Community Impact

Evan Vazquez brightens any room he’s in. Outgoing, polite and always stylishly dressed, his huge smile radiates confidence and warmth. Looking at him today, as he begins his senior year as professional pilot major in Kent State University's College of Aeronautics and Engineeering, you’d never know that as a freshman, he considered himse...

A Kent State University connection runs through the “Honoring the Land” exhibition featured at the Bostwick Art Design Initiative, located at Prospect and East 26th in Cleveland. Part of the Artists Archives of the Western Reserve traveling exhibition, the satellite gallery and the artists were recently featured in CoolCleveland. Painte...

Changes are coming to Rave, Kent State University’s Emergency Communication System, which is used to send Flash ALERTS as text messages when important information needs to be distributed in a timely fashion, such as during a safety crisis or weather emergency.  Previously, students, faculty and staff were able to opt in to Rave/Fla...

On Sept. 27, students came together at the "Sistahood Collective" Gathering in the Cultural Clubhouse at Kent State University at Trumbull.  The event was part of the Building Black Leaders program on campus. The organization's stated mission is to enrich and empower Black, biracial, and multiracial students to become leaders ...

Summit County Domestic Relations Court Judge Kani H. Hightower is on a mission to make the justice system in Summit County, Ohio, more accessible for underprivileged and underrepresented citizens. Whether it’s related to transportation challenges or helping them sort through the red tape of documentation, Hightower, a Kent State University...

First-year students at Kent State University at Trumbull painted the campus rock after completing a scavenger hunt as part of their Flashes 101 course. The scavenger hunt was created as a fun way for new students to learn about campus resources. Kent State at Trumbull's campus rock is located outside of the Library Theater building...

Wilson Duda is learning to be a graphic illustrator for children’s books.  So far, so good.  So good in fact, that Duda’s logo will grace the T-shirts his fellow students from Kent State University’s Career and Community Studies program will wear as they march in the university’s annual Homecoming Parade.  Duda...

The annual Black Squirrel Festival is back for its 41st year. Planned and organized by the student-staffed Flashes Activities Board, the festival takes place from 4-7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 29, on Risman Plaza and the Student Green. The festival  attracts more than 3,000 people to the Kent Campus annually and this...

A group of 22 secondary school teachers from 20 different countries is spending six weeks at Kent State University as part of a Fulbright program of professional development for foreign educators.  The Fulbright Teaching Excellence and Achievement Program is sponsored by the United States Department of State with funding provided b...

All generations – and all species – of Kent State students' families can be found on our campuses on any given day. But this weekend, family members will be coming to Kent State for Parents and Families Appreciation Weekend on Sept. 29 and 30. Scheduled activities include the 41st Annual Black Squirrel Festival, a movie night and a...