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Kent State Participates in Great Colleges to Work for Survey

When you asked for a better work/life balance, we implemented a flexible work arrangement to be used for participation in university-sponsored wellness activities and events, physical fitness, childcare, professional development, and to more effectively perform daily job responsibilities.

When you requested better information-sharing and stronger connections to senior administration, we created the ������ Staff Council that provides a platform for classified and unclassified staff to share ideas, information, and communicate on issues and topics that affect staff and the broader university community.

������ is again participating in the Great Colleges to Work For program, a national survey designed to recognize institutions that have built great workplaces. By doing so, we can continue to track our progress in responding to your insights through a process that provides invaluable internal and external benchmarking. Kent State has been recognized in past years and this year affords us the same opportunity. We encourage you to share your feedback regarding Kent State.

Although recognition is not guaranteed, we remain wholly optimistic about the value we can derive from this program. Your input allows us to improve existing practices and implement new programs and procedures.

An invitation to take the Great Colleges to Work For survey will be distributed to a random selection of our employees and faculty members this spring, meaning you may or may not be chosen to provide feedback. If you receive an invitation, we welcome and encourage you to participate and share your honest viewpoints, as a high response rate helps ensure an accurate representation of our community. We thank everyone who participated last year.

Please note that the survey, which opens March 9 through April 3, is voluntary and completely confidential; our institution cannot trace results back to individuals. ModernThink LLC, an independent management-consulting firm focusing on workplace quality in higher education, will process your survey. ModernThink can be reached at 888.684.4658, or email surveys@modernthink.net.

Thank you in advance for your participation. Please contact Dr. Susan Perry, Assistant Provost for Accreditation, Assessment and Learning, at assessment@kent.edu, if you have any questions.

������ Encourages Census Participation

Health clinics. Fire departments. Schools. Even roads and bridges are just a few of the many aspects of communities shaped by your responses to the census.

Subsequently, since fall 2019 Kent State’s university wide Complete Count Committee is creating a plan to encourage the Kent State community to participate in the 2020 Census.

Census results are important because they help determine $675 billion in federal funding allocations, including support for schools and student financial aid.

College-age students are typically undercounted. For example, only 28 percent of Kent State students participated in the last census, so our region received fewer resources than it should have. To help remedy that, our residence hall administrators will electronically submit the census responses for all students living on the Kent Campus in residence halls.

Now through the end of April, you will see messaging and events about the census. Please encourage off-campus students, faculty and staff to complete their census questionnaire online or by using the paper form mailed to their residence.

For more information, visit www.kent.edu/census2020.

John Rathje Appointed to the Ellucian North America Advisory Council

Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer John Rathje has been appointment to the Ellucian North America Advisory Council for a two-year term through Dec. 31, 2021.

In this role, Rathje will help shape the future of Ellucian and higher education and bring thought leadership and a collaborative spirit to the council.

Ellucian provides insight into the overall state of higher education, outlining the global trends and key developments shaping the industry, sharing proven practices as representatives of the broader customer base, and providing input that contributes to Ellucian strategy and roadmaps.

The – a gathering of all Ellucian customer council members – will be held in early April 2020.

Take a Tour of IMPACT’s Employee Assistance Program

Webinar - Wed., March 18, from 9 – 10 a.m.

IMPACT Solutions Employee Assistance & Work/Life Program offers a wide array of resources and services available to all employees, full- and part-time, and their families. IMPACT can assist with anything from making a budget to family counseling to trying to quit smoking. They can also assist with legal, elder or childcare issues, or simply managing stressful situations. Employees have often said, “this should be a required webinar for all employees. I’ve learned so much and had no idea!”

Your virtual tour will be led by IMPACT account manager, Alan Gecht. Whether training or working with a client in a clinical setting, Alan’s goal is to provide practical, solution-focused strategies for life’s issues that virtually anyone can apply with success.

Alan will go over some of the basics that will include key services that your EAP partner can provide and who is eligible. For instance, did you know that your parents and parents-in-law are also eligible for all IMPACT services? Alan will then move into some of the newest features and services recently added to your IMPACT benefits. This includes TESS, an artificial intelligence chat box. He will also talk about the newest telemental health services—designed for easier access to counseling services for you or your loved ones that can be held anywhere at times convenient to you. These are just a couple of the newest features you will learn about and so much more.

This is an Employee Wellness offering and open to ALL full- and part-time employees. For full-time, benefits-eligible employees participating in the Wellness Your Way program, this session will be worth 10 points towards your Tier 2 total. You do not need to be enrolled in the university-sponsored health plan to be eligible for this program or Wellness Reward points.

for this March 18 webinar.

For questions regarding the Employee Wellness offerings for faculty/staff, please contact the Employee Wellness Office at 330-672-0392 or wellness@kent.edu. For questions regarding the webinar delivery, please contact Ron Smith at 330-672-2602 or rsmith5@kent.edu.

Important Information Regarding Faculty Grading Spring Semester

Dates to Remember:

Women's History Month

National Nutrition Month

March 8

International Women's Day

Daylight Saving Time begins (ends Nov. 1)