Mona Fletcher, BSE ’21, PhD, Professor Emerita of Political Science, taught at Kent State from 1924 to 1963. After graduating from Kent State in 1921 with a Bachelor of Science in education, she became the first Kent State alumna to attend graduate school. She received a Master of Arts degree from the University of Chicago and a Doctor of Philosophy degree from The Ohio State University.
She started teaching at Kent State as a part-time professor and three years later was offered a full-time position. In her years at Kent State, as a student and professor, she saw the university grow from 620 students to more than 18,000 students.
Fletcher is listed in Who’s Who in America and in the Directory of American Scholars. She was co-author of the book State Legislatures, published in 1954, and contributed to the Dictionary of Political Science, edited by Joseph Dunner. She also published several book reviews in the American Political Science Review.
Involved in her field of expertise beyond Kent State, Fletcher was a member of the American Political Science Association and Midwest Political Science Association. In 1961, she was elected as vice president of the Midwest Conference of Political Scientists.
An article in the Daily Kent Stater in May 1961, notes, “Over the years she has taught over 42 different subjects. Among the thousands of students whom she has taught are 33 members of the present faculty and administrative staff.”
Fletcher also was the first woman to serve as a member of the national executive council for Pi Sigma Alpha, the only honor society for college and university students of political and social sciences in the United States. She served two terms on the organization’s council.
When Kent State marked its 50th anniversary in 1960, Fletcher was named the most distinguished faculty member by her colleagues. While at Kent State, she became the first woman to deliver the invocation and benediction at Commencement.
When Kent State marked its 50th anniversary in 1960, Fletcher was named the most distinguished faculty member by her colleagues.
In 1962, she stepped down as secretary-treasurer of the Ohio Association of Economists and Political Scientists after 22 years of service. In 1963, she received the KSU Alumni Award and the Shield Award from the Delta Gamma social sorority for "a lifetime devoted to education," with a notation that she had been teaching at Kent State longer than any other professor. Fletcher also was granted emerita status in recognition of her long-standing service to Kent State. The political science department presents an annual Mona Fletcher Award to the graduating senior with the highest overall grade point average.
She retired in 1963 for health reasons and died on Feb. 5, 1965, at the age of 72.
Fletcher Hall was dedicated in Mona Fletcher’s name in 1963. One of four residence halls that make up the Eastway Center complex, Fletcher houses approximately 245 first-year students. Coed by floor, with four floors comprised mostly of double rooms with loftable furniture, Fletcher Hall is one of the most popular dorms on the Kent Campus. For the 2021–2022 academic year, a limited number of deluxe single rooms (a double room where only one student will be assigned) are available.
Fletcher Hall, 2009
Sources
The Kent Stater, 11 February 1941
The Kent Stater, 24 November 1942
The Kent Stater, 26 February 1943
Daily Kent Stater, 24 May 1961
Daily Kent Stater, 25 January 1963
The Kent Stater, 9 February 1965