Meet the Senior Vice President for Student Affairs
Lamar R. Hylton, Ph.D.
Lamar R. Hylton, Ph.D. first came to Kent State on June 1, 2017, to serve as the dean of students, the university’s primary student advocate. On Sept. 16, 2019, he was selected to serve as interim vice president for student affairs. He was charged with leading the university’s Division of Student Affairs and institutional efforts aimed toward enhancing the engaged cocurricular lives of all Kent State students within the eight-campus system. He was named the permanent vice president for student affairs on May 1, 2020 and has the distinction of being the first Black vice president for student affairs in the history of Kent State.
Dr. Hylton was elevated to the position of senior vice president on Sept. 1, 2021. In this role, he continues to provide executive leadership for the Division of Student Affairs and provides additional leadership and guidance to the Office of the President.
A native of Columbus, OH, Dr. Hylton received his bachelor’s degree in Vocal Music-Performance from Morgan State University in Baltimore, MD; his master’s degree in College Student Personnel from Ohio University in Athens, OH; and a doctorate in Higher Education Administration from Morgan State. Dr. Hylton is personally invested in giving back to the students that he serves. He works towards impacting academic achievement, college satisfaction, and student success. He has served in a variety of different roles in fraternity & sorority life, residence life, student conduct, student activities, commuter student programs, leadership development, and multicultural affairs. Dr. Hylton has worked for a variety of institutions, including Goucher College, University of North Carolina - Asheville, and University of Minnesota.
Dr. Hylton is a product of the Ohio Wesleyan University Upward Bound Program and is a first-generation college graduate three times over. His dissertation research centers around the impact of student-faculty interactions on the academic achievement and college satisfaction among Black males who attend predominately White institutions. He credits the Upward Bound program for providing him the introduction to a world of endless possibilities and cultivating the leadership competencies that have helped him succeed in his professional and personal life. Dr. Hylton is active in several civic and professional organizations, including NASPA - Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education and the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities. He also serves on the Board of Directors of United Way of Portage County and of Portage County Family and Consumer Services. Dr. Hylton is a proud member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., where he most recently served as the Great Lakes Region - Secretary and the International Director of the Sigma Leadership Academy.
Dr. Hylton is the recipient of several awards including being named to the Crain’s Cleveland 40 under 40 list, an American College Personnel Association (ACPA) Diamond Honoree, the Scott Goodnight Award winner for NASPA Region IV-East, and a NASPA Pillar of the Profession.
Dr. Hylton is the proud husband of Dr. Rhonda Hylton, who is a tenure-track Assistant Professor in Kent State's College of Education, Health, and Human Services. They are the proud parents of two amazing, beautiful and awesome children, Emilee and Madison.