FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
You can easily find the answers to our frequently asked questions by clicking on the questions below. Also, feel free to call us at 330-244-3508 or e-mail us.
- What does The Office of Corporate and Community Services do exactly?
- What services are provided?
- Can you customize training for my specific organizational needs?
- Are the consultants who facilitate these programs well qualified?
- Will the information learned in the programs help me in my job performance?
- Do you offer any certificate programs?
- For what local companies has The Office of Corporate and Community Services provided customized training?
- What are CEUs? Does this apply to teaching graduate re-certification requirements?
- How would I get a list of what non-credit programs are offered?
- What kinds of training do you offer?
- How do I register for a program offered by The Office of Corporate and Community Services or the Small Business Development Center?
- What is Web-based learning?
- Can I get college credit for open enrollment professional development programs?
What does The Office of Corporate and Community Services do exactly? What services are provided?
The Office of Corporate and Community Services at Kent State University Stark provides the link between the university and the Stark County community, and provides organizational consulting, employee training, research and evaluation services and small business counseling.
Our professionals work with you to develop comprehensive, customized consulting and training services based on your organization’s strategic objectives. The sampling of consulting and training (or human performance improvement) initiatives below provides examples of the kinds of work The Office of Corporate and Community Services – Your Corporate University – provides to area organizations:
- Strategic planning
- Change management
- Project management
- Development of a corporate university
- Computer consulting and training
- Training needs assessment
- Organization cultural assessment
- Team building
- Management coaching consulting and training
- Effective communications skills training
- Continuous improvement projects
- Decision-making skills training
- Problem solving skills training
- Conflict management skills training
- And many others…
These services can be provided at Kent State Stark in the first-rate Professional Education and Conference Center or at the organization’s site.
In addition to customized employee training programs for organizations, The Office of Corporate and Community Services offers similar programs for professionals in public/open enrollment sessions. In cooperation with national professional associations, we offer professional development opportunities for those in leadership and human resources. Supervision, Management and Leadership Certificate programs are offered for new and veteran supervisors and managers.
Serving as the university’s research arm, The Office of Corporate and Community Services at Kent State Stark also provides research and evaluation services to community groups, economic development entities and organizations. Click Here to read about the statistical research and analysis projects that have recently been completed.
Through the Ohio Small Business Development Center, small-business owners and managers receive free counseling, information and technical assistance from certified business counselors. This consulting with start-up and existing businesses is on a confidential, one-on-one basis in areas such as business plan development, acquiring capital, accounting, finance, sales, marketing and manufacturing. The Center also offers regular workshops to ensure that business owners have the support and training they need to generate profit and long-term success.
Can you customize training for my specific organizational needs?
The Office of Corporate and Community Services is in the business of developing training programs that meet the strategic objectives of your organization. We take the time to learn about your organization and the industry in which it operates.
Our consultants have years of “real-world” experience along with meaningful credentials, which means that you get highly experiential and interactive training programs. In addition, our professionals manage the training project from beginning to end to ensure a positive and successful experience for all involved.
Examples of the training programs that we have facilitated for organizations include leadership, project management, team building, supervisory skills, process improvement, conflict management and many, many more.
We can deliver the training at your site, a site near your facilities or at our Professional Education and Conference Center.
Contact Kelli Baxter to make an appointment to begin developing a customized training program for your employees.
Are the consultants who facilitate these programs well qualified?
Those who facilitate programs for The Office of Corporate and Community Services are carefully screened through interviews, references, pilot programs and credential reviews. All of our consultants have many years of experience and expertise in their respective fields of interest. Our consultants have the highest level of professionalism, experience, expertise and credentials.
Will the information learned in the programs help me in my job performance?
All of the non-credit professional development programs offered by The Office of Corporate and Community Services at Kent State Stark are developed by university faculty or experienced professional consultants to teach the attendees skills to improve job performance. The skills are identified through research and with input from The Office of Corporate and Community Services’ Advisory Board. Members of our board are local business executives and owners, managers and human resource professionals. By attending our programs, you will benefit from a program designed to provide you with the “take away” tools to improve your job performance.
Do you offer any certificate programs?
