Reenvisioning the Kent Core

April 1, 2024

Dear Colleagues, 

I am writing to you today to ask for your input on identifying a new framework for our Kent Core.

Since its inception in 1983, the Kent Core has been critical to the mission of Kent State University. The Kent Core general education curricular requirements touch each of our students as they navigate through their undergraduate experience. For the last several semesters, working groups across the campus system have dedicated efforts to re-envision our Kent Core in a way that creates more meaningful experiences for our learners.

After much hard work, the committees developed three distinct frameworks in alignment with our Kent State mission for the university community to review.

Beginning in April, we will host several virtual forums where each framework will be presented. I encourage you to participate by attending a forum and providing feedback to ensure the best framework is chosen for our students. These virtual events will highlight the history of our re-envisioning process, the guidelines used to create the frameworks, and a variety of interactive ways for you to contribute to the ongoing development as we work together to create a distinct general education program for Kent State.  

We are confident that your input and our continued dedication to the process will build a Kent Core curriculum that is distinctive, innovative, exciting to our students, and forward-looking in our disciplines while also aligning with the core values and mission of Kent State.

Visit our webpage to find a full list of dates and times for the Re-envisioning the Kent Core Community Forum sessions. No registration is required.

Your voice is critical to the process, and I hope that you will find time to join us at a session!

My best, 
Melody Tankersley, Ph.D. 
Senior Vice President and Provost
 

RE-EVISIONING THE KENT CORE COMMUNITY FORUM SCHEDULE

Wednesday, April 3, 2024, 9:30 a.m. – 11 a.m. 
Wednesday, April  3, 2024, 1:15 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. 
Thursday, April 4, 2024, 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. 
Thursday, April 4, 2024, 2:30 p.m. – 4 p.m. 
Tuesday, April 9, 2024, 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. 
Tuesday, April 9, 2024, noon – 1:30 p.m. 
Wednesday, April 10, 2024, 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. 
Wednesday, April 10, 2024, 1 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. 
Thursday, April 11, 2024, 8:30 a.m. – 10 a.m. 
Thursday, April 11, 2024, 1:30 p.m. – 3 p.m. 
Monday, April 15, 2024, 8 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. 
Monday, April 15, 2024, 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. 
Tuesday, April 16, 2024, 9 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. 
Tuesday, April 16, 2024, 1:30 p.m. – 3 p.m. 
Wednesday, April 17, 2024, 10:30 a.m. – noon 
Wednesday, April 17, 2024, 1 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. 
Thursday, April 18, 2024, 9 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. 
Thursday, April 18, 2024, 2 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. 
Friday, April 19, 2024, 8 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. 

Throughout the academic year, the Reenvisioning the Kent Core Sprint Design Team has been working hard to create distinct draft program designs that reflect and integrate the hard work from the 2022-2023 academic year.  In each of the designs there is evidence of our commitment to the Big Six Outcomes and the distinctive features of Kent State that were identified by working groups earlier in the re-envisioning process.  We believe these three designs represent a significant change to our approach to general education at Kent State.  These frameworks all align with the Ohio Transfer 36 requirements and invite a more robust experience for students that is relevant to our current local, national, and global issues. 

The next step in the process is to allow the university community a chance to respond to these designs and identify the elements from each framework that align with our Kent State mission.  We look forward to hearing from each of you as we continue the Reenvisioning of our Kent Core.

The three subcommittees of the Re-envisioning Kent Core steering committee accomplished a great deal this year, including a focus on developing:

• Distinctiveness – Recommendations regarding a Kent State distinctive general education program that is consistent with the university’s mission, vision, and values.
• Design – Recommendations regarding the organization and structure of the general education program. 
• Budgetary Reform – Recommendations regarding the budgeting model for the general education program.

Access the Report Highlights

• Guidelines & Procedures for Academic Program Review, Ohio Department of Higher Education
• Kent Core (General Education Requirement)
• Kent Core
• Ohio Transfer 36
• American Association of Colleges and Universities
• What Liberal Education Looks Like, AAC&U

History of Kent State’s General Education Requirement

1983: Kent State establishes the General Education Requirements. Previously, each college had separate and different general education requirements. The structure for the university-wide requirement is modeled after the one in the College of Arts and Sciences.

1985: The General Education Requirements is renamed the Liberal Education Requirements.

1990: The state-wide Ohio Transfer Module is implemented, patterned after Kent State’s general education requirements. The Ohio Transfer Module (now called Ohio Transfer 36) comprises 36-40 credit hours from five categories: English Composition (minimum 3 credit hours); Mathematics, Statistics and Logic (minimum 3 semester); Arts and Humanities (minimum 6 credit hours); Social and Behavioral Sciences (minimum 6 credit hours); and Natural Sciences (minimum 6 credit hours).

