State of the University Address
Dr. Carol A. Cartwright, President
Kent State University
October 17, 2002

Good afternoon, everyone! Thank you for joining me for this Kent State tradition. After nearly a dozen years as president, I continue to be impressed - bowled over, in fact - by the talent and depth of commitment throughout our academic community. And I remain deeply grateful - and enormously proud - that Kent State can claim so many loyal and enthusiastic friends -- active alumni, partners in technology-transfer, and colleagues in higher education. In addition to our longtime supporters, Kent States recent successes in areas from biomedicine to basketball have brought us many new friends, new partnerships and a gratifying, new level of recognition.

As many of you will recall, it was only a few years ago that discussions within the university frequently included the sentiments that Kent State was a hidden jewel; that we did not get the credit we deserved as a center of academic excellence and innovation; and that we therefore needed to blow our own horn more loudly. Today's conversations about Kent State are decidedly different! In fact, you may have noticed that theyre likely to begin with questions:

• "Did you see Kent States College of Business listed among U.S. News & World Report's latest rankings of top undergraduate business programs? And did you read that accounting student Jia Liu earned one of the nations highest scores on a recent CPA exam?"
• "Did you catch journalism faculty member Bill Gentile’s documentary about the U.S. trade embargo against Cuba on NOW with Bill Moyers? And did you watch his documentary about a woman’s heroic relief efforts in Afghanistan on the Oxygen network?"
• "Did you know that Kent State is going to be home to a scientific superstar in theoretical liquid crystal physics because we received state funding for an Eminent Scholar?"
• "Isn't it great that two Kent State professors - J. Charles Walker and John Brett Buchanan - won the highest honor given by the University Designers Association?"
• "Can you believe that the Shannon Rodgers and Jerry Silverman School of Fashion Design and Merchandising is about to celebrate its 20th anniversary? Did you know that fashion students can study abroad in Hong Kong, London, Rome and Florence?"
• "Did you hear that the Ohio chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists chose WKSU as 'Best Newscast in Ohio’ for a large-market station?" 
• "Don't you like Kent State's new Web site? No wonder that when Yahoo Internet Life graded 200 college Web sites this year, Kent State was one of just 28 nationwide - and the only one in Northeast Ohio - to receive an 'A.'"
• "Did you know that Kent State's Student Recreation and Wellness Center was one of nine facilities nationwide to be recognized as an Outstanding Indoor Sports Facility by the National Intramural Recreational Sports Association?"
• And, "Did you know that Kent State placed 59th out of more than 200 major universities in the Sports Illustrated Best College Sports Rankings; that Laing Kennedy was honored as Division I-A Northeast Region Athletic Director of the Year by his peers in the National Association of Directors of Athletics; and that star basketball players Demetric Shaw and Kate Miller received prestigious NCAA postgraduate fellowships?"

It's not an exaggeration when I say that these days, everywhere I go - across Ohio and across the nation - people are talking about Kent State University. This growing interest and support for Kent State - from fans filling our sports arenas to freshmen filling our residence halls to record numbers of graduates filling out Alumni Association membership applications - has been particularly evident during the last year. It's been a year in which a number of long-range university plans - and college, school and departmental initiatives on every campus - reached "critical mass" simultaneously.

For example, progress on the Kent Campus Master Plan and our related Residence Hall Renewal Plan has dramatically changed the face - but not the character -- of our Kent Campus. Two new, state-of-the-art residence halls opened this fall and most other residence halls were updated with cosmetic and safety improvements. And if you've driven around the historic front campus, you know that the University Auditorium project has been completed after several years of renovations. This gleaming new structure will serve our community in stunning style as the site of cultural performances, including those by the world's leading classical musicians in the new Kent Classic Arts series.

I want to personally salute the grounds crew for keeping the Kent Campus a showplace while it had to be turned into a construction zone. Those challenges aren't over, as we'll continue the front-campus facelift in the coming years; proceed on four more residence halls opening next fall; and add major food-service improvements.

