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Public universities hold a pivotal role in solving local and regional challenges through meaningful engagement that elevates communities and builds better environments for all. Community engagement extends beyond the walls of the institution through the promotion of active and immersive experiences that create sustained impact.

At Kent State, community engagement provides dynamic, generative learning and research experiences that bolster equity and improve the overall health, safety, and economic prosperity of local, regional and global communities. This is accomplished through intentional, ongoing partnerships with students, staff, community partners and faculty to co-construct reciprocal outcomes for the betterment of society.

The primary emphasis of community engagement in the Academic Affairs plan is to know, measure and tell stories of community; establish our role as a regional anchor institution; recognize community engagement system-wide as an essential component of lifelong learning; and apply the principles of inclusion and equity in all facets of experiential and community-engaged learning opportunities.

The following objectives and strategies align with the university’s core values to cultivate engagement that inspires positive change. 

Objectives

• Document and increase community engagement efforts through community-based scholarship, partnerships, leadership experiences and credit-bearing options. 

Strategies

• Map the ways in which Kent State is engaging with local and regional communities.
• Recognize the community engagement efforts and contributions of faculty and staff.
• Expand opportunities for Kent State students to fully participate in civic- and community-based learning experiences.

The Division of Academic Affairs recognizes and values our people as our greatest asset. For students, staff, faculty and administrators within our academic community to reach their fullest potential, our goals are to treat everyone in a fair, respectful, and dignified manner; to address inequities; and to cultivate a strong sense of belonging by providing developmental opportunities and celebrating the individual and collective success of our people. Many opportunities for recognition and development already exist, but there are gaps in our current offerings, as well as the need to improve communication.

Objectives

• Promote a culture of collaboration and collegiality.

Strategies

• Provide access to professional development opportunities for faculty, students and staff.
• Increase the number, meaning and visibility of internal and external awards our people receive.

Student success and completion is a university-wide responsibility. Student success includes the fulfillment of a student’s current and future goals through their holistic development, training in their discipline, the acquisition and application of academic knowledge and a dedication to lifelong learning.

To achieve student success, equity must be infused in our culture, central to the student experience and evidenced in our curriculum, policies, procedures and practices. We must improve access to and quality of information and resources for students, faculty, and staff awareness and use of inclusive practice and pedagogy that supports recruitment and retention of underrepresented students.  To accomplish this, we must commit to the following objectives:

Objectives

• Increase retention, persistence, completion and graduation rates for all undergraduate and graduate learners, while reducing equity gaps.  

Strategies

• Create and enhance a highly engaged, graduation-oriented, academic and service culture so students feel fully integrated into the Kent State community, are comfortable seeking out resources and opportunities available to them and believe that all members of the university community care about them individually and about their personal routes to success.
• Create an academic environment that helps all students succeed in their classes and degree programs, as well as in their careers or professions.
• Develop and enhance evidence-based, data-driven approaches at all campus locations to achieve student success and equity goals. 

Across the Kent State system, we have the opportunity to bring the world to our campuses, as well as to encourage our students, faculty and staff to engage with the world. The following objectives will guide the university in its efforts on this front:

Objectives

• Promote further internationalization of Kent State.
• Develop and support an overall university structure for domestic Study Away experiences for students.
• Increase the number of students, faculty and administrators who engage in Education Abroad and Study Away, and who pursue prestigious scholarships and fellowships in this space.     

Strategies

• Continue to support the further internationalization of Kent State by evaluating existing programming and creating new initiatives geared toward creating opportunities to build a welcoming community and sense of belonging for our students.
• Expand the methods, venues and activities in which our students, faculty and administration engage with the world beyond our campuses, including the exploration of how to reduce financial constraints for students.
• Develop and support an overall university plan for increasing domestic study away experiences for students. 

Our Academic Affairs community at Kent State is committed to growing and promoting research and creative activities, leading to discovery and dissemination of new knowledge that will have the greatest impact on our society and world. Our scholarly work not only pushes the boundaries of knowledge, but informs our teaching, enabling our students to be confident thought leaders as they engage in their careers. Faculty will strive for excellence in all disciplines, growing our reputation top tier R1 public research institution.

