Trustees accept AT&T grant, vote to remove former mayor’s name

From Left: Dale Cook,founder and director of the Research Center for Educational Technology; Margaret Williams and Rob Reynolds of AT&T; Jacqueline Woods, Kent State Board of Trustees member; and President Lester Lefton pose after the check presentation.

Credit: Jason Hall

At yesterday’s meeting, the board of trustees decided to rename the Paul H. Jones Child Development Center in light of the former Ravenna mayor’s recent felony conviction.

“We just felt that a building is an honor and it would not be a clear, articulate vision of our institution to allow the name to remain,” said Sandra Harbrecht, chair of the board of trustees.

The center will be renamed the Kent State University Child Development Center.

President Lester Lefton said educational institutions represent the highest values of a society, and Jones’ personal behavior does not reflect those values.

Jones pleaded guilty earlier last month to three counts of filing false tax returns and five counts of mail fraud. He will be sentenced March 23.

Also during the meeting, representatives from the AT&T foundation presented the university with a $300,000 grant to improve its Research Center for Educational Technology and the existing AT&T classroom in Moulton Hall. Researchers at the center observe how teachers are using technology to teach their students more effectively.

Lefton said the grant speaks volumes about how the local and business communities view the university as a resource. He said students and faculty are able to do research at the center that they can’t do elsewhere.

“It reaches out to our community in the way public universities should,” Lefton said. “It engages our faculty. It engages our students.”

Rob Reynolds, AT&T senior director of external affairs, said funding research is important.

“The 10,000 men and women who make up the AT&T family give this grant on their behalf,” he said. “We want to share this with the K-12 classrooms, and it’s easy to be a champion for them.”

Trustee Brian Tucker talked about changing the university’s “Imagine” campaign, which has been used for the last six years. The new campaign, “Excellence in Action,” would be featured along with a tagline for each school or college. As an example, Tucker suggested tagging the line “On paper, on air, online” onto the campaign for the College of Communication and Information.

Other actions at the board of trustees meeting included:

• Establishment of a bachelor’s degree in architectural studies.

• Establishment of accelerated bachelor’s degree in nursing and a master’s degree in the nursing program.

• Updates to the university’s policy regarding unlawful discrimination and harassment.

The next Board of Trustees meeting is April 25 in Columbus.

Contact administration reporter Tim Magaw at [email protected]. Technology reporter Heather Vitale contributed to this story.