May 4 University Updates
Kent State May 4 50th Commemoration Weekend Events Canceled in Response to COVID-19 Virus
In accordance with the order of Amy Acton, M.D., director of Ohio Department of Health, to stay at home to slow the spread of COVID-19, and in the interest of the health and safety of the community, Kent State University regretfully announces cancellation of the May 4 50th Commem...
Kent State Alumni Wounded on May 4, 1970, Will Return as Commencement Speakers
Dean Kahler, one of the nine Kent State University students wounded in the May 4, 1970, shootings by the Ohio National Guard, will return to campus on Saturday, May 9, to serve as speaker for the One University Commencement. Thomas Grace, Ph.D., another of the nine wounded studen...
Joe Walsh and David Crosby to Headline the May 4 50th Commemoration Benefit Concert at Kent State
Kent State University is proud to announce the May 4 50th Commemoration Benefit Concert featuring Joe Walsh (with Barnstorm – Joe Vitale and Kenny Passarelli) and David Crosby (with his touring band), two Rock & Roll Hall of Fame members with strong musical connections to the...
KENT STATE UNIVERSITY MAY 4 50TH COMMEMORATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE ANNOUNCES SIGNATURE EVENTS FOR THE WEEKEND OF MAY 1-4
After months of planning, Kent State University’s May 4 50th Commemoration Advisory Committee has released details of programs scheduled for the 50th Commemoration of the May 4, 1970, shootings at Kent State. The commemoration represents a significant milestone in the history and...
Kent State Receives NEH Grant to Use the Power of Augmented Reality to Commemorate May 4, 1970
Coinciding with the 50th commemoration of the events of May 4, 1970, Kent State University faculty members have received a grant for $175,000 from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to launch an on-site augmented reality experience of May 4.
Kent State Students Win $1,000 for Unique Reflections on May 4 Books
Ten Kent State University students were awarded $1,000 each for their creative use of videos, podcasts and Adobe Spark® pages to reflect on the events of May 4, 1970, as part of the university’s Design Innovation Common Reading Challenge.
Exhibit Showcases May 4 Artifacts in Augmented Reality
Artifacts of May 4, 1970 – a survivor’s jacket, a gas mask and gun shell casing – tell a story that’s not often accessible to the general public. Assistant Professor Abe Avnisan and students in his digital sciences capstone course will bring these artifacts’ stories to life via t...
Kent State’s Wick Poetry Center to Debut National Interactive Exhibit in Support of 50th Commemoration of May 4
Kent State University’s Wick Poetry Center is set to debut its “Armed With Our Voices” exhibit this week in Austin, Texas, as part of the National Council for the Social Studies annual conference. The exhibit provides a powerful form of cross-generational connection that engages...
Educator's Summit on May 4 Has Great Success; National Grant Will Allow Program to Grow in 2020
Organizers of the recent Voices for Change Educator’s Summit at Kent State University say the curriculum developed at the event can be used by teachers worldwide, so that the lessons of May 4, 1970, will continue to be shared. The summit, held in August, was one about 100 events...
Kent State’s May 4 Visitors Center Honors May 4 Victim Jeffrey Miller With New Exhibition
Guests of Kent State University’s May 4 Visitors Center can learn more about Jeffrey Miller, one of the four students shot and killed by the Ohio National Guard on May 4, 1970, by visiting “Our Brother Jeff,” a new exhibition at the visitors center that honors Miller’s life. The...
America’s ‘Top Turnaround Mayor’ to Speak at Kent State on Nov. 19
Mitch Landrieu, the New Orleans mayor who oversaw the removal of the city’s prominent Confederate monuments and helped his city to recover and reemerge from a series of natural disasters, will speak at Kent State as part of the university’s May 4 Speaker Series.
Kent State University Course to Educate Community About May 4, 1970
Kent State University is offering a community course that deals with the historical, cultural, social and political contexts of events before, during and after the May 4, 1970, shootings. The free course, Making Meaning of May 4: The Kent State Shootings in American History, will...
