91�ֿ�

For the 10th time, 91�ֿ� is being recognized as a “Great College to Work For,” according to the latest survey by the Great Colleges to Work For program. The program recognizes the colleges that get top ratings from their employees regarding workplace practices and policies. 

Students at 91�ֿ� Trumbull who are in need of food, personal items and clothing will now have more support from the university following Trumbull’s Care Closet official opening on Oct. 18. Trumbull’s Care Closet was created by the 2020-2021 Undergraduate Student Government (USG) and is set up as a fund that faculty, staff and the community can donate to. It’s goal is to provide necessities for students who can’t afford them.

National First-Generation College Celebration is on Nov. 8, and 91�ֿ� is hosting a weeklong celebration filled with campus-wide activities and learning opportunities to recognize students who will be the first in their family to graduate with a four-year degree.

For senior mechatronics engineering major Delonte Goodman, the road to higher education was not the easiest. But as a high school student who caught the eye of NASA and can understand electrical and mechanical processes in everyday ATM transactions, he has bravely paved his way as a successful first-generation college student at 91�ֿ�.

Resilience is the ability to adapt to new situations and ever changing environments and resilient individuals more easily navigate professional and personal uncertainties. Researchers Shannon Navy and Lisa Borgerding understand the importance of an adaptable mindset and work to discern the factors that progressively impact one’s ability to maintain their role as an educator. A $1,000,000 grant from the National Science Foundation allows a new project to focus on identifying and describing the development of resilience among new teachers, which can inform education and professional learning programs.  

91�ֿ� held its annual Veterans Day Commemoration in person at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 10, at Risman Plaza on the Kent Campus.

The U.S. Department of Education has awarded 91�ֿ� a nearly $1.2 million, five-year TRIO Educational Opportunity Centers program grant. The program is designed to provide support services to qualified adults, including veterans, who want to enter or continue a program of postsecondary education. 

91�ֿ�, which has gained national recognition for its creative and successful Giving Tuesday campaigns, launched its monthlong celebration of philanthropy on Nov. 1. Giving Tuesday, now in its eighth year at 91�ֿ�, has raised nearly $7 million during that time, which illuminates the impact that can be made when Golden Flashes come together.

Lamar R. Hylton, Ph.D., 91�ֿ�’s senior vice president for student affairs, has been named the recipient of the NASPA (Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education) Region IV-East Scott Goodnight Award for Outstanding Senior Student Affairs Officer for 2021, named to Crain’s Cleveland Business Forty Under 40, selected as a recipient of the American College Personnel Association (ACPA) Diamond Honoree award and is a member of the 2022 class of the NASPA Pillars of the Profession award.

Representatives from 91�ֿ� and the city of Kent will hold a community meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 27, called “A Vision of a Village” to share information and answer questions about a new residential complex designed to integrate the city of Kent and 91�ֿ�, physically and programmatically.

Last year 91�ֿ� faculty and staff surprised first-year students with check-in phone calls for The Flashes Take Care of Flashes call campaign. The outcome was a huge success and has driven the university to host another campaign this fall. It is scheduled to run from Nov. 2-12, but the university needs many faculty and staff volunteers to make it possible to call 4,000 students. Volunteers are encouraged to register by Wednesday, Oct. 27.

91�ֿ� alumnus Don Drumm, ‘86, was featured in the Akron Beacon Journal for celebrating the 50th anniversary of Don Drumm Studios and Gallery. Using sand-cast aluminum to create his art, he has decades of experience using a foundry to create his artistic visions.

 Kent Skates will be a new, outdoor ice skating rink that will be free and open to the public. It will be open from Nov. 20 through Feb. 28. Use of the rink will be free, along with free skate rental.

Roseann “Chic” Canfora, Ph.D., is a Professional-in-Residence at 91�ֿ� in the School of Media and Journalism, part of the College of Communication and Information. Prior to teaching at 91�ֿ�, Canfora served as the chief communications officer for the Cleveland Metropolitan School District and taught high school journalism and speech. Canfora was also a student at 91�ֿ�, starting in 1968, and is a survivor of the May 4, 1970, shootings at 91�ֿ�. She graduated with her master’s in journalism and public relations and bachelor’s in English/speech. She is heavily involved in activism as well.

“You can’t expect journalists to do this type of hurdling long-term without holistic support that includes logistical elements," claims Assistant Professor and TV2 advisor Gretchen Hoak, "but also mental and emotional support."

Fashion merchandising alumna Emilie Oxel O'Leary, '93, is the CEO of Sunshine Solar, a mechanical installation company that provides solar power to major brands such as Target, L'Oreal and Amazon. Sunshine Solar’s first solar project was installing a solar carport for the Atlanta Falcons stadium. Since then, the company has installed solar panels to Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Verizon and FedEx whether it be with carport tops, rooftops or solar fields.

Through a five-year, $625,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the Mental Health and Recovery Board of Portage County will partner with 91�ֿ�’s Center for Public Policy and Health in the College of Public Health to improve and support mental health in Portage County. 

“An American Sunrise” by Poet Laureate Joy Harjo, the first Native American poet laureate of the United States, will be the focal point as 91�ֿ� kicks off the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Big Read Northeast Ohio community reading program. The kickoff event will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 12, beginning promptly at 7 p.m. in the Kiva. The event is free and open to the public, but registration is appreciated.

The Rainbow Run is one of most important fundraising events of the year for the university's LGBTQ+ Emergency Fund, available to assist any LGBTQ+ identifying 91�ֿ� student in financial crisis. The sixth annual Rainbow Run “fun run” will take place on Friday, Oct. 8, at 7 p.m. on Risman Plaza. Find out more about why Ken Ditlevson, director of the 91�ֿ�’s LGBTQ+ Center, describes the fund as a vital safety net and a lifeline for students who are struggling financially. 

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, students have decided to come back to campus and in-person learning, a trend that is evident in the newest class of Golden Flashes, up 4% from last year’s incoming class. As incoming freshmen fill the campus, fellow Flashes can get to know their new classmates.