Dr. Karl Kaltenthaler will discuss domestic extremism and the events at the Capitol on January 6 in an Akron Press Club virtual program Monday, April 5, at noon.

Kaltenthaler, political science professor and director of security studies at the University of Akron, is an expert on political violence, political psychology, public opinion and political behavior, and countering violent extremism and counterterrorism.

His current research centers on the radicalization and recruitment process into violent extremism in different types of social and political environments. His work has resulted in academic publications and presentations, as well as reports and briefings for the United States government.   

Kaltenthaler has been published in several books, book chapters, as well as articles in International Studies Quarterly, Political Science Quarterly and Studies in Conflict & Terrorism.  He is completing a book on ISIS in Iraq with Oxford University Press.

The Akron Press Club has not been able to hold traditional lunch programming during the current pandemic. Funds from these lunches go toward scholarships for journalism and public relations students. Between the Press Club and the John S. Knight Memorial Scholarship Fund, scholarships of $5,000 were awarded to nine students in 2020.

As we navigate COVID-19, please consider a donation to the Akron Press Club to fund scholarships. They make a difference to the students who receive them. You can donate by following the link on the registration page for this event.

Speaker: Political scientist Dr. Karl Kaltenthaler.

Date: Noon, April 5, 2021

To register for this free virtual event: Go to http://conta.cc/3uyTMdS

To donate to Press Club scholarships: Go to https://bit.ly/370g0eZ

The Akron Press Club was founded in 1971 to promote a free press and serve local journalists and public relations professionals. The group has a rich heritage of offering newsmakers a forum to discuss issues of the day at Press Club luncheons and speaking events that are open to the public. The club also funds scholarships for journalists and public relations students. Visit www.akronpressclub.org for membership information.

A panel of health experts will share their knowledge of the COVID-19 pandemic at an Akron Press Club virtual program at noon on Monday, March 8.

            The panelists are:

• Summit County Public Health Commissioner Donna Skoda.
• Kent State University epidemiologist Tara Smith.
• AxessPointe Community Health Centers Pharmacy Director Magdi Awad.

Donna Skoda has worked in community-based public health programs for more than 25 years. She is responsible for the overall management of the Summit County health district. Skoda is a licensed dietitian with a master’s degree in public health and nutrition from Case Western Reserve University.

Dr. Tara Smith joined the Kent State College of Public Health in 2013 after she spent the previous nine years in the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Iowa College of Public Health. She completed post-doctoral training in molecular epidemiology at the University of Michigan. Smith holds a Ph.D. from the University of Toledo and a bachelor’s degree in biology from Yale University.

Dr. Magdi Awad is an associate professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice at Northeast Ohio Medical University. He received his Doctor of Pharmacy degree and residency training at the University of Minnesota. He completed a fellowship in academic medicine and received his Master of Science in pharmacy administration degree at NEOMED. AxessPointe is a federally qualified health center with five locations and four pharmacies in Akron, Barberton and Kent.

The Akron Press Club has not been able to hold traditional lunch programming during the current pandemic. Funds from these lunches go toward scholarships for journalism and public relations students. Between the Press Club and the John S. Knight Memorial Scholarship Fund, scholarships of $5,000 were awarded to nine students in 2020.

As we navigate COVID-19, please consider a donation to the Akron Press Club to fund scholarships. They make a difference to the students who receive them. You can donate by following the link on the registration page for this event.

Program: COVID-19 panel.

Date: Noon, March 8, 2021

To register for this free virtual event: Go to https://conta.cc/3pCF9CP

To donate to Press Club scholarships: Go to https://bit.ly/370g0eZ

The Akron Press Club was founded in 1971 to promote a free press and serve local journalists and public relations professionals. The group has a rich heritage of offering newsmakers a forum to discuss issues of the day at Press Club luncheons and speaking events that are open to the public. The club also funds scholarships for journalists and public relations students. Visit www.akronpressclub.org for membership information.

Superintendent David James will deliver his final State of the Akron Public Schools virtually via YouTube Feb. 11 at noon before the Akron Press Club. There will be the opportunity for questions following his address.

To view this free event, register through the Akron Press Club at https://conta.cc/2LB2y9z. A link to the meeting will be emailed upon registration. 

Dr. James will retire this summer after 13 years as superintendent and 29 years with the school district.

 James will discuss myriad issues facing educators and school districts today, including budget and funding in Ohio, and the COVID pandemic, which has proved to be an enormous challenge for school districts. Students at APS have been learning remotely since the middle of last March.

 Akron Public Schools has roughly 21,000 students and 3,000 employees. The district includes 47 schools and community learning centers.

 This year, APS started plans to expand its new College & Career Academies of Akron into all middle schools. Last year, this transformational program was built into every APS high school. Eventually, according to James, the program will be in grade levels. It already has positive, measurable results from its pilot program that was started first at North High School four years ago.

The Akron Press Club has not been able to hold traditional lunch programming during the current pandemic. Funds from these lunches go toward scholarships for journalism and public relations students. Between the Press Club and the John S. Knight Memorial Scholarship Fund, scholarships of $5,000 were awarded to nine students in 2020. 

