Notable Accomplishments
CONGRATULATIONS
The Higher Education Administration program at Kent State University would like to congratulate the following people for the impressive honors they’ve received:
Michael Kavulic (PhD 2017) received the "30 for the Future" award by the Greater Akron Chamber.
Melissa Dickey (MEd 2017) received the People's Choice Award at the 2016 Three Minute Thesis competition.
Shannon Cowling (MEd 2016) presented the "Association of Transcribers and Speech-to-text Providers Information Session" at the TECHWell Conference in Reno, Nevada in June 2016 and "Closed Captioning: Your Guide to Technology and Accessibility" at OhioAHEAD (Association on Higher Education and Disability) Conference in Canton, Ohio in October 2016.
Cortney Brewer (MEd 2015) was one of five recipients of the Raymond Goldstone ASCA Foundation's 2016 Annual Conference Scholarship in February 2016, receiving a $1000 scholarship towards her attendance at the Association of Student Conduct Administrators Annual Conference.
Katie Clair (MEd 2011) was selected as the 2016 US-Japan International Education Administrators Program through Fulbright; this honor will have her traveling to Japan in June 2016 with a group of 9 other international education professionals to learn about the Japanese system of higher education
Annalise Sinclair (MEd 2014) and Amber Jolly (MEd 2014) were a part of the Association of Fraternity & Sorority Advisors 2016 virtual webinar series, AdanceU, and gave a national presentation on “Emerging Adults: Rethinking the Development of Students and Young Alumni.”
Amber Jolly (MEd 2014) was named “Rookie of the Year” (2016) at Johnson & Wales Charlotte.
Hannah Croft (MEd 2015) and Alyssa Kyff (MEd 2015) have had a poster accepted for the NAFSA National conference in May 2016
Courtney Wade (MEd 2016) is recipient of the 2016 EHHS Master's Student Research Award
Meghan Cisar (MEd 2009) and Joan Inderhees (PhD student) presented at the 35th Annual Conference on the First-Year Experience in Orlando, on "Thinking Globally, Acting Locally: Interpreting and Customizing University-wide FYE Goals." (February 2016)
Sasha Thackaberry (PhD student) published "Massively Micro: Unbundling Education 2.0" in October 2015.
Rudolph "RJ" Chavez (MEd 1993) recipient of the 2015 Outstanding Latino Alumni Award from the Kent Latino Networking Caucus
Cassie Pegg-Kirby (MEd 2015) recipient of 2014 President's Excellence Award
Megan Cisar (MEd 2009) recipient of 2014 President's Excellence Award
Shakhnoza Yakubova (PhD student, MA 2009) received the EHHS Hall of Fame Recent Alumni Award in 2012.
Rebecca Windover (MEd 2015) has been selected to serve on the NASPA New Professionals and Graduate Students Region IV-East Regional Leadership Team.
Carrie Circosta (Masters 2010) was selected for a Fulbright International Education Administrator Seminar in Germany and will be traveling the country in October of 2014.
Vania Alvarez-Minah (Masters 2011) was awarded the 2013 Latino Networking Caucus' Outstanding Latino/a Alumni Award
Aaron Hanlin (Masters 2012) was elected (in April 2014) as President-Elect of the Mid-East Honors Association
Rebecca Windover (MEd 2015) published No Longer the Closeted Student Athlete in Student Affairs Feature, spring 2014, and authored the May 2014 article, "The effect of Michael Sam on Student Affairs."
Natalie Fox (MEd 2014), Meggie Cale (MEd 2014), and Aaron Berger (MED 2014) took second place in the Case Study Competition at the 2014 ACPA conference. This is Kent State's second year running placing in the competition!
Becca Windover (MEd 2015) published Exploring the discrimination of lesbian student-athletes in intercollegiate athletics in the NASPA Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Knowledge Community's Research Summary and Compilation White Paper, spring 2014.
Becca Windover (MEd 2015) was elected to the OCPA Board of Directors.
Dametraus Jaggers (MEd 2010) presented A Mixed Methods Approach to Impacting the Success of Students of Color at the Emory University Student Affairs Assessment Conference.
Dametraus Jaggers (MEd 2010) presented They Are Not Exempt: Racial Profiling of Black Collegiate Men at the 9th annual Black Issues Conference in Knoxville, TN.
Danielle Dimoff(MEd 2010) presented Finding the One: Securing and Ensuring New Job Success at the CSPA-NYS annual conference in Rochester, NY in October, 2013.
Danielle Dimoff (MEd 2010) presented Educate, Challenge, Pursue: Mission Minded Programming at NASPA in Phoenix, AZ in March, 2012.
