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As Eboni Pringle, Ph.D., senior vice president of the Division of Student Life, sits in her office in the Kent Student Center recently, she speaks of the blueprint that she and her division are creating to further promote student development, personal growth, career success and a sense of belonging.

In December 2024, Pringle was named senior vice president for the Division of Student Life after assuming the position on an interim basis in August 2023. Before assuming the role of senior vice president, Pringle served as senior associate vice president of Student Access and Support and dean of University College.

The Division of Student Life oversees 25 departments that foster the holistic well-being of students at Kent State during a time when the state and national cultural landscapes are changing rapidly. Pringle plans to meet the challenges head on by doubling down on the university’s core values.  

“We are in the process of finalizing our strategic plan,” Pringle said. “Our team has done amazing work in this tradition. From the mental health issue to establishing the CARES (Crisis, Advocacy, Resources, Education, and Support) Center, which communicates to our university community that we have a vested interest in our students. We want to build on that.”

Pringle spoke of three general areas of focus:

1. Supporting comprehensive student development, honing in on promoting personal growth, self-exploration, leadership and developing essential life skills.
2. Helping students develop career success and merge their career goals with the education that they receive in the classroom so that they can contribute to society.
3. Considering where the university sits regarding the national climate and thinking about the generational and cultural divides that we all experience. As shifts are made, the division will seek new ways to help students feel welcome, supported and have a sense of belonging.

Pringle is particularly proud of the 320 full-time and part-time professionals that she calls the “dream team” for the exceptional service they render to students.

“There are moments where I smile because that level of commitment is why I stay at Kent State,” Pringle said. “I see it in practice in every unit that we have. I’m honored to work alongside them. When I think about having 320 people doing that work it is humbling.”

In addition to the professional staff, there are 1,200 student workers in the division who Pringle refers to as partners, who work at the recreation renter, dining halls and residence halls, to name a few locations where they can be found on campus. They not only serve their peers, but the entire university community. The student workers are learning valuable skills that they will carry with them long after they leave Kent State.

“They are proud of the ways in which they contribute to our university community,” she said. “Students work in the recreation and wellness center, some of them have no interest in that being their career, but they know how important health and well-being is to our community. They are fully engaged and learning new skills and applying that learning to serve our university community. We’re preparing them for their future.”

Senior Lucille Schneider is one of those students. She holds two jobs in student life – she is president of the Flash Activities Board (FAB) and a graphic designer for the Marketing and Communications department.

Schneider loves working with Pringle because she connects so well with students and genuinely cares about them.

“Dr. Pringle cares so deeply about everything that is, or could affect the university and its students, and she always tries her best to navigate all issues with grace,” Schneider said. “She goes above and beyond to get the perspective of all students, and she creates ways for students to get more involved. She has always made me feel welcome both as a campus leader and as a student.

Pringle has Contributed to Campus-wide Success

Pringle also serves as an adjunct assistant professor in the Higher Education and Student Affairs program in the College of Education Health and Human Services. She has secured over $3 million of funding, presented to national and regional audiences, and published articles and a book chapter all in support of student success.

Pringle began her career at Hiram College serving as an assistant dean of admissions. Since 1998, she has held various positions at Kent State serving as a residence hall director, financial aid counselor, assistant director of admissions, assistant director, associate director and executive director of Student Success Programs and an academic advisor, assistant dean and dean for University College.

In addition to contributing to the campus-wide student success strategy at Kent State, Pringle led efforts to increase undergraduate student graduation rates, implemented a system-wide undergraduate research symposium to provide a high-impact experience for Kent State students, coordinated a system-wide President’s Symposium on Retention to assist members of the Kent State community in understanding their unique contributions to student success.

Josh Perkins, Ph.D., associate vice president for student life and dean of students, said Pringle is a person-centered, student-focused leader who guides the division in a strategic and innovative way. She embodies the phrases “Students First” and “Flashes Take Care of Flashes,” he said.

“Dr. Pringle has an extensive and proven track record of not only advocating for students and their needs, but she has operationalized her advocacy through development and implementation of several curricular and co-curricular programs and initiatives that support student success.”

Pringle’s Grandmother Was Her Role Model

Shortly after Pringle arrived on the campus of Ohio University as an undergraduate, she heard a knock on the door. There stood her grandmother, who unbeknownst to Pringle, had a position on the faculty of Ohio University as a health law instructor.

As a young college student, she was not elated to have her grandmother on campus, but as she would learn later her grandmother’s presence kept her on point and was the reason she graduated and went on for more education.

“My grandmother was instrumental in my education and my life,” Pringle said. “I admired my grandmother because she was able to do whatever she wanted to do when she wanted to do it and how she wanted to do it.”

Pringle’s grandmother forced her to go to the library Monday through Thursday during her first two quarters and during those quarters she did very well. The third quarter, her grandmother released her from this practice and things didn’t go well. Her grades went down and back to the library she went.

“What I learned is that there are certain practices and strategies that still allowed me to have fun but allowed me to focus on my priorities in a way that gave me space to do all the fun things,” she said. “If my grandmother hadn’t taught me that early on, I may not have made it because I was having a lot of fun.”

Many years later, Pringle was two years into working on her Ph.D. Her grandmother said “I need you to finish because I’m tired. I need to see my granddaughter get her Ph.D.” Pringle defended in August of that year, walked in commencement in December and her grandmother died in April.

Little did Pringle know that her grandmother was preparing her for the role that she holds today.

“This reminds me of the power that each of us can have in the lives of students,” she said. “If we take personal interest and responsibility and care for our students, we can play a role in them being able to achieve their goals.”