In the February edition of the ‘Talking with Todd’ series, Kent State President Todd Diacon discussed the upcoming changes the university will have to face in light of Transformation 2028, Ohio Senate Bill 1 and several executive orders by the new Trump administration.
Recently, Diacon has not sugar-coated the fact that the university must submit to these changes so it can prosper and succeed. He was vocal about these changes at a Faculty Senate meeting on Feb. 10 and in an email sent to the Kent State community Feb. 18.
“We will follow the law, but it won’t change our commitment to each member of our community,” he said. “It will look different, but that bedrock commitment to doing everything we can to help each other will continue.”
Diacon began by explaining why the T28 changes are necessary, referring to comments from state officials in regards to having too many public universities and campuses in comparison to the population and enrollment.
As a historian, Diacon said he understood their concerns. He added that the environment is very different now than it was back then, when the population was much bigger and the baby boom was in full swing in Ohio.
“In this context, it is more important than ever to be efficient,” he said. “It’s more important than ever that we be effective. It’s more important than ever that we do not run annual deficits.”
Diacon went on to explain the changes SB1 will bring, particularly, the elimination and ban of many DEI initiatives. He admitted he doesn’t have “great clarity” on what that means, but that he will keep the university community posted.
Diacon also added that if the university doesn’t make these changes, it risks losing state and federal funding, which contributes a large chunk toward the budget and revenue. He confirmed the university will have to make real changes to how the community cares for one another.
“That’s not a wink and nod saying that if x, y and z are banned, we’ll continue to do x, y and z under a different name,” Diacon said. “We will not do that.”
Despite the cloudiness of it all, Diacon assured the Kent State community not to worry, as administration is prepared to handle the coming changes.
“Nothing is happening that we didn’t see coming,” he said. “We’ve been planning for this in many ways since 2017.”
To end his comments, Diacon said that while things will change, “the sky isn’t falling,” and that everything will be okay.
“We’re going to control what we can control,” he said.
In the question-and-answer portion of the talk, Diacon diffused worries that SB1 would affect degree programs. He added SB1 refers to residence halls and student life, but not academic affairs.
Diacon also said the university-wide hiring freeze will remain in place, likely for the next fiscal year as well.
The university will do its best to keep students informed of the changes they will make in regards to interpreting state and federal laws, Diacon said.
Once SB1 passes, Kent State will have a 90-day period to enact the required changes, according to Diacon.
John Engoglia is a beat reporter. Contact him at [email protected].