Donna Lee, DMA, has been teaching piano at Kent State University for 22 years. She not only prepares her students to fulfill their curricular requirements in piano performance but to understand the high level of dedication and work it takes to make a piece performance worthy through technical command, structural awareness, stylistic understanding and artistic expression. All of her preparation and passion led her to earn a 2021 Distinguished Teaching Award (DTA). The DTA is sponsored by the Kent State University Alumni Association and is the highest teaching award a tenured or tenure-track ...

Is this the era of the Great Resignation or the Great Reshuffle? Whatever it’s called, this moment in the history of work is being redefined as many of us are rethinking how, where and in what capacity we earn a living. Amidst this sea change, now is the time to sharpen your skills and advance in your career, taking advantage of new workforce development opportunities. Whether you’re an employee looking for a promotion — or an employer seeking to broaden the skill base, leadership capacity and retention of your employees — you can benefit from the new workforce development courses now offe...

Community Engaged Learning (CEL) recently celebrated 10 years of fighting hunger, promoting food security, and reducing food waste by kicking off Flashes Fighting Hunger, an initiative dedicated to continuing that tradition with new tools and programming. The new Flashes Fighting Hunger initiative takes the last 10 years to a new level, going beyond a kitchen that provides meals by becoming a program that prevents food waste, promotes food recovery and hosts multiple food pantries each week to serve the region. A 10-year anniversary celebration was held on Nov. 18, 2021, at the Center for Un...

The popular audio streaming service Spotify is known for the way it helps users seamlessly listen to the music and podcasts they love, and discover their future favorites. Kent State alumnus Mike Bowen is part the company’s Experience Mission, with the goal of “enriching life with music and audio.” He currently works as Principal Quantitative User Researcher for Spotify out of Kent, Ohio. Bowen, who graduated in 2003 with a degree in business and marketing, reconnected with Kent State recently, specifically the College of Communication and Information’s School of Emerging Media and ...

Porthouse Theatre, Kent State University's summer professional theatre located in Cuyahoga Falls OH, is thrilled to be recognized by the Cleveland Critics Circle for achievements during the 2021 season. Porthouse is particularly honored to receive this recognition following the shut down of live, in-person theatre in 2020 and the return in-person performances in 2021. Porthouse's 2021 season featured the musicals Quilters, directed by producing artistic director Terri Kent; BKYLN The Musical, directed by executive producer Eric van Baars; and Altar Boyz, directed by Terri Kent. ...

Dear Kent State University Student, Our records indicate you have taken no action toward complying with the university’s COVID-19 vaccination requirement. We urge you to become compliant to avoid potential disciplinary action this semester. Failure to comply with the university requirement to be vaccinated or secure an approved exemption and test regularly, will result in a registration hold being placed on your record. If you have already gotten vaccinated, please make sure you have submitted proof of your vaccine here. COVID-19 vaccines are offered weekly at the DeWeese Health...

Award-winning documentary filmmaker Dawn Porter will serve as keynote speaker for the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration at Kent State University. Porter’s work has appeared on HBO, PBS, Discovery and Netflix, among others. She currently serves as a director and executive producer of an Apple TV documentary series with Oprah Winfrey and Prince Harry, which focuses on both mental illness and mental well-being. Porter directed and produced the acclaimed four-hour Netflix original series “Bobby Kennedy for President,” which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2018. She is a t...