Akron Roundtable

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Todd Diacon, Kent State University President: Access and Affordability in Public Higher Education

By Jon Nungesser

Published June 23, 2022 at 9:39 PM EDT

Todd Diacon, President, Kent State University [ KENT STATE UNIVERSITY] — Todd Diacon, President, Kent State University

About the Presentation:

Many would acknowledge that we are entering a third wave of access to public higher education in America. We will review the first two waves of access, the markers of this third wave, and discuss changes in who pays for the cost of earning a college education, with Kent State University offered as an example of these trends.

About Our Speaker:

Todd Diacon became Kent State University's 13th president in July 2019. A tireless advocate for student success, President Diacon has more than 30 years of experience in higher education leadership.

His commitment to college affordability and access has resulted in nationally recognized initiatives to boost student retention, graduation rates and academic achievement.

President Diacon joined Kent State as provost in 2012 and has been at the forefront of expanding Kent State's international presence, has led the charge to recruit and promote more diverse faculty, and has helped the university attract world-renowned leaders in the fields of aviation, engineering, brain health, liquid crystals, and peace and conflict studies.

Before coming to Kent State, President Diacon served as deputy chancellor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he also was a professor of history. He began his career at the University of Tennessee as a history professor.

A native of Wellington, Kansas, President Diacon specializes in agrarian history and the history of central state power in Brazil. He earned his bachelor's degree from Southwestern College in Kansas and his master's and doctoral degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

He has authored publications on student success and the administration of higher education, and he has written numerous journal articles and two books, including "Stringing Together a Nation," which won the 2005 Warren Dean Memorial Prize for the most significant book on Brazilian history.

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