A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
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Former name | Ohio State Normal College At Kent (1910–1911) Kent State Normal School (1911–1915) Kent State Normal College (1915–1929) Kent State College (1929–1935) |
|---|---|
| Type | Public research university |
| Established | September 27, 1910[1] |
Parent institution | University System of Ohio |
Academic affiliations | |
| Endowment | $301.4 million (2021)[2] |
| President | Todd Diacon |
Academic staff | 2,623 (all campuses)[3] |
Administrative staff | 6,822 (all campuses)[3] |
| Students | 25,630 (Kent) 34,761 (all campuses)[4] |
| Undergraduates | 20,171 (Kent) 29,295 (all campuses)[4] |
| Postgraduates | 5,459 (Kent) 5,466 (all campuses)[4] |
| Location | , , United States 41°08′49″N 81°20′36″W / 41.14694°N 81.34333°W |
| Campus | Suburban college town 866 acres (350 ha) (Main campus)[5] |
| Colors | Blue and Gold[6] |
| Nickname | Golden Flashes |
Sporting affiliations | NCAA Division I – MAC |
| Mascot | Flash the Golden Eagle |
| Website | www.kent.edu |
 | |
Kent State University (KSU) is a public research university in Kent, Ohio, United States. The university includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio located in Ashtabula, Burton, East Liverpool, Jackson Township, New Philadelphia, Salem, and Warren, along with additional regional and international facilities in Cleveland, Independence, and Twinsburg, Ohio; New York City; and Florence, Italy.
The university was established in 1910 as a normal school. The first classes were held in 1912 at various locations and in temporary buildings in Kent and the first buildings of the original campus opened the following year. Since that time the university has grown to include many additional baccalaureate and graduate programs of study in the arts and sciences, research opportunities, as well as over 1,000 acres (405 ha) and 119 buildings on the Kent campus. During the late 1960s and early 1970s the university was known internationally for its student activism in opposition to U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, due mainly to the Kent State shootings in 1970.
As of 2022[update], Kent State was the third-largest university in Ohio with an enrollment of over 34,000 students in the eight-campus system and over 25,000 students at the main campus in Kent.[4] Kent State offers over 300 degree programs, among them 250 baccalaureate, 40 associate, 50 master's, and 23 doctoral programs of study.[7] It is classified by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education among "R1: Doctoral Universities – very high research activity".[8]
History
Early history
Kent State University was established in 1910 as an institution for training public school teachers. It was part of the Lowry Bill, which also created a sister school in Bowling Green, Ohio – now known as Bowling Green State University. It was initially known under the working name of the Ohio State Normal College At Kent,[9] but was named Kent State Normal School in 1911 in honor of William S. Kent (son of Kent, Ohio, namesake Marvin Kent), who donated the 53 acres (21 ha) used for the original campus. The first president was John Edward McGilvrey, who served from 1912 to 1926.[10] McGilvrey had an ambitious vision for the school as a large university, instructing architect George F. Hammond, who designed the original campus buildings, to produce a master plan.[11] Classes began in 1912 before any buildings had been completed at the campus in Kent. These classes were held at extension centers in 25 cities around the region. By May 1913, classes were being held on the campus in Kent with the opening of Merrill Hall.[12] The school graduated 34 students in its first commencement on July 29, 1914. In 1915, the school was renamed Kent State Normal College[13] due to the addition of four-year degrees. By then additional buildings had been added or were under construction. Kent State's enrollment growth was particularly notable during its summer terms. In 1924, the school's registration for summer classes was the largest of any teacher-training school in the United States.[12] In 1929, the state of Ohio changed the name to Kent State College as it allowed the school to establish a college of arts and sciences.[14]
McGilvrey's vision for Kent was not shared by many others outside the school, particularly at the state level and at other state schools. His efforts to have the state funding formula changed created opposition, particularly from Ohio State University and its president William Oxley Thompson. This resulted in a 1923 "credit war" where Ohio State refused Kent transfer credits and spread to several other schools taking similar action. It was this development – along with several other factors – which led to the firing of McGilvrey in January 1926.[12] McGilvrey was succeeded first by David Allen Anderson (1926–1928) and James Ozro Engleman from 1928 to 1938, though he continued to be involved with the school for several years as president emeritus and as head of alumni relations from 1934 to 1945.[10] He was present in Columbus on May 17, 1935, when Kent native Governor Martin L. Davey signed a bill that allowed Kent State and Bowling Green to add schools of business administration and graduate programs, giving them each university status; the college's name was thus changed to Kent State University.[12]
1940s to 1960s
From 1944 to 1963, the university was led by President George Bowman. During his tenure, the student senate, faculty senate and graduate council were organized. Although it had served Stark County from the 1920s, in 1946, the university's first regional campus, the Stark Campus, was established in Canton, Ohio. In the fall of 1947, Bowman appointed Oscar W. Ritchie as a full-time faculty member. Ritchie's appointment to the faculty made him the first African American to serve on the faculty at Kent State and also made him the first African American professor to serve on the faculty of any state university in Ohio. In 1977, the former Student Union, which had been built in 1949, was rededicated as Oscar Ritchie Hall in his honor.[15] Recently renovated, Oscar Ritchie Hall currently houses the department of Pan-African Studies the Center of Pan-African Culture, the Henry Dumas Library, the Institute for African American Affairs, the Garrett Morgan Computer Lab and the African Community Theatre.[16]
