Community Impact
IN A FLASH: Earth Month Wrap Up
Kent State celebrated Earth Month with an exceptionally full schedule of events, not the least of which were the activities on campus surrounding the total solar eclipse!
New 9/11 Collection Illustrates How History Becomes Poetry
Even after 25 years, Sept. 11, 2001, remains forever embedded in the memories of those who experienced it. For Robert McDowell, adjunct instructor in the Department of English at Kent State, poetry provides space for revisiting those memories and exploring the emotions that can be difficult to capture within the pages of history books. McDowell creates imagery around these ideas in his new poetry collection, “The Excellent Assembly,” which reflects on 9/11, its memory and the lasting impact of a tragedy that seemed to stop time.
Kent State Hosts Aeronautics and Engineering Expo on Sept. 26
Kent State University’s Aeronautics and Engineering Expo returns Sept. 26 with historic and modern aircraft, airplane rides, drone and robotics demonstrations, and family-friendly STEM activities at the Kent State University Airport.
Kent State and Prevention Action Alliance Receive $3 Million Federal Grant to Expand Substance Use Prevention in Eastern Ohio
Kent State University’s Center for Public Policy and Health and Prevention Action Alliance received a $3 million federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration grant to expand substance use prevention across 20 counties in eastern and southeastern Ohio.
Kent State Stark Gave Joe French the Foundation to Lead with Hope
Joe French has spent more than three decades helping children believe that their circumstances do not define their future.
When the Flashes Come to Town, Kent Comes Alive
Flashes First Friday, one of the signature events of KSU Kickoff, invites Kent State’s newest Golden Flashes to discover downtown Kent – not simply as a place next to campus, but as part of the community they are now calling home.
20 Years of Main Street Kent
For 20 years, Main Street Kent has worked to make downtown a place students want to explore – from Flashes First Friday to Oktoberfest to public art – helping Kent earn recognition as the No. 1 college town in Ohio.
Fashion Students Design Collections Inspired by Hall of Famers
When the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce asked Kent State fashion students to design collections for the 2026 Pro Football Hall of Fame Fashion Show, they didn't just create outfits. They created stories.
Teaching Gen Z to Put Down the Phone and Talk
Is social media making Gen Z less social? The Akron Beacon Journal explored that question in a recent feature centered on Kent State University Senior Lecturer Aaron Maguire and his Communication and Conflict Management course in the School of Communication Studies.
Four-Time Graduate Steps Into Ohio's State Superintendent Role
Philip Wagner’s story begins in Northeast Ohio, but the arc of his career has always bent toward Kent State University.
