Reflections

May 4 University Updates

button created by Jerry Casale - Kent Students Medical Fund

Remembering May 4 - An Interview with Devo's Jerry Casale

“I had always been making art and music but the events of May 4th and beyond galvanized my creativity, infusing it with an existential anger and urgency that would otherwise not have happened. In short Devo and the idea of De-evolution as a manifesto would not exist without that...
Kent Stater editors have covered 50 years of May 4 anniversaries.

Kent Stater Editors Reflect on 50 Years Covering May 4 Anniversaries

Kent State University alumni who served as editor of the Daily Kent Stater each faced the challenge of covering the anniversary of May 4, 1970, when Ohio National Guardsmen shot and killed four students and wounded nine others during a Vietnam War protest.
1960s Bus

Photo Album: Life as a Kent State Student in the late 1960s

Before May 4, 1970, students at Kent State were just regular students enjoying time together, performing, volunteering, and advocating for issues they believed in. Thanks to digital archives of the Daily Kent Stater and the department of Special Collections and Archives, here is...
Photo of the four students killed May 4, 1970

Kent State University to Honor 50th Commemoration of May 4, 1970, With Online Commemoration

In keeping with the commitment to honor and remember the events of May 4, 1970, Kent State University will have an online “virtual” program to mark the 50th Commemoration with a variety of online videos, exhibits and learning resources.
Mapes (left) and Koopman (right)

Curated May 4 Oral History Clips Paired With Online Interactive Map of Kent From 1970

They remember the sights and sounds of helicopters and trucks as the Ohio National Guard moved into their small college town. They remember the smell of tear gas. They remember the chants of the protesters against the Vietnam War and invasion of Cambodia. They remember the panic...
The names of those killed on May 4, 1970, are displayed on the B’nai B’rith Hillel Marker in the parking lot of Prentice Hall on the campus of Kent State University.

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...
Dean Kahler (left), 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 May 9 to serve as speaker for the One University Commencement.

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 will perform with his band Barnstorm on May 2 at Kent State University for the May 4 50th Commemoration Benefit Concert. (Photo credit: Myriam Santos)

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 students stand vigil where one of four slain Kent State students was shot on May 4, 1970.

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...
Shown is the augmented view of the Victory Bell on the Kent State University campus as it would have looked on May 1, 1970.

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.
With the 50th May 4 Commemoration approaching, this year’s Common Reading Experience for all first-year Kent State University students created an opportunity to incorporate the books “This We Know” and “Thirteen Seconds: Confrontation at Kent State."

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. 
Digitized Taylor Hall

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...
About 30 teachers attended the Voices for Change Educator's Summit on the topic of May 4, 1970.

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...
“Our Brother Jeff,” a new exhibition at Kent State University’s May 4 Visitors Center, honors the life of Jeffrey Miller, one of the four Kent State students shot and killed by the Ohio National Guard on May 4, 1970.

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...
Former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu will speak at Kent State University at 7 p.m. Nov. 19 as part of the university’s May 4 Speaker Series.

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 is offering a community course at the May 4 Visitors Center that deals with the historical, cultural, social and political contexts of events before, during and after the May 4, 1970, shootings.

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 University alumna Pat Gless reflects on May 4, 1970, when she was a junior nursing major and how she assisted the nurses at the old Ravenna hospital in providing care for some of the injured.

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...
The new book by Howard Ruffner

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...
Shown is "Make Amerikkka Great Again" (2019), designed by Kent State University Fashion School student Colin Isaacs.

'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...
Library books

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.  
The four students killed on May 4, 1970

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 Guard personnel and vehicle in foreground, crowd gathered by Taylor Hall in background

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.
Personal items of Bill Schroeder, including his Eagle Scout Award and Boy Scout sash showing his merit badges, are on display in a new exhibition at Kent State University’s May 4 Visitors Center called “Bill: An All-American Boy.”

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...
Laura Davis, Ph.D., walks students through her memories of May 4, 1970

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...
Four students were killed and nine others wounded during a student protest of the Vietnam War. The site was formally dedicated as a National Historic Landmark on May 4, 2018.

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, Ph.D., of the University of Bradford in the U.K. has been selected as the inaugural director of Kent State University’s School of Peace and Conflict Studies.

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. 
Chris Post, Ph.D., is a memorial expert who serves as a member of the Kent State President Beverly J. Warren's Advisory Committee for the 50th commemoration of May 4, 1970.

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...
A visitor learns about the events surrounding May 4, 1970 while visiting the May 4 Visitors Center

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.
Artist Don Drumm poses with a photo of his sculpture that was shot on May 4, 1970, at Kent State University.

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.
Members of the Kent State University community receive a 2018 Public Education and Awareness Award during the Ohio History Connection’s State Historic Preservation Office Awards. Pictured (left to right) are Bradley Keefer, Mindy Farmer, Laura Davis, Burt

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.
As May 4 Commemoration Project Manager, Kent State Alumnus Rodney Flauhaus is taking on the task of planning the 50th anniversary commemoration of May 4, 1970.

Kent State Alumnus Leads Planning for 50th Anniversary Commemoration of May 4, 1970

Rodney Flauhaus is Kent State University’s new May 4 Commemoration Project Manager.
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