The 1950s and 1960s saw continued growth in both enrollment and in the physical size of the campus. Several new dorms and academic buildings were built during this time, including the establishment of additional regional campuses in Warren (1954), Ashtabula (1957), New Philadelphia (1962), Salem (1962), Burton (1964), and East Liverpool, Ohio (1965).[17] In 1961, grounds superintendent Larry Wooddell and Biff Staples of the Davey Tree Expert Company released ten cages of black squirrels obtained from Victoria Park in London, Ontario, Canada, onto the Kent State campus. By 1964 their estimated population was around 150 and today they have spread in and around Kent and have become unofficial mascots of both the city and university. Since 1981, the annual Black Squirrel Festival is held every fall on campus.[18][19]
In 1965, chemistry professor Glenn H. Brown established the Liquid Crystal Institute,[20] a world leader in the research and development of the multibillion-dollar liquid crystal industry.[21] James Fergason invented and patented the basic TN LCD in 1969[22][23] and ten liquid crystal companies have been spun off from the institute.[24]
In 1967, Kent State became the first university to run an independent, student-operated Campus Bus Service. It was unique in that it provided jobs for students, receiving funding from student fees rather than bus fares. Campus Bus Service was the largest such operation in the country until it merged with the Portage Area Regional Transportation Authority in 2004.[25] 1969 saw the opening of a new Memorial Stadium on the far eastern edge of campus and the closure and dismantling of the old Memorial Stadium.
Kent State shootings
Kent State gained international attention on May 4, 1970, when an Ohio Army National Guard unit fired at students during an anti-war protest on campus, killing four and wounding nine. The Guard had been called into Kent after several protests in and around campus had become violent, including a riot in downtown Kent and the burning of the ROTC building. The main cause of the protests was the United States' invasion of Cambodia during the Vietnam War.[26] The shootings caused an immediate closure of the campus with students and faculty given just 60 minutes to pack belongings. Around the country, many college campuses canceled classes or closed for fear of similar violent protests.[27] In Kent, schools were closed and the National Guard restricted entry into the city limits, patrolling the area until May 8. With the campus closed, faculty members came up with a variety of solutions—including holding classes in their homes, at public buildings and places, via telephone, or through the mail—to allow their students to complete the term, which was only a few weeks away at the time.[28]
In 1971, the university established the Center for Peaceful Change, now known as the Center for Applied Conflict Management, as a "living memorial" to the students who had died. It offers degree programs in Peace and Conflict Studies[29] and Conflict Resolution and is one of the earliest such programs in the United States.
In response to, and protest of, the Kent State shootings, Neil Young wrote the song "Ohio" which was performed by the folk rock group Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. In remembrance of the tragedy, a group of professors and students created a website that features a map with oral histories and eyewitness accounts of the event.[30]
1970s to 1980s
Also in 1970, the university opened its 12-story library, moving from the previous home of Rockwell Hall to the tallest building in Portage County.[31] Dedicated in 1971, the library became a member of the Association of Research Libraries in 1973.[32] Kent State joined with the University of Akron and Youngstown State University in establishing the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine in 1973. It was the world's first medical consortium.[33] Today it includes a college of pharmacy and Cleveland State University as an additional consortium member.[34]
Kent State was again in the national spotlight in 1977 when construction was set to begin on the Memorial Gym Annex, adjacent to the area where the Kent State shootings had occurred in 1970. Protesters organized a tent city in May, which lasted into July. Several attempts were made to block construction even after the end of the tent city, including an appeal to the United States Congress and the Department of the Interior to have the area declared a National Historic Landmark, which ended up being unsuccessful. Additional rallies were held that year, including one attended by Joan Baez on August 20. After several additional unsuccessful legal challenges, construction finally began on September 19 and was finished in 1979.[35]
1990–present
In March 1991, Kent State once again made history by appointing Carol Cartwright as president of the university, the first female to hold such a position at any state university in Ohio.[36] In 1994, Kent State was named a "Research University II" by the Carnegie Foundation. Beginning in the late 1990s, the university began a series of building renovations and construction, which included the complete renovation of the historic original campus,[37] the construction of several new dormitories, a student recreation center, and additional academic buildings on the Kent Campus and at the regional campuses.[38] In September 2010, the university announced its largest student body ever, with a total enrollment of 41,365.[39] U.S. News & World Report's 2017 rankings put Kent State as tied for #188 for National Universities and tied for #101 in Top Public Schools.[40] Kent State had a Fall 2015 acceptance rate of 85%.[41]
Campuses
Kent State University is an eight-campus system in Northeast Ohio, with the main administrative center and largest campus in Kent.
