Awards and Honors

Kent State University students smile as they enjoy Homecoming Kickoff 2021.

Kent State University’s commitment to diversity and inclusion has been recognized with the 2022 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award by INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education. The annual award recognizes U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Visitors to Kent, Ohio, enjoy outdoor dining. (Photo credit: Kent Area Chamber of Commerce)

Members of the Kent State University community can take great pride in their university’s hometown. The city of Kent has been selected by Ohio Magazine as a 2022-2023 Best Hometown. The Best Hometown honor recognizes Kent as a great place to live, work and visit.

Kent State University faculty members smile and wave rally towels overhead as they cross the court floor at the Memorial Athletic and Convocation (MAC) Center during the university’s 2022 Convocation.

Kent State University is one of the best colleges in the nation to work for, according to a recent survey. For the 11th time, Kent State has been named a “Great College to Work For,” which recognizes the colleges that get top ratings from their employees regarding workplace practices and policies.

New Kent State University students cheer and wave rally towels during 2022 Convocation.

Kent State University continues to demonstrate its strength as an academic institution with its inclusion on several lists in the new 2022-2023 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings. U.S. News has again named Kent State among the Top Public Schools in the nation in the newly released rankings.

Kent State University employees smile with university mascot Flash during the employee appreciation cookout held before the start of the 2022 Fall Semester.

Kent State University has again been recognized as one of America’s Best-in-State Employers for 2022 by Forbes and market research company Statista. In Ohio, Kent State ranks No. 3 among the top 100 employers in Ohio, landing above such notable employers as Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Procter & Gamble in Cincinnati, University Hospitals and Cleveland Clinic, both located in Cleveland.

Members of Kent State University’s LGBTQ+ community participate in the university’s 2021 Homecoming Parade.

For a third consecutive year, Kent State University has been selected as one the nation’s top universities for LGBTQ+ students for creating a safe, welcoming environment for students, faculty and staff, according to Campus Pride, a leading resource for LGBTQ+ leadership development, diversity inclusion and advocacy within higher education.

Kent State University’s Division of Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement won 19 marketing and communications awards since the launch of the Forever Brighter comprehensive campaign.

Kent State’s Division of Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement launched the university’s most ambitious fundraising campaign, called Forever Brighter, last October, creating communications and fundraising materials that share the remarkable impact of alumni engagement and donor philanthropy on the university. The division has earned 19 marketing and communications awards from multiple competitions. 

College of Aeronautics and Engineering
Alex and Laura with their awards from the 45th annual Air Race Classic

On Monday, June 27, the Kent State University College of Aeronautics and Engineering community welcomed Team 52, the Flying Flashes, back from the 45th Annual Air Race Classic. 

College of Education, Health and Human Services
Joanna L Dickert

Congratulations to Joanna Dickert, Ph. D., the 2022 recipient of American Educational Research Association's Advanced Studies of National Databases Special Interest Group Dissertation award.

Kent State University employees smile during the employee appreciation cookout held before the start of the 2021 Fall Semester.

Kent State University has the distinction of being the only Ohio public or private college or university that ranks among the top 500 companies nationwide in Forbes’ recently released list of America’s Best Employers for Diversity 2022.