and Cleveland communities. The news organization partners have been working with several community service organizations and with citizens to gather information about the needs of people facing eviction or at-risk for infant mortality.
The collaborative projects are among nine the Akron Community Foundation, The Center for Community Solutions, the Cleveland Foundation, The George Gund Foundation and the Knight Foundation have chosen to support. More than $110,000 in grants is being provided to help encourage collaborative journalism around issues in the Northeast Ohio community.
Stories from this collaboration began being published in January, though the projects were paused in March to cover the emerging health crisis. The projects resumed this month and now include the impacts of the pandemic as well as the racial justice movement on these issues.
Stories from this collaboration will be available on WKSU.org/informedcommunities.
Joan Lannoch Retires After 40 Years of Service
By Madalynne Stanic
Kent State University College of Podiatric Medicine (CPM) is delighted and disheartened to announce the retirement of Joan “Joani” Lannoch, senior graphic designer.
Joan found the Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine (OCPM, the former name of CPM prior to its acquisition by Kent State in 2012) as a patient of its teaching facility, Cleveland Foot & Ankle Clinic (CFAC). While walking to classes at Cleveland Institute of Art in 1977, Joan sought help for heel pain at CFAC on 105th and Carnegie Avenue. During her treatment, Joan was introduced to College photographer and Director of Biomedical Communications at the time, Bruce Cowell, while he documented her case for teaching purposes. Joan and Bruce bonded over their shared interest in the arts, and before her course of treatment was finished at CFAC, she found herself as a part-time employee for OCPM. 
Joan started out at the College drawing pen and ink illustrations that would become slides for classroom lectures and journal articles. She would work part-time for OCPM for the next three years, until her graduation in 1980, wherein the day after earning her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration, deservedly received an offer of full-time employment at OCPM. Since that fateful day, Joan has become lovingly known as “Joani” by staff, faculty, and the thousands of students that she’s seen come through CPM’s doors over the course of her 40 years of service. Joani’s roles and expertise has expanded exponentially over the years with the evolution of lecture formats and the ever-changing educational needs of the new generation of medical students. In addition to serving as the College resource for digital material, Joani has illustrated several published podiatric medicine textbooks, produced award-winning scientific posters for our students and faculty, and much more.
While Joani’s office is tucked away on the 4th floor of the CPM campus, she’s certainly no stranger to our students and community. In fact, she’s one of the first to welcome the incoming class each year, and never misses a single alumni celebration to capture photographs and catch up with past students. Outside of making an impact on CPM, Joani is passionate about making the world a better, greener place to live. When the University took part in Recyclemania, a nationwide recycling competition, Joani lead the charge at CPM and continues to do her best every day to reduce waste on campus and increase recycling programs.
Senior Associate Dean Dr. Vincent Hetherington says he’s known Joani since he started at CPM 31 years ago and has dubbed her a wizard when it comes to podiatric medical education. “Not only is she a supreme medical artist, but in terms of our profession, she knows exactly what we’re talking about and what we need to see.” Over the years, they’ve become friends and enjoy lunch together nearly every day. “I’ll certainly miss her when she’s gone.” Dr. Hetherington says. A sentiment to which everyone who knows Joani can echo.
Joani reflects on her career at CPM by sharing an important lesson to those she departs, “The rocky start to my wart excision turned into a fulltime career. You never know how opportunities will present themselves.” The entire CPM community expresses their sincerest gratitude and best wishes to Joan “Joani” Lannoch for her forty years of dedicated service.
“New" Virtual and Telephonic Health Coaching and Nutrition Counseling: What's the Difference and How to Register
Make yourself and your health a priority by taking advantage of virtual or telephonic health coaching and nutrition counseling offered through Kent State's wellness partner, Be Well Solutions. These services are confidential, complimentary and unlimited for full-time, benefits-eligible faculty and staff.*
What is Health Coaching and Nutrition Counseling?
These services are similar in that they are individualized sessions conducted with one of Be Well Solutions' certified health professionals that is designed to help you take meaningful steps toward your wellness goals. You get to choose the topic you want to discuss, and your health coach or registered dietitian will provide support and accountability through an evidence-based approach.
Health coaching topics may include, but are not limited to, physical activity/building an exercise plan, stress management, mindfulness, healthy lifestyle and tobacco cessation. Nutrition counseling sessions are provided by licensed and registered dietitians (RD) and focus on topics such as weight management, nutrition for an active lifestyle, nutrition to support chronic disease management, navigating food intolerances, and more.
NEW - Virtual Face-to-Face Coaching Available Starting July, 2020
Virtual "face-to-face" health coaching is now available as an alternative to traditional onsite coaching. Virtual coaching sessions are held on a video conferencing platform and last 25 minutes, during which you will work one-on-one with a RD to discuss strategies for meeting your wellness goals.
There are currently three virtual coaching dates available for scheduling on the Be Well portal, and they are July 8, August 4 and August 26. Telephonic coaching availability varies -- check the portal for available dates and times. Whether telephonic or virtual, both health coaching and nutrition counseling are also eligible for 10 Tier 2 wellness reward points per session. Be Well will apply points after each session.
To schedule your appointment, login at portal.bewelldata.com and click on "Virtual/Video Health Coaching" or "Telephonic Health Coaching" under "My Appointments".
