Timeka L. Thomas Rashid is the first director of Center for Student Involvement, a new department position this year. Rashid has three main goals for the organization and its campus connection.

Timeka L. Thomas Rashid is the first director of Center for Student Involvement, a new department position this year. Rashid has three main goals for the organization and its campus connection.

The duties of CSI Director include overseeing the department and interpreting policies. “My job is to be the strategic person,” Rashid explained. “I consider myself an ambassador of CSI on campus.”

Rashid has three key goals for her first year as a liaison for CSI and Kent State students. “First and foremost, I am always looking at ways to increase the knowledge and visibility of our department,” Rashid said. She plans to focus on marketing and teaching people about CSI by fusing the department with Kent State media.

The next mission for CSI is assessment. Rashid hopes to find out what students want and if the department’s programs are working. “We’re going to do a strong assessment this year of students, faculty and staff,” Rashid said.

Determining students’ desires meshes with the third goal: evaluating and increasing student engagement. Rashid plans to find areas on campus to further work with. She wants to establish if they can do more to “complement what’s going on in the classroom,” like bringing in speakers that would reflect coursework and interests.

Rashid earned a master’s degree and Ph.D. in Higher Education Student Affairs at The Ohio State University and Ohio University. She was an active member of campus life, and worked as a residence adviser and president of multiple organizations. “I really liked the college environment,” Rashid said, which helped lead to her new position.

Contact Kelli Fitzpatrick at [email protected].