As we navigate COVID-19, please consider a donation to the Akron Press Club to fund scholarships. They make a difference to the students who receive them. You can donate by going to www.akronpressclub.org.  

Speaker: Dr. David James, State of the Akron Schools.

Date: Noon, February 11, 2021

To view this free virtual event: Go to https://conta.cc/2LB2y9z

To donate to Press Club scholarships: Go to https://bit.ly/370g0eZ 

The Akron Press Club was founded in 1971 to promote a free press and serve local journalists and public relations professionals. The group has a rich heritage of offering newsmakers a forum to discuss issues of the day at Press Club luncheons and speaking events that are open to the public. The club also funds scholarships for journalists and public relations students. Visit www.akronpressclub.org for membership information.

A panel of journalists will talk about a new book that looks at life inside the newsroom of the Akron Beacon Journal for an Akron Press Club virtual program at noon on Monday, Feb. 1.

Akron’s Daily Miracle is a collection of essays from the journalists who told the story of Akron. The University of Akron Press book begins with the death of the heir to John S. Knight’s newspapers and goes through the end of Knight Ridder Newspapers and subsequent changes in ownership. The book is edited by former Beacon Journal journalists Deb Van Tassel Warner and Stuart Warner.

The panelists who will tell their stories of working at the Beacon Journal are:

• Bob Dyer, recently retired columnist who joined the Beacon Journal in 1984.
• Charlene Nevada, a reporter and editor who covered a variety of beats and during her 35-year career at the Beacon Journal. 
• Stuart Warner, columnist who wrote Warner’s Corner for the Beacon Journal and held a variety of editing positions at the Beacon Journal and The Plain Dealer.

The panel will be moderated by Bruce Winges, who held a number of positions at the Beacon Journal during his 37-year career and was editor and vice president from 2007 until his retirement in 2019.

            Akron’s Daily Miracle is available at local bookstores and through the University of Akron Press.

The Akron Press Club has not been able to hold traditional lunch programming during the current pandemic. Funds from these lunches go toward scholarships for journalism and public relations students. Between the Press Club and the John S. Knight Memorial Scholarship Fund, scholarships of $5,000 were awarded to nine students in 2020.

As we navigate COVID-19, please consider a donation to the Akron Press Club to fund scholarships. They make a difference to the students who receive them. You can donate by following the link on the registration page for this event.

Speaker: Akron’s Daily Miracle panel.

Date: Noon, February 1, 2021

To register for this free virtual event: Go to https://conta.cc/3hAPdKe

To donate to Press Club scholarships: Go to https://bit.ly/370g0eZ

Upcoming:

• White House Transition Project Director Martha Joynt Kumar Jan. 12, 2021.
• State of Akron Schools speech Feb. 11 by Dr. David James.

The Akron Press Club was founded in 1971 to promote a free press and serve local journalists and public relations professionals. The group has a rich heritage of offering newsmakers a forum to discuss issues of the day at Press Club luncheons and speaking events that are open to the public. The club also funds scholarships for journalists and public relations students.

White House Transition Project Director Martha Joynt Kumar will discuss the upcoming change in government and a history of transitions during a virtual presentation by Akron Press Club on January 12, 2021 at noon.

This event is co-sponsored by the University of Akron’s Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics.

Click here to register for this free virtual event.

The non-profit transition project consists of a non-partisan group of scholars who prepare information for staff coming into the White House. The scholars write essays based on interviews with people who lead individual White House offices about the functions of the offices and the responsibilities of the directors.

Dr. Kumar is a professor emerita, Townson University. As a scholar of the presidency and the press, she has spent two decades recording and analyzing the relationship between journalists and the White House. Kumar also has served on the Board of Directors and the executive committee of the White House Historical Association and on the Board of Trustees of Connecticut College.

The Akron Press Club has not been able to hold traditional lunch programming during the current pandemic. Funds from these lunches go toward scholarships for journalism and public relations students. Between the Press Club and the John S. Knight Memorial Scholarship Fund, scholarships of $5,000 were awarded to nine students in 2020.

As we navigate COVID-19, please consider a donation to the Akron Press Club to fund scholarships. They make a difference to the students who receive them. You can donate by following the link on the registration page for this event.

Speaker: Martha Joynt Kumar

Date: Noon, January 12, 2021

Click here to register for this free virtual event.

To donate to Press Club scholarships: Go to https://bit.ly/370g0eZ

Upcoming:

• Panel on the new University of Akron Press book, “Akron’s Daily Miracle: Reporting the News in the Rubber City.”
• State of Akron Schools speech Feb. 11 by Dr. David James.

The Akron Press Club was founded in 1971 to promote a free press and serve local journalists and public relations professionals. The group has a rich heritage of offering newsmakers a forum to discuss issues of the day at Press Club luncheons and speaking events that are open to the public. The club also funds scholarships for journalists and public relations students. Visit www.akronpressclub.org for membership information

Ohio Northern University political science professor Robert Alexander will discuss the Electoral College in a virtual presentation by Akron Press Club on December 8 at noon.

This event is co-sponsored by the University of Akron’s Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics. To register for this virtual event go to https://conta.cc/2HwLBv7.

