Dear Members of the Kent State University Community,
I write to share with you a leadership transition in the Division of Student Affairs. Lamar R. Hylton, Ph.D., senior vice president for student affairs, will leave Kent State on Aug. 31 to assume the position of vice provost for student life at Indiana University Bloomington.
Lamar’s vision, passion and devotion to the well-being and belonging of students made Kent State’s commitment to being a student-first university more than a slogan. We will be forever in his debt for teaching us what new heights are attainable in student life. In short, we are a better university because of his leadership and impact.
Given this critical time for the arrival of our fall 2023 incoming class and the return of our continuing students, I have asked Eboni Pringle, Ph.D., senior associate vice president for student access and support and dean of University College, to serve as our interim senior vice president, effective Aug. 16. Her appointment will ensure a smooth and effective transition as we execute our plans for the opening of school and continue our trajectory as a leading students-first university. No one at Kent State understands student success better than Dr. Pringle, no one has more experience in supporting our students and no one is better known nationally than her for creating and implementing student success programs. With her leadership and our outstanding student life team, I am confident we will excel even more in integrating student life into all aspects of our university and in keeping the needs of students at the forefront of everything we do. We will conduct a national search for the senior vice president position during the 2024-2025 academic year.
The division’s change in leadership comes as it is implementing a name change effective Aug. 1 to the Division of Student Life. Student Life not only aligns with current nomenclature in the field, but most importantly, it denotes the division’s move toward a more transformational way of embracing an educational ecosystem that thrives in the student experience and involves the life-changing and life-shaping work that occurs outside of the classroom.
Please join me in thanking Dr. Hylton for his extraordinary leadership and in congratulating and supporting Dr. Pringle in her new role.
Sincerely,
Todd Diacon
President