Some of these improvements already are open, including "Rosie's Diner" in the Tri-Towers residence hall. I'm honored that the students of Kent Interhall Council named an item on the menu after me: a grilled cheese sandwich. As a student explained to me, the choice was logical because, "You are the 'big cheese' and you stand up well under grilling!"

The Kent Campus has not been the university's only construction zone during the last year. I know that everyone at Kent State Tuscarawas is excited by the addition of a 50,000-square-foot Science and Advanced Technology Center that we'll dedicate next month. The center houses state-of-the-art laboratories for biology, chemistry, geology and physics, as well as clinical nursing labs and space for workforce-development programs. What a wonderful way to celebrate the 40th anniversary of this vital regional resource!

We've been engaged in other kinds of building, as well. During the last year, Kent State built on its growing reputation as a university committed to providing leading-edge education and training. With strong support from our Board of Trustees, we launched new degree programs in high-demand and emerging fields:

• An interdisciplinary, undergraduate program in biotechnology that is unique in the state of Ohio; a master's program will follow soon.
• An interdisciplinary bachelor's degree in American Sign Language to prepare state-licensed teachers to work with students of all age levels.
• A baccalaureate program in paralegal studies, offered through the department of justice studies, created after a survey of the legal community revealed a serious demand for skilled paralegal professionals in all areas of law.
• The first graduate programs in Russian and Japanese at a public university in Northeast Ohio.
• A joint doctoral program in biomedicine with the Cleveland Clinic Foundation.
• A new radiologic and imaging technology degree program at Kent State Salem - the first bachelor's program headquartered at a regional campus ever approved by the Ohio Board of Regents.
• And a master's program in financial engineering and risk management - the first at an Ohio university and the 33rd in the world. This interdisciplinary program was developed by a team of business faculty members who conducted market research and discussions with potential employers of our graduates in Ohio, Chicago and New York. The program will allow students to test their mettle in a Financial Markets Trading Floor that simulates the adrenalin-producing pace of real-world trading.

In addition to providing students with the latest knowledge in key fields, there is another way Kent State prepares students to "hit the ground running" after graduation: We offer a broad range of opportunities that complement and enrich the classroom experience. In keeping with this commitment, the university operates seven "learning communities." Each allows students with the same major or interests to live in the same residence hall, take classes together, and participate in a variety of specialized programming.

Four new communities were launched this fall. For example, one is for first-generation college students considering a major in biology, science education or related fields; and another brings 100 freshmen in the College of Business Administration together to explore career interests.

We expect to see high retention among students in our learning communities; they are designed to keep students in college and on track to graduation. Other new retention efforts include the addition of more advisers trained to guide freshmen who have changed or are undecided about a major.

Improvements such as these and a growing reputation for academic excellence led to the success of our enrollment plan - set in motion almost a decade ago. In fact, it's resulted in record, system-wide enrollment of more than 35,000 students this fall; record enrollment at our seven Regional Campuses; and in Kent State's status as Ohio's second-largest university.

With a great deal of effort by many individuals, Kent State continues to make significant progress toward the goal of increasing quality. This year, a record 2,060 out of 3,559 new freshmen came to us with high school grade-point averages above 3.0, with the most significant enrollment growth among students with a 3.5 to 4.0 average. A longer view shows an equally positive pattern: In the last six years, as freshman enrollment increased more than 50 percent, the number of admitted freshmen with high school GPAs of 3.5 to 4.0 more than doubled.

Kent State's enrollment plan and our Diversity Plan are resulting in increases in faculty, staff and student diversity. The number of freshmen from underrepresented groups is up 10 percent from last year, while the number of minority graduate students increased more than 6 percent. And there are more promising results: Nearly 20 percent of new employees this year are colleagues of color.

