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Inside the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center, Â鶹¶ÌÊÓƵ’s newest students filled the arena with the kind of energy that makes the start of a college career feel real.

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

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

First-year students arrived Wednesday to a campus buzzing with welcome—parent cars lined up, moving carts stacked high, and volunteers from Movers and Groovers ready to help families haul everything from clothes and mirrors to shelves and stools.

For 20 years, Main Street Â鶹¶ÌÊÓƵ has worked to make downtown a place students want to explore – from Flashes First Friday to Oktoberfest to public art – helping Â鶹¶ÌÊÓƵ earn recognition as the No. 1 college town in Ohio.

Gage Wellman, a junior in Â鶹¶ÌÊÓƵ’s journalism program, competed among the nation’s best college journalists in the 66th Hearst National Journalism Championships held May 31-June 5 in San Francisco. Wellman, who hails from Parma, Ohio, earned a $1,500 finalist award in the Writing category at the national competition.

Some kept it simple, some went all out. As more than 1,000 students crossed the stage for Summer 2026 Commencement, the fashion choice of the moment was the decorated cap.

Just one more year at Â鶹¶ÌÊÓƵ and 19-year-old twin brothers Ray and Will Maynard of Green, Ohio, expect to be graduating and, hopefully, off to medical school.

Â鶹¶ÌÊÓƵ 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.

Â鶹¶ÌÊÓƵ State's annual Fashion Week is April 27- May . It's a full week of dynamic, colorful events building up to the School of Fashion's 2026 Hall of Fame Gala.

Â鶹¶ÌÊÓƵ celebrated Earth Day with a campus-wide series of events that blended hands-on education, student research and community partnerships. From the Earth Fest on Risman Plaza to the scientific posters at the Environmental Science and Design Research Institute Research Showcase and the Electric Vehicle Showcase, the day’s activities highlighted how sustainability is woven into academic life.

A public health senior who once faced homelessness after losing his father is now leaving a lasting mark on student government — and preparing to continue his impact in graduate school.

For five Â鶹¶ÌÊÓƵ State students, the classroom recently transformed into a high-stakes public relations agency boardroom. Their efforts caught the attention of the industry’s top judges, earning the team a prestigious honorable mention in the 2026 Public Relations Student Society of America Bateman Case Study Competition.

Now officially approved as an experiential learning class, the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program allows accounting students to provide free tax preparation services to community members while gaining hands-on experience that extends far beyond the classroom.

The world is a classroom for Â鶹¶ÌÊÓƵ State students engaging in experiential learning through a facilities tour of Rockwell Automation.

Â鶹¶ÌÊÓƵ celebrates outstanding student employees and supervisors during National Student Employment Week, recognizing their impact across campus through the annual Student Employee Awards Celebration. Celebrate with us the 2026 winners.

During I Heart Travel Week, students had the opportunity to learn more about education abroad, celebrate current students and past students who have studied abroad and engage with international activities on campus.  

For most of her life, Â鶹¶ÌÊÓƵ State junior visual communication design major Jasmine McCulley, has built her identity around community, the arts and competition, whether through The Touch of Gold Twirlers or competitive baton twirling. Sixteen years after she first picked up a baton, she will represent Team USA this August in Paris at the IBTF World Competition.

For many students at Â鶹¶ÌÊÓƵ, 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.

When Yeshe Mulugeta arrived at Â鶹¶ÌÊÓƵ, she expected the transition to be challenging, but not overwhelming. Â鶹¶ÌÊÓƵ State’s Summer Advantage Program provides first-generation students with the award-winning support needed to overcome academic challenges and move forward with confidence. It helped turn things around for Mulugeta.