Danielle Dimoff (MEd 2010) was selected as a SEAHO Regional Entry Level Institute participant for the 2012 Class and SACSA/NASPA New Professional's Institute participant for the 2013 Class.
Brandi Hephner LaBanc (MEd 1997) was recipient of the EHHS College Alumni Hall of Fame Alumni Leadership Award; inducted in October 2013.
Anush Shahverdyan (MEd 2000) was recipient of the KSU Hall of Fame 2013 International Alumni Award.
Michael Pfahl (PhD student) was conferred with the National Association of College and University Attorneys’ (NACUA) First Decade award at the association’s annual conference in Philadelphia, Pa., on June 19, 2013.
Morgan Brown (MEd 2014) was recently named one of eight national Clarence J. Jupiter Fellows for fall 2013. Jupiter Fellows are introduced to a community of advancement professionals who can serve as helpful resources and mentors. In addition to many other benefits, the Jupiter Fellow receives a paid internship, and Morgan will complete her internship with KSU's College of Education, Health, and Human Services.
Jeff Akers (MEd 2007) was named one of the Staff Men of the Year at Columbus State Community College.
Jillian Kiska (MEd 2008) was awarded the 2012-13 KSU College of Arts & Sciences Distinguished Advisor Award
Jacob Roope (MEd 2010) was recognized (for the third year) as a "Sam Walton Fellow" for his advising work with ENACTUS.
Neete Saha (PhD student) presented on April 19, 2013: The Influence of Social Media on International Students' Academic and Psychological Well-Being. 28th Annual Graduate Research Symposium: Kent State University, Kent, Ohio.
Natasha Jankowski (MEd 2006) completed her PhD in Educational Organization and Leadership, at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, in December 2012, and was awarded the Outstanding Doctoral Student Medal from the UIUC’s College of Education.
Dametreus Jaggers (MEd 2010) published When Curriculum and Student Development Collide: Teaching Peer Mentorship for the Common Good (Spring 2014) in the NASPA Knowledge Community publication.
Jesmin Akter (MEd 2014) published an article in the Daily Star (2013, April 14) on "Alienation of international students in U.S. universities."
Thomas Benjamin (MEd 2014) and Dana Flick (MEd 2014) presented their research project, "Hypermasculinity among college men in varying residence hall populations," at the American Men's Studies Association 21st Annual Interdisciplinary Conference at the University of Michigan, School of Social Work (in Ann Arbor) on April 5, 2013.
Jesmin Akter (MEd 2014), Megan Cale (MEd 2014), and Liana Carroll (MEd 2014) presented their research project, "Domestic student perceptions of international students," at the Educational Research Exchange, at Cleveland State University, on April 5, 2013.
Joni Morrow (MEd 2011) moderated the session Understanding Issues and Changes in Undergraduate Medical Education at the Association of American Medical Colleges Group on Institutional Advancement (AAMC GIA) National Professional Development Conference held in Hollywood, Florida, April 3-6, 2013.
Aaron Berger (MEd 2014), Taylor Police (MEd 2013), and Eric Young (MEd 2013) took 2nd place in the SCGSNP Case Study Competition at ACPA (LasVegas, 2013)
Neete Saha (PhD student) presented with Kretovics, M. & Anderson, D. on Substance Abuse and Wellness: How Well Do We Prepare Our Staff? at 2013 NASPA Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. Orlando, Florida.
Brenda McKenzie (PhD student; MEd 1991) recipient of the 2013 NASPA Student Leadership Programs Knowledge Community's Dr. Susan R. Komives Research Award.
Annalise Sinclair (MEd 2014), Tiffany Bartlett (MEd 2014), Nick Minich (MEd 2014), Keri Axelrod (MEd 2014), and Amber Jolly(MEd 2014) presenting "Pledging acceptance: LGBTQ perceptions in fraternity/sorority life" at the 2013 OCPA/OASPA conference in Worthington, OH.
Neete Saha (PhD student) presented with Aryn Karpinski on February 1, 2013: The Influence of Social Media on International Students' Academic and Psychological Well-Being. Ohio College Personnel Association (OCPA) and Ohio Association of Student Personnel Administrators (OASPA), Worthington, OH.
Alex Ulbricht (MEd 2012) was named Historian for Ohio College Personnel Association, 2012-13
Emily Clark Burgess (MEd 2009) was honored with the Outstanding New Professional Award for Region 6 of National Orientation Directors Association (NODA), 2012
Katie Pifer and Jeannette Holian (MEd 2011) placed first in the New Professionals category of the SCGSNP Case Studies competition, at the ACPA 2012 convention in Louisville KY.
