Innovators, problem solvers and designers are a growing force at Kent State University, bringing a renewed vibrancy to the heart of campus. Soon they will have a dynamic, new space designed to spark creativity and collaboration. The Kent State Board of Trustees voted June 6 to transform the former School of Art building into a new state-of-the-art, student-centered Design Innovation Hub and Dining facility. The redesigned building will support teamwork, critical thinking and inventiveness with collaborative workspaces and makerspaces. “The goal is to nurture a design innovation ecosys...
The Kent State University Women’s Center will host lunchtime discussions on the issues that impact women in the community. Participants will have the opportunity to share their thoughts on those issues and offer solutions. All perspectives are welcome. The discussions will take place on June 19 and July 17 from noon-1:30 p.m. at the Women’s Center, Williamson House, 1200 E. Main St. on the Kent Campus. Lunch will be provided. Sign up to attend a discussion session. Space is limited. If you are unable to attend, your feedback is still important. You can submit your thoughts here. ...
WKSU News is presenting Navigating the Path to Mental Health, a six-part series examining access and availability issues surrounding mental health care in Northeast Ohio. The project, which began in late May, includes reports airing during WKSU’s broadcast of NPR’s Morning Edition each Tuesday from May 29 through July 3 and a community forum at the Akron-Summit County Public Library on June 27 at 7 p.m. Nearly a fifth of Americans (around 43 million people) have a mental health condition, and a majority of that group lack access to the care they need. Statistics show mental h...
KSU Kickoff is the new name of what was formerly known as Welcome Weekend. With the fall semester beginning on Thursday, Aug. 23, the three-day welcome event no longer falls on the weekend before classes. Kent State University’s Office of Student Success Programs reconsidered its welcome plans for new students starting this fall and compiled students’ suggestions for a new program name that excluded “weekend” from its title. Student Success Programs then released a 24-hour Twitter poll in January. After the 1,172 votes poured in, KSU Kickoff was selected as the new name of Kent State’s annu...
The sun is shining, the temperature is rising and school is out. It is summer and that means soaking up the rays and catching up on all that reading you did not have time for during the year. What books are you planning to read? For some suggestions, we asked around Kent State University's Campuses: Todd Diacon, Ph.D., Executive Vice President & Provost I am reading several books from Brazil, in Portuguese, this summer: O Sol na Cabeca by Giovani Martins, a novel by a young Brazilian writer raised in a slum in Rio de Janeiro; Porque Perdeu? by Marcelo d...
If you enjoy playing video games — you are a hobbyist. If you enter competitions — you are a gamer. If you like to watch others play — you are a fan. Together, all three make up esports, one of the fastest growing industries in the world — playing games such as Counter Strike, League of Legends, Overwatch and HearthStone Heroes of Warcraft. Universities are catching on to the subculture — offering students varsity esports programs with practice facilities, tournaments and even scholarships. “You have to meet students where they are, and they are gaming,” says Steve Toepfer, Ph.D., ...
Come summertime, Brandon Davis could often be found gardening with his grandmother at her Canton Township home. He learned when to harvest vegetables and how to select flowers that bloom best in full sunlight. After graduating from Canton South High School in 2011, he went away to college but found his best fit less than 20 miles down the road. Mr. Davis cultivated his passion for plants when he discovered his purpose at Kent State University at Stark. He is one of the 5,000 students who have found a home at Kent State Stark and one of nearly 1,900 Kent Campus baccalaureate students who ...
Ken Ditlevson, director of Kent State University’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) Student Center, has been at the university for four years, giving back to a community that once saved his life. In his early years as an LGBTQ youth, Mr. Ditlevson was tormented and even contemplated suicide. His guidance counselor introduced him to the LGBTQ Center of Greater Cleveland, and that gesture helped save his life. Mr. Ditlevson is now doing work that once helped him, and he is appreciative that he can turn around and give back. His efforts were recently recognized by the Gay Co...
KSU professor using volcanic activity as learning tool The volcanoes in Hawaii and Guatemala are capturing attention because the pictures are fascinating. They show the power of nature and the devastation it can cause. Kent State Trumbull Professor Dr. David Hacker is watching the volcano in Hawaii very closely. Earlier this year, he was in Hawaii watching a smaller flow from the same volcano, which has had a lava flow since 1983. “You can go right up to it. It’s a lifetime experience to see lava flow up close,” Hacker said. The magma's heat is what always sticks with him. It ...
Dr. David Dees, dean and CAO of Kent State University at Salem, announced those students named to the Spring 2018 President’s and Dean’s lists. To qualify for the President’s List, students must have a 4.0 grade point average and must have completed 15 hours during the semester. To qualify for the Dean’s List, students must earn a 3.40 or greater grade point average and must have completed 12 or more credit hours for the semester, the majority at the Salem Campus. The students and their hometowns are: President’s List Alliance: Todd Bowen Boardman: Melissa Tyger...