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Week 7 Vaccination Winners

Week seven winners of the 5X���� employee vaccination drawing have been announced. Look below for the list of the lucky winners!

Open enrollment Closes Friday, November 5

Don’t wait for the final day, confirm current, or make new, benefit elections by Tuesday, November 2, and be entered into a prize drawing.

Open Enrollment is an opportunity for you to review your current health plan elections and to update or make changes to ensure your benefit plan choices continue to meet your needs and those of your family. As an added incentive to act early, Employee Wellness is hosting a random prize drawing (with multiple winners) for benefits-eligible employees who have accessed the Open Enrollment site on by Tuesday, November 2, and have acknowledged your plan elections (even if they remain the same), by clicking the “Finished 2022 Open Enrollment” button.

Note that the official closing of Open Enrollment remains 4:59 p.m., Friday, November 5, for any January 1, 2022, changes. As you are considering your healthcare plan choices for 2022, here are a few details to consider:

• The university continues to offer the 85/60 PPO plan and the High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) paired with a Health Savings Account (HSA). Both plans offer preventive care services (i.e. routine physicals, age-appropriate screenings, etc.) with 100 percent coverage.
• The university is continuing its employer contribution to the Health Savings Account (HSA) for employees enrolling in the High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP), ($1,100 – single coverage; $2,000 – family coverage).
• Employees enrolling into the High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) for the 2022 benefit plan year must access the online Open Enrollment portal and select the Health Savings Account (HSA) option if you want to receive the employer contribution, even if you have an existing 2021 account.
• Flexible Spending Accounts require an election each calendar year. If you do not make an election during the Open Enrollment period, October 18 – Nov. 5, you will not have an FSA (healthcare and/or dependent care) for the 2022 benefit plan year.
• The healthcare modeler tool is available to help you choose a plan that works best for you and your family. This can be found on our Open Enrollment Resource page at the 2022 Open Enrollment website.
• On the Open Enrollment portal, you will be able to review and elect, if desired, supplemental life and accidental death benefits through Securian as well as Long Term Disability (LTD) insurance through UNUM.
• Employees in a Refused/Opt Out of Medical must re-elect each year AND complete the Verification of Alternative Insurance. This verification will be sent to you the week of November 8, via a DocuSign email and must be returned by November 19. This is not an automatic rollover option.
• CVS/Caremark, EyeMed, and Delta Dental continue to be your prescription, vision, and dental providers, respectively. Each continues to offer a wide range of in-network providers and facilities.

Quick Resources to Assist You:

• For more information on your 2022 healthcare options, visit the 2022 Open Enrollment website.
• To view the Medical Plan Comparison Chart and Contribution Table, visit the 2022 Open Enrollment website and click on “Medical 2022.”

Accessing the Open Enrollment Portal:

• You can access open enrollment through the university’s secure Flashline web portal by logging into your .
• Once logged in, under “My Dashboard,” click on the “Employee” tab and click on the “Start or Review Your Benefit Elections” button under the Open Enrollment banner, or click on the “Top Employee Resources” channel.

Note, once you have completed your elections for 2022, via the Open Enrollment Portal, you will receive an email confirmation of your benefit plan choices for the 2022 benefit plan year within five minutes. If you DO NOT receive a confirmation email, your transaction was not complete, and you should access the portal and make sure you select “Save and Finish 2022 Enrollment.”

Faculty and staff with questions regarding benefit choices for 2022 may contact the Employee Benefits Office at 330-672-3107, 330 672-6947 (hotline), or benefits@kent.edu. 

2021 Distinguished Teaching Award Recipients Announced

The 2021 Distinguished Teaching Award (DTA) recipients are an outstanding group of teachers who are truly dedicated to their students' success. Sponsored by the Kent State Alumni Association, the DTA is a highly prestigious honor in teaching. The award is presented annually to three full-time faculty members who demonstrate extraordinary teaching, whether it be in the classroom or online. Read the full story.

November is Giving Tuesday Month: Double Your Gift’s Impact!

At Kent State, what sets us apart is how we come together. Each of us helps in one way or another to create an environment supportive of our students’ success, not only in academics, but also in personal growth. We inspire the brightest innovators, researchers, athletes, artists and makers, and these students go on to make the world Forever Brighter, one Flash at a time. 

