The Excellence Agenda State of the University Address Lester A. Lefton, President Kent State University September 25, 2008

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hank you, Chairman Mullin. Kent State is proud to claim you as an alumnus and as a trustee. Over the years, I’ve seen many boards up close and personal. I am not exaggerating when I say that I’ve never seen a university board demonstrate more diligence, more vision — or care more deeply about students, scholarship and service — than the trustees serving Kent State in 2008. Actually, that doesn’t surprise me. My tenure at Kent State has now passed the two-year mark. Given the recent and impending turnover among Ohio’s university presidents, that gives me a lot more seniority than it sounds. If I’ve learned anything in the last 26 months — and I’ve learned a lot — it’s that Kent State inspires caring, cooperation and commitment. I see it in our academic, administrative and volunteer leadership; in faculty, staff, students and alumni; and in a loyal legion of other friends.

Wherever I go, these friends, colleagues and community members tell me that they’re bowled over by the scope and significance of the contributions made by our eight campuses. They express their admiration for the spirit of creativity and collaboration with which Kent State fulfills its educational, cultural and public-service missions. And they often share a feeling that’s hard to articulate — the feeling that there’s just something special about the Kent State character. I second those emotions. You’ll find compelling evidence of these institutional traits — and richly deserved recognition of many individual faculty, staff and students — in my annual President’s Report. The publication is hot off the press and available on the university’s Web site at http://www.kent.edu/Administration/President.Report. It underscores our important — and undeniably impressive — tradition of public service.

Honoring the Past While Embracing a 21st-Century Excellence Agenda This year and every year, reasons abound to honor Kent State’s unique history and traditions. Whether it’s commemorating pivotal events in our past; taking pride in the newly renovated Oscar Ritchie Hall and remembering that it bears the name of Kent State’s — and Ohio’s — first African-American faculty member; resuming the family-friendly fanfare of our Homecoming parade; or celebrating 40 years of Broadway-caliber performances at Porthouse Theatre, we should always acknowledge the university’s role in the history of our region, our state and our nation. At the same time, it’s important — in fact, it’s imperative — that we continue to move forward and embrace change; that we take full advantage of our positive momentum at this promising moment: the cusp of our centennial. This afternoon, I’ll point to several issues and initiatives that are critical to Kent State’s future. My intent is to speak plainly; to stress the opportunities inherent in the changes we

face; and to continue working closely with faculty, staff and students — and all of our constituencies — to advance the university’s excellence agenda. Excellence. Anyone who’s ever heard me speak could safely have bet that this speech would include that word; and that I’d utter the three words that have become Kent State’s clarion call: “excellence in action.” Although it’s everywhere from brochures to billboards, the phrase is more a mantra than a marketing message. It reflects countless, daily efforts to operate at the highest standards — inspired standards — in teaching, research, creative activities, and public service; and in all university operations. I want to thank every member of our community who has embraced Kent State’s excellence agenda. It’s become a common — and truly gratifying — occurrence to hear that discussions and decision-making across the university include the question, “How does this help create the best possible Kent State?”

