Summary of Kent State University Board of Trustees Actions, Sept. 17
Summary of Kent State University Board of Trustees Actions, Sept. 17
At its Sept. 17 meeting, the Kent State University Board of Trustees took action on the following items:
Establishment of Northeast Ohio’s Only Graduate Program in Hospitality and Tourism Management
To help meet the growing demand for professionals in the field of hospitality and tourism management, the Board established a master’s-degree program in hospitality and tourism management, effective fall semester 2009. The new graduate program, which will prepare graduates for leadership and industry-related research and consulting positions, will be the only one of its kind in Northeast Ohio. The program builds on two successful Kent State undergraduate programs: the bachelor of science program in hospitality management, offered through the School of Family and Consumer Studies; and the bachelor of science in recreation, parks and tourism management, offered through the School of Exercise, Leisure and Sport. Trustees noted that hospitality and tourism, which comprises business such as attractions, amusements, conventions, events, sports, restaurants, lodging and transportation, is the world’s largest industry. The degree program was approved by the university’s Educational Policies Council and the Faculty Senate, and has the endorsement of the president and the provost.Kent State to Help Meet Green Industry Demands with New Programs
To help meet Ohio’s growing demand for highly skilled green-industry employees, the Board established an associate of applied technical studies degree program in urban environment management technology at the university’s Trumbull Campus; and a bachelor of applied horticulture at the university’s Salem Campus. Both programs will begin fall semester 2009. The new associate-degree program is designed primarily for working adults who have completed a registered apprenticeship/journeyman training program in the green industry. It will qualify them for administrative or supervisory positions in this growing field. The bachelor of applied horticulture program is a “2+2” program that will allow graduates of the current associate of applied science in horticulture technology to continue their studies for an additional two years and earn a bachelor’s degree. Completion of the bachelor’s-degree program will prepare graduates for management positions or to start green-industry businesses. The new bachelor’s-degree program builds on the three concentration areas of the associate-degree program: urban forestry, landscape design and construction, and turf management. It also takes advantage of the unique resources of the Salem Campus, including a greenhouse, a well-developed arboretum, a 25-acre mixed-hardwood forest, a Hosta garden, a small lake and other facilities. Ohio is one of the nation’s six leading states in the production of green-industry goods and services. The new programs have strong support from green-industry leaders, including the multi-national Davey Tree Expert Company of Kent, Ohio. The new programs “align perfectly with the University System of Ohio strategic plan that seeks to educate more students in knowledge-based technologies that will meet workforce needs and stabilize the state’s economy,” Trustees noted in their resolution. The degree programs were approved by the university’s Educational Policies Council and the Faculty Senate, and are endorsed by the president and the provost.Varsity “K” Room Named for Jim and Carolyn Phelan
The Board recognized the leadership and contributions of Kent State alumnus Jim Phelan and his wife, Carolyn, by naming the Varsity “K” Room in Dix Stadium in their honor. The Varsity “K” Club is an organization devoted to sustaining the tradition of Kent State athletics by bridging the gap of all former letter winners. The room is a central meeting place for former letter winners during home football games. Jim Phelan, a 1965 Kent State graduate who played Golden Flash football for four years, is a Varsity “K” member. He and his wife have supported Kent State athletics for more than 20 years, making lifetime gifts and pledges totaling more than $100,000. Most notably, they made a $75,000 leadership gift for the Varsity “K” Room renovation project. The Varsity “K” Room will be dedicated in a ceremony before the home football game on Oct. 4, 2008.In other actions:
- The Board authorized the vice president for finance and administration to proceed with the design of renovations that will transform aging Van Campen Hall on the Kent Campus into a Center for Turkish Studies. As part of a recent agreement with Kent State, Turkey’s Bahcesehir University will pay for the $2.7 million renovation project, which will be issued for bidding later this year.
- The Board approved a charter for its External Relations and Development Committee
- The Board authorized the purchase of properties at 410 Walnut St. and 414 Walnut St. in East Liverpool for a total of $35,000. The properties, sold by Elaine and Jeffrey Halpate, will allow the university to provide additional parking space for students at Kent State East Liverpool.
- The Board authorized the purchase of a .092-acre site located at 231 Willow St. in Kent for $125,000. The property, which was purchased from the Kent State University Foundation, Inc., will allow future expansion at the Kent Campus.
- The Board authorized the vice president for finance and administration to enter into a contractual agreement to lease space in downtown Cleveland to house the Kent State University Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative (KSU-CUDC). The current lease for the KSU-CUDC will expire in 2009.
- The Board authorized the vice president for finance and administration to enter into a 15-year, non-exclusive easement agreement with Reserve Energy Exploration to permit construction of a natural gas gathering pipeline on the university’s Geauga Campus.