Arts & Culture

Small Town, Big Music Book Cover

Jason Prufer, '03, a lifelong resident of Kent and Kent State University alumnus, has compiled “Small Town, Big Music: The Outsized Influence of Kent, Ohio, on the History of Rock and Roll,” a book that covers the college town’s impressive – and previously unappreciated – rock history.

Writing Across Borders Exhibit at Taylor Hall

Kent State University’s Taylor Hall is currently housing the Wick Poetry Center’s Writing Across Borders, a poetry exhibit featuring the work of immigrants and refugees living in Akron that was recently featured on Cleveland.com.

Kent State University alumna Jade Novah appears with YouTuber Terrell.

Kent State University alumna Jade Novah, appeared in a 24-minute interview with YouTuber Terrell. Ms. Novah told Terrell about her time at Kent State before getting into the entertainment industry and eventually becoming a backup singer for Beyoncé.

Erin Shelley (left) with Chicago Med star Colin Donnell (middle) and RN technical expert Sophia Meneses (right)

Wanting a career that would allow her to be independent and work from anywhere, Erin Shelley, Ed.D., MA, BSN ‘91, RN, was drawn to the nursing profession. These days, however, she practices nursing as “art imitating life” through her role as a technical expert on the hit NBC television show, Chicago Med.

Joanna Wilson and Alyssa Hertz

A Kent State University fashion student used her passion for design to turn an Akron woman’s collection of 1,500 Netflix envelopes into a dress masterpiece.

the business world

Mark Whitmore Ph.D., an assistant professor of management and information systems at Kent State University's College of Business Administration, shared his expertise on how the public comprehends fake news in today’s society with the investment research firm Morningstar.

Senior integrated language arts major Maxwell Rees (right) was inspired by his brother, who is on the autism spectrum, in the role of a 15-year-old boy with the same diagnosis in a Weathervane Playhouse production. (Photo credit: Aimee Lambes Photography)

For Maxwell Rees, portraying a teen on the autism spectrum in the Weathervane Playhouse production of "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime" was more than just being in the spotlight; it was about shining a spotlight on autism and its effects on individuals, their families and the community.