South facade of Crawford Hall, the new home for the Ambassador Crawford College of Business and Entrepreneurship at 鶹ý. (Rendering courtesy of The Collaborative Inc. in partnership with Perkins + Will)
New Home, New Name for Kent State’s Business College
Kent State University business students, faculty, staff and alumni will soon have a new building to call home on the Kent Campus. Thanks to a generous gift from Cleveland businessman, entrepreneur and former US ambassador to Ireland, Edward F. Crawford, the capital campaign for the new business building is now complete. The Kent State Board of Trustees approved the building construction on behalf of the college in a special meeting held Friday, Oct. 22.
In gratitude to Crawford and his family for what Kent State says is “the largest single gift” in its history, the university will name the new building Crawford Hall and has renamed the College of Business Administration to the Ambassador Crawford College of Business and Entrepreneurship. The Crawford family gift is a cornerstone of the recently announced Forever Brighter $350 million comprehensive fundraising campaign.
“Ambassador Crawford has spent his life as a successful entrepreneur and business owner, growing his company from the ground up,” says Kent State President Todd Diacon. “To have earned his confidence in our College of Business Administration, which will bear his name both for the college and on its new building, makes us very proud. Our students will not only be educated in an iconic facility, with a forward-thinking design, but they will also be able to look to him as a mentor for their own entrepreneurial and business endeavors. We are very thankful for his support.”
The son of Irish immigrants, Crawford began his entrepreneurial career in 1962, starting his first manufacturing business while attending college classes at night. Beginning in 1992, he became chairman and CEO of Park-Ohio Holdings Corp. and, through a series of more than 100 transactions, he grew it from a small local manufacturer into a successful international company that provides supply chain management services, equipment used in production lines and manufactured components used to assemble products for a diversified customer base.
Under his leadership, Park-Ohio became a publicly traded corporation. It employs 8,000 people worldwide in 125 manufacturing, distribution and service facilities, with revenues of approximately $2 billion. His son is now the corporation’s chairman and CEO. Crawford was named Ohio chairman for the Trump campaign in 2016 and was appointed ambassador to Ireland in 2019. Upon his return to the United States in January 2021, he became chairman of the board of directors of Crawford United Corp., a director of Park-Ohio Holdings Corp., and he remains founder of The Crawford Group.
His transformative gift enables the university to move forward with its Gateway to a Distinctive Kent State master plan. The plan proposes the creation of a new signature gateway entrance to the Kent Campus that features Crawford Hall.
“Crawford Hall will be instrumental in how we prepare students for modern business careers,” says Deborah Spake, PhD, dean of the Ambassador Crawford College of Business and Entrepreneurship at Kent State. “This new building—which will be one of the largest buildings on any Kent State campus to house an academic program—and its enhanced technology will continue to bolster our reputation for both international business and entrepreneurship education. We anticipate a continued increase not only in domestic enrollment but also for international students seeking a top-tier education. With this gift and new building, the future is bright for the Ambassador Crawford College of Business and Entrepreneurship.”
Challenge Met! At the start of 2021, Bob Archer, MBA ’61, who had already provided private support for the new business building, pledged another $1 million gift in support if the Ambassador Crawford College of Business and Entrepreneurship could raise a total of $19 million by the end of 2021. The college surpassed expectations and exceeded the $19 million challenge. Archer fulfilled his commitment, and the impressive new Crawford Hall is moving forward.