The cheers started before the introductions were even finished.
Inside the Memorial Athletic and Convocation (MAC) Center, Kent State University’s newest students filled the arena with the kind of energy that makes the start of a college career feel real.
Convocation, the university’s annual welcome for first-year students that serves as their first academic ceremony, brought together the newest members of the Golden Flashes community for a morning that felt less like a formal function and more like a pep rally for the year ahead.
Led by Eboni Pringle, Ph.D., Kent State’s senior vice president for student life, the event introduced students to university leadership, celebrated the beginning of a new academic year and gave first-year students their first chance to experience the collective spirit of Kent State.
The Kent State cheerleading and dance teams helped keep the energy high, alongside Flash, the university mascot. T-shirts flew into the stands as students cheered for university leaders as they were introduced one by one.
For university leaders, however, the excitement was about more than the spectacle.
“This is what it’s all about,” said Dave Myers, executive director of Corporate Engagement. “We’re launching a semester, we’re getting things moving and it’s all about bringing that energy from the students.”
For Dana Lawless-Andric, Ph.D., senior associate vice president for University Outreach and Engagement, Convocation is a moment worth capturing.
Convocation is one of those days you want to bottle that energy up and keep it with you all year,” she said. “It’s the official kickoff of our school year.
That energy, she said, reflects something bigger than the beginning of classes.
“All the students come and represent their colleges, faculty and staff are here, and it’s just this collective community way that we say how proud we are to be Golden Flashes and just the excitement of starting something new,” Lawless-Andric said.
A Welcome to the Golden Flashes Family
For Marcello Fantoni, Ph.D., dean and vice president for the College of Honors and Global Education, this year’s Convocation carried an additional significance.
“It is exciting because this is when all of our students finally start the new year,” Fantoni said. “But for us in the College of Honors and Global Education, it’s even more exciting because this is the first time we participate in this because we are a brand new college.”
Fantoni encouraged students to recognize the accomplishment that brought them to Kent State in the first place.
“I tell them that they have made the right choice,” he said. “So I think they already have to be proud of themselves because this is not just the beginning for them. This is already an achievement to be part of this very special cohort.”
He is especially looking forward to seeing students from the college’s honors and international programs learn from one another.
“We are really, really looking forward to create a brand new family of honors and international students coming together and learning from each other,” Fantoni said. “Putting together different students under the same roof is the best environment for mutual growth.”
The excitement was contagious.
“We are here for them, but they give us – they are contagious with their excitement for us,” Fantoni said.
That shared enthusiasm was evident throughout the MAC Center as students cheered for university leaders and celebrated the beginning of their Golden Experience at Kent State.
Amoaba Gooden, Ph.D., vice president for people, culture and belonging, described Convocation as an opportunity.
“It’s just an opportunity to welcome students in the Kent State way to Kent State, showing Kent State pride, but really getting them prepared spiritually, emotionally and psychologically for a great semester,” Gooden said.
‘Everyone Is Here to Help’
As the excitement of Convocation gives way to classes, assignments and the everyday rhythm of college life, university leaders emphasized that students do not have to navigate their first year alone.
Kevin West, J.D., associate provost for faculty affairs, said one of the things he loves most about Kent State is the number of people committed to helping students succeed.
“There are so many people that are dedicated to their success,” West said. “So the opportunity for them, anytime they need help or assistance, to seek out professionals that are willing to help them – everyone is here to help.”
He also encouraged students to embrace the broader college experience.
“Join a club, meet new friends and enjoy one of the best college downtowns in the country,” West said. “Kent State is where it’s at.”
Gooden offered similar advice while reminding students that their first year will not always go perfectly.
“First-year students should know that we all make mistakes,” Gooden said. “And part of the process of being a student is to really reach out to your advisors, your faculty, really build an opportunity to build really deep relationships, but it’s OK to make mistakes.”
Lawless-Andric compared the college experience to a buffet – a piece of advice she remembers from her own college days.
“There are so many options,” she said. “You have to eat. You don’t want to starve, but you don’t want to overeat.”
Her advice: “Get out there, try different things, don’t overdo it, but don’t stay in your room all day either.”
Looking Ahead
The start of a new academic year also brings anticipation for what lies ahead.
Myers pointed to the breadth of activity taking place across Kent State, from aeronautics and engineering to nursing and research.
“There’s no shortage of just terrific things,” he said. “Students, research, we have it all.”
For Fantoni, the year ahead represents an opportunity to build connections among students from different backgrounds.
Gooden is looking forward to helping students find their place during a time when the world can sometimes feel difficult and uncertain.
“I’m really looking forward to really creating a place for our students to impart joy to others, but really to settle into themselves and to life,” Gooden said.
Lawless-Andric is excited about the university’s continued connection with downtown Kent, including Flashes First Friday, which welcomes new students into the community surrounding campus.
“We’ve just been so intentional to make it more of a complete field versus city and university,” she said. “And I’m really excited for some of the things we have planned.”
West, meanwhile, hopes students will find the same sense of belonging and opportunity that he experienced as a Kent State student.
I’m an alum. I say that proudly,” he said. “And so I really just want our students to have the same type of experience that I did.
That experience began for this year’s first-year students with a roar from the MAC Center.
Executive Vice President and Provost Melody Tankersley and Student Body President Nathan Smith of Undergraduate Student Government also addressed the new Golden Flashes, sharing their perspectives as leaders. Kent State President Todd Diacon welcomed the class and used lyrics from the Grateful Dead’s “The Eyes of the World” to underscore his message to students as they begin this new chapter.
