As Kara Crissman’s maternity leave came to an end, she took to LinkedIn to reflect on the pros and cons of being home with a newborn.  Crissman, ’13, Communication Studies, and her husband, Mike Crissman, ’13, Journalism, welcomed their second child, Harper, earlier this year. Having the opportunity to step back from her role as director of marketing at Gravyty provided Crissman with an opportunity not all new parents receive. Forbes Health noted several studies that highlight the positive short- and long-term impacts that maternity leave has on parents and the entire famil...

When Kent State University President Todd Diacon used his May 13 commencement address to send a message to state officials who are challenging Ohio’s public universities as a bastion for the privileged, the reaction was swift and supportive from alumni and friends of the university.  “There is in Ohio, among some state elected officials, a growing ivory tower accusation being leveled against our state’s public universities and against, quite frankly, Kent State University,” Diacon told thousands gathered for commencement.  State leaders, Diacon said, had it wrong – Kent State s...

The Kent State Columbiana County campuses held a graduation celebration to recognize members of the Rising Scholars program who are each graduating from their respective high schools this spring. The graduating scholars include: Shirley Adkins of Southern Local High School Teagan Arter of Leetonia High School Javahla Cowdery of East Liverpool High School Chelsea Groves of Southern Local High School Jase Harrison of Crestview High School Treasure Ikard of East Liverpool High School Jimothy Jancel of Marlington High School Caden Mustake of Crestview High School Nikki Phillips...

More than 40 years after her college graduation, alumna Delores Jones, ’76, has never wavered in her support of Kent State School of Media and Journalism students. As a student, she was a journalism major with a concentration in public relations and became very involved in the public relations curriculum, serving as vice president of Kent State’s Chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA). Jones maintained her status as a Public Relations Society of America member after graduating and became the first person of color to be president of the Akron Chapter in 1988. S...

Assistant Professor Kaatie Cooper, Ph.D., envisions a world where journalists and scientists work together to better inform the public about environmental issues. She’s working toward that vision through her research, which examines how mass media affects environmental issues, especially in documentary work. Cooper started out her career in environmental media and documentaries, and recently finished her first year teaching at Kent State’s School of Media and Journalism. She previously worked as an assistant professor in the Communication and Journalism department at the University of Wyomi...