Years of planning also have resulted in Kent State's success in raising private funds to support scholarships, faculty endowments, technology improvements and other strategic priorities. Last year at this time, we had just formally launched The Campaign for Kent State University, our first comprehensive, fund-raising campaign. Consultants advised us against setting a $100 million goal, saying it would be highly unusual for a first-ever campaign.

As you know, we did set a $100 million goal, opting to take a calculated risk - one made with the knowledge that we could make a truly compelling case for support to individuals, foundations and corporations. Thanks to the generosity of more than 75,000 donors - and 22 gifts of more than $1 million - I'm delighted to report that we are very close - very, very close - to reaching the campaign goal!

I'd like to highlight two examples of support for Kent State scholarship: one for talented, junior faculty and one for senior scholars whose work has helped put Kent State on the map.

As you may recall, in last year's speech I shared the wonderful news that alumnus David J. Farris and his wife, Jill, provided funding for tenure-track faculty engaged in innovative, multidisciplinary scholarship. The first grants were awarded this year to Dr. Joseph Ortiz, assistant professor of geology, who is researching links among ocean circulation, marine production and climate in a variety of timescales; Dr. Laura Bogart, assistant professor of psychology, who is exploring adherence to treatment by patients diagnosed with HIV; and Dr. Edelyn Verona, also of the psychology department, who is studying the causes of criminal deviance and antisocial personality.

As Kent State benefits from the expertise of a new generation of faculty, we also acknowledge achievements of senior scholars. They are largely responsible for Kent State's status as a university that values teaching and that is one of the nation's 90 most-productive, public research universities. As a way of recognizing these venerable colleagues, I have established a select group of Kent State University Distinguished Professors.

These stellar members of our community - whose past work has achieved special distinction and whose current work holds exceptional promise - will receive additional support for their work - support that will come from the discretionary funds provided to me through the Kent State University Foundation. I'm delighted to announce the first class of these first-class scholars today. Please stand when I call your names:

• Dr. Stevan Hobfoll, professor of psychology;
• Dr. Robert Tweig, professor of chemistry; and
• Dr. Claire Draucker, professor of nursing.
• Unfortunately, our fourth Distinguished Professor could not be here today. She is Dr. Nancy Padak, professor of teaching, leadership and curriculum studies.

Congratulations to each of you for this richly deserved recognition!

From productive scholars to record enrollment, Kent State’s success stories - each the result of careful planning, calculated risk taking and capable leadership - make the case that 2002 has been a milestone year. It's natural to question why this year has been so special. A recent best-seller by former Washington Post reporter Malcom Gladwell offers a fascinating explanation. In "The Tipping Point," Gladwell theorizes the existence of an imperceptible threshold - a magic moment - when "...the cumulative effect of a series of small changes ... crosses a threshold, tips and spreads like wildfire."

More specifically, Gladwell makes an argument for thinking about major transformations as epidemics. Using this analogy, it's clear that in the last year, enthusiasm about - and respect for - Kent State have become contagious!

Further, the "germs" of many fresh ideas and important initiatives are in circulation across the university - many with tremendous potential for improving the way Kent State does what it already does best: changes lives for the better, brings innovative ideas to life and inspires caring and commitment.

Chief among these new ideas is the Academic Quality Improvement Project - AQIP. Founded on a continuous-improvement philosophy, AQIP is a pioneering approach to the accreditation process all universities must undergo periodically. During the last year, our AQIP Steering Committee, which I chaired with supportive leadership from Provost Paul Gaston and Vice Provost Terry Kuhn, led a university-wide assessment of academic and support operations. The analysis and dialogue in which so many of you participated were distilled into both unit-level action projects, and into three university-wide action projects:

• Cultivate a learner-centered environment for success.
• Increase projects that link research, outreach and workforce development; and
• Improve the efficiency, effectiveness and communication of cross-divisional administrative processes.

Bringing these action projects to life is one of Kent State’s most immediate - and most important - challenges. The good news is that we're already working toward these goals because AQIP standards such as helping students learn and building collaborative relationships are at the very heart of our university Strategic Plan.

