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Flashes of Success text over the top of a picture of Ƶ State's campus.

Welcome to the home of University College’s Flashes of Success. Below, you will find demonstrations of how we are successfully supporting Ƶ State students. 

We'd love to talk about how we can help you or your students - send us a message and we'll get started!

I AM FIRST Committee Awarded First-Generation College Celebration Grant

I AM FIRST logo

The I AM FIRST Committee has received a $2500.00 First-Generation College Celebration Grant from FirstGen Forward and the Council for Opportunity in Education (COE). Ƶ State has participated in the First-Generation College Celebration since 2018, and efforts have grown to include this week-long celebration of events that occurs across the university’s 8-campus system throughout Northeast Ohio.

Ƶ Recognized as National Leader in Advancing First-Generation Student Success

Logo of First Gen Forward

, formerly the Center for First-generation Student Success, recently announced Ƶ as one of only eighteen (18) institutions of higher education selected to its newest class of FirstGen Forward Network Champions. Network Champion institutions are an exclusive group serving as national leaders in advancing first-generation efforts and contributing to an important knowledge base of evidence-based practices, leadership engagement, and scaling student supports.

University College Staff Presents at Northeast Ohio Consortium for Career Advancement’s 2025 Summer Conference

Northeast Ohio Consortium for Career Advancement’s 2025 Summer Conference logo

Ellen Kratky, Julie Paskiet, and Justin Edwards presented at the Northeast Ohio Consortium for Career Advancement’s 2025 Summer Conference. The conference was held at Oberlin College. 

Community Engaged Learning Receives $75,000 Grant from PNC Foundation

PNC Foundation logo.

Community Engaged Learning's CommUNITY Lab program has received the Racial and Social Justice grant in the amount of $75,000 from the PNC Foundation. The funds have provided opportunities for CLab students to learn financial literacy, receive mental health support, increase belonging, and given much needed emergency financial assistance to cover educational and basic needs expenses.

Community Impact - Flashes of Success

Craig Berger, Associate Director in Community Engaged Learning, will serve on the Students Learn Students Vote Coalition 2025 National Advisory Board to develop and support programs, resources, and research that increase college students' participation in the voting process.

National Leader - Flashes of Success

Craig Berger, Associate Director in CEL co-presented a session at the Reimagining the Academy Conference at Miami University (OH) on September 21st, 2024. Craig co-presented a discussion titled “Co-Optation or Understanding? Exploring Power in Calls for Dialogue,” which examined how calls for “dialogue” can be strategically leveraged by powerful actors to maintain the status quo and/or to avoid structural change and identified the potential and pitfalls of dialogue--and, more broadly, our educational spaces. 

 

Melanie Jones and Morgan Robinson presented at the Reimagining the Academy Conference on September 21st, 2024, at Miami University (OH). Their session, "A System Approach to Reimagining Belonging for First-Year Students, " focused on the critical elements of the Flashes 101 redesign, its purpose, rationale, and critical partnerships for implementation.

 

Craig Berger, Associate Director Community Engaged Learning, received the Defender of Democracy Award from the . Craig was recognized for his commitment to encouraging students to exercise their voting rights through his role as co-lead for . Craig has been instrumental in developing a comprehensive civic engagement strategy for KSU. 

Student Event - Flashes of Success

 

Funding - Flashes of Success

CEL selected for College Service Grant by The Allstate Foundation

Community Engaged Learning has received a $10,000 grant from in collaboration with the . This funding will be used to further youth-led, youth-driven service and is a part of The Allstate Foundation’s national strategy to transform how we engage, equip, and prepare young people to participate in community service. The Allstate Foundation has granted over $1 million toward this program to date.

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