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For the sake of our students and Kent State as a whole, our As most of you know, the strategic-planning process was excellence agenda demands an approach to the future that is overseen by Board of Regents Chancellor Eric Fingerhut. He informed, innovative and ahead of the curve. Again, I refer you to made sure that the plan was developed with extensive input the new President’s Report for recent examples of our success with from university presidents and business leaders. Having spent this approach. But we must — and will — do more to encourage considerable time with the chancellor, I know how determined he out-of-the-box strategies and solutions. and Governor Strickland are to make Ohio’s public universities The tendency to cling to the status quo is only human. At among the best anywhere. least that seems true for most people who predate Kent State is committed to playing a major the Millennial Generation. Today’s average freshman role in bringing the state’s higher education plan to “Doing has never lived in a world without GPS navigation life. In fact, as a four-corner school, we’re already the same things systems and Windows operating systems. But if engaged in dozens of activities that support each you’re like many adults, you still know people who of the strategic areas identified in the plan: access; in the same ways think Bluetooth is an exotic dental condition. You’re quality; affordability and efficiency; and economic still surprised at the ever-present prospect of being leadership. is no longer recorded and photographed on a cell phone. And you We’re not committed to the plan simply a viable strategy still find it strange when bloggers scoop prestigious because we’re part of the University System of Ohio news organizations. and must comply with directives from Columbus. for success.” Those are not the most serious examples of The state plan for higher education is in complete change. But my point here is serious: Doing the same harmony with Kent State’s longstanding tradition of things in the same ways is no longer a viable strategy for success. service in the public good. With that in mind, I want to note a number of changes That doesn’t mean we can relax and proceed on academic that are affecting — or about to affect — our community. Each autopilot. We stand accountable for contributing to state goals in requires a new mindset. Each brings new responsibilities. And meaningful and measurable ways. So we’ll use the strategic plan each holds the promise of significant and lasting improvements — for higher education as our guide. And we will — we must — on our campuses and far beyond. continue to take charge and chart our own destiny.

Higher Education in Ohio: Working Toward a Renaissance

Kent State’s Eight-Campus System: An Educational Whole

Let me start by sharing two unhappy statistics: Per capita income in Ohio is well below the national average. And we rank poorly among the 50 states in economic competitiveness. But now for the good news: Governor Strickland and the state legislature — members of both parties — understand that reversing this ranking requires increased support for higher education. This includes investments in the unique strengths of each of the state’s public colleges and universities; and in the mutually beneficial ties between the academic and private sectors. The new strategic plan for the University System of Ohio addresses these needs. And it clearly recognizes that — now more than ever — higher education can provide a range of solutions for an economy in jeopardy. Its overarching goals are to grow the number of Ohio college students by 230,000; keep more graduates in Ohio; and import more graduates from other states — and to do so in the next decade.

The state plan seeks to enhance geographical access to higher education. This has sparked new questions about the destiny of our seven Regional Campuses. By providing high-quality, affordable education to place-bound students, each plays a critical, regional role — one that is consistent with state goals. Individually and collectively, the Regional Campuses are major contributors to our success story. They are —and will continue to be—integral parts of the Kent State whole. Despite this fact, we can expect increasing pressure to change the model under which the Regional Campuses operate. For example, we know that many students choose community colleges as a lowercost option for the first two years of their college education. Regional Campuses are being asked to expand baccalaureate degree offerings and we should expect to see more 2+2 degrees — two years at a community college followed by two years at a Regional Campus. It’s important that our entire community recognizes the quality and commitment of Regional Campus faculty, staff and

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students, and their vital role in regional engagement. Many of you consider that a statement of the obvious. Yet our summer forums on inclusion revealed a sense of exclusion and isolation among many on the Regional Campuses. We need to work together to change that. And it’s essential that we take the lead in any rethinking and retooling that would allow our Regional Campuses to better meet the state’s educational-access goals. We have operated our model of Regional Campuses largely the same way for the last 50 years; now we are being challenged to think differently about how we meet the needs of our students and our communities for the next 50. Provost Frank has formed a think tank to generate ideas about reasonable courses of action related to the Regional Campuses. The results will be presented to the Faculty Senate and other appropriate bodies in due course. But I invite every member of our community — on every campus — to contribute your best thinking and to commit to real and positive change.

The time and place for a school of public health are “now” and “here.” There is only one accredited school of public health in Ohio. And with projects like Cleveland’s Medical Mart adding to Northeast Ohio’s status as a medical mecca, the new school and graduate program present golden opportunities for our students, faculty and region. Our analyses support the commonsense conclusion that they would attract significant enrollments, research funding and visibility to Kent State — all while allowing us to fulfill our public-service mission in new ways.

