May 4 Visitors Center

Photo in gallery one of the May 4 Visitors Center, showing the free speech movement demonstrators at Kent State University

Map at the end of gallery one depicting the 132 colleges and universities that protested the invasion of Cambodia

Gallery three photo showing the impact and relevance of May 4, 1970

Giving Tuesday Feature Fund

The May 4 Visitors Center is a featured fund for the Kent State Giving Tuesday campaign this year! The Center benefits from extra boosts and matches during the campaign to raise funds to pay our student interns.

For every 25 unique donors who give $25 or more, the Center gets an extra $500 boost to reach our goal of $5,000.

Almost 2,800 KSU freshman toured the Center last school year and were able to make personal connections to the spirit of May 4. Our student interns lead these tours and get to engage their peers in local history. Your support helps us to continue this work and share May 4's impact on student lives today.

Donate Here

Mapping the Future: May 4 Visitors Center 2022 Visioning Report

To schedule a class tour, email May4@kent.edu.

On August 24, 2023 strong storm winds caused trees to fall damaging the May 4 Memorial. Granite panels from South Dakota were recently installed and repairs are complete. Read about the refreshed May 4 National Historic Landmark Site Tour improvements and repairs here.

Current Temporary Exhibitions:

Vote 18

That was Then, This is Now: Protest on Kent State’s Campus

The May 4 Visitors Center does not accept donations of archival or historical materials. If you are interested in donating such materials to Kent State University, please contact the department of Special Collections & Archives where the May 4 Collection is housed at specialcollections@kent.edu.

The May 4 Visitors Center follows the Kent State University academic calendar. We are closed for fall break, winter break, spring break, and all scheduled university holidays. For weather related closures, please visit the official advisory page. Although the Center is open to the public, guided tour groups are led by appointment only.

Hours of Operation

Monday - Friday 9 am - 5pm

Saturday - 1 - 5 pm

The Center will be closed November 27- December 1 for Thanksgiving Break and January 20 in observance of Martin Luther King Kr. Day.

The Center will be closed for Winter Break December 15- January 12, but visits are available by appointment based on staff availability. Contact may4@kent.edu to arrange your visit. Regular hours will commence when the Spring semester begins.