ÌÇÐÄVlogÆƽâ°æ

The ÌÇÐÄVlogÆƽâ°æ Board of Trustees endorsed the Division of Academic Affairs’ plan for degree-granting colleges called Transformation 2028 during the Board’s regular quarterly meeting held March 19 on the Kent Campus. The goals of Transformation 2028 are to strengthen the Division of Academic Affairs through strategic reorganization and sustainable realignment of academic units, programs and resources and develop the next generation of the division that will positively impact learners, create greater collaboration among disciplines and services, and position ÌÇÐÄVlogÆƽâ°æ for future growth.

The first phase of this work engaged the entire Division of Academic Affairs and all levels of faculty governance in reimagining the overall structure of degree-granting colleges, departments and schools. In summer 2024, a broad-based Transformation 2028 Leadership Team with five subcommittees made up of faculty, staff and administrators was created to address issues such as processes, communication, data analytics, organization and personnel. Over the course of the year, a total of nine models were developed and vetted across the division. Evidencing the high level of engagement, more than 7,300 responses were received to divisional surveys; more than 150 votes and recommendations were received from Faculty Advisory Councils and College Advisory Councils; and more than 1,000 attendees participated in a Division of Academic Affairs town hall.

At its Feb. 10, 2025, meeting, the Faculty Senate approved a restructuring model titled Gold+. ÌÇÐÄVlogÆƽâ°æ President Todd Diacon and Executive Vice President and Provost Melody Tankersley thoroughly reviewed the Gold+ model and accepted the plan with a few changes. After consulting with the Faculty Senate Executive Committee and Faculty Advisory Committees of the areas affected by those changes, the president and provost recommended the final model (pictured below) for endorsement by the Board.

The final model will reduce academic leadership by 40% – eliminating one dean, approximately 13 assistant and associate deans and approximately 16 chairs and directors – at an estimated cost savings of $1.5 million; share services across colleges, reducing redundancies and streamlining processes; and facilitate opportunities to work across disciplines and create programs needed for the future. The Board endorsed the recommended structure to enable the division to proceed with planning for full implementation by 2028 and acknowledged that the specific organizational and curricular actions necessary to implement the plan will come to the Board for approval in accordance with university policy. The Board also expressed appreciation to the faculty, deans, chairs, directors, Office of the Provost and all those whose dedicated efforts resulted in the development of thoughtful models for the transformation of the Division of Academic Affairs.

Board Approves the Establishment of Three New Majors

The Board approved the establishment of three new majors, two that fall under the College of Public Health and one that falls under the College of Communication and Information. The College of Public Health will establish the Health Policy and Management major and the Social and Behavioral Sciences major, both within the Master of Public Health degree, effective fall 2025, pending final approval of the Ohio Department of Higher Education. In addition, the College of Communication and Information will establish the User Experience Design major within the Bachelor of Science degree, effective fall 2025, pending final approval of the Ohio Department of Higher Education and the Higher Learning Commission.

Students in the Health Policy and Management major will learn to address public health risks and develop effective public health services delivery models. The new major prepares graduates for administrative and management positions in hospitals, clinics, state and local health departments, nursing homes and mental health facilities as well as policy analyst positions in health planning organizations and governmental agencies, and planning management positions in health maintenance organizations and health insurance companies. The job outlook for medical and health service managers over the next 10 years is anticipated to increase 29% nationwide and increase 24% in Ohio. The Health Policy and Management degree will be offered fully online and in person on the Kent Campus.

The Social and Behavioral Sciences degree will provide students with interdisciplinary training to improve health in populations across the life course, where they learn to apply theoretical principles to design, implement and evaluate effective behavioral and environmental programs. The new degree program prepares graduates for careers in health promotion, program design and evaluation, and prevention program development for state and local health departments, workplace health programs, hospitals, international health agencies, mental health centers and nonprofit organizations. Healthcare careers are projected to grow 13% from 2021 to 2031. Labor statistics on health education specialists and community health workers show a 17% increase in job growth from 2020 to 2030. The Social and Behavioral Sciences degree will be offered fully online and in person on the Kent Campus.

