Kent State Today

Dean Kahler is often quoted as saying he only had one bad day at Kent State University.

That day was May 4, 1970, when an Ohio National Guardsman’s bullet struck Kahler as he stood under a tree watching, from what he thought was a safe distance, a student protest against the escalation of the War in Vietnam. When the National Guard fired on the students, a bullet pierced Kahler’s spine, leaving him paralyzed and wheelchair bound for the rest of his life.

Fifty-six years after four students were killed and nine were wounded on the campus of Kent State University, a historian from outside the university brought a rarely heard perspective to one of the most consequential days in American history – May 4, 1970.

POV shares insights from the Kent State University community on important topics. In this essay for Kent State Today, Kent State University President Todd Diacon offers insight into the ongoing discussions over the future of public higher education in Ohio. 

Balancing the budget, achieving financial health and the installation of Flock cameras were among the topics Kent State University President Todd Diacon discussed while taking questions during the final Talking With Todd session for the spring semester.

A future Kent State University president and a past Kent State administrator were serving at universities in Dayton and Texas on May 4, 1970, and had to find ways to manage student protests in reaction to the shootings.

A $1.8 million gift from the Bedford Falls Foundation will fund 150 scholarships for Kent State nursing students over three years, addressing the national nursing shortage.

Kent State University is preparing to introduce a major shift in its residential experience with the launch of Theme Communities starting in fall 2026. The new model focuses on specific interests or student experiences.

For many students at Kent State University, talking about mental health or wellness can feel intimidating. But for those who connect with Certified Peer Educators, those conversations often start with something simple: another student who understands.

Kent State University celebrates outstanding student employees and supervisors during National Student Employment Week, recognizing their impact across campus through the annual Student Employee Awards Celebration. Celebrate with us the 2026 winners.

Laurie Ann Moennich, Ph.D., didn't arrive at Kent State University planning to change healthcare. She came to study graphic design. But Kent State had a way of opening doors she didn't even know existed.

Kent State University graduate Emma Sherrie, '09, always had a feeling she would study anthropology, but still she took the time to check out all the other options available before finally settling on her original plan. Kent State’s Exploratory Program, which helps undecided students sample different disciplines before committing to a major, was a key part of Sherrie’s experience, and the main reason she chose Kent State in the first place.

Kent State University is partnering with Osh State University in Osh, Kyrgyzstan, to help reduce rising cancer rates in the Central Asian nation.

Kent State University and the Civil Aviation Academy in Almaty, Kazakhstan, have signed an agreement to be strategic partners in establishing a joint international aviation university in Kazakhstan, to support the rapid growth of aviation throughout Central Asia.

Kent State graduate Luana Johnson highlights how the American Academy partnership and the university's elite design labs provided the professional access needed to launch a global career.

Two Kent State University undergraduates brought national-level research experience to campus this year as featured presenters at the 2026 Exercise Science Summit. Liliana St. Germain and Olivia Snedeker delivered their work after using performance and biometric data collected from the Kent State women’s soccer team.

Kent State University's research impact continues to expand, with many faculty members recognized among the top 2% of the most-cited scientists worldwide, according to research metrics compiled by Stanford University scholars.

Allyson Tessin, Ph.D., assistant professor in Kent State University’s Department of Earth Sciences, has received a National Science Foundation (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) Award to support her research on how the seafloor and ocean interact in rapidly changing Arctic environments.

Laura Davis, Ph.D., co-founder and first director of Kent State University’s May 4 Visitors Center, was recently named a Woman of the Year by the Summit County Historical Society. Davis was a first-year student at Kent State on May 4, 1970, and she shares her journey to becoming an activist and what people today can learn from America’s history of protest. 

A 2024 graduate from Kent State University's School of Fashion shares an update about her life after Kent State and beginning her exciting career in New York City. 

Saloni Christian, a third-year student at Kent State University’s College of Podiatric Medicine who received her undergraduate degree in biology from Kent State, reflects on the challenges and rewards of answering a calling that was shaped by a lifetime of watching others serve.

A new exhibition pairing fashion from Kent State University Museum's collection with ornithological specimens from the Cleveland Museum of Natural History opened April 22 — Earth Day — at the Cleveland museum, where it will remain on view through Oct. 11.

Thanks to nearly $2.3 million in grant funding from the Ohio Department of Education, Kent State is training and endorsing K-12 teachers in computer science instruction across every grade level and subject area. The teachers arriving in these courses are not who you might picture. And what they leave with has started to surprise even their instructors.

When Michael Bugary looks at his first published book, "The Disease of Me," he still feels a little surprised. “I was reading the final edit and thought, ‘Who wrote this?’” he said with a laugh.

The Kent State Dr. Paula Treckel women's golf team claimed its 27th consecutive Mid-American Conference championship Tuesday at Firestone Country Club's Fazio Course — and junior Veronika Kedronová made sure there was no suspense about who led the way. 

Kent State University football has added one of the most accomplished players in the history of both the program and the National Football League to its coaching staff, naming Josh Cribbs as a special teams analyst for the 2026 season,

Delrecco Gillespie, senior professional studies major and member of Kent State’s men's basketball team, was recently featured in a recent NCAA article that detailed how setbacks like injury and grief fueled Gillespie’s drive to play as if it were his last chance to be on the court.