Hyde Park Forum

The Hyde Park Forum is a long-standing tradition at Kent State University. Its namesake is Hyde Park London and its famous Speaker’s Corner, where citizens gather to speak about social issues that are important to them.

The Kent State Hyde Park Forum features the top six speakers from the COMM15000: Introduction to Human Communication course (a Kent Core option for all students, which serves approximately 2,500 students each year) performing their persuasive speeches from class.

Five prominent members of the community evaluate their speeches, and the finalists are awarded scholarships.

2019 Finalist Speeches

First Place: Nick Miller, '22 / Topic: Toxic Masculinity

Second Place: Annabeth Suchy, '21 / Topic: The "Pink Tax"

Third Place: Luke Leyden, '22 / Topic: Web Security

Fourth Place: Madisyn Woodring, '22 / Topic: Bee Populations

Fifth Place: Jenna Robinson, '21 / Topic: Orca Whales

Sixth Place: Haylee Grenus, '20 / Topic: Bilingualism