Editing Kent State University (section)

==History==

===Early history===
[[File:Merrill Hall 2.jpg|thumb|Front of Merrill Hall, completed in 1913 as the first building on campus]]
Kent State University was established in 1910 as an institution for training public school teachers. It was part of the [[Lowry bill|Lowry Bill]], which also created a sister school in [[Bowling Green, Ohio]] – now known as [[Bowling Green State University]]. It was initially known under the working name of the '''[[Ohio State Normal College At Kent]]''',<ref>{{cite book |editor-last=Johannesen |editor-first=Eric |title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form: Ohio State Normal College At Kent| publisher=United States Department of the Interior|date=May 30, 1975}}</ref> but was named '''Kent State Normal School''' in honor of William S. Kent, son of the city’s namesake, who donated significant portions of land to the school.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Flashback {{!}} Kent State University |url=https://www.kent.edu/magazine/news/flashback-6#:~:text=A%20wooded%20ridge%20was%20the,the%20name%20of%20an%20individual. |access-date=2025-01-29 |website=www.kent.edu |language=en}}</ref> The first president was [[John Edward McGilvrey]], who served from 1912 to 1926.<ref name=mcgilvrey>{{cite web|title=John Edward McGilvrey, Papers, 1890-1945|url=http://speccoll.library.kent.edu/faculty/mcgilvrey.html|date=December 14, 2005|work=Kent State University Special Collections and Archives|publisher=Kent State University|access-date=September 23, 2009|archive-date=December 15, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091215095123/http://speccoll.library.kent.edu/faculty/mcgilvrey.html|url-status=live}}</ref> McGilvrey had an ambitious vision for the school as a large university, instructing architect [[George F. Hammond]], who designed the original campus buildings, to produce a master plan.<ref>Treichler, p. 1; ''"President McGilvery, always a visionary, harbored the prospect that Kent would one day become a great university, and he instructed [[George F. Hammond|George Hammond]] to generate an architectural master plan to reflect that goal."''</ref> Classes began in 1912 before any buildings had been completed at the campus in Kent. These classes were held at extension centers in 25 cities around the region. By May 1913, classes were being held on the campus in Kent with the opening of Merrill Hall.<ref name=memories1>{{cite book |title=A Book of Memories |last=Hildebrand |first=William H. |author2=Dean H. Keller |author3=Anita Dixon Herington |year=1993 |publisher=Kent State University Press |isbn=0-87338-488-1 |pages=18–20}}</ref> The school graduated 34 students in its first commencement on July 29, 1914. In 1915, the school was renamed '''Kent State Normal College'''<ref>{{cite web |title=Special Collections FAQ |url=http://speccoll.library.kent.edu/scfaq.html#ksu |work=Kent State University Special Collections and Archives FAQ |publisher=Kent State University |access-date= September 22, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080513114532/http://speccoll.library.kent.edu/scfaq.html#ksu |archive-date=May 13, 2008}}</ref> due to the addition of four-year degrees. By then additional buildings had been added or were under construction. Kent State's enrollment growth was particularly notable during its summer terms. In 1924, the school's registration for summer classes was the largest of any teacher-training school in the United States.<ref name=memories1/> In 1929, the state of Ohio changed the name to '''Kent State College''' as it allowed the school to establish a college of arts and sciences.<ref>{{cite book |title=The History of Kent |last=Grismer |first=Karl |year=1932 |publisher=Record Publishing (1932); Kent Historical Society (2001) |location=Kent, OH |page=187 |edition=2001 revision}}</ref>

