Bobby Makar, a name remembered fondly by students and faculty in the School of Media and Journalism (MDJ), was a storyteller, a compassionate friend and inspiring teacher. He died unexpectedly in November 2020, and since then, more than 100 donations have been made to establish memorial scholarship in his name. Makar earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from MDJ. He went on to become a cherished adjunct faculty member in the digital media production major and made significant contributions to the curriculum. Emeritus Associate Professor David Smeltzer, who knew Makar as bot...

The Women's Center, in collaboration with Wick Poetry, School of Peace and Conflict Studies, May 4th Visitor Center, The Society of Global Cultures and the May 4th Task Force will be hosting a discussion about the protests in Iran. The conversation will feature Dr. Mahtab Tehrani, who earned her bachelor's degree and PhD in neurobiology from Kent State and is now a post-doc at Northeast Ohio School of Medicine as well as Fatemeh (Goli) Kavoosi who is a current first-year student at Kent State. We will learn more about what is happening in Iran, discuss how the denial of human rights in Ir...

Hi, Drupalites, As the holiday break approaches, your Drupal 9 transition team remains hard at work. Thank you to those of you who participated in our recent user validation sessions. Those findings enabled us to make many project improvements. As a result, the project will follow these next steps. Soft Content Freeze Returns TONIGHT  The soft content freeze starts Nov. 30 at midnight. We apologize for the short notice. Please know this is because we are striving to launch Dec. 11 while website traffic is lower than normal. Remember, you can still make criti...

The annual Robert G. McGruder Distinguished Lecture and Awards Program honors and celebrates two individuals who express a passion and do above-and-beyond work to exemplify diversity in the journalism field. Named after Robert G. McGruder, a Kent State alumnus and trailblazer in diversifying journalism, the event returned after a pandemic hiatus on Oct. 12, 2022, and honored two distinguished professionals in the field. Maurice Newman, president of NorthCoast Media and FilmGroup Inc., received the Diversity in Media Distinguished Leadership Award. Newman has frequently partnered ...

Public relations major Kristyn Hibbett, ‘23, recently earned a scholarship to attend a national summit on diversity, equity and inclusion in public relations in Chicago.   The 2022 Plank Center Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Summit and Milestones in Mentoring Gala took place on Nov. 3, 2022, and Hibbett was one of 18 scholarship recipients from across the country who attended.   There, she got to network with public relations corporations, companies and executives. She also attended four sessions that focused on the progression of public relations and how far the i...

Looking for something to fill your time between studying for finals and packing to go home for the holidays? Here are a few events you can enjoy while you’re still on campus and one you can look forward to when you get back. Warm Winter Wishes Postcard Event: Nov. 30, 2022 Show your loved ones that you care this holiday season with a handwritten postcard. Parents and Families Engagement is hosting a postcard writing event. Send winter wishes home to your family and friends in a festive way before winter break. Postage will be included while supplies last. Visit the Kent State ...

Thanks to a $75,000 grant from OSHA’s Susan Harwood Training Grants Program, Kent State University at Geauga is designing a pilot training program for workers from small businesses in underserved rural communities to help ensure safe and healthy workplaces. As part of the campus’ ongoing commitment to leadership in regional workforce development, the program will be implemented in Geauga County starting in the second quarter of 2023.  Lance Williams, Director of Operations and Special Projects at Kent State Geauga, co-wrote the successful grant application with Associate Professor of B...

The bustling staircase was especially memorable and so were the places to eat, meet and study. And someone loved the place so much that they had their wedding reception there.   As students, faculty and staff gear up to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Kent Student Center, alumni, who read about the milestone on social media, took time to reminisce about the fun and fond memories they made at the facility.  The Kent Student Center opened as the University Center in January 1973. At the time of its opening, the facility had the distinction of being the largest st...

A war reenactor, a history enthusiast and a 35 years veteran educator. However, the most important thing for Bradley Keefer, Ph.D., associate professor of history at Kent State University at Ashtabula, is the connections he makes with his students, leading him to earn the 2022 Distinguished Teaching Award (DTA).  The DTA is sponsored by the Kent State University Alumni Association and is the highest teaching award a tenured or tenure-track professor can receive.  “It validates what I've always felt was important, and that's teaching undergraduates, getting through to people and h...