Kent State University

Ohio's new higher education bill, Senate Bill 1, requires universities to submit lists of programs granting five or less degrees annually, to be ended in a bid to make colleges more efficient. Kent State University and Cuyahoga Community College both submitted several dozen programs each.

The students demanded the university not "over comply" with Senate Bill 1, which the university cited in June when it moved to close its LGBTQ+, multicultural and women's centers on campus.

The fund, newly established by the Portage Foundation, will seed new support programs for LGBTQ+ students and residents, and emergency aid for students.

Kent State University announced it will be closing its LGBTQ Center, Multicultural Center and Women's Center in response to a new state law. Students expressed concern about the loss of support services they have come to rely on.

The move to close the centers to comply with Senate Bill 1 comes after other major universities in Ohio have closed their diversity, equity and inclusion offices and ended their multicultural, women's and LGBTQ+ centers.

The move comes as visas for international students have been revoked at the University of Cincinnati and elsewhere across the country.

Kent State University's Transformation 2028 plan calls for cutting the total number of academic leaders and consolidating colleges but does not mean those officials will be laid off.

The plan calls for merging schools and colleges to try to save money but also as a way to foster innovation.

What can colleges and universities across the country learn from Kent State's example, when 13 students were shot and four were killed in 1970?

Kent State's annual May 4 commemoration is just weeks away, and organizers want to make it an engaging and relevant experience for a wide audience.