With the establishment of the User Experience Design major within the Bachelor of Science degree, ÌÇÐÄVlogÆƽâ°æ will become the only university in Northeast Ohio to offer an undergraduate degree in user experience design. The university currently offers an undergraduate minor in user experience design and a master’s design program in user experience. Given the stability of undergraduate interest in the minor and discussions with students, research indicated consistent job growth along with no regional peer institutions offering an undergraduate degree in user experience design. Careers in user experience include positions such as user experience designer, information architect, interaction designer, usability engineer, user interface designer, experience strategist, content strategist, user researcher, and web and digital interface designer. A report conducted in 2022 indicated a 43% increase in user experience design positions in Ohio between 2017 and 2022. The new degree program will be taught at the Kent Campus and be jointly administered by the School of Visual Communication Design and the School of Emerging Media and Technology.

Board Hears Naming Action

The Board heard a naming action that has been approved by the university president, who has the Board’s delegated authority to approve philanthropic naming opportunities with a total value or cost under $100,000. The naming of two science labs at the Geauga Campus recognizes donors Richard and Christie Frenchie, two long-time Geauga County residents and supporters of nursing and healthcare education at ÌÇÐÄVlogÆƽâ°æ.

The naming of the Richard J. and Christie A. Frenchie Chemistry and Biology Labs recognizes a commitment of $30,000 from the couple. Richard Frenchie has a long history of volunteer service on behalf of the university. He currently holds the positions of chair of the ÌÇÐÄVlogÆƽâ°æ at Geauga Advisory Board, member of the ÌÇÐÄVlogÆƽâ°æ Foundation Board of Directors and member of the ÌÇÐÄVlogÆƽâ°æ Alumni Association National Board of Directors. Christie Frenchie is an active volunteer at the Geauga Campus. Since she was a young child, she has been inspired by science, finding excitement in the exploration, discovery and intriguing questions that it produces. In addition to their capital support to the campus, Richard and Christie Frenchie have established an endowed nursing scholarship for Geauga students.

Among other Board actions:

• The Board passed a resolution of appreciation to Willis Walker, J.D., who joined ÌÇÐÄVlogÆƽâ°æ in 1999 as chief university counsel. Walker oversaw the university’s legal affairs for 25 years, holding the positions of general counsel and vice president for human resources from 2008 to 2013 and vice president and general counsel from 2013 to 2025 while concurrently holding an appointment as assistant attorney general for the state of Ohio. He retired from the practice of law on Jan. 31, 2025, after more than four decades of service to the legal profession. The Board expressed deep gratitude to Walker for his myriad contributions to the successful administration and governance of ÌÇÐÄVlogÆƽâ°æ and wished him, his wife and their extended family all the best in their future pursuits.
   
• The Board confirmed the conferral of 2,681 degrees from fall 2024 on those ÌÇÐÄVlogÆƽâ°æ students who have been officially recorded by the University Registrar as having completed the requirements of their respective programs of study during the period of Aug. 10, 2024, to Dec. 14, 2024.
   
• The Board approved the revision of curriculum and degree designation of the Insurance Studies major from the Bachelor of Science degree to a reduced-credit hour Bachelor of Applied Studies degree, effective fall 2025, pending final approval of the Ohio Department of Higher Education and the Higher Learning Commission. Currently offered online and in person by the College of Applied and Technical Studies through the Salem Campus as a four-year program with 120 credit hours, the curriculum of the Insurance Studies major will be reduced to 90 credit hours as a three-year bachelor’s degree to be offered fully online through the Regional Campus system. The College of Applied and Technical Studies anticipates that the revision in curriculum and change in degree time and designation will result in increased enrollment and bring the major courses to their desired student capacity.
   
• The Board approved the following name revisions:
  • The Applied Engineering major in the College of Aeronautics and Engineering will be changed to the Industrial Engineering Technology major within the Bachelor of Science degree, effective fall 2025.
  • The Botany major in the College of Arts and Sciences will be changed to the Plant Biology major within the Bachelor of Science degree, effective fall 2025.
     