Neete Saha (PhD student) published her book review (2012) of Students in Transition: Research and Practice in Career Development in The Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice.
Tianjun Shen (MEd 2012)was awarded 3rd place in the best international student video contest at the Global Education Summit (Kent State).
Katie Smith (PhD student) presents her poster, "Encouraging The Women's Studies Elective Option," at the NACADA Region-V Conference, in April 2012, in Akron, OH
Patrick Jackson (PhD student) published his article, "I had a c-section" replaces "my grandmother died" as today's excuse for missing class, in NACADA's Academic Advising Today.
Amber Jolly (MEd 2014) and Annalise Sinclair (MEd 2014) presented "True Life: I'm the Fraternity/Sorority Advisor" at the 2012 OCPA Careers in Student Affairs Conference.
Marquita Rodgers (PhD student) published her book review of A. Kezar's (2011) "Recognizing and serving low-income students in higher education" in the November 2011 issue of Education Review, a multi-lingual journal of book reviews.
Krystal Dains (MEd 2011) won the New Professional Case Study Competition at the MACUHO 2011 annual conference.
Carrie Circosta (MEd 2010) is co-founded and chief editor of International Student Voice.
Tonia Ferrell (PhD student) published her book review of M.J. Worth's "Leading the campaign: Advancing colleges and universities" (2010), in the July 2011 issue of Connections. Available at http://www.aprahome.org
In April 2011, the higher education program was honored with the 2011 Faculty Award for Outstanding Contributions to International Education from the Beta Zeta Chapter of Phi Beta Delta
Amanda Roder (MEd 2010) was honored with the Outstanding Emerging Professional Award by ACPA's Standing Committee on Women at the 2011 American College Personnel Association (ACPA) annual meeting
Krystal Dains (MEd 2011) was honored with "Exemplary Social Justice Contribution by a Graduate Student" Award through the ACPA Commission for Social Justice Educators, at the 2011 ACPA annual meeting
Susan Iverson (HIED faculty) was recognized with the Standing Committee on Women's Research and Scholarship Award at the 2011 American College Personnel Association (ACPA) annual meeting
Kacey Schaum (M.Ed. 2011) has been elected as the incoming Membership Coordinator on ACPA's Standing Committee for Graduate Students and New Professionals.
Stephanie Churchill (MEd 2012) presents "Mom, let me go!" The effects a parent-child relationship can have on students' transition to college, at the National Career Development Association international conference, in June 2011 in San Antonio, TX.
Kacey Schaum (M.Ed. 2011) presented "Business in the Front, Party in the Back" at the 2011 Spring Leadership Conference at Kent State University, and at the 2011 Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Greek Leadership Conference at Otterbein University.
Andy Lopinot (MEd 2011) and Christina Gilmore presented "The secret lives of second year students" at the 2011 OCPA/OASPA annual conference.
NJ Akbar, Carol Gardner (PhD student), and Krystal Dains (MEd 2011) presented "Early Alert! Helping Students Who Are Experiencing Academic Difficulty" at the 2011 OCPA/OASPA annual conference.
Krystal Dains (MEd 2011) and Alex Ulbricht (MEd 2012) presented "Grad School 101: How to Successfully Apply and Transition into Grad School" at the KSU Spring 2011 Leadership Conference: Leadership in 3D.
Kacey Schaum (M.Ed. 2011) presented "Six Steps to Reaching Your Goals" at the Fall 2010 and Spring 2011 Leadership Conference at Kent State University.
Billy Bernard, Andy Lopinot (MEd 2011), Danielle Schwager, Jenna Bice, Jennifer Napioski (MEd 2012), and Kate Carnell (PhD student) were members of the 2011 OCPA/OASPA Conference planning committee.
Patrick Jackson (PhD Student) co-presented, "Knocked Up, but Not Knocked Down: Campus Collaboration to Support Student Parents in their Multiple Roles," at NACADA Annual Conference and KASADA in 2010, in collaboration with Virginia Jackson and Allyson Himmelright, Academic Advisers at the University of Akron.
Billy Bernard and Andrew Lopinot (MEd 2011) with Allison Rossetti (Baldwin-Wallace) co-presented "Skip the Beach: How to Make the Most of Your Summer Vacations During Grad School" at the 2010 OCPA Careers in Student Affairs Conference at University of Mount Union.
Kacey Schaum, Krystal Dains (M.Ed. 2011), and Alexandra Ulbricht (M.Ed. 2012) co-presented "Grad School 101: How to Successfully Apply and Transition into Grad School" at the 2010 OCPA Careers in Student Affairs Conference at University of Mount Union.
