July - September 2012

Kent State University held a grand opening of its Blackstone LaunchPad program on Friday, Sept. 28, celebrating the establishment of the entrepreneurial initiative at the university.

President Barack Obama was a special guest of the Kent State College Democrats for a campaign rally Wednesday, Sept. 26, at Kent State University’s Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center (MAC Center).

Kent State University hosted a two-day symposium on Sept. 26-27 to showcase cutting-edge university research and industry innovations in flexible liquid crystal devices such as displays, e-writers, eyewear, photovoltaics, sensors and biomedical devices.

The 46th Kent State Folk Festival once again lays claim to its autumnal residency with concerts and events lined up from Thursday, Sept. 20, through Saturday, Sept. 22. The Kent Stage hosts concerts each night with Folk Alley ‘Round Town driving up the musical temperature throughout Kent on Friday and a big move downtown for the free Saturday workshops.

Kent State University has increased enrollment, surpassing last year’s record and reaching a new all-time high with the release of the university’s official 15th day census data. For the eight-campus system, Kent State reports a strong enrollment of 42,513 students for the Fall 2012 semester. In Fall 2011, overall enrollment was 42,185 students. The unduplicated (or preponderant) headcount at the Kent Campus increased by 2.85 percent to 27,706 students with the number of full-time equivalent students, or FTEs, up 3.16 percent, so students are taking more hours. The unduplicated headcount for the regional campuses is 14,807 students. Students are counted only once at the campus at which they hold a majority of their course load.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Kent State University Regional Academic Center in Twinsburg took place on Sept. 12 at the center’s location at 2745 Creekside Drive in Twinsburg, Ohio. The event celebrated Kent State’s commitment to providing students with expanded pathways to affordable and accessible higher education.

Sheryl Crow, O.A.R. and Los Lonely Boys performed at Kent State University’s Centennial Campaign Concert on Sept. 8. Held at Dix Stadium, the Centennial Campaign Concert served as a celebration of the conclusion of Kent State’s Centennial Campaign, a $250-million fundraising effort timed around university’s 100th anniversary in 2010 and the largest campaign in Kent State’s history. The university exceeded its goal, raising more than $265 million for endowment, capital projects and current operating funds, with emphasis on student scholarships. The concert was presented by the Kent State University Foundation, a not-for-profit entity that is legally separate from the university, along with Acorn Alley and Main Street Kent.

For Kent State electronic media major Katy Coduto, working this summer as a publicity intern at renowned record label company Warner Brothers Records was a dream come true.