McGilvrey's vision for Kent was not shared by many others outside the school, particularly at the state level and at other state schools. His efforts to have the state funding formula changed created opposition, particularly from [[Ohio State University]] and its president [[William Oxley Thompson]]. This resulted in a 1923 "credit war" where Ohio State refused Kent transfer credits and spread to several other schools taking similar action. It was this development – along with several other factors – which led to the firing of McGilvrey in January 1926.<ref name=memories1/> McGilvrey was succeeded first by David Allen Anderson (1926–1928) and James Ozro Engleman from 1928 to 1938, though he continued to be involved with the school for several years as president emeritus and as head of alumni relations from 1934 to 1945.<ref name=mcgilvrey/> He was present in [[Columbus, Ohio|Columbus]] on May 17, 1935, when [[Kent, Ohio|Kent]] native Governor [[Martin L. Davey]] signed a bill that allowed Kent State and [[Bowling Green State University|Bowling Green]] to add schools of business administration and graduate programs, giving them each university status; the college's name was thus changed to '''Kent State University'''.<ref name=memories1/>

===1940s to 1960s===
[[File:Kuumba House - Black United Students 1st Black Culture Center 1969.jpg|thumb|Kuumba House in 1969]]
From 1944 to 1963, the university was led by President George Bowman. During his tenure, the student senate, faculty senate and graduate council were organized. Although it had served Stark County from the 1920s, in 1946, the university's first regional campus, the [[Kent State University Stark Campus|Stark Campus]], was established in [[Canton, Ohio]]. In the fall of 1947, Bowman appointed [[Oscar W. Ritchie]] as a full-time faculty member. Ritchie's appointment to the faculty made him the first [[African American]] to serve on the faculty at Kent State and also made him the first African American professor to serve on the faculty of any state university in Ohio. In 1977, the former Student Union, which had been built in 1949, was rededicated as Oscar Ritchie Hall in his honor.<ref>{{cite news|first= Curtis T.|last= Clingman|title= Dr. Oscar W. Ritchie|url= http://hierographics.org/owritchiebio.htm|newspaper= Spectrum|publisher= HieroGraphics Online|date= September 17, 1979|edition= 1998 Revision|access-date= September 23, 2009|archive-date= January 9, 2009|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090109212637/http://hierographics.org/owritchiebio.htm|url-status= live}}</ref> Recently renovated, Oscar Ritchie Hall currently houses the department of [[Pan-African Studies]] the Center of Pan-African Culture, the Henry Dumas Library, the Institute for African American Affairs, the Garrett Morgan Computer Lab and the African Community Theatre.<ref>{{cite news|first= Melissa|last= Elder|title= Renovations for Oscar Ritchie on Track|url= http://einside.kent.edu/?type=art&id=86728|newspaper= eInside|publisher= Kent State University|date= February 11, 2008|access-date= September 23, 2009|archive-date= July 5, 2010|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100705101148/http://einside.kent.edu/?type=art&id=86728|url-status= live}}</ref>

The 1950s and 1960s saw continued growth in both enrollment and in the physical size of the campus. Several new dorms and academic buildings were built during this time, including the establishment of additional regional campuses in [[Warren, Ohio|Warren]] (1954), [[Kent State University Ashtabula Campus|Ashtabula]] (1957), [[New Philadelphia, Ohio|New Philadelphia]] (1962), [[Salem, Ohio|Salem]] (1962), [[Burton, Ohio|Burton]] (1964), and [[Kent State University East Liverpool Campus|East Liverpool]], [[Ohio]] (1965).<ref>Hildebrand, Herrington, & Keller; pp. 267-270</ref> In 1961, grounds superintendent Larry Wooddell and Biff Staples of the [[Davey Tree Expert Company]] released ten cages of [[black squirrel]]s obtained from [[Victoria Park, London (Ontario)|Victoria Park]] in [[London, Ontario]], Canada, onto the Kent State campus. By 1964 their estimated population was around 150 and today they have spread in and around Kent and have become unofficial mascots of both the city and university. Since 1981, the annual Black Squirrel Festival is held every fall on campus.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.victoria-park.com/ksu.htm |title=London Black Squirrels Take Over Kent State University |access-date=September 23, 2009 |work=Victoria-Park.com |year=2002 |archive-date=May 30, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090530144103/http://www.victoria-park.com/ksu.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>Hildebrand, Herrington, & Keller; p. 258</ref>