*Part-time employees and family members can access nutrition counseling and mindfulness coaching through our IMPACT Solutions Employee Assistance Program. Visit the IMPACT website and login with username "KENT" to request an appointment today or call IMPACT at 1-800-227-6007.
Financial Wellness Webinar: Safeguard Yourself from Identify Theft
July 14 from noon - 1 p.m.
This workshop is designed for those interested in learning more about identity protection and financial safety. Join Theresa Osborne and Tricia Corsillo from PNC as they review different 
types of identity theft, why it's an issue, what it could affect, and most importantly, how to protect yourself and your family.
This webinar is open to all full and part time faculty and staff. For full time, benefits eligible employees participating in the Wellness Your Way Rewards Program, this session will be worth 10 points toward your Tier 2 total.
Click here to register: Safeguard Yourself from Identity Theft
“Know Your Numbers” Health Screenings Appointments Available
Don't leave your 2020 wellness reward dollars on the table! There is still time to schedule your "Know Your Numbers" health screening* to put you on track for your $300 wellness reward. Learn more and schedule today!
Additional Online Teaching Orientation and Refresher Sessions Added for Summer
Due to popular demand, Kent State Online has added two additional sessions of the Online Teaching Orientation and Refresher (OTOR) to the summer calendar from July 13 through August 14. Both sessions are 100 percent online, self-paced and asynchronous, and are FREE for current Kent State faculty and staff.
The OTOR is perfect for both beginning and experienced online faculty, Graduate Teaching Assistants, and staff members who want to learn more about online teaching and learning. Participant feedback suggests each module takes approximately 2-5 hours to complete and, because the course is self-paced, participants have freedom and flexibility in choosing how and when to complete the activities by the end date of the session.
Module Topics include:
- The Student Experience
- The Instructor Experience
- Getting Set-Up for Successful Instruction
- Preparing for Challenges
- Building the Peer Learning Community
- Mastering Teaching Presence
- Providing Feedback and Grades
Enroll at any time for either session, up to one week before the session closes. Begin instruction at your convenience and complete the coursework at your own pace!
Enrollment is limited. Register today!
Important Information about Final Grading of Summer 2020 Summer 1 (POT S1) Classes
Online final grading for Summer 2020 Summer 1 (POT S1) begins Tuesday, July 7, via FlashFAST. Grading is also now available for any Summer 2020 course section that was flexibly scheduled. The deadline for grading submission is midnight on Sunday, July 12. Any final grades for Summer 2020 courses not reported in FlashFAST by the grades processing deadline will have to be submitted using the Grade Change Workflow. These Summer 2020 courses will be available in the Workflow on Tuesday, July 14.
To access Final Grades via FlashFAST, log into FlashLine and click on the Faculty & Advisors Category / Faculty Dashboard / Grading Resources Section.
Blackboard Grading Process:
The Grade Push application has been developed as an option to assist in streamlining the university grading process. The use of this application is not mandatory, though it is encouraged. Grade Push will allow you to “push” the final grades recorded in Blackboard into our KSU Final Grade Roster, thus eliminating the time and effort spent manually entering them.
To access Grade Push, log into FlashLine and click on the Faculty & Advisors / Faculty Dashboard / Grading Resources.
If you have questions or concerns, please go to support.kent.edu and search “Grade Push.”
Incomplete Mark Workflow:
The instructor must create and submit an Incomplete Mark contract via the workflow. Instructors are no longer be able to select the incomplete mark (IB+, IC+, IC-, etc.) from the final grade roster in FlashFAST (Self-Service Banner). The primary instructor must initiate and submit the contract using this new workflow process, which mimics the old paper process. Once the contract has been accepted by the student and approved by the department chair/campus dean, the student’s grade will be updated automatically. The primary instructor will be able to initiate and submit the contract for a student after the deadline to withdraw (10th week of a regularly scheduled section in fall and spring, or prorated for flexibly scheduled sections) through the end of final grading.
Access the Incomplete Mark workflow in FlashLine from the Faculty Dashboard under Grading Resources or Faculty Workflows.
NF/SF Administrative Marks:
The administrative mark NF (Never Attended–Fail) denotes that the student neither attended one class session nor formally withdrew from the course. If a student has never attended your course, mark the student as “Not Started” on the Academic Presence Verification Roster, and the NF will automatically populate to your Final Grades roster.
The administrative mark SF (Stopped Attending–Fail) denotes that the student stopped attending the course and did not formally withdraw and must be accompanied by a date of last attendance in the course. If a student has stopped attending your course the SF can be entered on the Final Grade Roster along with the student’s last date of attendance.
For complete information on university grading policies including Incomplete Mark and NF/SF grading policies, procedures and timelines, please visit the Grading Policies and Procedures section in the University Catalog.
Grades Processing Tips and FAQs may be found on the Registrar's website. Any faculty member needing personalized instruction on submitting their grades via FlashFAST should contact their campus Registrar's Office during normal business hours for assistance.
Troubleshooting TIP: FlashFAST is accessible from any Internet-capable computer that has the cookies function enabled. We recommend that you clean out your cookie and cache files regularly to help your computer run faster, and to potentially restore and/or improve your access to FlashFAST and/or FlashLine by improving your connection to the server. Our Helpdesk is prepared to offer assistance with these issues. Please contact them at 330-672-HELP (4357) for one-on-one assistance and technical issues.