Graduation List FAQ
Q. Is the Graduation list made available to our local newspapers?
A. Yes. University Communications and Marketing receives a list of all graduating students, generally within ten - twelve weeks after the end of each semester. Semesters end in mid-December, early May and early August. We then e-mail the list to the newspapers and legislators who have requested it.
Q. Can students or parents get this list?
A. Only newspapers and legislators are given the list in order to protect the rights and privacy of all students as provided for in the Graham-Leach-Bliley Act.
Q. How can I be sure my local newspaper is receiving the list?
A. You might want to check with your local newspaper to see if they are getting the list each semester. Depending on the size of the newspaper, either the city editor or the society editor will know if they are receiving and publishing Kent State University's Graduation lists. If they are not, please ask them to email us at info@kent.edu with their Name and Contact info in order to be added to our database of Ohio (plus a few Pennsylvania and New York) newspapers and Ohio legislators. This database is used each semester to send the list to newspapers and legislators.
Q. Our newspaper ran only a simple list of the students from Kent State who graduated. How can we get a nicer article published detailing the student's major and degree, club affiliations, future plans, etc?
A. Newspapers publish this sort of information in an "as space allows" manner. Sometimes you may have to wait weeks or more before even the basic list we provide is published. You, as a subscriber of the newspaper, can always call or write to them to request that they publish a small article on one specific student. It is best to write or e-mail the pertinent information to them as it will save them time and will ensure accuracy of the facts. Be sure to include: Kent State University, name of the specific school in which enrolled, name of degree received and any honors they might have been awarded, the date of college graduation, any clubs or organizations the student may have been involved with at the university, the parent's names and also any future plans or already-secured employment.
Q. Our local newspaper published the Kent State University list of recent graduates, but a specific student was not on the list. Why is this?
A. This could just be a simple oversight. Check with the local paper to be sure they didn't just miss the student on the list we sent them. If the name is not there, the student should contact the Dean's Office for their college to see if possibly there were graduation requirements (unpaid fines, etc.) that had not been met in time for the student's name to be included in the published list. If this is the case, parents or student can provide proof of graduation and a brief article (see previous answer above) to the newspaper and request that they publish it.
If you still have a question that the Question and Answer section above did not answer, please send an e-mail to info@kent.edu for additional information.