Kent State University has once again been honored for its longstanding commitment to military service members.
The university received the Seven Seals Award from the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), a national organization that fosters cooperation and understanding between military service members and their employers.
Kent State Today was there as the organization’s leadership presented the award to Kent State President Todd Diacon during the Center for Adult and Veteran Services Open House on Aug. 26, 2026.
“It’s a real pleasure for me to accept this award,” Diacon said. “It befits our commitment to being an access institution to help those who are working their way through college, and certainly the guard and reservists among us fit that, and really represent what we do at Kent State University.”
John McCance, state chairman of the Ohio Committee for ESGR, applauded Diacon and staff members of Kent State’s Center for Adult and Veteran Services for their commitment to supporting service members.
“The purpose of the award is to recognize entities or individuals or organizations that go above and beyond in supporting and recognizing the role that our reservists and guardsmen from across the state of Ohio, and literally around the world, contribute to national defense,” McCance said. “Kent State is an example for the academic institutions across the state of Ohio.”
The Seven Seals Award is the broadest and most inclusive award given by ESGR, recognizing a significant individual or organizational achievement, initiative or support that advances the ESGR mission.
The award is presented at the discretion of the state chair or ESGR senior leadership.
“It is truly a testament to the university’s vision and leadership in supporting those who answer the call on a daily basis,” McCance said.
For Diacon, this latest award is personal. Diacon recalled how military service helped his father overcome adversity and build a successful career in his adult life.
“My father was born in utter poverty in the panhandle of Oklahoma and joined the Navy the day after Pearl Harbor,” Diacon said. “He went from utter poverty, no health care, to eventually through the GI Bill, becoming a physician and civic leader. So, that's really the power of the armed forces as a civic institution and really, as a center of democracy, in the United States.”
Kent State's Accessibility, Robust Resources Make All the Difference
Kent State’s convenient, centralized support for veterans sets it apart from other institutions, said Joshua Rider, executive director of the Center for Adult and Veteran Services.
“It shows a university commitment as a whole in the areas of academic advising, in the areas of student accessibility and support, in the areas of basic needs support; these kind of factors that help out this guard and reserve population,” Rider said.
For example, the Center for Adult and Veteran Services helps connect veterans with resources both on- and off-campus to help them feel supported in their studies and connected to the surrounding Kent community, he said.
Resources include programs focused on career and employment support, such as mentorship and resume building, Rider said.
The university’s commitment to accessibility is another key factor, he said. The Air Force and Army ROTC office is located directly on campus, and the university has long accepted the Ohio National Guard scholarship, helping to make Kent State a welcoming, inclusive environment for veterans, he said.
“What we do here at Kent State is, we have everything centralized for them,” Rider said. “They don't have to run around to five or six different places. They can come to one place and get the vast majority of their answers.”
This semester, it will be even easier for service members to access the center, Rider said, because of its new location on the second floor of the Kent Student Center. Previously, it had been located in the Schwartz Center.
Also new this fall is the Military Community Advocate Program, an initiative that embeds veterans and service members into a campus program, such as student accessibility or athletics, to act as a “force multiplier” across campus, Rider added.
This is not the first time Kent State has been recognized for its exceptional support of veteran and military-connected students. The university has long been established as a state and national leader in serving this community.
For 17 consecutive years, Kent State has earned the Military Friendly School designation, demonstrating a commitment to supporting military-connected students. The Kent Campus earned the highest recognition of a Gold ranking for three consecutive years.
Kent State has also been honored with the Collegiate Purple Star designation from the state of Ohio, first awarded in 2022 and renewed in 2025, for its efforts to support students with military backgrounds.
Learn more about Kent State’s Center for Adult and Veteran Services.