• The Board approved the following inactivations:
  • The College of the Arts will inactivate the Conducting major within the Master of Music degree, effective fall 2025. The program has experienced low enrollment over the past several years, and faculty voted to restructure the conducting curriculum as a new concentration within the Performance major.
  • The College of the Arts will inactivate the Music Composition major within the Master of Arts degree, effective fall 2025. The program has experienced low enrollment over the past several years, and faculty voted to restructure the music composition curriculum as a new concentration within the Performance major.
  • The College of Communication and Information will inactivate the Media and Journalism major within the Master of Arts degree, effective fall 2025. Based on low enrollment trends in the last several years and a low completion rate, faculty voted to suspend the program in 2024 and are now seeking to inactivate the program.
  • The College of Public Health will inactivate the Public Health major within the Master of Public Health degree, effective fall 2025. The degree has four concentrations. Biostatistics and epidemiology were elevated into standalone majors in 2024. The health policy and management concentration and the social and behavioral sciences concentration were approved by the Board to be elevated into standalone majors at this March 2025 meeting. As a result of these changes, the Public Health major is no longer necessary.
  • The College of Education, Health and Human Services will inactivate the Athletic Training major within the Bachelor of Science degree, effective fall 2025. Admission to the major was suspended at the conclusion of spring 2020 due to changes from its accrediting body, the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE), which mandated that all professional programs must be at the master’s level by the year 2022. In fall 2020, ÌÇÐÄVlogÆƽâ°æ established a bachelor’s degree in sports medicine and a CAATE-accredited master’s degree in athletic training to replace this program.
  • The Ambassador Crawford College of Business and Entrepreneurship will inactivate the Managerial Marketing major within the Bachelor of Business Administration degree, effective fall 2025. Based on low enrollment trends in the last several years, the college has determined the major is no longer viable to continue. Faculty will continue to teach and support the Marketing major, which has remained a successful program.
  • The College of Applied and Technical Studies will inactivate the Enology major within the Associate of Applied Science degree, effective fall 2025. Based on low enrollment trends in the last several years and due to the conclusion of a National Science Foundation-funded consortium, the college seeks to inactivate the major and continue serving the Enology undergraduate certificate, a curriculum that duplicates the major requirements. Discussions with the local wine industry indicate that the needs of the market can be served with the certificate, which ÌÇÐÄVlogÆƽâ°æ will continue to offer at the Ashtabula Campus.
  • The College of Applied and Technical Studies will inactivate the Viticulture major within the Associate of Applied Science degree, effective fall 2025. Based on low enrollment trends in the last several years and due to the conclusion of a National Science Foundation-funded consortium, the college seeks to inactivate the major and continue serving the Viticulture undergraduate certificate, curriculum that duplicates the major requirements. Discussions with the local wine industry indicate that the needs of the market can be served with the certificate, which ÌÇÐÄVlogÆƽâ°æ will continue to offer at the Ashtabula Campus.
  • The College of Applied and Technical Studies will inactivate the Environment Management major within the Associate of Technical Study degree, effective fall 2025. The program was established in 2009 as a partnership with the Davey Tree Expert Company to provide college credit and degree opportunities to individuals who completed registered green industry apprenticeship/journeyman training programs. Enrollment in the major never achieved projected estimates, and Davey no longer has a need for the program.
     
• The Board approved the inactivation of 15 academic centers and institutes. In 2024, the Office of the Provost requested that all college and campus deans review their academic centers and institutes that were considered active and determine if they had an appointed director, submitted an annual report and were engaged in any work over the past year. From that review, the deans deemed 15 academic centers and institutes as inactive:
  • Center for Executive Education and Development (Ambassador Crawford College of Business and Entrepreneurship)
  • Center for the Study and Development of Minority Businesses (College of Arts and Sciences)
  • Center for the Treatment and Study of Traumatic Stress (College of Arts and Sciences)
  • Institute for Applied Linguistics (College of Arts and Sciences)
  • Institute for Bibliography and Editing (College of Arts and Sciences)
  • Center for Privacy and the First Amendment (College of Communication and Information)
  • Center for the Study of Librarianship (College of Communication and Information)
  • Institute for Library and Information Literary Education (College of Communication and Information)
  • Center for Educational Leadership Services (College of Education, Health and Human Services)
  • Center for Health Promotion (College of Education, Health and Human Services)
  • International Institute for Human Service Workforce Research and Development (College of Education, Health and Human Services)
  • Motor Development Center (College of Education, Health and Human Services)
  • Center for Emerging Technologies in Aerial Application Research (Trumbull Campus)
  • Center for Environmental Technology and Applied Research (Trumbull Campus)
  • Cuban Studies Institute (Office of the Provost)
     