Andrew Lopinot and Elizabeth Davis (M.Ed. 2011) co-presented "Higher Education: Not Just Residence Life" at the 2010 OCPA Careers in Student Affairs Conference at University of Mount Union.
Caitlin Reed (M.Ed. 2011) presented "What not to Write: Changing Resumes from Frumpy to Stylish" at the 2010 OCPA Careers in Student Affairs Conference at University of Mount Union.
Stephanie Rager (M.Ed. 2011) and Melissa Turk (M.Ed. 2012) co-presented "Balancing School and Work" at the 2010 OCPA Careers in Student Affairs Conference at University of Mount Union.
David Kokandy (M.Ed. 2011) presented "Interviews on the Horizon? Learn How Successful Candidates Prepare" at the 2010 OCPA Careers in Student Affairs Conference at University of Mount Union.
Amanda Farris (M.Ed. 2011) presented "Falling in to Student Affairs" at the 2010 OCPA Careers in Student Affairs Conference at University of Mount Union.
Mike Hollenbaugh (PhD student) had his article, "The phenomenon of regionally-accredited for-profit institutions: A case for change," published in Journal of Student Affairs, vol. 19 (2010).
Amanda Stewart (MEd 2009) was elected Treasurer for Ohio College Personnel Association.
Anna Shewczyk (MEd 2011) was elected Graduate member-at-large for Ohio College Personnel Association, 2010-11.
Jamie Reynolds (PhD student) is recipient of the NACADA Student Research Award in the "Doctoral Degree" category as part of the 2010 Annual Awards Program for Academic Advising.
Rhonda FIlipan (PhD student) was invited to attend the Narrative Research SIG Doctoral Student Seminar at AERA conference in Denver, CO (April 2010).
Sabina Uzakova (MEd 2010) is the recipient of the 2010 Phil Beta Delta Graduate Student Award for International Education.
Dametraus Jaggers (MEd 2010) was the recipient of the Outstanding Graduate Student Staff Member in Residence Life award, given by the Commission for Housing and Residential Life at the 2010 ACPA conference in Boston.
Brandi LaBanc (MEd 1997) has published, with Brian Hemphill, "Enough is Enough: A Student Affairs Perspective on Preparedness and Response to a Campus Shooting" (2010)
Dametraus Jaggers (MEd 2010), with Dr. Susan Iverson, will present "Taxation without Representation: Enhancing Support Systems for African American Males at Predominately White Institutions" at the University of Akron's Third Black Male Summit, in April 2010.
Robert "Bob" Holub (MEd 2010) will present "Adaptive Programming: Is your department ready?" as a poster at the National Intramural - Recreational Sports Association's National conference (April 2010).
Vanessa Earp (PhD student) had her research "A bibliometric analysis of the Journal of Higher Education, 1998-2008" accepted for the AERA 2010 Division D, In-Progress Research Gala!
Dametraus Jaggers (MEd 2010), with Dr. Susan Iverson, will present "Supporting Success of Racial Minority Males at a Predominantly White University" at the 2010 ACPA Annual Convention in Boston (March).
Christina Mastrangelo (MEd 2007) is recipient of the 2010 NASPA IV-east Outstanding New Professional Award.
Connie Brannon (MEd 2010), recipient of the ACPA Standing Committee for Graduate Students and New Professionals Professional Development 2010 Raffle, won a one-on-one phone call and resume critique with David Braverman, the ACPA Director-Elect of External Relations.
Drs. Susan Iverson and Tracy Lara, recipients of the OCPA Cultural Diversity Award in January 2010.
Dr. Susan Iverson published, with Elizabeth Allan and Rebecca Ropers-Huilman, "Reconstructing policy in higher education: Feminist post-structural perspectives" (2010).
Billy Bernard and Amanda Farris (MEd 2010) presented "Starting Your Journey in Higher Education: A Tale of Two Peas in Very Different Pods" at the OCPA Careers in Student Affairs Conference on November 21, 2009 at Baldwin-Wallace College.
Amanda Roder (MEd 2010) attended the "Take Back the Night Conference" at Columbia University on November 7, 2009, and her attendance was sponsored by The Avon Foundation for Women.
Dametraus Jaggers (MEd 2010) was featured by Kent State news for his work on the development of a Minority Male Leadership and Development Initiative.