Repaving the Path to Student Success

The provost also has convened a 21st-Century Graduate Project to ensure that we’re doing everything possible to help today’s students navigate the path from convocation to commencement. It recognizes that student needs are not the same as they were even a decade ago. I salute the many members of our community “Let me tell who are contributing to the project. They’re grappling with questions from “What does it mean to be a Kent you what Serving Students and Ohio With a State graduate?” to “What are the most frequent and won’t change: School of Public Health frustrating obstacles to timely graduation?” I have asked the provost to take the helm of Our Liberal Education Requirements are high Kent State’s another fundamental and far-reaching initiative. It on the list of responses to the latter. The Liberal commitment to gets to the heart of the second change issue on my list: Education Requirements were introduced in 1984. our need to find new ways to ensure student success. Since then, they’ve morphed into the institutional providing an These range from creating programs in high-demand equivalent of the federal tax code. With help from intellectually and emerging fields; to launching a one-of-a-kind a newly formed 21st-Century Graduate Project bachelor’s-degree program geared to working adults; committee, we’re going to eliminate needless rigorous and to removing obstacles on the road to graduation — complexity, and create a streamlined pathway for scholastically especially the Liberal Education Requirements; and to student success. catapulting our academic centers of excellence to the Let me tell you what won’t change: Kent State’s sound education tops of their fields. commitment to providing an intellectually rigorous in every major.” Last spring, I asked the provost to oversee the and scholastically sound education in every major. development of a proposal for a School of Public I believe strongly in the value of a liberal arts Health. He has been working with the Faculty Senate education — one that exposes students to art, — as well as other university groups and area hospitals — to meet music, literature and history. I believe students should graduate an April 2009 deadline. I also asked him to lead planning for an with the ability to speak and read a foreign language. And I interdisciplinary master’s-level program in health informatics. believe that the discipline required to construct mathematical These related initiatives align with the University System proofs and deconstruct sentences is a benefit that lasts a lifetime. of Ohio’s strategic plan, which asks universities to leverage existing areas of excellence. The school will draw on our faculty’s considerable expertise in nursing, biopreparedness, sociology, Our Commitment to Inclusion psychology and other health-related disciplines. The master’s I want to turn to another initiative to make Kent State program will take advantage of our national leadership in better for students. In fact, its goal is to enhance the Kent State information science and knowledge management. experience for everyone who joins our community — whether it’s

