If you enjoy playing video games — you are a hobbyist. If you enter competitions — you are a gamer. If you like to watch others play — you are a fan. Together, all three make up esports, one of the fastest growing industries in the world — playing games such as Counter Strike, League of Legends, Overwatch and HearthStone Heroes of Warcraft. Universities are catching on to the subculture — offering students varsity esports programs with practice facilities, tournaments and even scholarships. “You have to meet students where they are, and they are gaming,” says Steve Toepfer, Ph.D., ...

Come summertime, Brandon Davis could often be found gardening with his grandmother at her Canton Township home. He learned when to harvest vegetables and how to select flowers that bloom best in full sunlight. After graduating from Canton South High School in 2011, he went away to college but found his best fit less than 20 miles down the road. Mr. Davis cultivated his passion for plants when he discovered his purpose at Kent State University at Stark. He is one of the 5,000 students who have found a home at Kent State Stark and one of nearly 1,900 Kent Campus baccalaureate students who ...

Ken Ditlevson, director of Kent State University’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) Student Center, has been at the university for four years, giving back to a community that once saved his life. In his early years as an LGBTQ youth, Mr. Ditlevson was tormented and even contemplated suicide. His guidance counselor introduced him to the LGBTQ Center of Greater Cleveland, and that gesture helped save his life. Mr. Ditlevson is now doing work that once helped him, and he is appreciative that he can turn around and give back. His efforts were recently recognized by the Gay Co...

KSU professor using volcanic activity as learning tool The volcanoes in Hawaii and Guatemala are capturing attention because the pictures are fascinating. They show the power of nature and the devastation it can cause. Kent State Trumbull Professor Dr. David Hacker is watching the volcano in Hawaii very closely. Earlier this year, he was in Hawaii watching a smaller flow from the same volcano, which has had a lava flow since 1983. “You can go right up to it. It’s a lifetime experience to see lava flow up close,” Hacker said. The magma's heat is what always sticks with him. It ...

Dr. David Dees, dean and CAO of Kent State University at Salem, announced those students named to the Spring 2018 President’s and Dean’s lists. To qualify for the President’s List, students must have a 4.0 grade point average and must have completed 15 hours during the semester. To qualify for the Dean’s List, students must earn a 3.40 or greater grade point average and must have completed 12 or more credit hours for the semester, the majority at the Salem Campus.  The students and their hometowns are: President’s List Alliance: Todd Bowen Boardman: Melissa Tyger...

Dr. David Dees, dean and CAO of Kent State University at East Liverpool, announced those students named to the Spring 2018 President’s or Dean’s lists. To qualify for the President’s List, students must have a 4.0 grade point average and must have completed 15 or more credit hours during the semester. To qualify for the Dean’s List, students must earn a 3.40 or greater grade point average and must have completed 12 or more credit hours for the semester, the majority at the East Liverpool Campus.  The students and their hometowns are: President’s List Wellsville: Aaron Timms...

Innovators, problem solvers and designers are a growing force at Kent State University, bringing a renewed vibrancy to the heart of campus. Soon they will have a dynamic, new space designed to spark creativity and collaboration. The Kent State Board of Trustees voted June 6 to transform the former School of Art building into a new state-of-the-art, student-centered Design Innovation Hub and Dining facility. The redesigned building will support teamwork, critical thinking and inventiveness with collaborative workspaces and makerspaces. “The goal is to nurture a design innovation ecosys...

Kent State University at Trumbull has made a financial investment of $250,000 to the Animal Welfare League of Trumbull County (AWL) to build out a new joint-use medical and surgical area, limited to the purchase of equipment and supplies. Construction began this spring and should be completed by fall semester.    The space will include the most-up-to-date laboratory, surgical suite, recovery and treatment area, radiology room, and pharmacy. Veterinary technology students have been training in temporary space within the facility. Students will now complete their clinical requirement...