Kent
Within the Kent State University system, the main campus is officially referred to as the "Kent Campus".[42] The Kent Campus is a landscaped suburban environment in the Greater Akron area. It covers approximately 866 acres (3.5 km2), which house over 100 buildings, gardens, bike trails, and open greenery. There are also thousands of additional acres of bogs, marshes, and wildlife refuges adjacent to or near the campus.[42] While the university's official mascot is Flash the golden eagle, the campus also has an unofficial mascot in the black squirrels, which were brought to Kent in 1961 and can be found on and around the campus. The campus is divided into North, South, and East sections but many areas have come to be referred to as Front Campus, Residential Campus, and Science Row. The main hub of activity and central point is the Student Center and Risman Plaza, which is adjacent to the twelve-story main library. The university also operated the 18-hole Kent State Golf Course until 2017, and currently operates Centennial Research Park just east of campus in Franklin Township and the 219-acre (0.9 km2) Kent State University Airport in Stow.
Regional campuses
In addition to the Kent Campus, there are seven regional campuses. The regional campuses provide open enrollment and are generally treated as in-house community colleges as opposed to the large university feel of the Kent Campus. Students at the regional campuses can begin any of Kent State's majors at their respective campus and each campus offers its own unique programs and opportunities that may or may not be available in Kent. Regional campuses include:
Ashtabula
The Ashtabula Campus was established in 1958 and is made up of four buildings: Main Hall, a library, the Bookstore Building, and the Robert S. Morrison Health and Science Building. It is on a 125-acre (51 ha) site in Ashtabula, just south of Lake Erie. The campus offers 27 associate and bachelor's degree programs of its own, with the nursing program being the largest. Approximately 75% of registered nurses working in Ashtabula County graduated with an associate degree in nursing from Kent State at Ashtabula.[43][44]
East Liverpool
The East Liverpool Campus was established in 1965 from facilities formerly owned by the East Liverpool City School District, occupying a downtown site overlooking the Ohio River. It is composed of the Main Building, Memorial Auditorium, Mary Patterson Building, and a Commons area.
Geauga
The Geauga Campus is located on an 87-acre (35 ha) campus in Burton Township, just north of the village of Burton in Geauga County. It was established in 1964 and, as of 2021[update], has an enrollment of 1,276 students.[4] Six associate degree and seven baccalaureate degree programs can be taken in their entirety at the campus. The Geauga Campus also administers the Regional Academic Center, a facility located in Twinsburg, Ohio.[45]
Salem
Kent State at Salem is located in Salem Township, just south of the city of Salem. The 100-acre (40 ha) campus features a lake, outdoor classroom, and nature walk. Kent State University at Salem also owns and operates the "City Center" facility in the former home of Salem Middle School and Salem High School, in which administrative offices, classes, and student services are located.[46]
Stark
The Stark Campus is the largest regional campus of Kent State University, with an enrollment of over 2,900 students as of 2021[update].[4] The campus serves around 11,000 students total each year through professional development and other academic coursework classes. It is located on 200-acre (81 ha) in Jackson Township in Stark County. The campus includes seven major buildings and a natural pond. Additionally, the Stark Campus includes the Corporate University and Conference Center, an advanced meeting, training, and events facility that is one of only ten such centers in the state of Ohio affiliated with the International Association of Conference Centers. The center also serves as a home to the Corporate University, which provides training and learning exercises for area businesses and organizations.[47] Kent State University at Stark offers 24 complete degree programs, including three associate degree, 18 bachelor's degree, and three master's degree programs.[48]
Trumbull
Kent State's Trumbull Campus is located just north of Warren in Champion Heights, Ohio, on SR 45 near the SR 5–SR 82 bypass. As of 2021[update], it has an enrollment of 1,158 students.[4] It offers programs in 170 majors at the freshman and sophomore level, as well as 18 certificates and 15 associate degree programs. In addition, there is upper division coursework for baccalaureate degree completion in nursing, justice studies, technology, business management, Theatre, and English, as well as general studies and psychology degrees. In 2004 the campus opened a 68,000-square-foot (6,300 m2) Technology Building that includes the Workforce Development and Continuing Studies Center.
