Your Questions, Answered: Action Plan for the Regional Campus System

If you have a question you would like to find in this FAQ, kindly email regionals@kent.edu, and we’ll strive to provide answers on this site.

Don’t forget to revisit for additional updates.

1. Why are Regional Campuses (RCs) part of Kent State University?

Regional Campuses are a crucial part of Kent State University because they help us achieve our mission of making education accessible to people in Northeast Ohio and Western Pennsylvania who might face challenges like time, location or money.

2. What is the North Star for Kent State University Academic Affairs?

The main goal for Kent State University Academic Affairs, which includes RCs, is to help students complete valuable educational credentials and degrees.

3. Why do we need an action plan for RC organizational management?

The RC system will be facing quite a few challenges in the upcoming years, including the predictions of continued enrollment decline, expenses outpacing revenues, declining emphasis on earning a degree, increasing emphasis on workplace skill attainment and increasing competition among institutions of higher learning. Our action plan is about adapting to these trends and educational needs.

4. What are the main goals of the RC system?

• RCs will provide learning opportunities and support for educational credentials within our budget.
• RCs will work together as a team.
• RCs will help students earn degrees that are needed in their communities.

5. What does the future look like for the RC system?

In the future, we see our campuses offering:

• Hands-on learning for technical programs.
• Select degree programs and microcredentials.
• Good support for online learners.
• Help for students and community members to make their lives better.

6. How was input received in developing a plan for the Regional Campus System?

Since January, an Ad Hoc Think Tank of elected faculty representatives from every Regional Campus has been meeting for three hours every other week (nine meetings). They returned to their campus Faculty Advisory Committees (FCs), discussed developments and made themselves available to colleagues. Now, we’re reporting back to individual campus FACs about the Think Tank’s work. In addition, campus deans, assistant deans and budget managers met regularly to consider options.

The campus deans and Vice President Peggy Shadduck followed up over the summer of 2023 with further discussions about the Regional Campus System’s mission, future and organizational structure.

7. What did the Think Tank do?

The Think Tank shared many of the challenges and issues associated with faculty work at the Regional Campuses, considering similarities and differences between the campuses and the work they accomplish. They considered how to tackle some of the challenges and voted to take a proposal — about faculty disciplinary groups that span across the Regional Campus System — to the campus faculty councils for review. The proposal included 10 disciplinary groups that would work together across the RC system to consider issues related to curricular opportunities and challenges. Each of the disciplinary groups would be facilitated by a faculty coordinator, selected by that group.

8. What have the campus faculty councils been asked to do this fall?

The faculty councils have been asked to provide feedback to the Provost and the VP for Regional Campuses about the disciplinary groups proposed by the Think Tank. They have also been asked to give feedback on the statements of goals and objectives articulated by the VP and the campus deans.

9. How do the RC system and CATS work together?

The College of Applied and Technical Studies (CATS) and the RC system help each other. CATS focuses on technical and applied areas of study, some of which need hands-on learning, which can be implemented via the RCs. Others can be done online. As needs are identified in our communities, CATS can help to provide some of the educational programs that can be implemented at the RCs.

10. Who are the students the RC system serves?

We help many types of students, including current high school students (CCP students), recent high school graduates, adults looking for a career change, people who want to learn new skills, and those who want to improve their professional skills.

11. What is the “Theory of Change” for the RC system?

Holistic support + Learning + Collaboration + Culture of Caring = Completion

12. What are the plans for the RC system?

We will:

• Make sure our revenue and expenses are balanced.
• Collaborate to achieve positive outcomes.
• Talk to each other and work as a team.
• Learn about community and student needs and share those with our KSU colleagues.
• Work with the colleges and other units to adjust programming to fit the needs of our learners.
• Offer great educational experiences.
• Make sure students get the help they need to succeed.
• Work with groups in our communities to help our students.

Please keep in mind that we’re always working on strategies and tactics to achieve our goals.  As specific details are worked out for a new part of the plan, we will collaborate at the level of our campuses, our RC system, the full university and beyond to achieve our objectives.