Kent State University alumna Roe Green, MA ’80, admits she’s counting down the days to May 12.
That’s the day she’ll both deliver the spring commencement address and receive a special honor after the Kent State Board of Trustees approved awarding her a Doctor of Humane Letters, an honorary degree recognizing her contributions to the university and her advocacy for the arts not only in Northeast Ohio, but also across the nation and around the world.
As a long-standing philanthropic partner to many, Kent State has been fortunate to be a beneficiary of her support for more than 20 years. Green’s generous contributions have funded new facilities and programs that have enriched the educational experiences of thousands of students.
Ahead of her return to her alma mater, Green, who is known as the university’s “fairy godmother to the arts,” offered Kent State Today a candid conversation about what the honor means, her continued support of Kent State’s students and why she feels so passionate about the arts and artists.
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In 2006, Kent State received what at that time was the largest capital gift in university history when the Roe Green Foundation pledged $6.5 million towards the new construction and renovation of what would become the Roe Green Center for the School of Theatre and Dance in the Music and Speech Building.
Completed in 2010, the center boasts more than 70,000 square feet of new and renovated performance, design, rehearsal and learning space, including new dance studios, a lighting lab, a welding lab, scenic and costume design studios and labs, and the renovation of the Music Library into the Performing Arts Library. The new construction also created a new facade and street presence on Theatre Drive, a new lobby, and the Erdmann-Zucchero Black Box Theatre.
Her support continued again in 2018 with her support of the Roe Green Visiting Director Series.