Board of Trustees to break ground on Crawford Hall

Christian Danner, Reporter|February 28, 2022

Courtesy of Kent State University

A rendering of Crawford Hall, what will be the new building for the Ambassador Crawford College of Business and Entrepreneurship, formerly known as the College of Business Administration. The Kent State Board of Trustees voted to approve the renaming of the college and construction of the new building at its meeting on Friday, Oct. 22, 2021. The new building will be located at the current site of Terrace Hall, located between East Main Street and Terrace Drive.

A rendering of Crawford Hall, what will be the new building for the Ambassador Crawford College of Business and Entrepreneurship, formerly known as the College of Business Administration. The Kent State Board of Trustees voted to approve the renaming of the college and construction of the new building at its meeting on Friday, Oct. 22, 2021. The new building will be located at the current site of Terrace Hall, located between East Main Street and Terrace Drive. (Courtesy of Kent State University)

Due to the largest contribution in Kent State history, the new College of Business and Entrepreneurship building is set to break ground March 8 at 2 p.m.

The groundbreaking is the last of the Board of Trustees’ March commitments, following a week of standing committees and public meetings.

The standing committee meetings will be held on Zoom:

  • Academic Excellence and Student Success Committee, Monday, Feb. 28, 1-2 p.m.

  • Audit and Compliance Committee, Wednesday, March 2, 1-2 p.m.

  • External Relations and Philanthropy Committee, Wednesday, March 2, 11 a.m.-12 p.m.

  • Finance and Administration Committee, Tuesday, March 1, 4:30-5:30 p.m.

More information regarding the meetings of the standing committees, as well as meeting agenda, can be found on the Board of Trustees’ webpage.

On March 8, the board will retire into executive session at 10 a.m. to consider topics provided under Ohio’s “Sunshine Law,” which gives Ohio residents access to government meetings and records. A roll call vote for the session will occur publicly in the Alumni Suite on the third floor of the Student Center.

The board will then assemble in the Student Center Ballroom at 11:30 a.m. to consider the recommendations of the standing committees and propose personnel actions and new business.

The meeting of the full Board of Trustees will be held in person with a limited number of seats available for the public and university community. Additional public access will be provided via livestream.

The board will then join the university community for the groundbreaking of the Crawford Hall site, which will be held in a heated outdoor tent on Front Campus, near 50 Midway Drive.

The building will be named after Ambassador Edward F. Crawford, who made a commitment to donate a minimum of $28 million to the university. Crawford served as U.S. ambassador to the Republic of Ireland from 2019 to 2021.

Crawford’s gift was a pivotal contribution towards the university’s “Forever Brighter” campaign. The $350 million campaign aims to prioritize students, expand university initiatives and build the future.

The Board of Trustees approved the construction of the building in a special meeting held Friday, Oct. 22.

Christian Danner is a reporter. Contact him at [email protected].