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to earn a degree, build a career or attend a conference. I refer to As many of you know, Kent State has a long and impressive the important work underway to create a more welcoming and history of forging multicultural and international connections. accepting environment on our campuses. Many of them are the result of faculty scholarship that transcends Civil rights leader A. Philip Randolph observed, “A disciplines and datelines. But once again, good — even really community is democratic only when the humblest and weakest good — is not good enough. Not for a university that’s on an person can enjoy the highest civil, economic, and social rights upward academic trajectory. And not for a university that sees that the biggest and most powerful possess.” I believe the same new opportunities to augment our international enrollments — concept applies to having a sense of value as a member of our something beneficial for students who come here and for the learning community. Every member of our community should American classmates who get to know them. feel welcome and accepted. And everyone should feel safe to Kent State is committed to pursuing internationalization, peacefully exercise his or her right to think and speak freely. It’s and doing so as a leader. For example, earlier this year we signed the reason I formed the broad-based Commission on Inclusion. agreements to develop academic programs with seven leading Chinese Since early this year, commission members have universities. We also formed a new partnership with been having candid and wide-ranging discussions. “Sustainability Turkey’s Bahcesehir University that will create a Center They are sharing their experiences and concerns; for Turkish Studies on the Kent Campus. efforts require brainstorming about opportunities for positive change Many of you know from personal experience at Kent State; exploring national best practices for that the benefits of international partnerships extend a level of building inclusive campuses; defining what inclusive far beyond academic and financial growth. Getting ingenuity and excellence should mean at Kent State; seeking broad to know people from other parts of the world is a input; and, finally, drafting a meaningful action plan. I wonderful experience — one that affirms our shared integrity that’s look forward to receiving their recommendations and humanity more than it underscores cultural differences. setting them into immediate motion. hard to find I extend gratitude to the commission and its in many frank, fearless and forward-looking leader, the Reverend Taking a Stand for Sustainability Ronald Fowler. But I want to stress that their work Let me now turn to the many Kent State institutions, is just a beginning. We all can make differences — community members who are helping to protect but that abounds in words and deeds large and small — that make our world for future generations. There’s no finer our campus communities more inclusive. With our example than the late Dr. Arthur Herrick. Art was on every Kent famous midwestern warmth, we can help people find a longtime professor of biological sciences here S tate campus .” their way around campus, find jobs or find the way to at Kent State and a lifelong conservationist — graduation. We need to help ensure that all students, someone who was “green” decades before the term faculty and staff have the mentoring and motivation they need was coined and the cause became widespread. to succeed. In the end, cultivating inclusion means reaching I had the great pleasure of knowing Art and his equally out — staff, faculty, and students — to everyone. remarkable wife, Margaret. They would be the first to salute the flag I raise today: a flag for sustainability on every Kent State campus. “Sustainability” has become quite a buzzword; so, let me start A New World of Worldwide Partnerships with a definition we can all understand and stand behind. To In part, our inclusion initiative reflects the fact that paraphrase sustainability expert Anthony Cortese, sustainability university campuses are microcosms of our larger society. We is the integration of economy, ecology and society in ways that all know that — from music to money markets — modern allow us to have strong, vibrant, secure and thriving communities society is truly global. This has led most American universities and nations. It includes the restoration and maintenance of the to infuse their curricula with a global dimension and participate integrity of our life-support system — the biosphere. in international programs and partnerships. We understand that In other words, sustainability efforts include — but extend it’s no longer enough to offer a few study-abroad and exchange far beyond — environmental responsibility. Kent State has programs. All of our students must be able to interact with been engaged in a wide range of efforts that fall under the people beyond the borders of geography and ideology. sustainability umbrella:

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¾¾ Our Campus Environment and Operations unit operates a co-generation plant that provides steam, chilled water and electricity for the Kent Campus. The electricity generates waste heat, which is reused to produce steam and chilled water to heat and cool our campus. This saves well over a million dollars a year. And it has earned Kent State the Governor’s Award for Excellence in Energy, and the Energy Star Combined Heat and Power Award from the Environmental Protection Agency. ¾¾ The university practices recycling; switched to environmentally friendly cleaning products; and — through projects such as the Esplanade and The Portage Bike Trail — promotes biking and walking to reduce automobile use on campus. ¾¾ We hosted our first annual “Fuel-Less Friday” to encourage employees who live close to campus to walk, bike or use public transportation; and we brought vendors from across the country to the Kent Campus to showcase electric, hybrid and solar-powered vehicles. ¾¾ A number of Kent State faculty members conduct research and outreach in areas related to energy and ecology. The focus of their work ranges from lake ecosystems to elephant conservation; from fuel cells to energy policies. We held a forum to alert faculty and staff with an interest in clean energy to federal and state funding opportunities. Kent State Stark just received a generous gift from the Herbert W. Hoover Foundation to support a multifaceted initiative to cultivate scholars and citizens who can address environmental issues through new-media activism. ¾¾ I understand from Interim Dean Verna Fitzsimmons that the College of Technology is considering a range of academic options that focus on sustainability, and include new courses and tracks. I applaud this kind of forward thinking.