• The Board approved tuition and fees for the College of Podiatric Medicine for the 2025-2026 academic year. The Board approved a 5% increase in the current tuition rates for both in-state and out-of-state students. It is anticipated that this increase will not change the college’s tuition ranking among the nation’s 11 podiatric medicine colleges. For the current academic year (2024-2025), tuition for ÌÇÐÄVlogÆƽâ°æ’s College of Podiatric Medicine is the lowest in the nation for Ohio students pursuing podiatric medicine, and its out-of-state rate is the fourth lowest of the 11 institutions.
  
  ÌÇÐÄVlogÆƽâ°æ’s College of Podiatric Medicine operates under a different academic calendar than the rest of the university, as third-year and fourth-year students begin their new academic year in May. Approval of the college’s tuition and fees for the next academic year takes place at this time so that billing can occur prior to the beginning of the semester. Tuition for the college is not subject to the tuition increase limitations set forth by the state of Ohio’s budget bill.
   
• The Board heard the results of the university’s strategic bond restructuring that was executed on Feb. 13, 2025. The university reported $4 million in net present value savings and a $5.5 million favorable swing compared to original estimates. The comprehensive restructuring involved multiple financial maneuvers, including a bond tender, termination of an interest rate swap, elimination of the university’s only remaining variable rate debt and issuance of tax-exempt bonds to replace the tendered bonds. The completion of the debt restructuring plan has delivered simplicity, stability, budget certainty and significant financial relief to the university’s future debt service payments.
   
• The Board approved a retailer for the operation and management of bookstores and related services for the Kent and Regional campuses. In response to a request for proposals issued by the university’s Procurement Department, Barnes & Noble College provided the proposal with the best overall value to the university. The agreement will be for an initial term of six years, with a university option to renew up to two additional two-year periods, for a potential total contract duration of 10 years. This contract provides for commissions paid by Barnes & Noble College to ÌÇÐÄVlogÆƽâ°æ. In addition, Barnes & Noble College will provide annual textbook scholarships, capital funds to renovate the bookstore, and donations to support university programs and events. The estimated total of commissions, scholarships and donations paid to ÌÇÐÄVlogÆƽâ°æ will be $6.55 million for the initial six-year term and $950,000 per year during any subsequent renewals. There is no direct university cost associated with this agreement; the only university cost associated with Barnes & Noble College bookstores will result from departmental purchases from the bookstores. This agreement will be effective July 1, 2025.
   
• The Board approved the vendor selection for the purchase and maintenance of a timekeeping system for ÌÇÐÄVlogÆƽâ°æ’s hourly employees. In response to a request for proposals issued by the university’s Procurement Department, TimeClock Plus LLC provided the proposal with the best overall value. The estimated cost for these services is a five-year initial term of $651,094.44, with the potential of three additional one-year periods at an average of $147,528 per year. This agreement will be effective July 1, 2025.
   
• The Board approved the contract for audit services by an independent public accountant for the university’s annual financial statement audit as required by the Ohio Revised Code and the policies, rules and guidance declared by the Ohio Auditor of State for the fiscal years 2025 through 2029. In coordination with the Ohio Auditor of State, a process for renewing the contract with RSM US LLP for an additional five-year term was deemed efficient, cost effective and at the highest level of technical and professional audit services based upon an evaluation conducted by the university’s financial leadership team. The estimated cost for these services for a five-year period will not exceed $1,061,470.

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Media Contact:
Emily Vincent, evincen2@kent.edu, 330-672-8595