Objectives

• Enhance and support a comprehensive culture of research and creative activity that encourages impactful interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary collaboration, provides opportunities for faculty advancement, and rewards and promotes scholarly engagement with undergraduate and graduate students.
• Enhance engagement and further support collaboration and knowledge exchange with external partners to increase cultural, economic, social and technological development and further promote and increase the dissemination, impact and transfer of research findings/creative works.
• Build a reputation as a destination of choice for all who embrace a culture of inclusivity and accountability, promoting a sense of belonging and strategies that foster the ability for students and faculty to engage in cutting-edge research and creative activity that will raise our standing globally.

Strategies

• Support a culture of research and creative activity where existing and new faculty and administrators understand the expectations associated with maintaining and strengthening Kent State’s position as an R1 institution.
• Promote scholarly engagement with undergraduate and graduate students.
• Create and foster environments that understand and value the necessity and benefits of diversity in their research and creative activities. 

Lifelong learning is defined as continuously gaining knowledge or skills to achieve educational, life or career goals.  The 5X���� Lifelong Learning Initiative promotes and supports impactful learning experiences that complement approaches to or extend beyond those provided through the university’s degree programs.  Lifelong learning embraces a variety of teaching modalities and encompasses both for-credit and non-credit realms of education. Kent State’s goal is to become a champion of lifelong learning experiences relevant in every phase of life through a broad range of learning opportunities to benefit individuals and communities.  

At 5X����, we believe in providing access to high quality educational experiences and opportunities to earn credentials that positively impact the lives and careers of learners. Lifelong learning extends that commitment to a wider variety of learners than we have served in the past to ensure greater access to a broader community of learners. 

• Become a champion of lifelong learning experiences relevant in every phase of life. 
• Define, develop, and implement a broad range of learning opportunities to benefit individuals and communities. 
• Provide current and prospective lifelong learners with a simple, well-supported experience from the point of first opportunity awareness to completion. 

Objectives

• Offer easy on and off ramps, a variety of learning formats and delivery modes, and an array of programs to help learners build their professional skills, explore their passions, and keep pace with technological advances. 

Strategies

• Develop a list of the types of learning experiences that should be considered part of the Lifelong Learning Initiative based on market demand analysis and institutional mission.
• Develop a robust Lifelong Learning portfolio of educational opportunities grounded in Kent State’s mission and serving market needs by conducting a full environmental scan to identify (a) all current KSU offerings that could fit under the Lifelong Learning Initiative and (b) high-demand opportunities for consideration.
• Develop comprehensive Lifelong Learning user experience that meets the needs of learners, employers, faculty and staff.

Fulfilling the academic mission of Kent State is critical to ensuring our current and future financial success. The Division of Academic Affairs must be strategic in allocating resources to provide the greatest return to students, faculty, and the university. By establishing and monitoring a data-driven, transparent, and centralized decision-making process, the Division of Academic Affairs will optimally align expenses with strategic goals of the university. Doing so will require units to use a combination of strategies that adjust overall expenditures, identify revenue-generating opportunities, and enhance private fundraising.

Objectives 

• Implement consistent foundational business practices and processes to control expenses.
• Promote strategic investments in scholarship and creative activity by implementing distinctive academic programs and practices focused on lifelong learning.
• Increase the visibility and recognition of our academic programs and enhance community connections with university philanthropy.

Strategies 

• Implement an evaluation process to identify opportunities for reallocation and develop innovative cost reduction strategies and/or budget efficiencies.
• Offer distinctive academic programming and creative activity of interest through varied delivery formats at all levels of student learners.

Radical changes to our environment are creating opportunities to reimagine higher education and Kent State’s role in serving the needs of our communities.  A generation of students has just lived through a profoundly disrupted learning experience due to the COVID-19 pandemic.              

We have the human resources, talent, and capability to help navigate these changes.  Academic Affairs now must build upon this strong foundation with the objective to develop the agile structures and processes that create a flexible, robust, and inclusive learning ecosystem which recognizes the different ways in which our students learn. The notion of “ecosystem” includes traditional classroom-based learning and recognizes the value and importance of educational experiences that take place outside the classroom.  The larger ecosystem acknowledges the role of living, working and other informal learning settings, guided by instructors and staff, peers, parents, alumni, employers, and businesses and institutions that partner with 5X����, in enhancing our students’ learning experiences.

Strategies 

• Center the learner experience around the development and demonstration of creative and critical thinking, information literacy, skillful communication, and collaboration.
• Recognize and promote innovative teaching methods and strategies that create collaborative learning spaces where freedom of expression and diverse views are honored.