Changing with the Times

Kent State adapts to meet workforce and community needs

This article continues the series about Kent State history as the university approaches its 100th anniversary in 2010.

In this generation, the cutting edge of technology has become progressively sharper and more advanced. Facilities, technology and knowledge verge on obsolescence as soon as they’re implemented. Renovations, innovations and discoveries stand poised to trump the status quo.

This seemingly relentless change presents a huge challenge for a university committed to preparing its students for the future. In many ways, as the line between tomorrow and today becomes increasingly blurred, the future is now. Keeping up with technological and educational advancements could be exhausting. However, for Kent State faculty and students, it becomes an opportunity for excellence — an opportunity to stand out among the competition.

Kent State constantly updates existing facilities and creates new ones to meet the needs of its students. Infrastructure improvements, dedicated to improving the learning environment, extend to all eight Kent State campuses. Below are just two examples of Kent State’s excellence in action.

Stark Campus Pond Development
Before the Kent State Stark Campus relocated to the Frank Avenue site in 1967, the area was home to the Frank family farm. The farm’s fertile soil was enhanced by underground springs and rain runoff. Those water sources eventually created a pond that fluctuated between lush and dry over the years.

Now the pond has been revitalized by Kent State Stark to provide yearlong sustainability for plant and animal life and is stocked entirely with species of animals and plants native to this area. This revitalization allows the campus and community to utilize the pond as an outdoor classroom for faculty and student research, as well as a hands-on learning environment for local school groups.

On Earth Day, the campus celebrated its commitment to the environment by dedicating the pond as one of Stark County’s protected wetlands.

“The pond is a place of beauty and reflection for our students, faculty and community members,” says Betsy Boze, Kent State Stark dean. “It also provides a laboratory for our students and those much younger.”

A simple aspect of nature has turned into an outdoor classroom for hundreds of students.

“This semester, our students are measuring the wealth of life in the pond,” Boze says “I believe their experiences are broadened with this real-life, hands-on experience.”

The Kent State Stark pond and wetland area is host to a Geographic Time Scale and Planetary walks, offering self-guided tours through
sequences of interpretive signage. The Geographic Time Scale Walk, which starts at the Akron/Canton Airport, represents life on earth. The length of each mark shows the amount of time that a specific species has inhabited the earth.

“Our students are growing up in a different generation,” Boze says. “The way they communicate and learn is different from how it used to be. We need new facilities and tactics that meet their needs.”

Ashtabula’s New Health and Science Building
The health care industry has become one of the fastest growing sectors of our economy. The demand for health care jobs is expected to increase more than 30 percent over the next decade.

In order to contribute to the health care boom and enhance educational experiences for its students, Kent State Ashtabula recently broke ground for a $15 million Health and Science Building.

“The building is extremely important for the growing health care programs,” says Susan Stocker, dean of the Ashtabula Campus “The labs have been handed down to the university and are out-of-date. We need better equipment and technology to keep up with the changing times.”

Kent State Ashtabula produces 80 to 85 percent of all health care employees working in Ashtabula County. Students studying in the nursing program at Kent State Ashtabula represent one third of the entire enrollment for the Regional Campus.

“This new building is not only important to the meet the needs of the students,” Stocker says, “but it is critical to the general and economic health of the community.”

The building will benefit all Kent State Ashtabula students, not just those in nursing and health fields.

“The new curriculum requires every student working toward a bachelor’s degree to take a science lab,” Stocker says. “So all Kent State Ashtabula students will benefit from the new development.”

The building will offer the latest technology in the classrooms and labs. Anatomy, physiology, microbiology and chemistry labs will all be housed in the new facility.

“All around this country, brand new schools are being built,” Stocker says. “High school students are learning in cutting-edge technology facilities. Therefore, as a university, we need new technology and facilities to correlate with their high school experience. The health and science facility will enable the Ashtabula Campus to attract faculty who would normally not have been intrigued by a university with decade-old capabilities.”

Kent State Ashtabula is always in communication with future employers and business owners, who often provide jobs for Kent State students. By listening to the needs of that public, the campus is able to blend employers’ needs with those of the students to produce a successful learning environment, one that is vital to the students as they train for professional careers.

“One of the most important jobs of the university is to know what is going on in the world around us,” Stocker says. “We need to make sure our students are prepared so they are ready to go into the real world as professionals who can excel in their fields. This new facility will help them prepare for that.”