As students prepare for the start of the 2024 Fall Semester at Kent State University, one man who has contributed greatly to the future success of Kent State and its students is being honored this week.
On Aug. 15, university community members witnessed the unveiling of a new statue of Ambassador Edward F. Crawford, former U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Ireland, who provided the largest single gift in Kent State history to enable the construction of a new business building on the university’s Kent Campus. The statue is located inside Crawford Hall, the new home of the Ambassador Crawford College of Business and Entrepreneurship.
Crawford Hall will welcome its first students this fall. This four-story, approximately 150,000-square-foot building located on East Main Street will serve a dual purpose as a new campus gateway and a state-of-the-art academic hub.
“I’m excited about the opportunities this new building will provide to our students with enhanced technology, unique labs and plenty of spaces for team-based learning to prepare students for a modern business environment,” Deborah F. Spake, Ph.D., dean of the Ambassador Crawford College of Business and Entrepreneurship, said during a tour of the new building earlier this summer.
Ambassador Crawford has a long history as an Ohio business owner and entrepreneur. The son of Irish immigrants, he began his career as an entrepreneur in 1962, starting his first manufacturing business while attending college classes at night. Beginning in 1992, he built Park-Ohio Holdings Corp. through a series of more than 100 transactions, growing it from a small local manufacturer into a successful international corporation. Under his leadership as chairman and CEO, Park-Ohio became a publicly traded industrial supply chain logistics and diversified manufacturing business worth $1.6 billion, employing more than 7,000 people in 125 locations worldwide. After serving the country as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Ireland from 2019-2021, he returned to America in his current roles as chairman of Crawford United Corp., CEO of The Crawford Group and director of Park-Ohio. Ambassador Crawford also serves as a national trustee on the Kent State University Board of Trustees.
Classes will begin in Crawford Hall on Aug. 19, and a grand opening celebration will take place at 2 p.m. on Sept. 27.