Student Life
Which first names were read most often during Spring 2023 commencements?
During the four-day Air Race Classic, Kent State alumna Laura Wilson and junior Peyton Turner will fly 2,400 miles and make nine timed flybys at airports in Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Alabama and Florida before landing in Homestead, Florida.
From traditional celebrations to annual reflections, tell us what Juneteenth means to you.
Timothy Johnson said Kent State advisors, who knew he had been working on his degree for 15 years, helped him coordinate his schedule so that he could take in-person classes — while working a full-time job — and still have time to spend with his children. He earned an associate degree in December 2022 and a bachelor's degree in May 2023.
Mark Ledoux's work has made a difference with a lot of students. Make that, a lot of students. For more than a decade, he's been on the front lines in helping new students find what they need to afford their journey. Recently, a single interaction with a graduate left a lasting impression.
When Kent State University President Todd Diacon used his May 13 commencement address to send a message to state officials who are challenging Ohio’s public universities as a bastion for the privileged, the reaction was swift and supportive from alumni and friends of the university.
“There is in Ohio, among some state elected officials, a growing ivory tower accusation being leveled against our state’s public universities and against, quite frankly, Kent State University,” Diacon told thousands gathered for commencement.
Kent State University education major Klair Heestand said the time she spent teaching refugee students in Akron in the spring was excellent preparation for when she enters her own classroom one day.
“It was very helpful, because we’re going to have students of varying abilities, and students for whom English is a second language, no matter where we teach,” Heestand said. “We don’t need anyone left behind because of a language barrier.”
Senate Bill 83, the Ohio Education Enhancement Act, is a far-reaching bill that includes a proposal for rules aimed at ending mandated diversity training.
Through a multi-year, comprehensive examination of current processes and student needs, including the work of the Re-Imagining of Academic Advising Group and the Supporting the Student Experience Review Team, it became evident that the university needed a system that better supported the evolving needs of its students across the student lifecycle.