Dr. Alexander is political science professor and founding director of the Institute for Civics and Public Policy at Ohio Northern University at Ada.

He is an expert on the Electoral College and has written a book on the subject, “Representation and the Electoral College” (Oxford University Press, 2019). Dr. Alexander’s analysis has appeared in hundreds of print and television outlets, including USA Today, CNN.com, NPR, the New York Times, BBC, Christian Science Monitor, US News and World Report, and CTV-Canada. His op-eds also have been published in USA Today, CNN.com and The Hill, among many others.

Dr. Alexander’s research on electors was cited during arguments before the Supreme Court in 2020.

He currently serves on the National Executive Committee for Pi Sigma Alpha (the national political science honor society).

The Akron Press Club has not been able to hold traditional lunch programming during the current pandemic. Funds from these lunches go toward scholarships for journalism and public relations students. Between the Press Club and the John S. Knight Memorial Scholarship Fund, scholarships of $5,000 were awarded to nine students this year.

As we navigate COVID-19, please consider a donation to the Akron Press Club to fund scholarships. They make a difference to the students who receive them. You can donate by following the link on the registration page for this event.

Speaker: Dr. Robert Alexander on the Electoral College

Date: Noon, December 8, 2020

To register for this free virtual event: Go to https://conta.cc/2HwLBv7

To donate to Press Club scholarships: Follow link at https://conta.cc/2HwLBv7

The Akron Press Club was founded in 1971 to promote a free press and serve local journalists and public relations professionals. The group has a rich heritage of offering newsmakers a forum to discuss issues of the day at Press Club luncheons and speaking events that are open to the public. The club also funds scholarships for journalists and public relations students.

If you are a journalism or public relations student who could use $5,000, there is a scholarship for you.

The John S. Knight Memorial Scholarship Fund and the Akron Press Club are awarding a total of nine scholarships worth $5,000 each to journalism, public relations and communications students. That is $45,000 in scholarships.

Preference is given to undergraduate students from or attending school in Summit, Portage, Medina, Stark and Wayne counties.

A total of five $5,000 scholarships are awarded in memory of John S. Knight, longtime editor of the Akron Beacon Journal and founder of Knight Ridder newspapers.

The Akron Press Club awards one scholarship to honor the memory of longtime Akron public relations professional and professor Ludel Sauvageot. The Press Club awards another $,5000 scholarship in the name of late Summit County Executive Russ Pry scholarship, a longtime supporter of the Press Club. This year the Press Club will award two additional $5,000 scholarships through the generosity of Dr. Aileen Thong.

Here are the guidelines for the scholarships:

• The applicant must be active in any facet of journalism and/or public relations.
• Applicants must be in good academic standing at a college or university.
• The applicant should be a freshman, sophomore, junior or senior in the fall of 2021.
• Financial need will be considered.
• Previous John S. Knight or Press Club scholarship winners will be considered.

These are guidelines only, and are not intended to limit the discretion of the fund.

Apply for the scholarships by going to https://knightscholars.org/ There you can apply online through the website. Or you can download an application, complete it and send it to: Knight Scholars, P.O. Box 2181, Akron, Ohio 44309.

As with everything else in life, there is a deadline. Applications should be postmarked by March 5, 2021.   

And here is some advice. The screening committee looks carefully at whether instructions were followed as well as general writing mechanics: spelling, grammar and punctuation. Make sure you send us your best work.

The scholarship committee of the John S. Knight Memorial Journalism Fund and the Akron Press Club has the responsibility of soliciting applications, screening candidates and making recommendations to the board of trustees of the John S. Knight Memorial Journalism Fund Inc. The board has the sole authority for the awarding of the scholarships.

Questions? Email jsknightscholars@gmail.com or call (330) 800-0236.

Good luck and we look forward to hearing from you.

There will be a new sheriff in Summit County after the Nov. 3 election. Find out where the two candidates stand on the issues in a virtual debate Thursday, Oct. 1, from 6:30 – 7:45 p.m.

This virtual debate is a collaborative effort involving the Akron Interfaith Council, Akron Press Club, Greater Akron Civility Center and Love Akron.  The debate is free, although advance registration and a computer are required to attend this virtual event.

The two candidates are:

• Shane Barker, Republican, spent more than 25 years in the Summit County Sheriff’s Department. He was an administrative captain at the jail before retiring in 2019.
• Kandy Fatheree, Democrat, has worked in the Summit County Sheriff’s Department for 25 years. She currently is an administrative captain.

The winner will replace current Sheriff Steve Barry, who is retiring.

The debate will be moderated by Bruce Winges, Akron Press Club past president and retired Beacon Journal editor. Panelists M.L. Schultze of WKSU and Rob Kerr of Faith Lutheran Church will ask questions of the candidates.

To register for the debate, go to http://bit.ly/sheriffdebateoct1

The Akron Press Club was founded in 1971 to promote a free press and serve local journalists and public relations professionals. The group has a rich heritage of offering newsmakers a forum to discuss issues of the day at Press Club luncheons and speaking events that are open to the public. The club also funds scholarships for journalists and public relations students. Visit www.akronpressclub.org for membership information.