Although each of Kent State's action plans addresses an area critical to the university's future, helping students learn - and succeed - remains Kent State's top priority. This is reflected in many of the student-centered improvements made in the last year. I'll mention just one: the development of "Collage" - a highly interactive - and, according to many students, a "phat" - that's "P-H-A-T," for anyone over 21 - Web-based tool. Collage lets students identify and focus on their goals, track their college experiences and apply them to the career-exploration and job-search processes. This creative use of technology earned Kent State one of 23 national awards from IBM this year to recognize "Best Practice Partners in Student Services."

Because decisions about [U1] student programs and services should be based on in-depth information about student needs and expectations, we're working to ensure that Kent State faculty and staff have reliable data about today's students and our environment for learning. Gathering information is just the beginning - we must also share it with faculty, staff and administrators, and we must – and will - use it to identify and address any gaps between what Kent State students need and what we offer.

I want you to know how proud I am that so many in our community have embraced the AQIP continuous improvement philosophy and the work it entails. Beyond a committed core group of leaders, every faculty and staff member on all eight campuses must be involved in AQIP action projects. Whether you work behind a counter, in front of a class or at a workstation, its time to start asking, "Is the way Ive always done it the most effective way to do it?" That is the right question for Kent State in 2002.

My hope is that questioning established processes will become as common as "Get Your Gold On" T-shirts at athletic events! That won't happen overnight. But I believe that what British statesman Benjamin Disraeli said in the 19th century stands true: "The secret of success is constancy of purpose."

Constancy of purpose - combined with a measure of creativity - already have led to more effective approaches to delivering administrative services. One example is the introduction of a shared-services model, which dissolves unit barriers and provides services across divisions. Last June, the model was set in motion as we initiated planning to create one information technology staff for the university. This month, a new unit was created to bring the shared-services approach to Kent State's financial-management system.

In addition to saving money, there is another compelling reason for testing the shared-services approach. Charles Schulz, creator of the "Peanuts" cartoons, put it this way: "Life is like a 10-speed bike. Most of us have gears we never use." Think of it this way - we are used to seeing great ideas and innovations when faculty members from different disciplines cooperate in research, teaching, artistic endeavors and community service. As we find the best ways to share services across our eight-campus system, I have no doubt that similar synergies will result when staff members from different units join forces. Id like to thank vice presidents David Creamer and Don Tolliver for their leadership in this far-reaching project.

Speaking of leadership, I’d like to take this opportunity to welcome Carolyn Pizzuto, our new vice president for Human Resources, and to thank Ralph Kletzien, who served as interim vice president for Human Resources. Some other welcomes are in order for colleagues new to our community and those in new roles: Gayle Ormiston, associate provost for Faculty Affairs and Curriculum; David England, new dean of the College and Graduate School of Education; Rathindra Bose, who became vice president for research and dean of graduate studies last spring; Rick Rubin, interim dean of the new College of Communication and Information; Richard Worthing, who was named dean of the College of Fine and Professional Arts; Jeff Fruit, interim director of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication; and Steve Michael, vice provost for Diversity and Academic Initiatives. My thanks to each of you, and to the many faculty and staff members who invested so much effort in the searches for these vitally important leaders.

As a counterpoint to this year's list of welcomes, Kent State will soon bid farewell to two leaders. Nancy Scott, vice president for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs, is retiring at the end of the year. Given the enrollment statistics I mentioned earlier, it's an understatement to say that she is leaving Kent State in better shape than she found it seven years ago.

In addition, Mark Lindemood, vice president for University Relations and Development, has hitched his wagon to a new star in the Lone Star State and next month will join Texas Tech University. Although the response to The Campaign for Kent State University allows him to leave on a high note, I know he's the first to caution that we cannot rest on the campaign's success. Not when Ohio's budget situation is unlikely to change any time soon.