In 1965, chemistry professor Glenn H. Brown established the [[Liquid Crystal Institute]],<ref name=KHS>{{cite book |title=Kent Ohio: The Dynamic Decades |editor=Darrow, Ralph |year=1999 |publisher=Kent Historical Society |location=Kent, OH |page=123}}</ref> a world leader in the research and development of the multibillion-dollar [[liquid crystal]] industry.<ref>{{cite journal |last= Johnson|first= Christopher |date= August 1, 2005|title= Liquid Crystal Institute blazes new trails at Kent State|journal= Inside Business|publisher=Great Lakes Publishing |url= http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-160029070.html|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121102024242/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-160029070.html|archive-date= November 2, 2012|access-date=September 23, 2009 |quote= ...the world's No. 1 liquid crystal research center is at Kent State University: the Liquid Crystal Institute (LCI).}}</ref> [[James Fergason]] invented and patented the basic [[Twisted nematic field effect|TN LCD]] in 1969<ref>{{cite journal |last=Johnson |first=Christopher |date=May 10, 1999 |title=Liquid Lessons: The Missed Opportunity of Liquid Crystal Technology isn't Lost on Researchers Striving to Establish a MEMS Industry Here |journal=Crain's Cleveland Business |publisher=Crain Communications |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-54607677.html |access-date=September 23, 2009 |quote= in the 1970s, soon after Kent State University researcher James Fergason first invented the basic liquid crystal.}}{{dead link|date=February 2019|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=James Fergason - Lemelson-MIT Program |url=https://lemelson.mit.edu/resources/james-fergason |website=lemelson.mit.edu |access-date=June 24, 2019 |archive-date=June 24, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190624040827/https://lemelson.mit.edu/resources/james-fergason |url-status=live }}</ref> and ten liquid crystal companies have been spun off from the institute.<ref>{{cite news |last=Pettypiece |first=Shannon |date=August 29, 2005 |title=Crystal clear; Kent State playing lead role in exploring medical, anti-bioterror uses for liquid crystal technology. |journal=Crain's Cleveland Business |publisher=Crain Communications|url= http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-135711290.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081122160052/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-135711290.html |archive-date=November 22, 2008 |access-date=September 23, 2009 |quote=Since that time, the university has spun off 10 companies developing liquid crystal technology.}}</ref>

In 1967, Kent State became the first university to run an independent, student-operated Campus Bus Service. It was unique in that it provided jobs for students, receiving funding from student fees rather than bus fares. Campus Bus Service was the largest such operation in the country until it merged with the [[Portage Area Regional Transportation Authority]] in 2004.<ref>{{cite web |title=Kent State University Campus Bus Service: History 1965-2004 |url=http://www.partaonline.org/pdfs/CBShistory.pdf |year=2004 |work=PARTAonline.org |publisher=[[Portage Area Regional Transportation Authority|PARTA]] |access-date=September 23, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090327091411/http://www.partaonline.org/pdfs/CBShistory.pdf |archive-date=March 27, 2009}}</ref> 1969 saw the opening of a [[Dix Stadium|new Memorial Stadium]] on the far eastern edge of campus and the closure and dismantling of the [[Memorial Stadium (Kent)|old Memorial Stadium]].

