Kent State University at Stark Video

Kent State University at Stark recognizes that the Conference Center has been a valued community resource for many years. However, in a time of tightening budgets and limited state funding for higher education, the campus can no longer absorb the large costs associated with keeping the facility open.

To ensure continued focus on its core mission — providing high-quality, student-centered education — the campus will end external event rentals at the Stark Conference Center after Sept. 30, 2025.

James C. Hannon, Ph.D., began his appointment as interim dean and chief administrative officer of Kent State Salem and Kent State Stark on July 1. “I’m truly excited to begin this new chapter alongside everyone at the Salem and Stark campuses. I’m quickly learning that these are warm, dedicated and passionate communities and I feel incredibly fortunate to be joining them,” he said.

Attending Kent State Stark in the fall, Canton teen once questioned future.

Aireanna Tyson didn’t always see college in her future. Growing up in Canton’s inner city, she knew what it was like to feel far from the classroom — where real life could pull your focus away from school, and college felt like something for someone else.

“I wasn’t really going to classes. I wasn’t doing homework,” she said. “It hit me that if I didn’t buckle down, I wouldn’t even graduate.”