Kent State University Proposal Awarded Second Place by the MidAmerican Business Deans Association

KENT, Ohio - Oct. 19, 2016 - PRLog -- Nicole Kotlan, director of the Exploratory Advising Center for Kent State University, and Kathryn Levels, assistant director of Undergraduate Programs for the College of Business Administration, were awarded second place in the 2016 MidAmerican Business Deans Association (MABDA) Innovation in Business Education Award Program.

Levels and Kotlan's submission, "The Year of MORE™: A Sophomore Persistence Program," aims to address the need to increase persistence of second-year students. A review of data reflected the higher likelihood of graduation when students persisted to their third year, hence the creation of The Year of MORE program. The Year of MORE addressed the unique challenges of second year students, including questioning values and beliefs, searching for meaning and identity and exploring an academic major.

"I am honored and excited to receive this award on behalf of the Undergraduate Programs Office," said Assistant Director Kathryn Levels. "Our staff constantly strives to support student success, and this award reflects an example of their hard work and dedication to our students."

The Year of MORE program turned out to be successful, with Kent State showing an overall persistence rate from freshmen to junior year at 71.7%, a total 2.1% higher than the average of the previous three years.

"In addition to the hard work and dedication of the Undergraduate Programs Office, the success of the program is a partnership with college faculty, parents and the support of the college leadership. I am as well honored by the innovation award for the program," said Nicole Kotlan, director of the Exploratory Advising Center at Kent State University.

The MABDA Innovation in Business Education Award seeks to encourage innovation in the pursuit of excellence in business education. Creative and unique strategies or programs that advance the quality of education are recognized and awarded cash prizes.

The $750 prize was presented to the recipients at the 2016 MABDA meeting held in early October
in Chicago. To learn more about MABDA, visit http://theexchange.aacsb.edu/mabda/aboutmabda.

To learn more about the College of Business Administration, visit http://business.kent.edu/.

###

Kent State University's College of Business Administration is fully accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International (AACSB) and one of the largest colleges of business in Ohio. The College has more than 4,300 students representing 50 countries with over 85 full-time faculty from 16 countries.

The college grants undergraduate through graduate degrees, and is one of only three public business colleges in Ohio with a comprehensive Ph.D. program. The MBA program is offered in an accelerated format. The Executive MBA program offers two tracks: one targeting corporate professionals and the other healthcare executives. The M.S. in Accounting and M.A. in Economics are specialized master's degrees for those seeking advanced study in these disciplines. The College also offers a Master of Science in degree in Business Analytics (MSBA) for those with business analytics expertise that spans all industries and organizations. The college boasts 10 undergraduate majors, 12 minors and a Professional Sales Certificate program.

The college is listed as a Best Business School by Princeton Review, ranked as a Best Business College by U.S. News and World Report, one of only 23 accounting programs worldwide to be endorsed by the IMA (Institute of Management Accountants), ranked Top-Tier for Executive Education in North America by CEO Magazine and ranked fourth by the SEF (Sales Education Foundation) in Ohio for Professional Sales Education.

The college boasts an onsite Career Services Center and International Programs Office dedicated to business students, and operates the Global Management Center, the Center for Information Systems and the Center for Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation all propelling scholarly research, establishing innovative industry partnerships and providing outreach to Northeast Ohio and beyond.

Media Contacts:

Joni Bowen, Public Relations and Media Specialist, cell: (330) 221-0637; (330) 672-1279, jbowen1@kent.edu