Our Record of Innovation

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 here.

Excellence 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.

Innovation 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.

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 here

Innovation 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 here

Tom 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.

First-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.

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).

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

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.

• Read about the 2017 NACADA Awards Program here.
• Read about the NACADA Outstanding Advising Programs here.

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.

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.

• Read more about the Model of Excellence Award here.
• Read a Student Success article about the award here.

Certified SI Program (International Center for Supplemental Instruction—2017)

The Academic Success Center in University College is one of only 41 centers across the country that have received this certification!

Certified International Tutor Training Program (CRLA—2017)

Our Academic Success Center's Tutoring Program is internationally certified by the College Reading and Learning Association

Certified International Peer Educator Training Program Certification (IPTPC) - Level II (CRLA—2017)

Our Exploratory Learning Community Mentor program is certified by the College Reading and Learning Association (CRLA)

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

Student Support Services and McNair Scholars (2015-2020)

Within the past 6 years, our McNair Scholars Program and Student Support Services have received more than $6.5 million in competitive, federally-funded grants to help students achieve academic excellence.

• Read about how Student Support Services is changing families and futures
• Read about the 5-year McNair grant renewal here.

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.