Establishment of Nation’s First Dual Master’s-Degree Program in Language Translation and Business Administration

To give Kent State students a unique, competitive edge in today’s global economy and to help provide Ohio with business professionals who can work effectively across countries and cultures, the Board established a dual-degree program that combines master’s-level study in language translation and business administration, effective fall 2009.  The program is the first of its kind at a public or private university in the United States.

Students who complete the new program will earn a master of arts degree in translation through the department of Modern and Classical Language Studies (under the leadership of the university’s Institute for Applied Linguistics) and a master of business administration (MBA).

The new program builds on Kent State’s internationally recognized leadership in language-translation education, which includes the nation’s only comprehensive sequence of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs in translation and translation studies.

In addition, the program will allow students to earn an MBA, which is the graduate degree of choice for most students seeking professional management roles in the public and private sectors.  Kent State’s MBA programs focus on leadership, teamwork, creative problem solving, global perspectives and information technology.

The dual-degree program was approved by the appropriate faculty councils, the university’s Educational Policies Council and the Faculty Senate, and by the president and the senior vice president for Academic Affairs and provost.

Approval of Fiscal Year 2009 Budget

The Board approved an operating budget totaling $470.2 million ($470,264,007) for Kent State’s eight-campus system for fiscal year 2008-09 (July 1, 2008–June 30, 2009). Among the priorities identified in the new budget are support for university scholarship programs and other investments in student recruitment; new faculty positions and other academic program investments; utility costs; new marketing initiatives; federal and state relations; health care costs; and development staff and support.  These priorities will be supported with a one-time, $13 million allocation of accumulated investment returns from previous years.

The budget reflects an increase in state appropriations of more than 9 percent, based on estimates provided by the Ohio Board of Regents, and the second year of a state-mandated freeze on undergraduate tuition.  It is based on the expectation that enrollment on the Kent Campus will increase by about 400 students compared to the previous academic year, and that enrollment will increase on each of the university’s seven regional campuses.  In addition, a salary-increase pool of about 3 percent is budgeted.

Given current state budget-revenue estimates, Trustees acknowledged the possibility of mid-stream adjustments in the budget.

Changes in Special Course and Other Student Fees

The Board responded to the rising costs of most course materials, supplies and equipment by enacting or increasing a variety of special fees, including special fees for materials and supplies used in art classes, nursing courses and technology courses; fees to cover costs associated with flight training; and the fee to cover the instruction and support provided to students working on dissertations.  The changes are effective fall semester 2008. 

Although the state of Ohio mandated a two-year tuition freeze that applies only to undergraduates, this is the second year that Kent State did not enact tuition increases for nonresidents. It also is not increasing the basic graduate tuition rate.

Health and Science Building at Kent State Ashtabula Named for Robert S. Morrison

In recognition of the many significant contributions made to his community and to Kent State University, the Board named the Health and Science Building at the Ashtabula Campus in honor of the late business and civic leader Robert S. Morrison. 

The state-of-the-art building is scheduled for completion in May 2009.

Morrison, who founded the Molded Fiber Glass Company and several other Ashtabula-area businesses, was a strong supporter of higher education in general and Kent State Ashtabula in particular.  The Robert S. Morrison Foundation is the largest donor to the Health and Science Building, pledging $1 million toward its construction.

Modification and Extension of Collective Bargaining Agreement between Kent State and the Full-time, Non-Tenure Track Faculty Unit of the AAUP

The Board approved a one-year extension and modifications in the collective-bargaining agreement that was negotiated between the university and the non-tenure track faculty unit of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP, Kent State Chapter.  The agreement has already been ratified by members of the bargaining unit.

The new agreement extends by one year the three-year contract set to expire August 16, 2008.  The agreement includes a 3-percent increase in bargaining unit members’ base salaries for academic year 2008-09; continues a competition for 25 performance-based bonus awards of $4,000; continues the same contributions for health insurance; and, for the first time, offers medical, dental, life, personal accident insurance and tuition remission to same-sex and opposite-sex domestic partners at the same level applicable to spouses.

Annual Re-election of the President

After a comprehensive performance review, the Board voted unanimously to re-elect Dr. Lester A. Lefton to a third term as Kent State University president. The university constitution requires the Board to hold an annual re-election of the university president.

