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More students have made the commitment to seek a degree from ��ɫ�� and launch their futures as a Golden Flash. The university is celebrating the rise in Kent Campus enrollment for the first time in 10 years along with another strong freshman class and improved retention rates on both the Kent and Regional Campuses.

The Ohio Latino Affairs Summit brought together about 500 participants in-person and virtually, including educators, legislators, state and local communities and stakeholders to discuss issues affecting the Latino communities and how best to improve them together.  

Once again, U.S. News & World Report validates ��ɫ��’s academic strengths with the university’s inclusion on several lists in the 2024 Best Colleges rankings.

The ��ɫ�� Board of Trustees will hold its next regular business meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 20, at 11:30 a.m. in the Fashion Library on the second floor of Rockwell Hall on the Kent Campus to consider the recommendations of the standing committees, proposed personnel actions and new business. Trustees will retire into executive session at 8 a.m. to consider specific topics as provided under Ohio’s “Sunshine Law.” The roll call vote for this session will occur in public in the Rhodes Conference Room 228. 

The MPower Summit on Oct. 14 is designed to bring students, faculty, and staff together from college, high school, and community organizations to support the mission of men of color initiatives. All people are welcome to attend the summit, which will be held at the ��ɫ�� Student Center. 

Faculty researchers from ��ɫ��’s College of Nursing recently received nearly $4 million in grant funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration to develop an LPN-to-BSN pathway called the LPN Education Advancement Program (LEAP).  The program will provide licensed practical nurses at University Hospitals the opportunity to increase their skill set by removing barriers that may have prevented them from furthering their education.

The ��ɫ�� Board of Trustees will hold a special meeting at noon on Thursday, Aug. 24, in the George Urban Board of Trustees Conference Room, which is located on the second floor of the University Library. The sole purpose of the special meeting is to consider a proposed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between ��ɫ�� and the Full-Time Non-Tenure Track Unit, American Association of University Professors, ��ɫ�� Chapter. The Board will retire into executive session during the meeting to consider specific topics as provided for under Ohio’s “Sunshine Law.”

President Todd Diacon welcomed the Class of 2027 during a colorful and festive Convocation celebration, encouraging students to embrace the spirit of the university’s core values. A relatively new tradition on the Kent Campus, Convocation not only serves to get students excited for the start of their academic careers at ��ɫ�� but also to introduce the students to the deans and faculty for each of the university’s colleges.

Senior Delonte Goodman spent the summer working under the direction of mentor Tony Jakli, Ph.D., professor at the Liquid Crystal Institute and graduate student Alex Adaka conducting dielectric measurements for ferronematic liquid crystals.

The ��ɫ�� alumni family grew by nearly 1,200 new graduates as the university held its summer commencement ceremonies. The accomplishments of the Summer Class of 2023 were recognized with outdoor commencement ceremonies on Aug. 19.