During the 2024 Spring Commencement Ceremony at Â鶹´«Ă˝ at Tuscarawas, where nearly 350 students graduated with bachelor’s and associate degrees, the Community Service Award and the Distinguished Alumni Award were presented to valued community members.
Rick and Bethann Hinig, of New Philadelphia, are the 2024 recipients of the Kent State Tuscarawas Community Service Award. This recognition is given to valued members of the community who have generously made our community and Kent State Tuscarawas a better place.
Rick Hinig has a long family history of connection and dedication to the campus, beginning with his great uncle Walter Ritter, who was a driving force in establishing the only locally-owned college campus in the state of Ohio – Kent State Tuscarawas. Continuing the families’ commitment, Hinig’s father supported the campus through his work in the state legislature. He proudly shares that his father’s hand was on the shovel that broke ground for Founders Hall.
A local attorney and former member of the state legislature, Hinig encourages all Kent State Tuscarawas graduates to establish their careers locally and appreciate how wonderful life can be in Tuscarawas County.
Bethann Hinig, a community volunteer and retired educator, has these words for the graduates, “Read lots of books. Good readers make good leaders.”
Continuing to carry on the family legacy and commitment through their own work with education and in the community, the Hinigs are passionate friends of Kent State Tuscarawas and of the Performing Arts Center and make an impact through their volunteer work throughout Tuscarawas County.
“We are so grateful for the invaluable support and dedication of Rick and Bethann,” said Brad Bielski, Â鶹´«Ă˝ at Tuscarawas dean and chief administrative officer. “Our students, campus and community benefit from their generosity and their compassionate efforts.”
Rocky Shanower is the recipient of the Kent State Tuscarawas 2024 Distinguished Alumni Award. This prestigious honor recognizes the professional and community accomplishments of alumni from Kent State Tuscarawas and is the highest acknowledgement bestowed on a Kent State Tuscarawas graduate.
Shanower has excelled in his young career and in his service to our community.
A 2002 associate of arts graduate, Shanower is the co-owner and founder of Park Street Pizza and Bahler Street – a mobile wood-fired pizza concept now based in Texas. Shanower, along with his partner and wife Courtney Shanower, opened Park Street Pizza in 2003 in their hometown of Sugarcreek when he was only 22 years old. A new Park Street location recently opened in North Canton.
Park Street Pizza has become a regional destination known for a locally sourced seasonal menu. Shanower’s passions in business include collaborating and developing relationships with local farmers and producers, team building with an emphasis on service and culture, and obsessing over new opportunities for growth in the service and hospitality industry. Pizza Today magazine named Shanower the 2020 Young Entrepreneur of the Year. He has become a well-known and respected speaker and consultant in the industry as well.
The Shanowers have two sons, Rigsby and Wilde.
“Rocky is a shining example of the impact Kent State Tuscarawas alumni make every day throughout our community,” said Chad Conrad, director of philanthropy at Kent State Tuscarawas.