II. Enhance Academic Excellence and Innovation

2.1 Create strategic academic investments, beginning with Public Health

• Fully implement a hiring plan for the College of Public Health (Academic Affairs)
• Encourage the development of new, high impact, academic programs (Academic Affairs)
• Continue to support college and general university fundraising priorities, including scholarships (Institutional Advancement)
• Promote legislative support for the College of Public Health and launch student recruiting (University Relations).

2.2 Refine academic plan development

• Develop strategic plans for each academic unit and campus (Academic Affairs)
• Fully implement Academic Quality Improvement Program (AQIP) accountability matrix (Academic Affairs)
• Continue accreditation in key academic programs including but not limited to architecture, business, education, and nursing (Academic Affairs).

2.3 Integrate the eight-campus system

• Shepherd all students towards degree completion on all campuses (Academic Affairs)
• Further enhance and coordinate service delivery in support of the Regional Campuses (Enrollment Management and Student Affairs)
• Use integrated marketing to promote Kent State leadership throughout Ohio, and particularly Northeast Ohio (University Relations)
• Develop a system-wide master building plan (Business and Finance)
• Implement advanced network connectivity among Kent State’s campuses to enhance user functionality (Information Services).

2.4 Revise faculty promotion and tenure standards

• Revise faculty tenure and promotion standards and unit handbooks (Academic Affairs)
• Continue to emphasize quality over quantity, substance over volume in work production (Academic Affairs).

2.5 Increase the quality and diversity of the student body

• Increase the diversity of the student population (Academic Affairs; Enrollment Management and Student Affairs; Diversity Equity and Inclusion)
• Strengthen various targeted areas of undergraduate student enrollment (Enrollment Management and Student Affairs)
• Review, support realigning structures, processes for recruitment and retention of students of color; and promotion of women in specific areas (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion)
• Increase the graduation rate of students of color (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion)
• Incorporate inclusive values across differences to include age, sex, national origin, international students, LGBT populations, and other differences (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion)
• Target marketing programs to recruit and retain a diverse pool of academically motivated students (University Relations).

2.6 Create new learning paradigms that focus on learning outcomes

• Focus on student learning outcomes (Academic Affairs)
• Support diversity goals in colleges and divisions (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion).

2.7 Enhance distance learning opportunities, also known as Kent State Virtual

• Expand non-traditional ways of earning degrees/certificates (Academic Affairs)
• Promote distance learning benefits, opportunities and successes (University Relations)
• Select and implement new educational technology tools (Information Services).

2.8 Implement a major facilities improvement project to align the quality of university space with institutional aspirations

• Develop and implement a major capital improvements plan for the Kent Campus incorporating five foci: campus safety and accessibility; support for high-priority strategic directions; functionality; energy conservation; and pride, look and feel (Business and Finance; Academic Affairs; Enrollment Management and Student Affairs)
• Identify priorities and expected return on science mall renovations (Research and Sponsored Programs)
• Develop metrics for laboratory space utilization (Research and Sponsored Programs)
• Participate in planned university facilities improvements (Enrollment Management and Student Affairs)
• Develop fundraising case statements for each university-identified construction project (Institutional Advancement)
• Gain necessary approvals to accomplish facilities plan (Business and Finance; University Relations)
• Support downtown Kent redevelopment in partnership with city (Business and Finance; University Relations)
• Develop plans and fundraising for athletic facility improvements (Intercollegiate Athletics)
• Implement new application to manage and maintain classroom technology centrally and provide enhanced technology to selected classrooms based on the annual classroom improvement plan (Information Services; Academic Affairs)
• Ensure campus capital projects include state-of-the-art electronic technologies (Information Services)
• Deploy wireless in all academic buildings and streamline wireless access options to enhance usability (Information Services).

News and Accomplishments

• Kent State Wins Prestigious Gold SABRE Award for “Experience for Life†TV Campaign
• Trustee and Alumnus Richard Marsh to Lead Kent State Presidential Search Committee
• ADVISORY: Kent State University Board of Trustees Meeting, May 14
• Kent State School of Art's Downtown Gallery Presents "Capture: Photographs by Drew Smith"
• Kent State's School of Journalism and Mass Communication to Host Second Kent Multimedia Workshop, June 6-8

Read More in the Archive

Strategic Maps

• Full Strategic Plan
• Academic Affairs, Division of
• Business Administration, Division of
• Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Division of
• Human Resources, Division of
• Information Services, Division of
• Institutional Advancement, Division of
• University Relations, Division of