ÂÌñÉç

While most 18-year-olds are finishing up their high school requirements for graduation and making plans to attend college or applying for jobs, a few exceptional students like Benjamin Mudrak are simply way ahead of their peers in their academic pursuits.

Students wearing graduation caps and gowns will once again grace the campus as ÂÌñÉç celebrates its newest graduates and marks the return of in-person commencement ceremonies for the first time since December 2019.

Members of the ÂÌñÉç community and people around the world will gather virtually for the 51st Commemoration of May 4, 1970, the day the Ohio National Guard fired on ÂÌñÉçstudents during an anti-war protest, killing four students and wounding nine other students.

ÂÌñÉç’s Exploratory Program in University College has been awarded two prestigious national awards for its work with exploratory students.

The state of Ohio and the Ohio Department of Higher Education announced that ÂÌñÉç has been awarded Choose Ohio First grants totaling $3.5 million to support students in the critical fields of science (including health professions), technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

U.S. News & World Report ranks ÂÌñÉç in the top 20 Best Library and Information Studies Programs in the country in its 2022 edition of Best Graduate Schools. Overall, ÂÌñÉçis recognized in 12 new national rankings in the 2022 edition of Best Graduate Schools, including three specialty rankings.

ÂÌñÉç alumni, students, parents, faculty, staff and the community are encouraged to save the date for one of the university’s long-standing traditions. ÂÌñÉçwill celebrate Homecoming 2021 on Saturday, Oct. 2.

ÂÌñÉç will hold in-person commencement ceremonies in May for the Spring Class of 2021 and will welcome back all 2020 alumni for an in-person graduation ceremony during Homecoming Weekend this fall.

In keeping with the commitment to honor and remember the events of May 4, 1970, ÂÌñÉç will hold a virtual May 4 51st Commemoration this year. The virtual commemoration will feature a video premiering at noon on Tuesday, May 4, that focuses on the nine wounded students: Alan Canfora, John Cleary, Thomas Grace, Dean Kahler, Joseph Lewis, Donald Mackenzie, James Russell, Robert Stamps and Douglas Wrentmore.

Kent State has partnered with the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins since 2018, allowing this nationally recognized hockey team to work closely with the university and providing professional and recreational aid to the ÂÌñÉçcommunity. The partnership includes multiple facets that focus on future Golden Flashes, current students and alumni alike.