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�鶹��Ƶ������ȫ University’s Brain Health Research Institute celebrated the grand opening of its new lab spaces on Friday, Nov. 5, with an afternoon of activities that included a keynote presentation, space dedication, tours and student research demonstrations. The new space, featuring interdisciplinary research facilities, is located on the lower level of the Integrated Sciences Building on the Kent Campus.

A recent town hall provided �鶹��Ƶ������ȫ University's students, staff and faculty the opportunity to discuss Critical Race Theory and Intersectionality -- topics which have frequently debated across the country.

Last Spring, the �鶹��Ƶ������ȫ University Board of Trustees approved the Anti-Racism and Equity Institute, which creates an important interdisciplinary hub for faculty, students, staff and community members engaged in race and anti-racism scholarship, activism and education. “�鶹��Ƶ������ȫ is a university that is known for its activism,” Carla Goar, Ph.D., director of the Anti-Racism and Equity Institute, said. “Ideally this institute will serve as a hub for scholars and activists to come together to tackle issues and racial equity."

�鶹��Ƶ������ȫ’s current graduation rate is the highest among public universities in Northeast Ohio and fifth highest among all of Ohio’s public universities, behind Ohio State, Miami, the University of Cincinnati and Ohio University. In northern Ohio, the graduation rates of other public universities range from 40 to 55 percent.

For the 10th time, �鶹��Ƶ������ȫ University 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 �鶹��Ƶ������ȫ 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 �鶹��Ƶ������ȫ 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 �鶹��Ƶ������ȫ University.

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.  

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

Julia Hallgren didn’t know the student in front of her. She didn’t need to. “The student closed the door after they said they felt suicidal, (so) I knew I had to do something,” Hallgren said.

Ohio’s opioid epidemic is one of the worst in the country. One �鶹��Ƶ������ȫ University professor and his team are aiming to change that. Deric Kenne in the College of Public Health received a five-year, $2.6 million federal grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to expand and enhance services for opioid use disorder treatment in Summit County, Ohio. A significant portion of the funding will go to CHC Addiction Services to enhance and expand medication-assisted treatment programming.

The U.S. Department of Education has awarded �鶹��Ƶ������ȫ University 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. 

�鶹��Ƶ������ȫ University, 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 �鶹��Ƶ������ȫ, 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., �鶹��Ƶ������ȫ University’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.

The Rubber City Theatre in Akron, Ohio, will host the play "Love in Reserve" by career storyteller, U.S. Army veteran, award-winning journalist and playwright Eric Mansfield. At �鶹��Ƶ������ȫ University, many know Mansfield from his role as assistant vice president for content strategy and communications in the Division of University Communications and Marketing.

When it comes to our physical health, regular upkeep and preventative measures are not only expected, but encouraged within our society. However, mental health disorders have yet to be looked upon with the same grace and understanding. Kristen Marcussen, associate professor in the Department of Sociology & Criminology, was recently awarded funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for her proposal titled, “Understanding Social Stigma, Stigma Resistance and the Mental Illness Identity.”

For its fourth consecutive year, the �鶹��Ƶ������ȫ University Honors College is hosting “Career Conversations,” a series of alumni speaking events which take place throughout the fall semester.

Representatives from �鶹��Ƶ������ȫ University 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 �鶹��Ƶ������ȫ, physically and programmatically.

Last year �鶹��Ƶ������ȫ 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.