===Kent State shootings===
{{main|Kent State shootings}}
[[File:May4thMemorial.JPG|thumb|The May 4 Memorial commemorating the [[Kent State shootings]]]]
Kent State gained international attention on May 4, 1970, when an [[Ohio Army National Guard]] unit fired at students during an anti-war protest on campus, killing four and wounding nine. The Guard had been called into Kent after several protests in and around campus had become violent, including a riot in downtown Kent and the burning of the [[Reserve Officers' Training Corps|ROTC]] building. The main cause of the protests was the United States' [[Cambodian Campaign|invasion of Cambodia]] during the [[Vietnam War]].<ref>Hildebrand, Herrington, & Keller; pp. 165-166</ref> The shootings caused an immediate closure of the campus with students and faculty given just 60&nbsp;minutes to pack belongings. Around the country, many college campuses canceled classes or closed for fear of similar violent protests.<ref>{{cite web |title=Kent State Shootings |url=http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/entry.php?rec=1595&nm=Kent-State-Shootings |date=July 1, 2005 |work=Ohio History Central |publisher=Ohio Historical Society |access-date=September 23, 2009 |archive-date=August 28, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080828181046/http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/entry.php?rec=1595&nm=Kent-State-Shootings |url-status=live }}</ref> In Kent, schools were closed and the National Guard restricted entry into the city limits, patrolling the area until May 8. With the campus closed, faculty members came up with a variety of solutions—including holding classes in their homes, at public buildings and places, via telephone, or through the mail—to allow their students to complete the term, which was only a few weeks away at the time.<ref>Hildebrand, Herrington, & Keller; pp. 181-183</ref>

In 1971, the university established the Center for Peaceful Change, now known as the Center for Applied Conflict Management, as a "living memorial" to the students who had died. It offers degree programs in Peace and Conflict Studies<ref>{{cite web |title=Center for Applied Conflict Management |url=http://www.kent.edu/cacm/ |date=May 15, 2008 |work=Kent.edu |publisher=Kent State University |access-date=September 23, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070303135344/http://www.kent.edu/cacm/ |archive-date=March 3, 2007}}</ref> and Conflict Resolution and is one of the earliest such programs in the United States.

In response to, and protest of, the Kent State shootings, [[Neil Young]] wrote the song "[[Ohio (Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young song)|Ohio]]" which was performed by the folk rock group [[Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young]]. In remembrance of the tragedy, a group of professors and students created a website that features a map with oral histories and eyewitness accounts of the event.<ref>{{cite web |title=Mapping May 4 |url=http://www.kent.edu/cacm/ |publisher=Kent State University |access-date=May 3, 2022 |archive-date=March 3, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070303135344/http://www.kent.edu/cacm/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===1970s to 1980s===
[[File:KSULibrary09NEW.JPG|thumb|Kent State University Library via Esplanade, which extends from College Towers Apartments to the downtown area of Kent]]
Also in 1970, the university opened its 12-story library, moving from the previous home of Rockwell Hall to the tallest building in [[Portage County, Ohio|Portage County]].<ref>{{cite news |first=Michelle |last=Poje |title=PERC up: research papers aren't so bad with help from library |url=http://media.www.kentnewsnet.com/media/storage/paper867/news/2005/08/24/News/Perc-Up.Research.Papers.Arent.So.Bad.With.Help.From.Library-1517541.shtml |newspaper=Daily Kent Stater |publisher=KentNewsNet.com |date=August 24, 2005 |access-date=September 23, 2009 |quote=With its 12 floors of resources and well-known status as the tallest building in Portage County...}}{{dead link|date=May 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref> Dedicated in 1971, the library became a member of the [[Association of Research Libraries]] in 1973.<ref>Hildebrand, Herrington, & Keller; p. 187</ref> Kent State joined with the [[University of Akron]] and [[Youngstown State University]] in establishing the [[Northeastern Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy|Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine]] in 1973. It was the world's first medical consortium.<ref>Darrow, p. 17</ref> Today it includes a college of [[pharmacy]] and [[Cleveland State University]] as an additional consortium member.<ref>{{cite web |title=About NEOUCOM: Universities |url=http://www.neoucom.edu/audience/about/consortium/Universities |work=NEOUCOM.edu |publisher=[[Northeastern Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy]] |access-date=September 23, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090317042326/http://www.neoucom.edu/audience/about/consortium/Universities |archive-date=March 17, 2009}}</ref>