The month of November provides an opportunity for our support to go even further. is Kent State’s most generous annual tradition. In 2021, Giving Tuesday will shine even more brilliantly as each of the support Forever Brighter, Kent State’s recently announced, $350 million comprehensive fundraising campaign, which is the most ambitious campaign in university history.

As in years past, our Giving Tuesday campaign is a month-long celebration leading up to the official, worldwide day of giving on Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2021. Kent State’s Giving Tuesday began Nov. 1 and will run through 11:59 p.m. on Nov. 30. Extending Giving Tuesday for the entire month of November provides us all with an expanded time frame to have our gifts matched and to take advantage of additional giving options.

How Giving Tuesday increases the impact of your gift:

• For every 20 unique donors who give $25 or more to a Giving Tuesday featured fund from Nov. 1-29, that fund will earn a $500 participation boost.
• Each featured fund has a matching gift available, so you can double your gift’s impact throughout the entire month (while matching funds last).
• A crowdfunding feature provides an opportunity for faculty, staff, students, alumni and other supporters to create individual peer-to-peer fundraising pages for the cause of their choice.
• Additional incentives* that can also increase the impact of your gift will be announced throughout the month, leading up to Giving Tuesday proper on Nov. 30, when the 5X���� Foundation sets aside $100,000 to match donors, dollar-for-dollar, on gifts up to $1,000 made to any foundation fund.
  • Again this year, members of Kent State’s Board of Trustees, Foundation Board, Campaign Executive Committee, Alumni Board and President’s Cabinet have generously pledged their private support to encourage participation from the entire university community. Their gifts, which total nearly $60,000, will be used to fund the creative incentives that make Kent State’s Giving Tuesday campaign so impactful.
• Every donor who gives $100 or more throughout the month of Giving Tuesday will receive an exclusive Forever Brighter lapel pin.

And it’s not only employees, alumni and friends coming together at Kent State during Giving Tuesday; it’s our students as well.

While students have participated in Giving Tuesday in the past, this year they are taking their support to new levels through a friendly, philanthropic competition with the University of Akron. Members of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars from both universities are organizing a fundraising effort to combat food insecurity during the season of giving. Both schools began collecting non-perishable food items Nov. 1. Everyone, including community members, are welcome to contribute to this food drive, which will benefit the Flashes Fighting Hunger initiative, a student-powered and volunteer-driven organization dedicated to reducing food waste and promoting food security. Items can be dropped off at multiple locations on the Kent Campus, including the Memorial Athletic Convocation Center, Kent Student Center, University Libraries and the Campus Kitchen, which is located on the second floor of the Tri-Towers Rotunda. The winner will be announced on social media during the Nov. 20 Wagon Wheel football game in Akron.

Come together with fellow university employees, alumni, students and friends as we continue to support our students and their bright futures. Outright gifts or payroll deductions can be made. More information on all the Giving Tuesday featured funds can be found at .

Bench Dedicated in Memory of Carole Barbato on East Liverpool Campus

Situated between two trees and overlooking the Commons area on the East Liverpool Campus is a beautiful bronze bench with a plaque that reads: “A life that touched others lives on forever.” 

The bench was unveiled and dedicated on Sept. 30 to honor the late Dr. Carole A. Barbato, a beloved professor of communication studies on the East Liverpool Campus who died in the spring of 2014 at the age of 64. Read the full story.

Healthy Holiday Eating Webinar

The holiday season is often filled with family, festivities, and, honestly, lots of food. Join Be Well Solutions on November 16, from noon – 1 p.m. to learn how to indulge during the holidays while remaining on track with your long-term health and weight goals, as well as discover simple ingredient swaps that lower the calorie content of your favorite recipes. 

This session is open to all full- and part-time faculty and staff. . 

November 2021 LinkedIn Learning Resource Toolkit

As we prepare for sweater weather, consider enhancing your profesional skillset using the , where you will find information on LinkedIn Learning Hub, upcoming trainings and webinars, a new monthly challenge, seasonal promotional materials and more.