WHAT YOU MISSED:

&bull The Board of Trustees approved the College of Public Health on Jan. 30.

&bull The college will educate students in environmental health, social and behavioral sciences, health policy and management, biostatistics and epidemiology.

&bull “People say the public is their patient rather than an individual person,” said associate professor Tom Brewer. “Public health is concerned with the health of the population.”

&bull The Bachelor of Science degree in public health was approved by the state Sept. 29.

WHAT’S NEW:

&bull The Faculty Senate approved the master’s and doctorate degrees Oct. 12.

&bull The college has 15 faculty members.

&bull The Dean Search Committee is currently interviewing dean candidates.”

&bull I’m optimistic that we’ll have somebody by January,” Provost Robert Frank said.

WHAT’S NEXT:

&bull The college has to hire at least 10 more faculty members to be accredited.

&bull The Board of Trustees has to approve the master’s and doctorate degrees.

&bull The college is offering four online courses this spring (Introduction to Public Health, Cells to Society-Determinants that Regulate Health Behaviors, Introduction to Environmental Health, Introduction to Health Disparities), which will count as the college’s degree requirements or electives.

WHAT THIS MEANS:

&bull Kent State is the second university in Ohio to have a college of public health and the only university in the state to offer a bachelor’s degree in public health

&bull “We plan to admit undergraduates in September,” Frank said.

Contact academic affairs reporter Jamie Shearer at [email protected].