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�鶹��ý will hold its 13th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration on Thursday, Jan. 22, at 4 p.m. in the Kent Student Center Ballroom. Julian Bond, a leader of the civil rights movement, will serve as keynote speaker at the event. Bond’s keynote address is titled “Crossing the Color Line: From Rhythm 'n Blues to Rock 'n Roll” and is free to attend, but a ticket is required. Visit www.kent.edu/diversity to download a free ticket. Prior to the event, there will be a memorial march from Ritchie Hall to the Kent Student Center Ballroom beginning at 3:15 p.m. “We are honored to h...

�鶹��ý graduate Chelsea Griffin, 23, wants multiracial students to feel like they’re a part of the whole culture at school. Griffin, who was an early childhood education major in Kent State's College of Education, Health and Human Services, shares her thoughts in the Akron Beacon Journal about growing up in a predominately white community and the difficulties she faced as a minority student without any teachers who represented her race. According to the article, ethnic diversity is happening faster among students than teachers. Even though the number of multiracial teacher...

John R. Crawford, Ed.D., �鶹��ý’s dean of the College of the Arts, was recently inducted as the 19th president of the International Council of Fine Arts Deans (ICFAD) during the organization’s annual conference in Kansas City, Missouri. Crawford will serve a two-year term as its president. Crawford has served as the chair of the nominating committee and the co-chair of the annual conference team. He also has served as president-elect for one year prior to taking office.  Crawford is dean and professor of dance in the College of the Arts at Kent State. He has served as d...

�鶹��ý President Beverly Warren shares her unique résumé, merging academics with athletics. Warren sat down with a Record-Courier reporter to discuss her humble start as a basketball and volleyball coach at the University of Montevallo and how the experience helped her develop an inclusive and collaborate leadership style at Kent State. When asked about her plans for the athletic programs at Kent State, Warren talked about her desire to move toward a more competitive environment within the Mid-American Conference (MAC) and encourage a dynamically fun atmosphere...

Dr. Geneva M. Damron and Dr. O. Rex Damron’s generosity helps give students’ dreams a fair chance to come true. Some family traditions have to do with holidays or seasons. Some have to do with annual vacations or birthdays. But for the Damron family, one significant family tradition began at �鶹��ý in 1968 – becoming a Golden Flash. The Damron family has eight degrees from Kent State: three Bachelor’s degrees, two Masters degrees and three Doctorate degrees. The tradition began with Dr. Geneva M. Damron, who earned her Bachelor’s degree in 1968, her Master’s degr...

Of the nearly 2,500 images submitted to the Olympus BioScapes Competition from researchers and microscope enthusiasts from 68 countries, one that was taken in a �鶹��ý at Stark laboratory won eighth place.   Assistant Professor of Biology Matthew Lehnert and his student, junior biology major Ashley Lash, photographed the proboscis (mouthparts) of a vampire moth at 10x magnification on a confocal microscope. They produced an image that illustrates the beauty that can be produced when art and science unite.   For more than a decade, the annual Olympus BioScapes Competiti...

President Barack Obama’s recent decision to chart a new course in our country’s relationship with Cuba focuses on creating a new ally while empowering the Cuban people. Obama ordered the restoration of full diplomatic relations with Cuba and the opening of an embassy in Havana for the first time in more than 50 years. The United States also is opening diplomatic exchanges and easing financial restrictions.  Anne Morrison, a professor at �鶹��ý’s School of Lifespan Development and Educational Sciences, has been studying Cuba’s education system with visits to the country sev...

James L. Blank, Ph.D., interim dean of �鶹��ý’s College of Arts and Sciences, has been named the new dean of the college. The announcement was made by Todd Diacon, Kent State’s senior vice president for academic affairs and provost. Blank, who has been serving as interim dean since Nov. 1, 2012, becomes the permanent dean of the college effective Jan. 1, 2015. “We are fortunate to have Jim Blank at Kent State,” Diacon said. “He was chosen after a national search, during which he demonstrated his vast knowledge of academia in general, and arts and sciences in particular. He is...

Students in Karen Cunningham's Introduction to Conflict Management classes and Nonviolence: Theory and Practice class wrote essays this Fall semester for consideration in the YES! Magazine Fall 2014 Essay contest. A portion of Ray Stovall’s essay (written for Nonviolence: Theory & Practice) was selected as a “Literary Gem” — and here it is … I know that being different is a gift. If you focus on cultivating that gift, you can be the best at anything you choose. —Ray Stovall, �鶹��ý, Kent, OH View the Literary Gems Excerpts Read the Winning Essays ...