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�鶹��ý will hold its annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 21, to celebrate King’s life and legacy. Serving as this year’s keynote speaker is CNN political analyst and former South Carolina state Rep. Bakari Sellers. The virtual program is free and open to the public.

While gathering an isolated community together in the time of COVID-19 may seem nearly impossible, one organization has created a safe space for its clients to push togetherness to the forefront of their daily lives. Books@Work has worked tirelessly to bring both companies and communities together through literature. The participants for these meetings come from 26 states across America, with 30 university professors selected to facilitate these meetings. The organization and its Kent State connection were recently featured in a WEWS-TV (Cleveland) story.

Two professors have conducted much-needed research on face coverings that use alternative textiles to protect the public from COVID-19 and how to keep those masks virus-free.

Jean Engohang-Ndong, Ph.D., associate professor of biology at �鶹��ý at Tuscarawas, credits technology with speeding up vaccine breakthroughs.

Three faculty members in �鶹��ý's Department of Biological Sciences recently co-authored a 384-page hardcover book, “Problem Plants of Ohio,” published by the �鶹��ý Press.

 Donations will benefit students in Kent State's Library Science program.

Canfora was one of nine students wounded by Ohio National Guard soldiers during a peaceful protest. 

�鶹��ý and Akron-area foundations have partnered to support students in the Greater Akron community in a time of dire need through a collaboration that prioritizes positive regional impact and improving lives through education. 

�鶹��ý’s inaugural drive-thru food distribution event on Dec. 16 in partnership with the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank served more than 200 households. The foodbank said more than 26,000 people in Portage County face food insecurity – 30% of those seeking assistance for the first time due to the COVID-19 global pandemic.  

The �鶹��ý Police Department was recently awarded national accreditation for the ninth time by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies Inc. in the Law Enforcement program. The Kent State Police Department was first accredited in 1991.

�鶹��ý will implement a new administrative policy regarding painting the Rock, which is located on Hilltop Drive on the Kent Campus. The policy, which goes into effect Jan. 11, 2021, is one of the institutional responses to racially offensive language that was painted on the Rock in 2020 and aimed at African American students. 

Six of �鶹��ý’s Regional Campuses were recently for the installation of solar panels on its campuses, offering cleaner, more sustainable energy that is also more cost effective. 

Lamar R. Hylton, Ph.D., �鶹��ý's vice president for student affairs, said being appointed to the Executive Committee of the APLU (Association of Public and Land-grant Universities) Council on Student Affairs (CSA) is an honor.

Researchers Andrew Lepp, Ph.D., and Jacob Barkley, Ph.D., from �鶹��ý’s College of Education, Health and Human Services suspected a relationship between boredom and social media use but wondered about cause and effect. Does social media use cause boredom? Or does boredom cause social media use? To answer these questions, they designed an experiment.

Kent State alumna Alyssa Mittereder has struggled with an issue faced by many during the pandemic: job loss. Despite the many curve balls thrown her way, Mittereder told Spectrum News 1 Ohio that she is still passionate about the hospitality industry and searches for jobs each day, using the connections she made at Kent State to land a career, hopefully soon.

The �鶹��ý alumni family will grow by more than 2,500 new graduates as the university holds its fall commencement. The accomplishments of the Fall Class of 2020 will be recognized with a virtual commencement recognition ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 19.

While colleges across the country have worked to find ways to recruit the next class during the pandemic, Kent State is being recognized for its unique and innovative techniques to find the class of 2025. In lieu of typical on-campus events, the Kent State admissions team has traveled across Ohio and hosted “KSU2U” drive-in presentation experiences for prospective students and families.

�鶹��ý’s College of Business Administration offers one of the nation’s most outstanding online Master of Business Administration (MBA) programs, according to The Princeton Review. The education services company profiles the college in its Top 50 Online MBA Programs for 2021 ranking.

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder sometimes have a difficult time with social interaction and building relationships. The Autism Society of Greater Akron wanted to help those on the spectrum socialize with others freely and make friends by creating an adult social club. The club was then made possible with two Kent State affiliates and Wendy Cline, a support specialist and licensed social worker at the Autism Society of Greater Akron.

�鶹��ý has named Margaret (Peggy) Shadduck, Ph.D., of Richardson, Texas, as its new vice president for Regional Campuses and dean of the College of Applied and Technical Studies. Shadduck was selected following a national search.