Sabina Uzakova (MEd 2010) delivered a two-day workshop, "Designing and Implementing New Student Orientation Programs in Kyrgyzstan," for student affairs administrators from two universities in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan (July, 2009). The workshop took place at the Bishkek Office of American Councils for International Education. Additionally, she received Kent State's Graduate Student Senate International Travel Grant to support her efforts.
Stephanie St. Jacques (MEd 2010) is a recipient of two scholarships for 2009-10: the June E. McCarthy Scholarship awarded by Alpha Sigma Tau National Foundation, and the Foundation Graduate Scholarship from the National Association for Campus Activities.
Sabina Uzakova (MEd 2010) was inducted into Phi Beta Delta, an international honorary society, in April 2009.
Katie O'Brien (PhD student) presented "Motivating and Supporting Faculty in Online Instruction" at NISOD International Conference on Teaching and Leadership Excellence, in Austin, TX, May 24-27, 2009.
Lora Doleh (MEd 2009) was honored as 2009 Outstanding Graduate Student Award for Region VII by NODA (National Orientation Directors Association); she is also the Regional Graduate Network Representative for NODA and was selected to present two sessions at the conference.
Rebecca Fick (MEd 2010) was honored with the Order of Omega William J. Brennan Graduate Assistant Fellowship Award (Scholarship) at the Association of Fraternity Advisors Annual Meeting in Denver. She was also recently elected as the OCPA Graduate Student Member at Large for 2009-2010.
Meghan Factor (MEd 2009) presented "Getting On Course With Student Success Leaders" at the 2009 On Course National Conference in Raleigh North Carolina.
Linsey Koeritz (MEd 2009) was honored with the Outstanding Master’s Student Award by the Standing Committee for Graduate Students and New Professionals, at the 2009 ACPA Conference.
Dr. Susan V. Iverson, named 2009 Professional of the Year from the MultiRacial Network, awarded at the ACPA conference.
Katie O'Brien (PhD student) presented "Writing a Conference Proposal: It's Easier Than You Think," at Teaching, Leadership, and Curriculum Studies Doctoral Forum, on March 7, 2009.
Evan Heiser (MEd 2009) was named the 2009 Robert F. Rodgers Graduate Student of the Year, at the OCPA/OASPA Annual Conference.
Dr. Stephen Thomas, with Nelda H. Cambron-McCabe & Martha M. McCarthy, published the 2nd ed of Legal Rights of Teachers and Students (2009)
Katie Purcell (MEd 2009), with her team partner, took first place in the 2009 case study competition at the OCPA/OASPA Annual Conference.
Jeff Akers (MEd 2007) was named the 2009 Mark G. Noffsinger New Professional Award at the OCPA/OASPA Annual Conference.
Katie O'Brien (PhD student), Stacey Chamberlain, and Carey Bullock (MEd students) presented "Transition Time: First-Generation College Students on Campus," at  Graduate Student and Faculty Conference on Leadership, Culture, and Schooling, Oxford, OH, on Feb. 14, 2009.
Stephanie St. Jacques is a recipient of the Virginia M. Wagner Educational Grant from Soroptimist International of Canton/Stark Co.
Amber Johnson (MEd 2009) had an article, " The Privilege of Financial Aid: An Exploration of Barriers to Higher Education Access for Low-Income and African American Students," published in The Voice, the newsletter of the ACPA Commission for Social Justice Educators (Winter 2008).
Stephanie St. Jacques, graduate assistant in KSU First Year Advising Center, is recipient of Erin Marie Emerine Memorial Scholarship of The Columbus Foundation (2008).
Katie O'Brien (PhD student) presented "Marketing Tutoring Skills" at the Northeast Ohio Writing Center Association on Sept. 13, 2008 at Walsh University.
Tiffany Harris (MEd 2010) received her four-year service pin from the National Association of College & University Residence Halls, 2008.
Amie Jackson (MEd 2008) was named the 2008 Robert F. Rodgers Graduate Student of the Year, at the OCPA/OASPA Annual Conference.
Michael Mason (MEd 2008) was recipient of the Outstanding Graduate Student Award Winner for the 2007-2008, awarded by the ACPA Commission for Admissions, Orientation and First Year Experience at the Annual Convention.
Jamie Reynolds (MEd 2004, and current Ph.D student) - recipient of the 2008 NACADA Outstanding New Advisor Award
Dr. Stephen Thomas (2008), recipient Ohio Magazine, Excellence in Education Award
Amie Jackson (MEd 2008) had an article "Alcohol mis/use in Greek Life: Mobilizing adaptive change" published in Interchange, 35(2), 5-9.
Dr. Stephen Thomas (2007) recipient Kent State University Alumni Association, University Teaching Award.