Summary: President Warren has finally found the heart of Kent State: the students. We encourage her to keep listening and to do what she can to improve the Kent State experience.

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, President Beverly Warren says she has found the heart of Kent State. During her speech Tuesday, Warren said that during her Listening Tour there were several words that kept coming up in conversations with current and former students. 

The number one word mentioned? “Home.”

Along with the words “community,” “family,” “caring” and “opportunity,” Warren said she was surprised at the sense of connection that already existed between the people that define the university. 

“Students are at the core of what we do,” Warren said. 

Throughout her tour, Warren emphasized that she wants to create a shared vision for Kent State’s future amongst not only the students and faculty of the main campus but also to create a more unified sense of culture throughout the regional branches. Kent State should be a community of engaged and diverse learners, she said.

We applaud Warren for taking an active role in learning more about the university system that she now leads. We applaud her for getting involved with faculty and staff directly. We applaud her for being willing to listen to the concerns and advice of graduates, alumni and even current students. We applaud her for wanting to create one identity amongst all members of the Kent State community.

We also hope that, despite the Listening Tour coming to an end, Warren continues to listen to the people who are the heart of Kent State: the students.

The above editorial is the consensus opinion of The Kent Stater editorial board, whose names are listed above.