Kent State was again in the national spotlight in 1977 when construction was set to begin on the Memorial Gym Annex, adjacent to the area where the [[Kent State shootings]] had occurred in 1970. Protesters organized a [[Tent city#Kent State University|tent city]] in May, which lasted into July. Several attempts were made to block construction even after the end of the tent city, including an appeal to the [[United States Congress]] and the [[United States Department of the Interior|Department of the Interior]] to have the area declared a [[National Historic Landmark]], which ended up being unsuccessful. Additional rallies were held that year, including one attended by [[Joan Baez]] on August 20. After several additional unsuccessful legal challenges, construction finally began on September 19 and was finished in 1979.<ref>{{cite web |title=Tent City Chronology (Gym Annex Controversy) |author1=Slobodinski, Mikhail |author2=Schrager, Jennifer |url=http://speccoll.library.kent.edu/4May70/citychron.html |work=Kent State University Special Collections and Archives |publisher=Kent State University |access-date=September 23, 2009 |archive-date=February 10, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090210100013/http://speccoll.library.kent.edu/4May70/citychron.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

===1990–present===
In March 1991, Kent State once again made history by appointing [[Carol Cartwright]] as president of the university, the first female to hold such a position at any state university in Ohio.<ref>{{cite web|title= Carol A. Cartwright|url= https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=2101541|year= 2009|work= NPR.org|publisher= National Public Radio|access-date= September 23, 2009|archive-date= July 26, 2009|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090726093130/http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=2101541|url-status= live}}</ref> In 1994, Kent State was named a "Research University II" by the Carnegie Foundation. Beginning in the late 1990s, the university began a series of building renovations and construction, which included the complete renovation of the historic original campus,<ref>{{cite web|title=Franklin Hall |url=http://kentstate.kent.edu/directions/kent/building.asp?Building=9 |date=October 26, 2007 |work=Directions & Maps |publisher=Kent State University |access-date=September 23, 2009 |quote=Franklin Hall rehabilitation marks the last phase of major projects to restore the historic front campus to its former splendor... |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100612003243/http://kentstate.kent.edu/directions/kent/building.asp?Building=9 |archive-date=June 12, 2010}}</ref> the construction of several new residence halls, a student recreation center, and additional academic buildings on the Kent Campus and at the regional campuses.<ref>{{cite news|title= News Briefs|url= http://einside.kent.edu/?type=art&id=91617#construction|newspaper= eInside|publisher= Kent State University|date= March 2, 2009|access-date= September 23, 2009|archive-date= June 14, 2010|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100614104106/http://einside.kent.edu/?type=art&id=91617#construction|url-status= live}}</ref> In September 2010, the university announced its largest student body ever, with a total enrollment of 41,365.<ref>{{cite news |first=Matt |last=Fredmonsky |title=KSU enrollment breaks record |url=http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4894856 |newspaper=Record-Courier |date=September 15, 2010 |access-date=September 15, 2010 |archive-date=September 18, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100918125157/http://recordpub.com/news/article/4894856 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[U.S. News & World Report]]'s 2017 rankings put Kent State as tied for #188 for National Universities and tied for #101 in Top Public Schools.<ref>{{cite web|title=Kent State University|url=http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/kent-state-university-3051|website=www.colleges.usnews.rankingsand reviews.com|publisher=U.S. News & World Report L.P.|access-date=December 18, 2016|archive-date=February 6, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170206041559/http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/kent-state-university-3051|url-status=live}}</ref> Kent State had a Fall 2015 acceptance rate of 85%.<ref>{{cite web|title=Kent State University|url=http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/kent-state-university-3051|website=www.colleges.usnews.rankingsand reviews.com|publisher=U.S. News & World Report L.P.|access-date=December 18, 2016|archive-date=February 6, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170206041559/http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/kent-state-university-3051|url-status=live}}</ref>