Kent State University’s School of Art Collection and Galleries will open its fall season with two exhibitions in galleries on the Kent Campus and in downtown Kent, Ohio.“Best of 2026,” a juried exhibition showcasing contemporary fine craft by 69 artists, opens Aug. 25 in the CVA, Payto and Crawford galleries in the Center for the Visual Arts, 325 Terrace Drive. One week later, “The Good, The Bad, and The Rest of Us,” a solo exhibition by artist Eileen Woods, opens Sept. 1 at the KSU Downtown Gallery, 141 E. Main St.Both exhibitions are free and open to the public.“Best of 2026”Aug.&n...

 Sheila JohnsonWe are so pleased that Sheila Johnson joined us back in May as Administrative Clerk of the Department’s Psychological Clinic. Sheila is herself a former Flash, and previously worked in KSU’s Division of People, Culture, and Belonging. Sheila feels like Kent State offers “endless opportunities,” including the chance to further her own education. She appreciates the Clinic environment, particularly working with Clinic Director, Dr. Alanna Updegraff and all the graduate students in training. She was particularly excited to join our Psychological Clinic because she is “a people...

   This past May we held our annual departmental “picnic.” Gray skies made it an indoor/outdoor event this year, but fortunately the rain stayed away and lots of fun was had. This year’s proud Cornhole Champions were graduate student Megan Korhummel and her partner Brandon Miller (pictured below). This tradition has quickly become a favorite way for faculty, staff, and grad students to gather together to celebrate the end of the academic year and welcome the summer. ...

Kent State University has named Michael Beam, Ph.D., as the interim director of the School of Media and Journalism (MDJ). His appointment started July 1, after MDJ Director Emily Metzgar, Ph.D., began a new role as dean of Penn State University’s Bellisario College of Communications. Beam joins MDJ as the interim director after serving as director of the School of Emerging Media and Technology (EMAT) for five years (2020–2025). He is a highly accomplished researcher, teacher and leader. Beam spent more than a decade working as a computer system administrator and network technologist ...

Students and recent graduates from Kent State University's School of Media and Journalism captured two regional Student Production Awards at the 2025 Central Great Lakes Student Production Awards, presented by the Central Great Lakes chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS). The KSTV Thursday Newscast earned top honors in the Newscast or Headline News category, recognizing the work of eight student journalists: Nuried Hurtado Guzman, Emma Campbell, Devin Gallagher, Sydney Brown, Hayden Cruz, Sofia Helena Dambros da Silva, Nikki Gasiewski and Katie Waggle. Th...

Gage Wellman, a junior in Kent State University’s journalism program, competed among the nation’s best college journalists in the 66th Hearst National Journalism Championships held May 31-June 5 in San Francisco. Wellman, who hails from Parma, Ohio, earned a $1,500 finalist award in the Writing category at the national competition.Kent State Today spoke to Wellman just before leaving for the competition. {"preview_thumbnail":"/s3/files/styles/video_embed_wysiwyg_preview/public/video_thumbnails/1199515335.jpg?itok=TYym4HxU","video_url":"https://vimeo.com/1199515335","settings":{"responsive...