Editor’s note: This article has been updated to accurately reflect the plan for Transformation 2028.
Kent State is set to reduce academic leadership positions by 40% under the newly endorsed Transformation 28 plan. The plan, approved by the Board of Trustees at its quarterly meeting on March 19, aims to strengthen the Division of Academic Affairs and reduce the university’s costs.
The Board of Trustees separately approved inactivating nine majors that have low enrollment.
A committee of faculty, staff and administrators developed nine T28 models. The finalized plan, the Gold+ plan, was chosen to move forward. The Gold+ plan separates the university into three consortiums to reorganize the academic units within the Division of Academic Affairs.
Under the finalized plan, the university will eliminate “one dean, approximately 13 assistant and associate deans and approximately 16 chairs and directors,” according to a press release. This will lead to an estimated cost savings of $1.5 million. The majority of leaders affected by this will return to their nine-month faculty roles.
Kent State also announced the following changes to the university’s colleges, although the names of the colleges are not yet finalized:
- The College of Architecture and Environmental Design will be the College of Architecture and Built Environments
- The College of the Arts and the College of Arts and Sciences will be combined to create the College of Arts, Design and Media
- The College of Communication and Information will be eliminated and dispersed between the colleges of Science and Humanities and Arts, Design and Media
Additionally, the board approved the launch of three new undergraduate programs starting in the fall of 2025: Health Policy and Management and Social and Behavioral Sciences, which will fall under the College of Public Health, and User Experience Design in the College of Communication and Information.
As the university moves forward with Transformation 28, questions remain regarding its impact on students, faculty and academic resources. Kent State is expected to provide additional updates as the transition progresses, with the first new programs launching in fall 2025.
For more information about the finalized T28 model, visit the Kent State website.
Grace Claxon is a campus editor. Contact her at [email protected].
Sydney Brown is a Kent Stater TV Reporter. Contact her at [email protected].
