UPTON, N.Y. — October 14, 2025 — An international team of researchers has directly measured the temperature of quark-gluon plasma (QGP) — the superhot primordial matter that filled the universe just millionths of a second after the Big Bang. Among the leaders of this breakthrough is Kent State University Professor Zhangbu Xu, a former spokesperson of the STAR experiment at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC).The new study, published in Nature Communications by the STAR Collaboration, shows that QGP — a short-lived state of matter created ...
Dogs, a cat and a pair of horses were part of Kent State's 2025 Homecoming as the university community celebrated Flash the Mascot's birthday. Want to see YOUR photos in “IN A FLASH?” Submit your Kent State-related photos to InAFlash@kent.edu and you may see them in a future Kent State Today post. Photos should be framed -horizontally- and include a brief description of what’s happening in the photo along with when and where it was taken. ...
An Elliot DI Faculty Fellows Series Event with Michelle Bebber
Step back 30,000 years and enter the world of Paleolithic cave art through a groundbreaking immersive experience. This exhibit fuses archaeology, digital media, art, and design thinking to transport visitors beyond static displays into a living, sensory-rich environment. Using cutting-edge projection, you’ll feel the scale, atmosphere, and creative energy of early human life as never before, blurring the line between past and present, science and art.
This fall, Kent State University's School of Art held a juried art exhibition; Aggregate III: Avalanche of Talent. This juried exhibition was open to artists living in the United States and working in any medium, aiming to showcase the breadth and diversity of creative talent nationwide. From over three hundred applicants, only twenty-two artists were selected for inclusion. Two of these artists were chosen as award recipients—the first-place winner receiving a $500 cash prize and the runner-up receiving $300. Their works will be featured in the Kent Downtown Gallery through Nov. 29, 2025...
Kent State University’s Center for Adult and Veteran Services (CAVS) enhances the experiences of adult, military-connected and parenting students both in and out of the classroom. This June, Cassandra Pegg-Kirby became the associate director of adult and parenting student engagement for the center, leading to a renewed effort of support. “We’re an office that meets people where they are; we look for the best options and opportunities for students,” Pegg-Kirby told Kent State Today. “The specific populations that we serve are veterans, adults and parents.”Some of the center’s primary...
FAQs
Can we host a stewardship event without a fundraising ask?
Yes. These events are explicitly intended to thank and recognize donors without soliciting a gift.
How far in advance should we start planning?
The sooner the better. At least 6-9 months in advance for large events and 4 months for smaller gatherings.
Who should be invited?
Work with DPAE to pull accurate donor lists based on giving history, fund designation or campaign involvement.
Step-By-Step Guide
- Define your event purpose and goals.
- Contact your DPAE project manager and philanthropic advisor.
- Determine if you will be managing the project internally or need assistance from the Division of Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement (DPAE).
- All event communication and outreach is managed by DPAE communications regardless of event team assistance.
- Our division’s ability to assist
What To Avoid
- Planning an event without a clear stewardship purpose or audience
- Generic messaging that doesn’t personalize the donor experience
- Overloading the agenda with lengthy speeches or unrelated content
- Overextending budget on aesthetics at the expense of meaningful touchpoints
- Lack of follow-up: timely, heartfelt follow-up is crucial to closing the stewardship loop
- Overlap with other major donor communica
Key Considerations
- Purpose: Is the event meant to thank donors, celebrate impact, provide updates or deepen engagement?
- Audience: Who is being recognized?