Kent State President Beverly Warren will hold her first State of the University Address on Nov. 19 at 3 p.m in the Kiva.

“I think that it is really valuable to bring the university together in a conversation at least once a year and to celebrate,” Warren said. “What I’m hoping is the State of the University Address will be viewed as a real celebration of the achievements of the prior year, but also it gives us the opportunity to think about what’s ahead for us as a university community.”

An annual fixture under former President Lester Lefton, Warren did not hold an address in her first year at the university. She said her address will focus on both the past year and some new ideas for the future.

“It will be predominantly shaping of where we are at this point … so it’ll be some of that,” she said. “But, I am going to share some ideas, and I’m calling it ‘Imagine if we thought like this, imagine if we pursued this particular idea.’ So, it’s not meant to be etched in stone. It’s not meant to be any kind of mandate that that’s the kind of direction I’m moving, but I’m going to share my thoughts.”  

Warren said she brought back the tradition because it presents an opportunity to recap the university’s accomplishments, share her ideas with the community and receive feedback via the Q&A session that follows.

“I think it’s about communication, transparency, excitement to be apart of a community, and I’m hoping that’s how people see the State of the University Address,” Warren said. “Some people (think) that they are a bit dry and a bit stayed and not enjoyable. We’re really working to make this one a very enjoyable experience and we’re really staging it around a celebration of Kent State.”

Warren also confirmed that the 2017 graduation will take place at Dix Stadium, with all eight campuses converging for the university’s first full ceremony. 

She said students are encouraged to propose who they would like to see as the ceremony’s commencement speaker.

Ian Flickinger is the administration reporter for The Kent Stater. Contact him at [email protected]