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The gap between the number of trained cybersecurity professionals and the number of available positions has increased in the past few years. To help bridge the gap, ºÚÁÏÍø’s College of Applied and Technical Studies will be offering an associate degree in cybersecurity starting fall 2021.

Ryan Claassen, professor of political science at Kent State, conducted research during the fall semester finding that American voters think politicians view situations differently depending on party affiliation. Claassen’s research was recently featured in an article from the Record-Courier. 

ºÚÁÏÍø at Salem has made its next steps in the university’s Energy Master Plan by installing sustainable, cost effective solar panels. A recent story by Salem News detailed the project’s importance and the progress made so far by the Salem and East Liverpool campuses.

ºÚÁÏÍø’s Senior Guest program provides an opportunity for senior citizens to get back in the classroom - for free. Similar programs are available across the state, thanks to a 1999 Ohio revised code that says every public university in Ohio must allow those 60 years and older who have lived in the state for at least one year to enroll in courses tuition free.

Since 2015, Bournemouth University’s Center for Health and Media Research has conducted an election analysis, including rapid responses and contributions from several leading U.S. and international academics, which, this year, includes four from ºÚÁÏÍø.

ºÚÁÏÍø will hold its annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 21, to celebrate King’s life and legacy. Serving as this year’s keynote speaker is CNN political analyst and former South Carolina state Rep. Bakari Sellers. The virtual program is free and open to the public.

While gathering an isolated community together in the time of COVID-19 may seem nearly impossible, one organization has created a safe space for its clients to push togetherness to the forefront of their daily lives. Books@Work has worked tirelessly to bring both companies and communities together through literature. The participants for these meetings come from 26 states across America, with 30 university professors selected to facilitate these meetings. The organization and its Kent State connection were recently featured in a WEWS-TV (Cleveland) story.

ºÚÁÏÍø and Akron-area foundations have partnered to support students in the Greater Akron community in a time of dire need through a collaboration that prioritizes positive regional impact and improving lives through education. 

ºÚÁÏÍø’s inaugural drive-thru food distribution event on Dec. 16 in partnership with the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank served more than 200 households. The foodbank said more than 26,000 people in Portage County face food insecurity – 30% of those seeking assistance for the first time due to the COVID-19 global pandemic.  

The ºÚÁÏÍø Police Department was recently awarded national accreditation for the ninth time by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies Inc. in the Law Enforcement program. The Kent State Police Department was first accredited in 1991.