Our Record of Innovation
23 national awards, four internationally certified programs, and nearly $10 million in grant funding in the last 9 years.
Designations Extramural FundingInternational Certifications
National Awards
Innovative Program Award (2024)
CommUNITY Lab (Community Engaged Learning) is the recipient of the 2024 Innovative Program Award presented by Ohio College Personnel Association (OCPA).
NASPA Excellence Silver Award (2024)
CommUNITY Lab (Community Engaged Learning) is the 2024 Silver Award Winner for the NASPA Excellence Award for Equity, Inclusion, Social Justice, and related category.
NASPA Knowledge Community Collaboration Award (2024)
Community Engaged Learning (CEL) receives national award recognition from NASPA (Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education). CommUNITY Lab is the 2024 recipient of the NASPA Orientation, Transitions, and Retention (OTR) Knowledge Community Collaboration Award!
John N. Gardner Institutional Excellence for Students in Transition Award (2023)
Career Navigation (Career Exploration and Development) is the recipient of the John N. Gardner Institutional Excellence for Students in Transition Award on behalf of the National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition.
Innovative Use of Technology Award (2023)
The Academic Success Center is the recipient of the Innovative Use of Technology Award from the National College Learning Centers Association. This annual award recognize the use of innovative technology solutions focused on student learning, improving student usage, increasing student engagement, and enhancing learning strategies.
Read more about the award hereOutstanding First-Year Student Advocate Award (2023)
Dean Pringle was nationally recognized for her advocacy for students and receiving the 2023 Outstanding First-Year Student Advocate Award, presented by the National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition.
Read more about the award hereRegion IV-East Innovation Award (NASPA—2022)
Exploratory Program has been selected as the recipient of the NASPA Region IV-East Innovative Program Award, specifically, the Flash Connections program.
Advising Innovation
Award (NACADA—2022)Exploratory Program selected as the winner of Global Award for the Major Action Plan: Start to Finish program for its innovative advising strategy.
Read more about the Advising Innovation Award hereOutstanding Advising Program Award (NACADA—2022)
Exploratory Program selected as the winner of Global Award for the Flash Connections program for its innovative and exemplary practices.
Read more about the Outstanding Advising Program Award here
Read Kent State Today article about the award hereExcellence Award – Gold (NASPA—2021-2022)
Exploratory Program selected as the Enrollment Management, Financial Aid, First-year, Other-year, Orientation, and related category Gold winner for the Flash Connections program for its innovative and exemplary practices.
Read more about the NASPA Excellence Awards here
Read Kent State Today article about the award hereInnovation in Advising Award (NACADA Region 5—2022)
Exploratory Program receives the award for the Flash Connections program for its “outside-of-the-box” innovative advising strategy.
Read more about the Region 5 Innovation award here
Read Kent State Today article about the award here
Waste Reduction Efforts (Campus Race to Zero Waste—2021)
Campus Kitchen in collaboration with the Office of Sustainability has won the 2021 Campus Race to Zero Waste case study competition in the “Summary of Waste Reduction Efforts” category.
Read more about the award and recipients hereInnovation Program Award (NASPA Region IV-East—2021)
Exploratory Program selected as the winner for the Major Action Plan (MAP): Start to Finish program for its outstanding innovative program which furthers the growth of students and enhanced life on campus.
Read more about the Innovation Program Award hereTom Vandermeulen Award (2021)
Transfer Kent State receives the Tom Vandermeulen Award for contributions that have enhanced relationships among people of diverse cultures, ethic groups, first generation students, and students with special needs.
Outstanding Advising Program Award (NACADA—2021)
Exploratory Program selected as the winner of Global Award for the Major Action Plan (MAP) program for its innovative and exemplary practices.
Excellence Award – Bronze (NASPA—2020-2021)
Exploratory Program selected as the Academic Advising, Careers, Graduate Professional category bronze winner for the Major Action Plan (MAP) program for its innovative and exemplary practices.
Innovation in Advising Award (NACADA REGION 5—2021)
Exploratory Program receives the award for the Major Action Plan (MAP): Start to Finish program for its “outside-of-the-box” innovative advising strategy.
Degree Completion Finalist (APLU—2020)
The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) selected Kent State University as one of four finalists for the association’s Degree Completion Award (2020).