The Office of Corporate and Community Services currently offers certificate programs in Supervision, Management and Leadership. The certificate programs are developed based on our years of experience consulting with organizations about the training needs of these levels of employees. The non-credit programs that make up these certifications include topics such as interpersonal communications skills, problem solving, decision-making, conflict management, team building, management and leadership and other areas.
We also offer The Certification for Human Resource Professionals, which prepares human resource professionals to take the national Professional in Human Resources (PHR) and Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) certification exams. Upon successfully passing this test, you will become recognized by the Society of Human Resource Professionals as a professional who has achieved a high level of knowledge and success in your field. As a result of receiving the certifications, recipients are often able to gain stature and advance professionally.
In addition to this certification, Your Corporate University offers the Certificate of Leadership Excellence, which will provide the tools and skills you need to lead your organization to new levels of management and staff engagement. The certificate focuses on higher-level comunication, management and leadership skills, allowing managers in your organization to produce better results. This certificate is designed for participants who hold a Certificate of Management from Kent State Stark or for seasoned middle- and upper-level managers who have not attended earlier programs.
One additional certificate, the Certificate for Executive Assistants, is also offered through Your Corporate Univesity. Executive assistants make important contributions to their organizations and are frequently the lifeblood of their areas of responsibility. Communication, problem-solving and organization skills are essential to allow administrative and executive assistants to perform their duties with efficiency and expertise. This certificate provides skills you can put into practice to improve your effectiveness on the job.
For what local companies has The Office of Corporate and Community Services provided customized training?
The Office of Corporate and Community Services has trained supervisors, managers and leaders from more than 100 local organizations. Click here to review a list of some of our clients.
What are CEUs? Does this apply to teaching graduate re-certification requirements?
Continuing Education Units (CEUs) represent a system for tracking an individual’s non-credit educational training. These opportunities can include professional development, human resources, supervisory and management training and leadership development that include meaningful instruction but have no university accreditations attached to it. Each CEU is the equivalent of ten, 50-minute contact hours (10 hours = 1.0 CEU). The programs offered through Your Corporate University usually do not apply to teaching re-certification. However, many programs have been approved for re-certification requirements in a specific field.
How would I get a list of what non-credit programs are offered?
You can gain access to this information by viewing the Corporate University Catalog, by calling The Office of Corporate and Community Services at 330-244-3508 or by emailing us at mzink@kent.edu.
What kinds of training do you offer?
The professional development programs offered by The Office of Corporate and Community Services are listed in our Corporate University Catalog and are scheduled throughout the year. You can request a catalog be mailed to you by calling 330-244-3508. Program areas include:
- Certificate for Executive Assistants
- Human Resource Management
- Leadership
- Lean/Six Sigma
- Management
- Supervision programs
Additionally, The Office of Corporate and Community Services at Kent State Stark offers customized, contracted employee training to organizations in all types of industries, from manufacturers and hospitals to federal, state and local government agencies. Ask us about our customized performance improvement consulting services, which include:
- training needs assessments
- organizational cultural assessments
- wage and benefit surveys
- development of a corporate university
- strategic planning services
- employee training in a range of topic areas
- supervisory/management certifications
- leadership development
How do I register for a program offered by The Office of Corporate and Community Services or the Small Business Development Center?
For non-credit professional development programs:
To review and register for programs, you can click here, or contact Mona Zink by email, by phone at 330-244-3508, fax information to 330-244-3535. You may also send your registration information to:
Mona Zink
The Office of Corporate and Community Services
Kent State University Stark
6000 Frank Avenue NW
North Canton, OH 44720
For programs offered by the Small Business Development Center:
Contact Jeanne Cramer by email, by phone at 330-244-3275, by fax to 330-244-3535. You may also send your registration to:
Jeanne Cramer
Small Business Development Center
Kent State University Stark
6000 Frank Avenue NW
North Canton, OH 44720
What is Web-based learning?
Web-based learning enables registrants to enroll and complete the coursework via the Internet by accessing a specified Web site. In today’s fast-paced world, Web-based learning accommodates busy schedules by allowing the registrant to access their on-line classes virtually 24 hours a day.
Can I get college credit for open enrollment professional development programs?
Because the professional development programs offered through The Office of Corporate and Community Services are non-credit classes, no credit is received. Certificates of completion will be issued for these non-credit courses. Continuing education units (CEUs) may also be issued for most professional development programs.