When Matthew E. Likens, ‘75, returned to Kent State University on April 15 for the Michael D. Solomon Entrepreneurship Series, he brought students a candid look at the realities of leading a startup. Students got to see the highs, the failures and the lessons learned across decades in global business.Likens, who earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in marketing from Kent State University in 1975, spoke at the James R. Unger Global Forum in Crawford Hall.His talk, “So You Think You Want to Lead a Startup?,” walked students through his career from Johnson & Johnson and Baxter Interna...

Laura Davis, Ph.D., Kent State University Professor Emerita of English, was recently named a “Woman of the Year” through the Women’s History Project of the Summit County Historical Society. Established in the early 1980s, this award recognizes women in the community for their exceptional contributions. Alison Caplan, director of Kent State’s May 4 Visitors Center, nominated Davis for the honor. She said that the Summit County Historical Society recognizes that the events of May 4, 1970, in Kent were more than a Summit County story. “It obviously is something that has impacted every aspect...

A team of Kent State University researchers is studying whether naturally occurring bacteria in polluted streams can help remove toxic metals from the environment—work that could improve understanding of ecosystem recovery, contaminated water remediation, and even the search for life on Mars.The project is supported by a Seed Grant from Kent State University’s Environmental Science and Design Research Institute (ESDRI), which funds innovative interdisciplinary research addressing environmental challenges.Led by Courtney Wagner, PhD, of Kent State’s Department of Earth Sciences, together with a...

Fern Mallis, known as the "Godmother of American Fashion," can still recall the pivotal moment that helped shape her career and pave a path for tremendous success.It was 1991, and she was about to begin her role as the executive director of the Council of Fashion Designers of America.A spring fashion show for designer Michael Kors was being held in a typical New York City loft. When the music began to blare, the speakers reverberated, the room shook and chunks of plaster began falling from the ceiling, hitting supermodels as they strutted down the runway.The International Herald Tribune declar...

From March 23 through April 24, Kent State's International Studies program hosted its annual Global Village series. From a photo contest an exhibitions in the Uumbaji Gallery to storytelling gatherings and a potluck, Oscar Ritchie Hall bloomed with thoughtful discussion, awareness of study opportunities, and cross-cultural connection. A talk by Peace and Conflict Studies professor Dr. Tatsushi Arai, centering around his studies of functional coexistence, set the tone on Monday, March 30. His work having taken him from Hiroshima to Rwanda to Tel Aviv, Arai has learned firsthand of not...

For five Kent State University students, the classroom recently transformed into a high-stakes public relations agency boardroom. Tasked with launching a national campaign for a real-world client, the Kent State Gold team spent months researching, planning and executing a strategic communications plan for ACCESS Newswire, a global press release distribution and media relations platform. Their efforts caught the attention of the industry’s top judges, earning the team a prestigious honorable mention in the 2026 Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) Bateman Case Study Competition.&...

  Working alongside Kent State faculty Kristen Mimms Scavnicky, assistant professor of architecture, and Sue Hershberger Yoder, professor of fashion design and merchandising, visiting artist, Adam Nathaniel Furman guided students through a collaborative design process that culminated in a large-scale gateway installation.  Furman is an acclaimed, London-based artist known for his signature use of color and patterns in storytelling. He, along with Mimms Scavnicky and Hershberger Yoder led Kent State architecture and fashion students in a hands-on, immersive workshop as ...