Read more about the Degree Completion Finalist Selection here
Institutional Excellence for Students in Transition Award (National Resource Center—2018)
Academic Diversity Outreach's Summer Advantage program - presented with the National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition award.
Read more about the Institutional Excellence for Students in Transition Award here
Outstanding Advising Program Award (NACADA—2017)
Degree Completion receives the NACADA Annual Awards for Academic Advising, which honors individuals and institutions making significant contributions to the improvement of academic advising.
Frank L. Christ Outstanding Learning Center Award (NCLCA—2016)
The Academic Success Center receives award presented to Centers who demonstrate success as an interactive academic space for students to reinforce what they learn in the classroom. The award focuses on the use of technology and if it can be used as a model for other institutions.
Institutional Excellence for Students in Transition Award (National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition—2015)
Exploratory Program received this award for the Exploration Plan for designing and implementing the outstanding collaborative initiative, enhancing the Exploratory students' transition to a declared major.
Read more about the Institutional Excellence for Students in Transition Award here
Model of Excellence (University Business Magazine—2015)
Exploratory Program received this national recognition for the Exploration Plan for implementing innovative, effective, and inter-departmental initiatives that bolstered student success.
Designations
Kent State University Recognized as National Leader in Advancing First-generation Student Success (FirstGen Forward Network Champions-2025)
FirstGen Forward, formerly the Center for First-generation Student Success, recently announced Kent State University as one of only eighteen (18) institutions of higher education selected to its newest class of FirstGen Forward Network Champions. Network Champion institutions are an exclusive group serving as national leaders in advancing first-generation efforts and contributing to an important knowledge base of evidence-based practices, leadership engagement, and scaling student supports
Kent State University designated a Voter Friendly Campus (Fair Election Center & NASPA—2023)
Kent State University was designated a Voter Friendly Campus, one of 258 campuses in 38 states and the District of Columbia by Fair Elections Center’s Campus Vote Project and NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. The initiative recognizes institutions that have planned and implemented practices that encourage their students to register and vote in the 2023 elections and in coming years. The mission of the 2023 Voter Friendly Campus designation is to bolster colleges and universities’ efforts to help students overcome barriers to participating in the political process.
Kent State University Receives First Scholars Institution Designation (The Center for First-generation Student Success, an initiative of NASPA and The Suder Foundation-2023)
Kent State University was chosen based on its demonstrated commitment to advancing the outcomes of first-generation students through improving both first-generation student success initiatives and institution-wide approaches.
Read more about our commitment to first-generation student successFirst-gen Forward Institution (Center for First-generation Student Success—2021)
Kent State University recognized nationally for programs to assist students first in their families to attend college.
Extramural Funding
PNC Foundation Awards CommUNITY Lab Program with Racial and Social Justice Grant (2024)
The PNC Foundation has awarded Community Engaged Learning's CommUNITY Lab program with $75,000 to support student programming and emergency aid.
Allstate Foundation Grant (2024)
The Allstate Foundation in collaboration with the Center for Expanding Leadership & Opportunity (CELO) has awarded Community Engaged Learning $10,000 to support peer-to-peer service and community-based volunteer programs for CommUNITY Lab students.
Student Support Services and McNair Scholars (2022-2027)
Within the past 8 years, our McNair Scholars Program and Student Support Services have received more than $7.9 million in competitive, federally-funded grants to help students achieve academic excellence.
Kent State And KeyBank Foundation To Continue Key Connections Program For Underserved Students (KeyBank Foundation—2022)
KeyBank Foundation has awarded a new $200,000 gift to Kent State University to continue KeyBank Foundation’s support for the successful Key Connections program offered by University College at Kent State.
KeyBank Foundation Student Success Grant (KeyBank Foundation—2017)
KeyBank Foundation has granted $1 million to Kent State University to support programs to increase the recruitment, retention and graduation rates of underrepresented students.
Read more about the KeyBank Foundation Student Success Grant here
International Certifications
Certified International Tutor Training Program (CRLA—2026)
Our Academic Success Center's Tutoring Program is internationally certified by the College Reading and Learning Association (CRLA).
Read more about the Certified International Tutor Training Program here
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Certified International Peer Educator Training Program Certification (IPTPC) - Level II (CRLA—2026)
Our Exploratory Learning Community Mentor program is certified by the College Reading and Learning Association (CRLA).
Read more about the Certified International Peer Educator Training Program here