Success Stories

Kent State University congratulates its new graduates. The university held its Spring Commencement ceremonies for the Kent Campus on May 8 and May 9 at the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center (MAC Center). This spring, Kent State conferred 3,883 degrees, including 2,864 bachelor’s degrees, 874 master’s degrees, 142 doctoral degrees and three educational specialist degrees at the Kent Campus. Across the university’s eight-campus system, 4,512 students graduated from Kent State this spring, including those receiving associate degrees.

How do you believe being bold at Kent State University looks when put in action? 

Melody Tankersley believes the campus community is on the right track.

Kent State University’s MBA team took home the grand prize in the Cleveland Association for Corporate Growth (ACG) Competition that took place at the Union Club in Cleveland. The regional competition’s case focused on mergers and acquisitions.

Members of the winning team include Josh Hostetler, Brad Neumann, Frank Russ and Kaushik Saha, all second-year MBA students who will graduate this May. They won an all-expenses-paid trip to Orlando, Fla., for the ACG Global Conference in April.

Kent State University held its 45th annual commemoration of May 4, 1970, with events April 30-May 4. The annual commemoration, hosted by the May 4 Task Force, provided an opportunity for the university community to gather and remember those who were lost and injured during the tragedy and also reflect on what May 4 means today.

Kent State University’s 21st annual FlashFest will deliver a mix of music genres with hip-hop duo Rae Sremmurd, R&B artist Jeremih and disc jockey duo the Chainsmokers.

This year, the event will take place Thursday, April 23. Music begins at 5 p.m. on the Student Green, weather permitting, with the Memorial Athletic and Convocation (MAC) Center as an alternate location.

Kent State University’s 21st annual FlashFest delivered a mix of music genres with hip-hop duo Rae Sremmurd, R&B artist Jeremih and disc jockey duo the Chainsmokers. 

Kevin Otubu, director of programming for the Undergraduate Student Government at Kent State, says the variety of genres was chosen because they appealed to students in the past.

“We know students enjoy the hip-hop and electronic dance music scene, so my goal was to try and recreate our FlashFest 2013, but make it better,” Otubu said. 

Members of the Kent State University community were invited to attend the inauguration of Beverly Warren as the 12th president of the university on May 1 in the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center on the Kent Campus. A reception followed in the Kent Student Center Ballroom.

A week of activities and events leading up to the inauguration day celebrated student success and campus community achievements on Kent State’s eight campuses and the Regional Academic Center in Twinsburg. All events were free.

Kent State University hosted a grand opening for the Aeronautics and Technology Building on Friday, April 24.

The event celebrated the opening of the 55,000-square-foot building and the move of the College of Applied Engineering, Sustainability and Technology from Van Deusen Hall to the Science Corridor. The new building joins other colleges and buildings, such as Henderson Hall, the Mathematics and Computer Science Building and the Liquid Crystal Materials Science Building. Construction on the building began in summer 2013.

Are you bold enough to push Kent State University to even greater heights? 

The university community is looking to “… identify our collective insights and commitment to developing a shared vision — one that reflects with bold clarity our unique distinctiveness as a university,” said Beverly Warren, Kent State president.

Warren’s goal of drafting a vision, values and university priorities by May invites additional input from the community. 

Kent State University’s Center for Student Involvement hosted the 37th annual Student Leadership and Honors Awards on April 8 in the Kent Student Center Ballroom. The event celebrates and recognizes student leaders, organizations and advisors for their contributions to the Kent State community during the current academic year.

Any student, faculty, or staff member at the university is able to submit an awards nomination for any of the categories. A selection committee reviews the nominations and determines the winners.