WEST AKRON — Each year, hundreds of businesses, civic organizations and individuals step forward to lend their time and talents to students at Akron Public Schools (APS).

On March 27 at 6 p.m. at the St. Joseph Family Center, APS will honor 25 such groups and individuals at its annual Volunteer Recognition Banquet.

This year’s honorees include: Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority, Stewart & Calhoun Funeral Home, Maranatha/Urban Connections, Park United Methodist Church, Seeds of Change, St. Hilary Parish, Anne Biermann, Cornelia Elliott Hearst, Tom and Nikki Farnsworth, Lloyd Ford, Gale and Stephanie Hatten, the Rev. Raymond Rivers, Firestone Park Elementary School PTA, Mason Community Learning Center PTA, Seiberling Elementary School PTA, Susan Davis, Barbara Edwards, Janet Owens, Paul and Bernadine Warzinski, Sally Wilson, Akron Beacon Journal Charity Fund, Christ Child Society Clothing Center, McIntyre Family: Project Shoes, Morley Health Center and Summit County Chapter Credit Union.

For more information about the Volunteer Recognition Banquet, call Judi Hill, community partnerships and customer service, at (330) 761-2809.

The St. Joseph Family Center is located at 610 W. Exchange St.

Forum discusses staying safe on information superhighway

FAIRLAWN — The risks associated with surfing the Web, text messaging and other technologies will be discussed at “Staying Safe in a Wired World” April 3 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Hilton Akron/Fairlawn, 3180 W. Market St.

Parents, teachers and others who advocate for children and teens are invited to attend this free event sponsored by the Summit County Medical Alliance, Akron Children’s Hospital and the Hilton Akron/Fairlawn.

Rob Nickel, a cyber-safety expert, will outline safety procedures parents and teachers can follow to protect children from cyber bullies, sexual predators and pornography. He also will review Internet safety planning and prevention for home and school.

“It’s important for parents to know who their children are talking to online and to encourage them to speak with a parent if they should encounter anything that makes them feel unsafe,” said Lisa Pardi, RN, MSN, injury prevention coordinator at Akron Children’s Hospital. “Establishing rules for computer use at home is a good method to prevent children from becoming victims.”

Nickel is the author of “Staying Safe in a Wired World — A Parent’s Guide to Internet Safety” and a regular guest on many radio and TV shows, including “Dr. Phil” and CNBC’s “The Big Idea With Danny Deutsch.”

Light refreshments will be served. For more information or to register, call Pardi at (330) 543-3091.

This session also serves as a preconference presentation for “The Internet and Beyond: Technology Safety for Kids and Teens,” a professional symposium planned for April 4.

UA hosts Black Male Summit April 11-12

DOWNTOWN AKRON — The University of Akron (UA) will host its first Black Male Summit April 11-12 at the Student Union to bring awareness to critical issues in higher education for young black men. The summit will identify challenges and provide solutions to promote success academically and in the community, according to UA officials.

The two-day event, which is free and open to the public, will include workshops, informational sessions and a roundtable discussion. Nationally recognized speakers, education leaders, experts and students will address topics such as practical strategies for the classroom, the role of the black church, hip hop and its cultural effects, black male identity development, the importance of mentoring, male/female relationships and black male violence and suicide.

Presenters will include Hill Harper, an actor on “CSI: NY” and author of the New York Times bestseller “Letters to a Young Brother,” and Na’Im Akbar, professor of clinical psychology at Florida State University.

“We are hosting this event to bring attention to black men’s challenges,” said Fedearia Nicholson, director of UA’s Office of Multicultural Development. “Not only is this an opportunity to educate the campus and communities on the issues facing these students, it’s a chance to engage in dialogue to help better understand where these young men feel support is needed.”

The deadline to register is March 31. For the full Black Male Summit schedule of events, or to register, visit www.uakron.edu/multculdev/bms/, call (330) 972-6447 or e-mail BMS@uakron.edu.

UA appoints Lee Gill as chief diversity officer

DOWNTOWN AKRON — At a special meeting March 12, The University of Akron (UA) Board of Trustees appointed Lee Gill as UA’s first associate vice president for inclusion and equity/chief diversity officer.

In that role, Gill will direct outreach efforts to diverse populations of students, faculty, staff and community members to develop mentoring programs, workshops and seminars that raise cultural awareness; expand cultural competencies and bring about a greater understanding and valuing of differences in people; lead a discussion about the need for a new or revised inclusive excellence policy; design and carry out strategies to recruit and retain a diverse pool of students, faculty members and staff members; and assess learning outcomes related to inclusive excellence.

“Several years ago, we first encountered the principle of inclusive excellence as we participated in a Greater Expectations Conference hosted by the Association of American Colleges and Universities,” said Elizabeth Stroble, senior vice president and provost and chief operating officer. “As a campus we then defined the goal of making excellence inclusive as one of the five basic principles of Design for the Future. With Mr. Gill’s appointment, we take an important step in advancing our goal by identifying a champion for inclusion and equity at The University of Akron.”

Gill earned a juris doctor degree from the Chicago Kent College of Law at the Illinois Institute of Technology and a bachelor’s degree in political science and sociology from the University of Michigan.

Since 2005, he has been chief executive officer of the Stratus Group Consultants, of Berrien Springs, Mich. Gill will start his duties at UA March 24.