Committees

STARK CAMPUS FACULTY COMMITTEES 

Membership on most committees for the academic year are determined in early fall. Faculty indicate their committee preferences using an online form at the end of August. 

Faculty Council Cabinet, with advice from the deans, nominate individuals for committee membership, which is then submitted for approval to Faculty Council at the September and January meeting. Except for the Technology Committee, all chairs of Committees of Council are required to be members of Faculty Council. 

Membership on all committees is open to all faculty.

COMMITTEES OF COUNCIL

Term: September 2023 - August 2024

• Committee I: Professional Activities Advisory Committee (PAAC)
  Advises the dean on matters such as faculty travel approval requests, sabbaticals, load lifts and grants. This committee is chaired by the Vice-Chair and includes five faculty members.
  Members: Katrina Bloch (chair), Cynthia Barb, Angela Guercio, Paula Sato, Jim Seelye
• Committee II
  Serves Council for the numerous general tasks requiring short-term attention.
  Members: Matt Lehnert (chair), Leslie Heaphy, Patrick Dillon, Keith Lloyd, Claudia Gomez, Don Thacker
• Diversity, Equity, and Anti-Racism Committee
  Works with ideas organically generated by faculty, staff, and students, producing outcomes that will shape a better future for the campus within an umbrella of equity.
  Members: Bathi Kasturiarachi (co-chair), Robin Shura (co-chair), Daniel Castaneda Vise, Claudia Gomez, Lisa Waite, Lester Sanders (admin), Brandi Mash (admin)
• Faculty Colloquium Committee
  Plans faculty colloquia and other faculty seminar series.
  Members: Gro Hovhannisyan (chair), Sebastian Birch, Paul Andaloro
• Handbook Committee
  Proposes timely revisions to the Stark Campus Faculty Handbook in response to changes in university and campus policies and procedures.
  Members: Lucas Engelhardt (chair), Carrie Schweitzer, Ian Anderson, Brad Shepherd, Mary Gallagher, Melanie Tabak
• Social Committee
  Plans various social events, e.g., holiday and spring dinners. This committee is chaired by the Council Treasurer.
  Members: Leslie Heaphy (chair), Ann Martinez, Bei Cai, Michelle Bagwell
• Student Complaint Committee
  Receives and reviews information from all parties involved in a student complaint. The committee then identifies possible solutions and makes recommendations to the campus dean.
  Members: Greg Smith, Joel Carbonell, Ran Li
• Technology Committee
  Evaluates and advocates for the appropriate uses of instructional technology at Kent State Stark.
  Members: Younghun Chae (chair), Eric Taylor, Robert Hamilton, Haithem Zourrig

STARK CAMPUS DEAN'S COMMITTEES

TERM: SEPTEMBER 2023 - AUGUST 2024

• Academic Planning Committee
  Plans the campus theme and advises the dean on curricular and programmatic development. This committee has a representative from each faculty constituency group.
  Members: Phillip Buntin (chair), Patrick Dillon, Greg Smith, Paula Sato, Deepraj Mukherjee, Marty Daniels
• AURCO Representative
  One year appointment to represent our campus to the Association of University Regional Campuses of Ohio.
  Representative: Eric Taylor
• Campus Activities Budget Committee
  Plans the budget for campus activities.
  Members: Melissa Bauer (chair), Michelle Bagwell, Chih-Ling Liou, Farid Fouad, Ashley Brightbill (admin), La Tarsha Miller (admin)
• Faculty Budget Committee
  Advises the Dean on campus budget issues from the faculty perspective.
  Members: La Tarsha Miller (chair), Carrie Schweizer, Oliver Ruff, Haithem Zourrig, John Lovell, Ralph Menning
• Student Research Travel Committee
  Allocates money to students who will be presenting conference papers. Needs three faculty members.
  Members: unfilled
• Student Scholarship Committee
  Selects recipients for scholarships available from Kent State Stark foundation accounts.
  Members: Scott Tobias (chair), Victor Berardi, Andrew Burns, Ran Li, Urmila Pal Chaudhuri
• Undergraduate Research Assistantship Committee
  Reviews applications from students and faculty, matching students with appropriate faculty research projects.
  Members: Unfilled

Spring Semester Dean's Committees  /  Term: January 2024 - December 2024

• Black History Committee
  Develops, organizes and implements all Black History Month (February) events.
  Members: Leslie Heaphy (chair), Robin Shura, Mary Rooks, P. Bagavandoss
• Distinguished Teaching Award Committee
  Seeks out and selects recipients for the Kent State Stark Distinguished Teaching Award (full-time faculty) and the Award of Recognition (part-time faculty). Please note that members of this committee are not eligible for the award.
  Members: Alexis Baker (chair), Ashley Meinke, John Lovell, Mark Nowakowski, Erin Hollenbaugh, Christine Howell, Lucas Engelhardt
• Diversity Committee
  Enhances diversity on campus.
  Members: Bei Cai (chair), Joel Carbonell, Leslie Heaphy, Lisa Waite, Mary Gallagher
• LGBT Faculty Committee
  Promotes educational events to raise awareness of LGBT issues at Kent State Stark.
  Members: Mary Gallagher (chair), Jay Sloan, Ted Guedel, Mary Rooks
• Women’s History Committee
  Plans, organizes and publicizes events for the celebration of Women’s History Month (March).
  Members: Lisa Waite (chair), Ted Guedel, Brian Chopko, Alicia Pieper