Kent State University at Ashtabula held its 71st Commencement Ceremony on Friday, December 13, 2019 beginning at 7 p.m. Nearly 150 students earning their degrees were honored during the ceremony, held in the Main Hall Gymnasium. “Commencement is always a special evening to celebrate such an important milestone in our students’ lives,” said Susan J. Stocker, Ph.D., dean and chief administrative officer at Kent State Ashtabula. “We congratulate all of the graduates on their accomplishments and commend them and their families and friends who have encouraged them and supported them along eve...

ASHTABULA, OHIO -- Thanks in large part to the generosity of students, staff, alumni and friends of the campus, Kent State University at Ashtabula surpassed it’s #GivingTuesday fundraising goal of $10,000 with a total of $23,375 raised in support of the Rising Scholars program.   “We are extremely grateful for the tremendous support from our campus, alumni and Ashtabula communities in exceeding our Giving Tuesday goal,” said Dean and Chief Administrative Officer Susan J. Stocker, Ph.D. “The contributors are individuals who appreciate the impact education has had on their lives, the oppo...

“Small successes matter, even when students understand a complex idea, attend tutoring to improve their exam grade or make personal connections to learning,” said Rachael Blasiman, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Psychology for Kent State University at Salem. This positive teaching philosophy led her to winning the Distinguished Teaching Award. Blasiman is one of three educators honored with the Distinguished Teaching Award, the highest teaching award a tenured or tenure-track professor can receive. All tenured and tenure-track professors are eligible to receive the award whic...

Added Benefits to Campus and Community Michael Bruder, executive director of facilities, planning and design at Kent State, said that in addition to the parking deck’s many benefits, most of the cars parked there will be covered and shielded from the sun, rain, snow and other inclement weather. He also said the deck’s location offers convenience. “It’s located close to East Main Street, which is a large state route that is expected to be turned into a tree-lined boulevard in 2024,” Bruder said. “Walking distances are very convenient to the buildings in the area. The parking deck helps with t...

Kent State University’s first major construction project to create a new signature gateway to the Kent Campus will begin in the summer of 2020. At its Dec. 4 meeting, the Kent State Board of Trustees approved the construction of the university’s first parking deck. The project is outlined in Phase One of the 10-year facilities master plan to transform the Kent Campus to better serve the needs of students and the entire Kent State community.   The new Main Street parking deck will be located off of Midway Drive between Williamson House, Nixson Hall and the Center for the Performing Arts....

When Gretchen Lasso, senior journalism and digital media production major, interned at WEWS News 5 in Cleveland during summer 2018, she didn’t just gain relevant experience — she received professional-level awards and recognition for her hard work. Lasso earned two Regional Emmys for her stories on stem cells becoming the future of medicine and a six-month investigation of the Euclid Police Department. This award (which Lasso earned for the Lower Great Lakes region) recognizes excellence in media production and television broadcasting. Also, a story about how state regulators allowed Ohi...

The College of Communication and Information at Kent State University is pleased to announce the return of the 2020 David and Janet Dix Lecture in Media Ethics funded through the generosity of David and Janet Dix. Launched in 2019 with an endowment gift of $100,000 to the School of Journalism and Mass Communication (JMC), this annual spring lecture features nationally recognized figures discussing critical issues in media ethics, furthering enhancing the school’s national reputation as a leader in the field. For its second event, the Lecture Series is proud to host National Public R...

Kent State University’s first major construction project to create a new signature gateway to the Kent Campus will begin in the summer of 2020. At its Dec. 4 meeting, the Kent State Board of Trustees approved the construction of the university’s first parking deck. The project is outlined in Phase One of the 10-year facilities master plan to transform the Kent Campus to better serve the needs of students and the entire Kent State community.   The new Main Street parking deck will be located off of Midway Drive between Williamson House, Nixson Hall and the Center for the Perfor...

Ohio, like many states, suffers from a teacher shortage, especially in early childhood education and special education. The Buckeye State also is in need of more school psychologists, analysts say. It’s fortunate, then, that the United States Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs just awarded a million-dollar grant to two Kent State University researchers to train teachers and school psychologists in those fields. Dr. Ching-I Chen and Dr. Kizzy Albritton, assistant professors in the School of Lifespan Development and Educational Sciences in Kent State’s Colle...

What could be better to reduce end-of-semester stress than petting a dog? How about petting multiple dogs and digitally dunking with LeBron through esports? This year’s Stress-Free Zone, which is from 3-5 p.m. on Dec. 9 and 10, will be hosted on the first floor of University Library. Cynthia Williams, director of marketing, communications and public relations for Kent State University Libraries, said that therapy dogs will be at the Stress-Free Zone this year as well as a plethora of snacks and a collaboration with Kent State Esports. Maria Hawkins, Kent State Esports coordinator, sa...