Kent State University

For the shootings which took place on the Kent State University campus in 1970, see Kent State shootings.

Kent State University (also known as Kent State or KSU) is an institution of higher learning located in Kent, Ohio, United States, which is about 40 miles southeast of Cleveland, 12 miles east of Akron, and 30 miles west of Youngstown. With 34,491 students across eight campuses, it is the third largest university in Ohio after Ohio State University (57,748) and the University of Cincinnati (35,364). Regional campuses include Ashtabula, East Liverpool, Geauga, Salem, Stark, Trumbull and Tuscarawas.

Academic divisions

Kent State has colleges of Arts and Sciences, Architecture and Environmental Design, Business Administration, Communication and Information, Education, Health, and Human Services, Fine and Professional Arts, and Nursing, along with a School of Technology. The university also has interdisciplinary programs in Biomedical Sciences, Financial Engineering, and Information Architecture and Knowledge Management.

Notable programs

Kent State University is the only institution in the state of Ohio to offer a degree in Library and Information Science at this time. The Financial Engineering program offered from Kent State University is ranked thirteenth in the country. The university's Liquid Crystal Institute has an international reputation for research in optics and chemical physics. Other notable programs include the Shannon Rodgers and Jerry Silverman School of Fashion Design and Merchandising and the Center for the Study of World Musics.

The Visual Communication Design Program enjoys a standing as one of the most professional respected in the United States. In the Fall of 2001, Visual Communication Design, after 30+ years, a division within the School of Art, was separated to become the School of Visual Communication Design. Joining with the Schools of Journalism and Mass Communication, Communication Studies and Library and Information Sciences in a new College of Communication and Information, this unique combination of Communication disciplines housed together in one College is the first of its kind in the United States.

Additionally, the School of Technology offers three degrees in the field of Aeronautics. Students in this school can pursue baccalaureate degrees in Flight Technology, Aviation Management and Aeronautical Engineering. The Flight Technology specialization can lead to a career as an airline pilot, while those focusing in Aviation Management typically begin careers on the business side of the aviation industry. The Aeronautical Engineering program is the only mechanical engineering program offered at Kent State.

The College of Architecture offers one of the most demanding undergraduate programs in the country, with many of its graduates continuing at such well regarded graduate schools such as Harvard GSD, Yale school of architecture, MIT, UCLA, and the University of Pennsylvania.

Prices effective Fall 2004

* By Semester: $3,705 In state, $7,510 Out of state
* By Year: $7,504 In state, $14,516 Out of state
* Room and Board by Semester: $3,205 In state, $3,205 Out of state
* Room and Board by Year: $6,410 In state, $6,410 Out of state. Copied from this page

Administration changes

In the fall of 2005, University President Carol Cartwright announced her intention to retire at the end of the Spring 2006 semester, and a search to find a replacement began in early October 2005. Cartwright is one of the longest standing University Presidents in Kent State's history and will have spent nearly 17 years in office. Her tenure at Kent State was marked by the university's heightened profile both nationally and internationally, as well as the infusion of millions of dollars into many of Kent State's research programs.

On May 9, 2006 the University announced that Lester Lefton would replace Cartwright. Lefton was Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs for Tulane University. He took his post on July 1, 2006.

Athletics

The Kent State Athletic logo

Kent State's sports teams are called the Golden Flashes. They compete in the NCAA's Division I-A, and the Mid-American Conference. The school's most prominent rivalry is with the University of Akron, located just 10 miles away; the two schools' football teams have played for the Wagon Wheel each year since 1972. The University of Akron has dominated this series for much of the last decade, winning eight of the last ten meetings from 1996-2005, and currently holds a 16-9-1 edge. Kent and Akron's men's basketball rivalry has always been close, with Kent State holding a narrow edge in the overall series.

History

John Filo's famous photograph taken after the shootings.

In 1910, the Kent State Normal School was established as a college for training public school teachers as part of the Lowery Bill which also created sister school Bowling Green State Normal School. The new school was constructed on land donated by William S. Kent (grandson of Marvin Kent, the namesake for the city of Kent) in what was then the eastern edge of Kent. The first president was John Edward McGilvrey, who served from 1912 to 1926. The school was later named Kent State Normal College, then Kent State College (after it was authorized to issue Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees), and finally Kent State University after it received university status in 1935. The bill granting Kent State university status was signed by Governor Martin L. Davey, a native of Kent, and created graduate degree program and the College of Business Administration. In 1965, Chemistry professor Glenn H. Brown established the Liquid Crystal Institute, which has become a world leader in the development of liquid crystals. In 1994, Kent State earned status as a Research University II from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. In 2000, the foundation changed its classification system and Kent State was classified as a Doctrinal/Research University-Extensive, one of just 90 public research schools in the country in this classification.

The university is best known outside Ohio for a single event, the Kent State shootings.

University Press

The Kent State University Press is the publishing arm of Kent State University. Their mission is "to advance knowledge through publishing." The Kent State University Press's imprint is controlled by an Editorial Board composed of Kent faculty scholars. As a member of the Association of American University Presses, it is included in the select group of more than 100 university-sponsored scholarly presses, whose outstanding programs make them an important segment of the publishing and academic community.

The Press began in 1965 under the direction of Howard Allen and published in the University faculty strengths in literary criticism. In 1972 Paul Rohmann became the Press's second director and expanded the Press's publishing program to include regional studies and ethnomusicology. In 1985 historian John Hubbell assumed the directorship and for fifteen years saw the staff and publishing program grow to include widely regarded lists in Civil War history and Ohio history. Today, under director Will Underwood, the Press publishes 30 to 35 titles a year and reaches a large and appreciative audience.

Famous alumni

*Bertice Berry, sociologist, author, lecturer, comedian, educator, and former talk show host
*Vincent J. Cardinal, playwright and director
*Drew Carey, actor/comedian (dropped out)
*Carol Costello, anchor and reporter for CNN
*Lary Crews, writer, researcher, author of Extreme Close-Up
*Joshua Cribbs, NFL football player
*Ben Curtis, golfer
*John de Lancie, actor
*Alan Dunbar, Former track & field Decathlete
*John Filo, photographer
*Antonio Gates, NFL football player
*Matt Guerrier, professional baseball player
*Arsenio Hall, talk show host
*Dustin Hermanson, baseball pitcher, Chicago White Sox
*Dave Holmes (sportscaster), winner of ESPN's Dream Job
*Lou Holtz, Former Football Coach and current ESPN Analyst
*Chrissie Hynde, rock singer (dropped out)
*Michael Keaton, actor (dropped out after two years)
*Jack Lambert, Pro Football Hall of Fame Member
*Gene Michael, Major League Baseball player, mananger, and scout
*Mark Mothersbaugh, Gerald Casale, and Bob Lewis, founders of the new wave band Devo
*Thurman Munson, Major League Baseball player, New York Yankees, Rookie of the Year and MLB Most Valuable Player Award winner
*John Parnofiello, Olympic Decathlete, novelist
*Nick Saban, Current coach of the NFL's Miami Dolphins
*Chris Sheban, illustrator (winner of numerous medals from The Society of Illustrators)
*Steve Stone (baseball player), baseball pitcher, won Cy Young Award; sportscaster
*Joe Walsh, rock and roll guitarist (dropped out; received honorary doctorate in 2001)

Kent State University: Encyclopedia BETA

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