Tuscarawas
The Tuscarawas Campus in New Philadelphia, Ohio offers 19 associate degrees, six bachelor's degrees, and the Master of Technology Degree. Bachelor's degrees are offered in business management, general studies, justice studies, industrial technology, nursing and technology 2+2. As of 2021[update], it has an enrollment of 1,245 students.[4] The Science and Advanced Technology Center provides 50,000 square feet (5,000 m2) of laboratory and classroom space for science, nursing and workforce development. The Tuscarawas Campus has constructed a 55,000-square-foot (5,100 m2), $13.5 million Fine and Performing Arts center that will enable the campus to expand academic and cultural programming.
Additional facilities
In addition to the eight campuses in northeast Ohio, Kent State operates additional facilities for programs in Cleveland, New York City, Florence, and Shanghai.
Florence Center
KSU Florence is an international study abroad program that grants students the opportunity to study in historic Florence, Italy at the Palazzo Vettori [it]. Formerly, the campus was housed in Palazzo dei Cerchi, a prestigious and ancient building located in the heart of Florence at the corner of Via della Condotta and Vicolo dei Cerchi next to the famous Piazza della Signoria and the birthplace of literary genius Dante Alighieri. Kent State acquired this facility in 2003 and undertook its complete renovation. The original exterior was maintained and reflects Florence as it was in the 13th century. The restoration carefully preserved the original structure while creating an efficient space for academic purposes, with an interior that houses state-of-the-art classrooms.[49] After using the recently restorated Palazzo Vettori since January 2016, on April 17, 2016, the Kent State University Florence campus was officially moved from Palazzo dei Cerchi and Palazzo Bartolini Baldelli to Palazzo Vettori.[50]
New York City Studio
The New York City Studio is located in New York City's Garment District. Surrounded by fabric and accessory shops, fashion showrooms, and designer studios; one-third of all clothing manufactured in the USA is designed and produced in this neighborhood. The District is home to fashion designers including Oscar de la Renta, Calvin Klein, Donna Karan, Liz Claiborne, and Nicole Miller. The facility is a 4,500-square-foot (420 m2) space and includes a 50-person lecture room, 12-station computer lab with instructor station, and a fashion design studio.[51]
Cleveland Urban Design Center
Kent State's Cleveland Urban Design Center is located at 1309 Euclid Ave in the downtown Cleveland Theater District neighborhood, just off of East 14th Street. The Urban Design Center was created in 1983 under the sponsorship of the Urban University Program, which supports the outreach and community service efforts of Ohio's state universities working in urban areas. Under its founding director, Foster Armstrong, the Center expanded on the existing outreach and public service activities of Kent State's architecture school, focusing primarily on historic preservation and the problems of Northeast Ohio's smaller towns and cities. In 2003, the CUDC began a collaboration with the Dresden University of Technology, Kent State's sister university in Germany, with a joint vision on the revitalization of the lower Cuyahoga Valley in Cleveland. Since then, there have been a number of faculty exchanges as the two universities seek to pool their expertise both to enhance students' experiences and to better serve their respective regions.[52]
Academics
Admission
Admission to Kent State University is classified as "selective" by both the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education and U.S. News & World Report.[53][54] The Princeton Review gives Kent State an "Admissions Selectivity Rating" of 76.[55] The college extends offers of admission to 87% of all applicants after holistic review that includes examination of academic rigor, performance and admissions test scores.[55]
Of all matriculating students, the average high school GPA is 3.61.[55] The interquartile range for SAT scores in math and reading are 500-600 and 500-610 respectively, while the range for ACT scores is 19–25.[55]
Programs
Kent State has 12 academic colleges:
- College of Aeronautics and Engineering
- College of Architecture & Environmental Design
- College of Applied and Technical Studies
- College of the Arts
- College of Arts and Sciences
- College of Business Administration
- College of Communication and Information
- College of Education, Health, and Human Services
- College of Nursing
- College of Podiatric Medicine
- College of Public Health
- Honors College
The university also has interdisciplinary programs in Biomedical Sciences, Digital Science, Financial Engineering, and Information Architecture and Knowledge Management. The College of Aeronautics and Engineering offers four aeronautics degrees; Flight Technology, Aviation Management, Air Traffic Control and Aeronautical Engineering, and holds courses via the Kent State University Airport. In 2008, the university began offering a flight training certificate program through an affiliation with Premier Flight Academy in Akron.[56][57]
The Washington Program in National Issues, founded in 1973, is one of the longest running study away programs in Washington D.C.[58] Housed in the College of Arts and Sciences, this program gives students the opportunity to live in Washington, get a closer look at public issues and policies, and work an internship of their choosing.[59]
The Shannon Rodgers and Jerry Silverman School of Fashion Design and Merchandising has programs in Florence, Hong Kong, and New York City, and affiliations in Paris and London. It was named a top-ten fashion school in the United States by Runway Magazine.[60]
The Liquid Crystal Institute, founded 1965, is engaged in the research and development of liquid crystal optoelectronic materials, technology, and consumer products in connection with the National Science Foundation as part of ALCOM.[61]
The Hugh A. Glauser School of Music offers degrees in music education, music performance, music theory and composition, ethnomusicology, chamber music, and a new minor in jazz studies. The School of Music is one of the few colleges in the U.S. that offer a BM, a MM, and a PhD in music education. The Kent/Blossom Music program partners with the Cleveland Orchestra each summer for its classical music festivals.
