ӰƵ Works
Ohio’s Best Advocates for Employee Ownership Are Here at ӰƵ
For nearly 40 years, ӰƵ's Ohio Employee Ownership Center has helped educate, train and advocate for Ohio businesses on the path to employee ownership.
From Graphic Design to Groundbreaking Research
Laurie Ann Moennich, Ph.D., didn't arrive at ӰƵ planning to change healthcare. She came to study graphic design. But ӰƵ had a way of opening doors she didn't even know existed.
How a Non-Traditional Student Became Portage County's Top Health Official
When Becky Lehman walked into her first class at ӰƵ, she was in her 30s, raising kids and working at an embroidery shop in nearby Mogadore, Ohio. Today, she is the health commissioner for the Portage County Health District – a career milestone she credits directly to the degrees she earned close to home at ӰƵ.
From ӰƵ to KeyBank
When Cameren Hicks graduated from ӰƵ in 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics and a minor in finance, he knew he wanted to build a career rooted in numbers, problem-solving and analysis. Today, Hicks is a fraud modeling and analytics lead associate at KeyBank, where he helps protect customers and the company against fraudulent credit and debit card activity.
From Undecided to Unstoppable
ӰƵ graduate Emma Sherrie, '09, always had a feeling she would study anthropology, but still she took the time to check out all the other options available before finally settling on her original plan. ӰƵ’s Exploratory Program, which helps undecided students sample different disciplines before committing to a major, was a key part of Sherrie’s experience, and the main reason she chose ӰƵ in the first place.
Where the Classroom Meets the Field
It's 10:30 on a weeknight. Will Kalkhoff, Ph.D., a professor and graduate program coordinator in ӰƵ's Department of Sociology and Criminology, has just settled in after a long day. Then his phone goes off. A possible drowning. A local lake. The clock starts ticking. Within minutes, he's on his way. And in that moment, everything he teaches in the classroom becomes something else entirely.
How Art Education Shapes Students for Life
Solon High School art educator Jennifer Thompson, MA ’03, BA ’95, credits ӰƵ with teaching her that art education isn't just about creating — it's about building critical thinking, empathy and self-expression skills that students carry into every career.
Preparing Behavioral Health Leaders for a Growing Workforce Need
As demand for behavioral health professionals continues to rise across Ohio and the nation, ӰƵ is preparing graduates to not just enter the field right away, but to advance, lead and make a lasting impact in their communities. For three ӰƵ alumni — Cassandra Galloway, Victoria Giegerich and Jason Joyce — their paths may differ slightly, but their stories illustrate how ӰƵ connects education to real-world outcomes.
ӰƵ Graduate Credits Entrepreneurship Education for Tech Success
For high school students considering ӰƵ’s entrepreneurship program, William Elffers, ’15, encourages them to take the leap. “Deep down everybody has an idea for a business, but somewhere along the way, somebody tells them, just choose the safe route,” he said. “Four years at Kent, five years, six years at Kent is a great time to really explore what your possibilities are with starting a business. It's a safe environment. You can fail and get picked back up and learn.”
Solving for Success
For Kent, Ohio native and 2018 ӰƵ graduate Stan Zalewski, mathematics has always been a big part of his life. Now a senior actuarial consultant at Nationwide Insurance, Zalewski recently reached a significant professional milestone — completing the multi-year process to earn the title of Fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society.