In The News
Testing Your Faith Act (H.B. 353) was enacted in the Spring 2023 semester. In ordinance with this bill, Kent State University created a new administrative policy for religious and spiritual accommodations. This administrative policy allows students to report up to three days of unexcused absences to participate in religious holidays or community-held events in alignment with their spirituality. Professors are required to accommodate these students given that the students notify instructors within 14 days of the start of a semester. All syllabi are required to include this policy. The enforcement of post-secondary holiday accommodations is a huge part of an ongoing debate between the importance of equity versus equality in education. This bill allows students of minority, under-recognized beliefs to freely practice their religion and spirituality without penalty.
Kent State University is a new charter member of SEA Change, an initiative of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, in which universities commit to their systemic transformation into more diverse, equitable and inclusive spaces where a full range of talent can succeed in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine.
Kent State President Todd Diacon and others express their appreciation for the hard-working employees who have pulled together to keep our campuses operating throughout the pandemic.
Kent State University’s commitment to maintaining a diverse and inclusive campus has received acknowledgement from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education, for an eighth consecutive year. INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine has selected Kent State as a recipient of the 2020 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award.
The Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is proud to announce a new virtual series, Shaping a Better Future: Dialogues and Strategizing for Change.
For nearly 11 years, Alfreda Brown, Kent State University’s vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion, has been a powerful voice for making sure no one in the university’s wide-reaching system is marginalized, discriminated against or left behind.
Kent State University President Todd Diacon announced Thursday that Lamar R. Hylton, Ph.D., has been selected to serve as vice president for student affairs, effective May 1, 2020. In addition, Diacon has appointed Amoaba Gooden, Ph.D., as the interim vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion, effective June 1, 2020.
For the second year in a row, Kent State University has the distinction of ranking among the top 20 companies nationwide in Forbes’ recently released list of America’s Best Employers for Diversity 2020.
A bright idea – made possible through Kent State’s Office of Procurement and Supplier Diversity – will help Kent State University save more than $6 million in energy costs over the next 20 years.