¾¾ And our students are sustaining their campuses and their communities in a range of individual and organized efforts. Some are as simple as unplugging unused computers; some as farreaching as building homes through Habitat for Humanity. Efforts like these are important links in a public-service chain of activities that spans nearly a century. They reflect the deep sense of social responsibility that is part of Kent State’s institutional DNA. And in many cases, they save money. For all these reasons, I am pleased to announce my decision to form a Task Force on Sustainability. I am also pleased that Verna Fitzsimmons, interim dean of the College of Technology, and Tom Euclide, executive director of Facilities Planning and Operations, have agreed to serve as co-chairs. I will ask task force members to consider the addition of a sustainability component in our university strategic plan. If they conclude that this is the right way to proceed, the task force will steer a sustainability strategic-planning process. I will ask the task force to recommend actions large and small; immediate and long-term. For example, many universities nationwide employ sustainability managers. As the title implies, he or she oversees sustainability efforts across the institution — everything from recycling to food preparation. There are many other options to explore — from creating revolving loan funds to support student and departmental cost-saving efforts; to adding an award for sustainability initiatives to our employee-recognition programs; to participating in national Campus Sustainability Day. Personally and as president, I’m excited by the initiatives we will make in this area. Sustainability efforts require a level of ingenuity and integrity that is hard to find in many institutions, but that abounds on every Kent State campus. I invite your participation as we move forward.

Moving to a New Financial Model I have now touched on several areas I see as major challenges — and major opportunities — for the coming year and beyond. I want to briefly note three others. They will be familiar to many of you, and I’ve hinted at them earlier. But they are too important to leave out of any discussion of Kent State’s future. I refer to the challenges of adopting a new financial system; retaining high-quality students; and increasing research funding. Next July, two years of dialogue and planning will come to fruition with the move to a Responsibility Center Management financial system. RCM is a decentralized and

highly flexible approach to budget management. It’s the system of choice for a large number of universities — in particular, universities that accept the limits of state funding; refuse to lower their standards or aspirations; and know they must support their priorities with new revenue streams. RCM provides a predictable framework for how units can grow their resources — one that promotes planning that is both systematic and bold. It gives college and campus deans far more control in allocating financial resources. It further requires deans to be even more responsive to their faculties. And it encourages innovation and entrepreneurship in

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developing courses and programs with the promise of robust enrollments. That’s because when it comes to generating revenue, RCM means that those who are efficient and entrepreneurial are beneficiaries of their efforts. Whatever funds remain beyond earmarked expenses can be allocated to needs from adding faculty, to attending conferences, to supporting student scholarships. In short, RCM will help units grow resources to invest in excellence.

Is RCM a magic potion? No. Is it understandable that some colleagues find the impending change intimidating? Of course. But is the potential for long-term gain worth some possible growing pains? I think the answer is a resounding “yes.” So let me encourage college leaders and faculty to focus on the advantages of RCM — advantages that offer unprecedented control over your academic destinies.

Welcoming New Leadership and New Opportunities Kent State is fortunate to have several new deans and executive officers with extensive RCM experience. I extend a warm welcome to each of them, and to all the new colleagues who’ve joined our community in recent weeks and months. They include: Gregg Floyd, vice president for finance and administration; Dr. Daniel Mahony, dean of the College of Education, Health and Human Services; and Dr. Timothy Moerland, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. We’re also fortunate that Jim Dalton agreed to continue his 25-year tenure with Kent State as dean of the College of Architecture and Environmental Design; that Dr. Donald Williams accepted the permanent post of Honors College dean; that Robert B. “Yank” Heisler Jr. will serve as dean of the College of Business Administration and Graduate School of Management; that Dr. Evelyn Goldsmith is serving as interim dean of Graduate Studies; that Verna Fitzsimmons is serving as interim dean of the College of Technology; and that Tuscarawas Campus Dean Gregg Andrews has taken on the role of interim executive dean of the Regional Campuses. In addition, we are close to naming a new vice president for University Relations. I expect that appointment will be made Monday. These appointments are a significant changing of the guard — one that will continue as we search for a dean of the College of Technology. I want to thank the deans and executive officers who have retired, returned to teaching or reached new rungs on their career ladders. Kent State is a better university because of your contributions. Each of our new leaders will soon get used to hearing me say, “Enrollment is life.” In a rapidly changing environment — and especially in an RCM environment — efforts to retain students take on a new urgency. As one of Ohio’s four-corner schools, we are pursuing a plan of careful, steady growth that will result

