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Flashes First Friday, one of the signature events of KSU Kickoff, invites �鶹����Ƶ State’s newest Golden Flashes to discover downtown �鶹����Ƶ – not simply as a place next to campus, but as part of the community they are now calling home. 

It’s Aug. 19, a sunny, 80-degree day in �鶹����Ƶ, Ohio, and some of the nearly 6,000 �鶹����Ƶ 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, �鶹����Ƶ State Today was there to get a glimpse of one of the most exciting days on campus.

For Nathan Smith, the first lesson came before he met Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine. Ask. The �鶹����Ƶ State student 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 �鶹����Ƶ State.

Melody Tankersley, �鶹����Ƶ State’s executive vice president and provost, drew on “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood” to share five leadership lessons with summer 2026 graduates at the August commencement.

�鶹����Ƶ’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. 

�鶹����Ƶ State is introducing a $1,000 scholarship for domestic, prospective first-year undergraduate students who visit in person and enroll at the �鶹����Ƶ Campus and eliminating the undergraduate application fee for all domestic, Ohio residents – two new steps to make a college education more accessible and affordable.

Is social media making Gen Z less social? The Akron Beacon Journal explored that question in a recent feature centered on �鶹����Ƶ Senior Lecturer Aaron Maguire and his Communication and Conflict Management course in the School of Communication Studies.

For many students at �鶹����Ƶ, talking about mental health or wellness can feel intimidating. But for those who connect with Certified Peer Educators, those conversations often start with something simple: another student who understands.

�鶹����Ƶ students had the opportunity to reflect on the impact of philanthropy during Flashes Give Back Week in April, including Thank-A-Giver (TAG) Day, an annual event designed to highlight the role of donor support across campus.

Laurie Ann Moennich, Ph.D., didn't arrive at �鶹����Ƶ planning to change healthcare. She came to study graphic design. But �鶹����Ƶ State had a way of opening doors she didn't even know existed.

�鶹����Ƶ graduate Emma Sherrie, '09, always had a feeling she would study anthropology, but still she took the time to check out all the other options available before finally settling on her original plan. �鶹����Ƶ State’s Exploratory Program, which helps undecided students sample different disciplines before committing to a major, was a key part of Sherrie’s experience, and the main reason she chose �鶹����Ƶ State in the first place.

During her recent high-profile UNESCO assessment of Mont-Saint-Michel in Normandy, France, Mary Ann Devine meticulously documented how the island's medieval architecture inherently limits universal access.

A �鶹����Ƶ student from Turkmenistan is making a name for himself in Northeast Ohio’s distance running community, as recently featured on WKYC-TV’s “Heartstrings” series.

Healthcare professionals trained in other countries often find that they need additional training before they are permitted to practice in the United States. For foreign-trained physical therapists and physical therapist assistants, �鶹����Ƶ provides a way to bridge that gap.

More than two decades of research on a project led by a �鶹����Ƶ professor has resulted in a new discovery in nuclear physics that is being celebrated nationally. 

�鶹����Ƶ Professor Pratim Datta, Ph.D., a faculty member in the Ambassador Crawford College of Business and Entrepreneurship's Department of Information Systems and Business Analytics, was a featured guest on a recent episode of Cybersecurity Today.

A �鶹����Ƶ State professor and students helped Walls Elementary recover a time capsule.

Philip Wagner’s story begins in Northeast Ohio, but the arc of his career has always bent toward �鶹����Ƶ.

The future of engineering at �鶹����Ƶ State reached an important milestone this spring as the College of Aeronautics and Engineering welcomed its first class of inductees into the Order of the Engineer. 

When the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce asked �鶹����Ƶ State fashion students to design collections for the 2026 Pro Football Hall of Fame Fashion Show, they didn't just create outfits. They created stories.

When �鶹����Ƶ sophomore Parker Lamy went to see Idina Menzel perform with The Cleveland Orchestra at Blossom Music Center on July 26, she wasn’t expecting to sing a duet onstage with the Broadway star. Fortunately, she was dressed for the occasion.

For nearly 60 years, Porthouse Theatre has brought the power of theatre to the Northeast Ohio community while training the next generation of theatre artists. The annual summer-long program has become a beloved regional icon that produces three musicals, attracts more than 20,000 visitors and employs more than 100 student and professional artists each season. 

�鶹����Ƶ has announced the implementation of a new Clear Bag Policy for all home ticketed events, beginning this fall with the 2026 football season. The policy is designed to enhance venue security, reduce wait times at entry points, and provide a safer environment for fans, guests, and student-athletes.

Justine Siegal started her journey with �鶹����Ƶ before she was even enrolled as a student. She had heard about the sports studies and while she knew she would not be accepted on her test scores alone, she felt her lifelong passion for sports would carry some weight. 

�鶹����Ƶ State Athletics announced today that the Golden Flashes football program has scheduled a game at Notre Dame on Saturday, October 2, 2027.