We hope to finish this fiscal year without any unpleasant surprises, but the budget picture beyond June 30, 2003, is fuzzy at this point - a point too close to Election Day and too far from knowing the details of Ohio's year-end economic performance.

This explains why efforts to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of university operations remain one of Kent State's continuing priorities. It is obvious that the more efficient we are in operating the university, the more dollars we save; the more we save, the more funds we have to direct to academic priorities and to new opportunities.

Taking faculty innovations right on to factory floors is one of Kent State's most promising opportunities. To ensure that we pursue this potentially significant revenue stream as aggressively as possible, two critical positions were created this year, each filled by individuals with impressive track records in applied research, academic entrepreneurship and technology transfer. Professor John West was appointed executive director for research applications, a role he will assume full time as soon as we fill his position as director of the Liquid Crystal Institute, and Gregory Wilson was appointed associate vice president for technology transfer and economic development.

In addition, a new university policy, developed by the Office of the Provost, encourages entrepreneurship. It provides financial incentives for academic units that undertake initiatives offering educational value while creating new revenues. Fueled by creativity and resourcefulness, these initiatives could range from accelerated programs that attract adult learners to online and off-campus classes.

Unfortunately, these kinds of efforts will not be enough to offset the cumulative effect of low state support for Ohio's public colleges and universities. In a little more than a decade, the contribution by our students toward the cost of their education has climbed from 40 percent to about 60 percent, with the possibility that it could go even higher in today’s environment.

Because I dont think the answer is to sit back and wait for the economy to "take care of itself," Id like to propose an avenue of action: I believe Ohio needs a bold, new approach to higher education funding. More specifically, I believe it's time to create a 21st-century compact between the citizens of Ohio and their public colleges and universities. The partnership Im suggesting would include a guaranteed level of core state support for instruction and financial aid - a promise of stability that would allow Ohio’s public colleges and universities to make plans that extend beyond a year or a biennium - and to make them without worrying that the resource rug could be pulled out several times a year.

In exchange for predictable funding, the agreement would commit colleges and universities to holding the line on tuition and to specific measures of accountability for providing access to the kind of high-quality education, training and outreach that leads to the success of individuals, communities and the state as a whole.

Colleges and universities also need support for developing and launching cost-saving collaborations. For example, Kent State and the University of Akron have just become partners to test an innovative version of WebCT, our management system for Web-related courses. At Kent State, these courses have nearly doubled in one year - from 173 last fall to 332 this fall -and our collaboration holds the potential for substantial shared savings and significant enhancements in videoconferencing and distance-learning delivery.

Some partnerships with significant potential often go by the wayside because they require impossibly high start-up costs - even considering that in the long term, the costs would be recouped many times over. Ohio's public colleges and universities need to be able to access special, one-time funds to encourage collaboration and innovation in areas such as learning technologies and administrative computing. These funds could be competitively awarded based on projected savings and the applicability of the innovation to other institutions statewide.

Cultivating collaborations - including multidisciplinary teaching and research - is one of the areas identified as critical to Kent State's future in our University Strategic Plan. The plan also directs us to promote Kent State's distinct institutional identity and focus on common goals as a university system. With these strategic priorities in mind, Provost Gaston formed a working group to consider Kent State's academic structure.

After a great deal of thoughtful deliberation, the group, chaired by Professor Rick Schroath, presented four recommendations intended to improve visibility for strong programs, build enrollment, support interdisciplinary activity and foster opportunities to compete for external funding:

