Community & Society
While gathering an isolated community together in the time of COVID-19 may seem nearly impossible, one organization has created a safe space for its clients to push togetherness to the forefront of their daily lives. Books@Work has worked tirelessly to bring both companies and communities together through literature. The participants for these meetings come from 26 states across America, with 30 university professors selected to facilitate these meetings. The organization and its Kent State connection were recently featured in a WEWS-TV (Cleveland) story.
Kent State University and Akron-area foundations have partnered to support students in the Greater Akron community in a time of dire need through a collaboration that prioritizes positive regional impact and improving lives through education.
Kent State University’s inaugural drive-thru food distribution event on Dec. 16 in partnership with the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank served more than 200 households. The foodbank said more than 26,000 people in Portage County face food insecurity – 30% of those seeking assistance for the first time due to the COVID-19 global pandemic.
The Kent State University Police Department was recently awarded national accreditation for the ninth time by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies Inc. in the Law Enforcement program. The Kent State Police Department was first accredited in 1991.
Six of Kent State University’s Regional Campuses were recently featured in Solar Power World for the installation of solar panels on its campuses, offering cleaner, more sustainable energy that is also more cost effective.
Kent State alumna Alyssa Mittereder has struggled with an issue faced by many during the pandemic: job loss. Despite the many curve balls thrown her way, Mittereder told Spectrum News 1 Ohio that she is still passionate about the hospitality industry and searches for jobs each day, using the connections she made at Kent State to land a career, hopefully soon.
While colleges across the country have worked to find ways to recruit the next class during the pandemic, Kent State is being recognized for its unique and innovative techniques to find the class of 2025. In lieu of typical on-campus events, the Kent State admissions team has traveled across Ohio and hosted “KSU2U” drive-in presentation experiences for prospective students and families.
Individuals with autism spectrum disorder sometimes have a difficult time with social interaction and building relationships. The Autism Society of Greater Akron wanted to help those on the spectrum socialize with others freely and make friends by creating an adult social club. The club was then made possible with two Kent State affiliates and Wendy Cline, a support specialist and licensed social worker at the Autism Society of Greater Akron.
A year before Timothy Griffin graduated from Kent State University at Tuscarawas in 2017 with an Associate of Applied Science in Mechanical Engineering Technology degree and a certificate in computer-aided design for manufacturing, a single phone call would launch his career and have him designing life-saving firetrucks before he graduated.
In preparation for honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Kent State’s Martin Luther King Jr. Planning Committee is requesting that university divisions, departments and student organizations submit programming, activities and events (scheduled Jan. 25-Jan. 31, 2021) to the MLK Events Calendar by Friday, Dec. 4, 2020.