Trustees commended Dr. Lefton, who became Kent State’s 11th president in July 2006, for his efforts to lead Kent State toward its centennial in 2010 as a university committed to and known for excellence in academics and administration.

The Board increased Dr. Lefton’s annual salary 3 percent and awarded him the full value of his performance bonus pursuant to his employment agreement, effective July 1,2008.

Honors and Awards

The Board passed a resolution expressing its appreciation to University Trustee and Kent State alumnus R. Douglas Cowan, who ended his nine-year term as a Trustee today (May 28). Cowan was designated Trustee emeritus of Kent State University for his “distinguished service and far-reaching contributions” to Kent State University.  Cowan, a Stow resident and respected business executive who retired as chairman of the board of the Davey Tree Expert Co., was appointed to Kent State’s Board of Trustees in 1999 by Gov. Bob Taft.  He served two terms as Board chair after serving as vice chair, secretary and chair of the Finance Committee, chair of the Institutional Advancement Committee, the Board’s representative to the Board of Trustees of the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine. “Through his trusteeship and his philanthropy, he has been a tireless and passionate advocate for student success, creating the Doug and Linda Cowan Founders Scholarship and the Cowan Family Endowed Scholarship to attract and support high-achieving students in their education at Kent State University,” the Board said in its resolution.

• The Board passed a resolution of appreciation to Dr. David A. Creamer, senior vice president for Administration and two-time Kent State graduate, who is leaving Kent State after nearly 19 years of service to become Miami University’s vice president for finance and business and treasurer.The resolution stated that “the eight campuses of Kent State University have benefited greatly from his keen intellect, unparalleled work ethic, and deep commitment to public higher education and its public-service mission.”
  
  
• The Board passed a resolution of appreciation to Dr. Kathy L. Stafford, who is retiring June 30 after spending the last five years serving her alma mater as vice president for University Relations.  Stafford, who was the only undergraduate student member on The President’s Commission on Violence convened immediately after the events of May 4, 1970, on the Kent Campus, helped the university attain an Ohio historical marker designation in 2007.  The Board commended Stafford for a range of other achievements, include leading her division to the successful completion of Kent State’s first major capital campaign; significant increases in Alumni Association membership; numerous awards for excellence in communications and marketing; and leadership in planning major events such as the 2007 inauguration of President Lester A. Lefton and Kent State’s 2009-2010 centennial celebration.

• The Board passed a resolution of appreciation to Student Trustee Aimee L. Huter, who completed her two-year term as one of two student trustees.  Huter, who earned an associate degree in horticulture technology at Kent State’s Salem Campus and is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences at the Kent Campus, was commended by the Board for contributing a valuable perspective to Board deliberations; for her campus leadership, including service on the Horticulture Club; and many awards and scholarships that recognize her academic achievements, including the Ohio Nursery and Landscape Association Scholarship and Kent State’s 2003 Outstanding Achievement Award in Biological Sciences.

In other actions:

• The Board authorized the senior vice president for Administration to enter into a 15-year easement agreement with East Ohio Gas Company (Dominion East Ohio) to permit the construction of a natural gas pipeline to the Health Sciences Building at the university’s Ashtabula Campus. Dominion East Ohio will pay the university $1 for the non-exclusive easement.
  
  
• The Board established a policy that allows two, one-year extensions of the standard probationary period for tenure-track faculty when certain personal and/or family circumstances interrupt the research, teaching and university citizenship activities on which tenure decisions are made.
  
  
• The Board established a university policy that defines three kinds of post-doctoral appointments (postdoctoral fellow; postdoctoral research associate and postdoctoral senior research associate; and postdoctoral research scholar and postdoctoral senior research scholar) and specifies the requirements for each of the limited-term appointments.
  
  
• The Board elected the following officers: Patrick S. Mullin, chair; Brian D. Tucker, vice chair; and Jacqueline F. Woods, secretary.
  
  
• The Board appointed Kent State Trustee Andrew Banks to the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine (NEOUCOM) Board of Trustees, effective immediately and expiring May 31, 2011. Banks will continue the term of R. Douglas Cowan, whose term as a Kent State Trustee expires at the end of this month.  Kent State is a member of the NEOUCOM consortium.

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