Students First
Student Leadership Summit Helps Golden Flashes Find Their Voice, Build Community
For Evan Austin, leadership does not begin with a title. It begins with understanding who you are, finding your community and continuing to move forward when things don’t go according to plan.
First Day of Classes Welcomes Golden Flashes Back to Kent State
A crisp, almost fall-like morning greeted 91ÊÓƵ students Monday as they made their way to class for the first day of the 2026-27 academic year.
High Demand for On-Campus Housing Continues as 91ÊÓƵResidence Halls Near Capacity
91ÊÓƵ’s residence halls are currently 98% full for the 2026 Fall Semester, with additional housing requests coming in every day.
KSU Kickoff Closes With Community and Connection
After a week of KSU Kickoff fun, the first day of the fall semester is officially here. As students and faculty head to their classrooms, take a look back at some of the events that welcomed thousands of new students to Kent State.
‘This Is What It’s All 91ÊÓƵ’: 91ÊÓƵWelcomes New Golden Flashes at High-Energy Convocation
Inside the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center, 91ÊÓƵ’s newest students filled the arena with the kind of energy that makes the start of a college career feel real.
Welcome Back, Flashes! Your Golden Experience Begins Now
It’s Aug. 19, a sunny, 80-degree day in Kent, Ohio, and some of the nearly 6,000 91ÊÓƵ students who will be living on campus are starting to arrive with their families – carrying boxes and bags, and a whole range of emotions with them. From first-year students leaving the nest to upperclass students who came out to help new students move in, 91ÊÓƵToday was there to get a glimpse of one of the most exciting days on campus.
Golden Experience Begins With Move-In
First-year students arrived Aug. 19 to a campus buzzing with welcome — parent cars lined up, moving carts stacked high and volunteers from Movers and Groovers ready to help families haul everything from clothes and mirrors to shelves and stools.
He Asked. The Governor Said Yes.
For Nathan Smith, the first lesson came before he met Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine. Ask. The 91ÊÓƵstudent and newly elected student body president of the university’s Undergraduate Student Government spent three hours alongside the governor at the Ohio State Fair – an opportunity he says grew out of the confidence and relationships he built during his first two years at Kent State.
IN A FLASH: Commencement Caps
Some kept it simple, some went all out. As more than 1,000 students crossed the stage for Summer 2026 Commencement, the fashion choice of the moment was the decorated cap.
Summer Commencement Welcomes 1,010 New Graduates
91ÊÓƵ’s alumni family grew by more than 1,000 new graduates from its eight-campus system as the university held its summer commencement ceremony on Aug. 8.