Kent State Nursing Alumna Reflects on May 4 Tragedy
In the spring of 1970, two-time Kent State University alumna and registered nurse Pat Gless was a junior in Kent State’s inaugural nursing program. While in class on Monday, May 4, a professor rushed into her classroom and warned students who could leave campus to do so. Fifty ye...
Photos from May 4, 1970, Resurrected in New Book by Kent State Alumnus
On the morning of May 4, 1970, Kent State University student Howard Ruffner was hanging out in the office of the Daily Kent Stater in Taylor Hall when the phone rang. The Midwest editor from Life magazine, based in Chicago, was calling to find out if there were any student phot...
'Wearing Justice' Exhibition at Kent State University Museum Brings Attention to Global Social Issues
In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of May 4, 1970, when Ohio National Guardsmen opened fire on Kent State University students protesting the U.S. invasion of Cambodia during the Vietnam War, killing four and wounding nine, students and faculty from Kent State’s School of Fa...
By the Book: Recommended Reading on May 4, 1970
Plenty has been written about May 4, 1970. Ken Burhanna, dean of Kent State University Libraries, offers his preferred reading list.
Preserving May 4 Was Special Work of Four Faculty Members
A team of devoted Kent State faculty led the drive to achieve national recognition of the significance of May 4, 1970.
National Foundation Funds Grant to Preserve Audio And Audiovisual Recordings Contained in the University’s May 4 Collection
Kent State University Libraries’ May 4, 1970 Collection has been selected by the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) to benefit from a $30,561 award through the Recordings at Risk grant program, generously funded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Kent State’s May 4 Visitors Center Celebrates Life With “Bill: An All-American Boy” Exhibition
From April 22 to Aug. 1, Kent State University’s May 4 Visitors Center will honor Bill Schroeder’s life with an exhibition titled “Bill: An All-American Boy.” Mr. Schroeder’s sister, Nancy Tuttle, and nephew, David Tuttle, helped create the exhibition by loaning some of his perso...
May 4 Course Takes Students on Journey Through History
As part of Kent State University’s May 4 course, senior Julia Pharmer sifted through resources in University Libraries' Department of Special Collections and Archives and engaged in classroom discussions. Perhaps one of the most engaging sessions though was when Professor Emerita...
Kent State Board of Trustees Ensures University’s Ongoing Commitment Regarding May 4, 1970
The Kent State University Board of Trustees passed a resolution at its March 6 meeting expressing appreciation to the May 4 Task Force and all those whose dedicated efforts have preserved the legacy and advanced the lessons learned from the events of May 4, 1970.
Neil Cooper Named Inaugural Director of Kent State’s School of Peace and Conflict Studies
Kent State University has chosen an international expert to lead the university’s new School of Peace and Conflict Studies within the College of Arts and Sciences, known for its study of nonviolent conflict management.
Memorials Expert Chris Post Discusses 50th Commemoration of May 4, 1970
Growing up, Chris Post watched as his mom juggled her collegiate studies and motherhood, balancing everyday life with dreams of earning her Ph.D. And while field excursions with his biologist mom are a memory of his childhood, the impact of place is something this cultural and hi...
Front Row Seat to History: What Freshmen Take Away From May 4 Visitor Center Tours
Kent State University sophomore Phil Morgan said he learned about the May 4, 1970, shootings during a history lesson in middle school that included few details, except the fact that the Ohio National Guard’s presence at a student protest ended in the deaths of four students.
Heart of Steel
Three days after May 4, 1970, Akron artist Don Drumm went to the campus of Kent State University with a team of journalists from the Akron Beacon Journal. They wanted his perspective on one thing: a bullet hole in the 15-foot sculpture outside of Taylor Hall.
Kent State Receives State Historic Preservation Award for Preserving May 4 History and Site
The Ohio History Connection’s State Historic Preservation Office Awards has recognized Kent State University with a 2018 Public Education and Awareness Award.