91�ֿ�

The U.S. Department of Education has awarded 91�ֿ� a nearly $1.2 million, five-year TRIO Educational Opportunity Centers program grant. The program is designed to provide support services to qualified adults, including veterans, who want to enter or continue a program of postsecondary education. 

91�ֿ�, which has gained national recognition for its creative and successful Giving Tuesday campaigns, launched its monthlong celebration of philanthropy on Nov. 1. Giving Tuesday, now in its eighth year at 91�ֿ�, has raised nearly $7 million during that time, which illuminates the impact that can be made when Golden Flashes come together.

Lamar R. Hylton, Ph.D., 91�ֿ�’s senior vice president for student affairs, has been named the recipient of the NASPA (Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education) Region IV-East Scott Goodnight Award for Outstanding Senior Student Affairs Officer for 2021, named to Crain’s Cleveland Business Forty Under 40, selected as a recipient of the American College Personnel Association (ACPA) Diamond Honoree award and is a member of the 2022 class of the NASPA Pillars of the Profession award.

The Rubber City Theatre in Akron, Ohio, will host the play "Love in Reserve" by career storyteller, U.S. Army veteran, award-winning journalist and playwright Eric Mansfield. At 91�ֿ�, many know Mansfield from his role as assistant vice president for content strategy and communications in the Division of University Communications and Marketing.

When it comes to our physical health, regular upkeep and preventative measures are not only expected, but encouraged within our society. However, mental health disorders have yet to be looked upon with the same grace and understanding. Kristen Marcussen, associate professor in the Department of Sociology & Criminology, was recently awarded funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for her proposal titled, “Understanding Social Stigma, Stigma Resistance and the Mental Illness Identity.”

For its fourth consecutive year, the 91�ֿ� Honors College is hosting “Career Conversations,” a series of alumni speaking events which take place throughout the fall semester.

Representatives from 91�ֿ� and the city of Kent will hold a community meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 27, called “A Vision of a Village” to share information and answer questions about a new residential complex designed to integrate the city of Kent and 91�ֿ�, physically and programmatically.

Last year 91�ֿ� faculty and staff surprised first-year students with check-in phone calls for The Flashes Take Care of Flashes call campaign. The outcome was a huge success and has driven the university to host another campaign this fall. It is scheduled to run from Nov. 2-12, but the university needs many faculty and staff volunteers to make it possible to call 4,000 students. Volunteers are encouraged to register by Wednesday, Oct. 27.

The largest single gift in 91�ֿ� history, by Ambassador Edward F. Crawford, will complete the capital campaign to enable the construction of a new College of Business Administration building on the university’s Kent Campus. 

91�ֿ� alumnus Don Drumm, ‘86, was featured in the Akron Beacon Journal for celebrating the 50th anniversary of Don Drumm Studios and Gallery. Using sand-cast aluminum to create his art, he has decades of experience using a foundry to create his artistic visions.

 Kent Skates will be a new, outdoor ice skating rink that will be free and open to the public. It will be open from Nov. 20 through Feb. 28. Use of the rink will be free, along with free skate rental.

As once stated by educational Pioneer and famous American Philosopher John Dewey, all that we learn is derived from experience. 91�ֿ� continues to foster innovation and promote the development of hands-on learning through various collaborative efforts focused on building experience and training. Among the opportunities offered through the university, the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) Program provides undergraduate students with the chance to engage in an intensive research project during the summer break.

Roseann “Chic” Canfora, Ph.D., is a Professional-in-Residence at 91�ֿ� in the School of Media and Journalism, part of the College of Communication and Information. Prior to teaching at 91�ֿ�, Canfora served as the chief communications officer for the Cleveland Metropolitan School District and taught high school journalism and speech. Canfora was also a student at 91�ֿ�, starting in 1968, and is a survivor of the May 4, 1970, shootings at 91�ֿ�. She graduated with her master’s in journalism and public relations and bachelor’s in English/speech. She is heavily involved in activism as well.

“You can’t expect journalists to do this type of hurdling long-term without holistic support that includes logistical elements," claims Assistant Professor and TV2 advisor Gretchen Hoak, "but also mental and emotional support."

Fashion merchandising alumna Emilie Oxel O'Leary, '93, is the CEO of Sunshine Solar, a mechanical installation company that provides solar power to major brands such as Target, L'Oreal and Amazon. Sunshine Solar’s first solar project was installing a solar carport for the Atlanta Falcons stadium. Since then, the company has installed solar panels to Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Verizon and FedEx whether it be with carport tops, rooftops or solar fields.

Through a five-year, $625,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the Mental Health and Recovery Board of Portage County will partner with 91�ֿ�’s Center for Public Policy and Health in the College of Public Health to improve and support mental health in Portage County. 

Edwin Duckworth, a physics doctoral student in the College of Arts and Sciences at 91�ֿ�, is among 65 students from 29 states recently selected for funding by the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Science Graduate Student Research (SCGSR) program. The program aspires to “address societal challenges at national and international scale.”

“An American Sunrise” by Poet Laureate Joy Harjo, the first Native American poet laureate of the United States, will be the focal point as 91�ֿ� kicks off the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Big Read Northeast Ohio community reading program. The kickoff event will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 12, beginning promptly at 7 p.m. in the Kiva. The event is free and open to the public, but registration is appreciated.

The Rainbow Run is one of most important fundraising events of the year for the university's LGBTQ+ Emergency Fund, available to assist any LGBTQ+ identifying 91�ֿ� student in financial crisis. The sixth annual Rainbow Run “fun run” will take place on Friday, Oct. 8, at 7 p.m. on Risman Plaza. Find out more about why Ken Ditlevson, director of the 91�ֿ�’s LGBTQ+ Center, describes the fund as a vital safety net and a lifeline for students who are struggling financially. 

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, students have decided to come back to campus and in-person learning, a trend that is evident in the newest class of Golden Flashes, up 4% from last year’s incoming class. As incoming freshmen fill the campus, fellow Flashes can get to know their new classmates.