Practicing Peace
When I welcomed Kent State University’s Class of 2027 during our annual convocation ceremony in August, I encouraged our students to become comfortable around others who are different from them: different ethnicities, different religions, different sexual identities, different places of origin.
One thing we all understand about the university experience is that it provides an opportunity for everyone to broaden their horizons, to learn and grow in ways that surpass academic education. That is why so many of our alumni repeatedly use the phrase “life-changing” when talking about their college years.
Part of that “life-changing” is learning to see the world through a new lens, from another’s perspective, which requires us to advance beyond our personal comfort zone.
I also reminded our students that this kind of change requires them to engage with and embrace our university’s core values,* especially these two: Honor everyone’s right to freedom of speech, and practice kindness and respect in all that we do.
If we all operate under this framework, then we can peaceably disagree and still build upon the one thing we all have in common—our humanity—to forge relationships of mutual respect despite our disagreements.
It is the Kent State way.
At the time of convocation, I could not have foreseen just how quickly my advice to our new class would be tested.
The October 7 terrorist attack on Israel and the ensuing bombing of the Gaza Strip brought forth in a horrific way the need for all of us to be peacemakers. At Kent State, we have students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends who have been profoundly affected by the death and destruction on both sides of this heart-wrenching, longstanding conflict. This makes the practice of our Kent State core values even more important.
“I believe that Kent State can be a beacon of hope during these turbulent times.”
I believe that Kent State can be a beacon of hope during these turbulent times—it’s in our DNA. The university’s formal response to our own violent past was to create the Center for Peaceful Change, as a living memorial to the victims of the May 4, 1970, shootings to promote peaceful mechanisms of social and political change. That center, which evolved into our School of Peace and Conflict Studies, continues to be an international force for global peace.
Being peacemakers is the Kent State way.
I closed our convocation ceremony by sharing with the students one of my favorite songs, “The Creator Has a Master Plan,” released in 1969 by jazz great Pharaoh Sanders. Despite the song’s length, (it runs about 33 minutes) its lyrics are brief:
“The creator has a working plan, peace and happiness for every man. The creator has a master plan, peace and happiness for every man. The creator makes but one demand, peace and happiness through all the land.”
Those words, more relevant today than when I shared them in August, I offer here as a reminder to all that being part of the worldwide Kent State family also means being part of a force for good, a force for peace through all the land.
In peace,
Todd A. Diacon, President
Email: president@kent.edu, Instagram: @KSUPresDiacon
*KENT STATE UNIVERSITY CORE VALUES
- A distinctive blend of teaching, research and creative excellence.
- Inquiry and discovery that expands knowledge and human understanding.
- Life-changing educational experiences for students with wide-ranging talents and aspirations.
- An inclusive environment for learning, working and living that creates a genuine sense of belonging.
- Collaborative engagement that inspires positive change across campuses, in communities and throughout the world.
- Diversity of identities, cultures, beliefs and thoughts.
- Freedom of expression and the free exchange of ideas.
- Respect, kindness and purpose in all we do.