The CARES Center (CARES standing for crisis, advocacy, resources, education, and support) was created to provide more services to students, and with it, the arrival of an inaugural position.
It results from outcomes stemming from the Kent Cares sub-committee of the Great Place initiative and the conclusions formulated from the Mental Health Steering Committee and workgroup.
Corresponding with the new center is the newly created Assistant Dean of Students and Director, Student Advocacy and Support. The goal is to connect students to existing resources on-campus and guide them to top resources available to them off-campus- locally, regionally, and nationally.
“The need for an area that focuses on the basic needs of our students was first identified from the Climate Study data,” said Dean of Students Talea Drummer-Ferrell, adding those basic needs consist of mental wellbeing, food insecurity, homelessness, and financial insecurity. “The hope was to have an office that was dedicated to supporting students in their basic needs and possibly enhancing existing campus resources.”
Kent State alum Ericka Shoaff will fill the new position. In her role, she will be tasked with providing leadership for the strategic planning and service delivery of the CARES Center. She will also assist the Office of the Dean of Students with addressing students' mental well-being and basic needs through a variety of interventions, referrals, and follow-up services.
“I am beyond honored to be joining the Division of Student Affairs family in the inaugural role for the CARES Center,” said Shoaff. “I am both overjoyed and thankful to be coming aboard to a great team and to have this tremendous opportunity to work collaboratively to serve the students of Kent State.”
Her extensive background includes Director of Counseling at Coleman Professional Services, experience with Counseling and Human Development at Walsh University, the Clinic for Individual and Family Counseling in Akron, and the SUPPORT Hotline with Portage Path Behavioral Health.
“What really stood out to me were the students’ connections to her,” said Drummer-Ferrell. “I also appreciate her lens on a sense of belonging and how important it is that students that we work with are considered in this way [along with the fact] she will build strong relationships and be intentional about working across the institution.”
Shoaff is excited to return to her alma mater and make a difference, ushering in a new era at the CARES Center.
“As a Kent State Alumnus, I am excited to return to the University that has been so meaningful both in my personal and professional development,” she said. I believe my experiences as a counselor, a student, a leader, and an educator have contributed to my passion for helping others gain access to basic needs, something I believe should be available to everyone.”
The CARES Center, along with the food pantry, is located in the Kent Student Center in room 219 (KSC-219). A formal ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place in the fall.
For more information on the CARES Center, please visit www.kent.edu/CAREScenter
For more information regarding COVID-19 emergency resources, please visit https://www.kent.edu/studentaffairs/dean/covid-19-emergency-resources