1999: The Liberal Education Requirements is reduced in total credit hours, and more course options added.

2006: The Liberal Education Requirements is revised to comply with a state mandate to align with the Ohio Transfer Module, specifically in the mathematics (foreign languages removed) and natural sciences (one lab required) categories. The mathematics category is renamed, and the Additional category is created to allow two courses from separate categories to be applied.

2010: The Liberal Education Requirements is revised to remove the restriction that students’ major courses cannot count toward the requirement. The requirement is renamed the Kent Core.

2011: Following a mandate from the state, an abbreviated Kent Core is required for all applied associate degrees (e.g., A.A.B., A.A.S., A.T.S.).

2013: The Kent Core is revised to allow courses from any category to count toward the Additional category.

2021: For the past 10 years, Faculty Senate has attempted to minimize growth of the Kent Core by requiring any new additions to be accompanied by removals, except for mathematics courses mandated by the state.

University Catalog Kent Core (General Education Requirement)​

Leadership Team

• Manfred van Dulmen, Ph.D., Senior Associate Provost and Dean, (Co-Chair)
• Alison Smith, Ph.D., Dean, (Co-Chair)
• Scott Sheridan, Interim Associate Provost and Professor
• David Dees, Ph.D., Associate Professor
• Jennifer Newberger, M.Ed., Research and Evaluation, Project Manager

Steering Committee

• Denise Bartell, Senior Associate VP, Regional Campus System Faculty & Student Success 
• Edward Dauterich, Ph.D., Professor
• Claudia Gomez, Ph.D., Associate Professor
• Mary Kutchin, MSN, RN, Associate Lecturer
• Jenny Marcinkiewicz, Ph.D., Director Center for Teaching and Learning
• Mandy Munro-Stasiuk, Ph.D., Dean 
• Liz Piatt, Ph.D., Interim Dean
• Amy Quillen, Ph.D., Student Ombuds
• C. Lockwood Reynolds, Ph.D., Associate Professor
• Robin Vande Zande, Ph.D., Professor
• Sean Veney, Ph.D., Associate Professor
• Kathy Zarges, Assistant Dean, Advising Student Success, and Licensure

Model Sprint Team

• David Dees, Ph.D., Associate Professor (chair)
• Jenny Marcinkiewicz, Ph.D., Director Center for Teaching and Learning (co-chair)
• Robin Vande Zande, Ph.D., Professor
• Andrew Barnes, Ph.D., Associate Professor
• Tina Bhargava, Dr.PH., Associate Professor
• Laurie Camp, Director I
• Neil Cooper, Ph.D., Director and Professor
• Ben Hollis, Ph.D., Executive Director
• Joanna Liedel, M.Ed., Director of Academic Partnerships
• Shelley Marshall, M.T., Lecturer
• James Redfearn, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
• Renee Roll, M.F.A., Associate Professor
• Lana Whitehead, M.S., Asst VP, Lifelong Learning
• Kathy Zarges, Assistant Dean, Advising Student Success, and Licensure

Model Advisory Team

• Craig Berger, Associate Director
• Jen Cunningham, Ph.D., Associate Professor
• Carla Goar, Ph.D., Director, Anti-Racism and Equity Institute and Professor
• Vicki Gutierez, Senior Instructional Designer
• Ellie Hansen, M.A., Director
• Jay Hays, Ph.D., Academic Program Director
• Jonghan Hyun, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
• Jennifer McCullough, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
• Dirk Remley, Ph.D., Professor
• Liz Sinclair, M.Ed., Assistant Dean Of Undergraduate Programs And Assessment
• Deb C. Smith, Ph.D., Professor
• Melissa Zullo, Ph.D., Associate Dean and Professor

Budgetary Team

• Mandy Munro-Stasiuk, Ph.D., Dean (Co-Chair)
• C. Lockwood Reynolds, Ph.D., Associate Professor (Co-Chair)
• Andrew Barnes, Ph.D., Associate Professor
• Alicia Crowe, Ph.D., Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education and Student Services and Professor
• Brad Bielski, Ph.D., Dean and Chief Administrative Officer
• Ryan Hediger, Ph.D., Professor
• Ben Hollis, Ph.D., Executive Director
• Michael Johnson, M.B.A., Associate Vice President
• Aloysius Kasturiarachi, Ph.D., Associate Professor
• Darci Kracht, Ph.D., Professor
• Mary Kutchin, MSN, RN, Associate Lecturer
• Deepraj Mukherjee, Ph.D., Professor
• Dirk Remley, Ph.D., Professor
• Sean Veney, Ph.D., Associate Professor