Kent State’s new initiative, Transformation 2028, outlines a vision for how the university will evolve over the next few years, focusing on academic innovation, student success and community impact.
Through this transformation, Kent State aims to strengthen its position as a leading public institution while creating new opportunities for students and faculty to thrive.
Transformation 2028 aims to review and improve how the university’s colleges and programs operate, looking for ways to make them better connected.
“The idea behind Transformation 2028 was to take a look at all the different aspects of Academic Affairs, all the degree-granting colleges at the university — and see how efficiently they’re being run and what connections can be fostered between them,” Scott Sheridan, interim associate provost for academic affairs and interim dean of the Graduate College, said.
While the project involves significant administrative changes, Sheridan said students’ classroom experiences will remain largely the same.
“Overall, it won’t affect students much at all,” he said. “A lot of what we’re doing looks at the administrative oversight of academic programs rather than what happens in the classroom.”
Freshman exploratory major Brooke Jones said she appreciates the university’s efforts to keep the campus informed and hopes the changes will improve efficiency without disrupting academics.
“I think it’s good that the university is being open about what’s changing,” Jones said. “As long as it doesn’t affect our classes or programs, I don’t think most students will even notice much of a difference.”
Sheridan said even if departments begin sharing leadership roles, the programs themselves will remain intact, ensuring that students’ academic experiences are not disrupted.
“Some departments may share a chair with another department in the future, but that doesn’t remove the department or change what students experience day-to-day,” he said.
Kent State has created a webpage and held multiple meetings with administrators to keep everyone involved and informed about the changes.
“We’ve made the Transformation 2028 website as a resource with all the relevant information, and we’ve had ongoing conversations with faculty and student groups across campus,” Sheridan said.
Jones said she was initially unsure what the goals of Transformation 2028 meant for her major, but felt reassured after learning more about them.
“I was a little confused at first when I heard about Transformation 2028, but it’s reassuring to know the goal is to make things run smoother, not cut programs or change what we study,” she said.
Sheridan said Transformation 2028 is a deliberate process intended to make improvements rather than sudden cuts or rapid restructuring.
“The goal isn’t to take a hatchet to everything and make quick changes, but to be deliberate, engage everyone, and make thoughtful adjustments that will strengthen the university moving forward,” he said.
Unlike many institutions that make internal changes quietly, Kent State has aimed for full transparency and community involvement from the very beginning, Sheridan said.
“A lot of other universities handle realignments behind the scenes, but from the start, our president and provost made it clear we wanted full community engagement,” Sheridan said.
Savannah Carroll is a beat reporter. Contact her at [email protected].