The School Psychology Program (SPSY) is accredited by APA and NASP. The program's graduates comprise about 18% of all SPSY professionals in Ohio. Kent is the only institution in Ohio to offer a degree in Library and Information Science, Kent is ranked 20th by U.S. News & World Report.[62] Kent State has a complete undergraduate, master's, and doctoral sequence in translation and the only dual master's degree program in the nation.[63]
Faculty, staff and students collaborate at The Institute for the Study and Prevention of Violence (ISPV). The Center for Peaceful Change, a response to the Kent State shootings of 1970, was established in 1971 "as a living memorial to the events of May 4, 1970."[64] Now known as The Center for Applied Conflict Management (CACM), it developed one of the earliest conflict resolution undergraduate degree programs in the United States.
Kent State University Pressedit
The university operates the Kent State University Press, which is located in the main library building and publishes 30 to 35 titles a year. It is a member of the Association of University Presses, which includes over 100 university-sponsored scholarly presses.[65] The Press was established in 1965, and initially published literary criticism; in 1972 its publishing program was expanded to include regional studies and ethnomusicology. Further expansion began in 1985 when the Press began publishing works related to the American Civil War and Ohio history.[66] Notable recent titles include Dear Vaccine, a poetry collection responding to Covid, which was featured on PBS NewsHour.[67]
Rankingsedit
| Academic rankings | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| ARWU[68] | 158–171 |
| U.S. News & World Report[69] | 217 |
| Washington Monthly[70] | 296 |
| WSJ/College Pulse[71] | > 600 |
| Global | |
| ARWU[72] | 701–800 |
| QS[73] | 1001–1200 |
| THE[74] | 801–1000 |
| U.S. News & World Report[75] | 794 |
| USNWR Undergraduate Rankings[76] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Program | Ranking | ||
| Business | 117 | ||
| Computer Science | 145 | ||
| Nursing | 148 | ||
| USNWR National Graduate Rankings[77] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Program | Ranking | ||
| Audiology | 29 | ||
| Biological Sciences | 186 | ||
| Business | 102-134 | ||
| Chemistry | 176 | ||
| Clinical Psychology | 70 | ||
| Computer Science | 146 | ||
| Education | 100 | ||
| English | 116 | ||
| Fine Arts | 110 | ||
| History | 110 | ||
| Library and Information Studies | 20 | ||
| Mathematics | 121 | ||
| Nursing: Master's | 61 | ||
| Physics | 138 | ||
| Psychology | 122 | ||
| Public Affairs | 157 | ||
| Public Health | 126 | ||
| Rehabilitation Counseling | 20 | ||
| Sociology | 100 | ||
| Speech-Language Pathology | 72 | ||
| USNWR Global Graduate Rankings[78] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Program | Ranking | ||
| Chemistry | 301 | ||
| Physics | 621 | ||
| Psychiatry/Psychology | 391 | ||
| Social Sciences and Public Health | 385 | ||
In the 2023 U.S. News & World Report rankings, Kent was tied for the No. 217 national university in the United States,[77] and the university has received several other positive rankings at both the national and global level.
For several years, Kent has also gained recognition for LGBTQ inclusion.[79] For instance, Kent has been ranked as one of the best campuses for LGBTQ students in the country for multiple years.[80] In 2022, Kent retained their top national ranking for LGBTQ inclusion.[81]
Student lifeedit
 | This section needs additional citations for verification. (January 2018) |