• One proposal would create five independent colleges and schools from programs now principally aligned with the College of Fine and Professional Arts. Specifically, we would establish a College of Architecture, a College of Fine and Performing Arts, and a College of Nursing, Health and Human Services. The newly formed College of Communication and Information and the School of Technology would be maintained and share services such as advising, student records, budget management and technology support with the others.
• Another recommendation proposes merging two units - the College of Continuing Studies and the Regional Campuses - into the Office of Regional Campuses and University Outreach to oversee the administration of our seven Regional Campuses, continuing education and workforce development.
• Another proposal is the creation of a Graduate College in which all degree-granting colleges retain oversight of faculty affairs, curricular development, course and degree standards and graduate-admissions evaluations, while the new unit coordinates administrative functions.
• Finally, a proposal to rename the College of Arts and Sciences as the College of Sciences, Humanities and Social Sciences is intended to more accurately reflect the scope of programs in the College.
• Since receiving the report, Provost Gaston consulted with the Faculty Senate Executive Committee and appointed a broadly representative Commission on the Academic Structure of the University. Chaired by Professor Jerry Feezel, the commission is responsible for overseeing town meetings that allow our community to comment about the proposals. The Commission will review, organize and submit this commentary to me by the end of November. Any specific restructuring proposals that emerge will be considered during Spring Semester.

With the prospect of developing new academic structures that shine a brighter spotlight on Kent State programs; with AQIP's continuous-improvement philosophy taking hold; with new residence halls and learning communities that add a meaningful, new dimension to the academic experience; and with the continuing commitment of what I believe to be the finest faculty, staff and student body anywhere in America, it's an understatement to say that the 2002-03 academic year holds enormous potential.

That's certainly true of our public-service mission. Paralleling the intensified interest in our academic programs, Kent State outreach efforts from Canton to Kenya are receiving increasing attention - from major grants to coverage by national news media.

When nurse-practitioner students and College of Nursing faculty team with language-translation students to operate a health clinic for Hispanic migrant workers in nearby Hartville, it's a powerful statement that Kent State cares. When our Liquid Crystal Institute opens the door of its state-of-the-art clean room to provide training for NASA Glenn Research Center and many of the area's high-tech companies - training unavailable anywhere else in the region - it shows Kent State cares. And when Dr. Bessie-House Soremekun shares her research about how to succeed in business with aspiring minority entrepreneurs in Cleveland, it says, "Kent State cares."

The same compelling case is made when Professors Angela Neal-Barnett, of the psychology department, and Robert Stadulis, of exercise, leisure and sport, encourage good nutrition and promote exercise in African American girls and their mothers through their "Healthy Lifestyles Inside and Out" program; when Drs. Daniel Flannery and David Hussey of the department of justice studies and the staff of the Institute for the Study and Prevention of Violence work with area police departments, mental health providers, hospitals and government agencies to help children who have been exposed to domestic violence; when Professor Douglas Kline, of the department of biological sciences, uses the university's leading-edge imaging and distance-learning technologies to bring actual living cells - and the excitement of science - into K-12 classrooms; and when Kent State Tuscarawas faculty member Jim Carlton is selected "Most Influential Educator" by Garaway High School.

"Kent State cares" was the unmistakable message when Professor Joseph Drew, of the department of political science, created a unique online master of public administration degree program that is completely accessible to people with hearing and sight impairments, and limited fine-motor skills; when the Kent State Stark Office of Corporate and Community Services contributed research and evaluation that allowed a private foundation to assess the health-care affordability of the county's uninsured and underinsured; when School of Theatre and Dance and School of Music faculty shared their talents in visits to 19 schools; when Kent State Trumbull opened a Campus Adaptive Technology Lab for students with disabilities; and when the sociology department's Survey Research Laboratory provided Kent City Council with an accurate snapshot of residents' views about downtown development.

Who knows which of these contributions was the "tipping point" that helped make 2002 a year to remember? And who knows which classroom discussions, advising sessions, athletic victories, publications, technology innovations, artistic performances, community-service initiatives, mentoring efforts or renovation projects will spark the next successful strategy strain; the next outreach outbreak; the next Golden Flash fever; or the next rash of research results?

I believe that every Kent State faculty member, staff member and student - and many friends old and new - have the potential to improve our already-great university in significant and permanent ways. I believe that the work we do in the coming year will strengthen our status - and our success - as a university that is willing to act boldly in the public good. And I believe firmly that Kent State's next epidemic of excellence is at hand!

Thank you.