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in student success. At the same time, we must provide a flexible curriculum; stay attuned to student needs — especially the need to grow intellectually and socially; and we must ensure that our campuses are as safe as they are stimulating. A phrase that educators bandy about a great deal is “rethinking the curriculum.” I do not consider it a throwaway phrase. As I see it, our responsibility for ensuring the success of our students requires that we rethink everything we do to meet student needs. This may mean replacing what some consider time-honored traditions. As I stressed earlier, our graduates will enter a world that is dramatically different from the world that existed when many us of were educated. This reality requires each of us to consider different pathways to student success and excellence. It also requires an acceptance that tomorrow is unlikely to resemble today — not even at a university with great respect for traditions and values. Last, I want to emphasize that Kent State’s intellectually stimulating environment is linked inextricably to our research mission. We will continue to provide significant opportunities for undergraduate students to be part of that mission. Participation in research not only gives our students a competitive edge; it hones their ability to think critically. I can think of few skills more important in an age when most people accept everything they see on the Web without question. I’m pleased to report that more faculty members are creating new research opportunities for themselves and their students. Compared to the previous year, grant proposals increased by 8 percent. And the major research grants received by faculty in recent months point to a record funding year in fiscal 2009. I congratulate every faculty member whose stellar work has been recognized with state and/or federal funding. Your

efforts — which include path-breaking discoveries across the disciplines — have brought new respect and renown to Kent State. And they’ve kept us moving toward the ambitiousbut-realistic goal of doubling research support in the next five years. This goal is central to the university’s excellence agenda. From day one, my goal has been to help lead Kent State to the world-class status within its grasp. That goal has always

included efforts to make faculty salaries more competitive. The successful conclusion of this year’s contract negotiations is consistent with that goal. It is the first part of a multiyear plan to reward faculty excellence in all forms of scholarly endeavor.

The Excellence Agenda for 2008 and Beyond I have just covered a broad range of issues. Each is reflected in the plan I have developed for the coming academic year and beyond. Of course, it was formed in consultation with my cabinet and other faculty and administrative leaders, with the Board of Trustees, and with many other campus constituents. And, it is wholly consistent with our institutional mission and strategic plan; the University System of Ohio strategic plan; and the goals for excellence I have articulated during the last two years. My nine-point roadmap for our immediate future is to: 1. Expand efforts to increase the enrollment of high-quality students (including out-of-state and international students). 2. Expand efforts to retain students and keep them on the path to graduation in a timely manner. This includes a review of and recommendations for simplifying the Liberal Education Requirements. 3. Support efforts to increase the number of state and federal grant proposals submitted by faculty and staff. 4. Thoughtfully implement the Responsibility Center Management financial system for all colleges and campuses. 5. Enact all feasible recommendations of the Commission on Inclusion and engage in a multiyear effort to enhance inclusiveness on all of our campuses. 6. Find outstanding successors for open academic and administrative positions. 7. Complete the planning processes for an accredited School of Public Health and a related master’s degree program in health informatics.

8. Establish a Task Force on Sustainability with an initial charge to explore the addition of a sustainability component in the university’s strategic plan. 9. And serve as a proactive partner in pursuing the goals of the University System of Ohio strategic plan for higher education. From boosting research funding to boosting retention; from nurturing an environment of inclusion to respecting the physical environment, Kent State is on the right path in every way that matters. At end of day, we stand for academic excellence, and excellence in all we do. At end of day, we stand for integrity, and integrity in all we do. And, at end of day, we stand for inclusion, and inclusion in all we do. And we stand together as a community devoted to serving students, serving Ohio and serving society. I’d like to underscore those conclusions with words I spoke in my Inaugural Address, words that represent our end game: If we are vigilant in safeguarding our core values; if we are unwavering in our commitment to cultivating, celebrating and capitalizing on ideas; and, if we agree that at this university, academic excellence will never be an area of compromise, nothing can keep us from building extraordinary lives and an even more extraordinary institution. Thank you.

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