Tod Diacon

Summary

Todd Diacon became Kent State University’s 13th president in July 2019. A tireless advocate for student success, President Diacon has more than 30 years of experience in higher education leadership. His commitment to college affordability and access has resulted in nationally recognized initiatives to boost student retention, graduation rates and academic achievement.

Profile

President Diacon joined Kent State as provost in 2012.

He became Kent State University’s 13th president in July 2019 and has been at the forefront of expanding Kent State’s international presence, has led the charge to recruit and promote more diverse faculty, and has helped the university attract recognised global leaders in aviation, engineering, brain health, liquid crystals, and peace and conflict studies.

“We continue to create new successes — together. We continue to generate new knowledge and have earned the coveted R1 research designation, a distinction of excellence only reserved for elite research institutions. We have been named the best university in the United States for global education, and we have been recognized most recently as a most promising place to work in America for professionals in student affairs. We’ve also been named one of the top places to work in all of Ohio,” he says on the official website of the university.

“At Kent State, we are an institution committed to exploring the hardest, most vexing issues of the day. And, because of our history, we are committed to doing so in a spirit of inquiry that seeks to understand and welcome all viewpoints in a spirited civil discourse. We know at Kent State the dangers of polarization, and we have lived through more than 50 years of pain, anger and despair when disagreement turned suddenly to violence. We are Kent State, and our history and mission demand that we lead by example the next phase of discussion and debate over abortion in America.”

Before coming to Kent State, President Diacon served as deputy chancellor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he also was a professor of history. He began his career at the University of Tennessee as a history professor. A native of Wellington, Kansas, President Diacon specializes in agrarian history and the history of central state power in Brazil. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Southwestern College in Kansas and his master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

He has also authored publications on student success and the administration of higher education, and he has written numerous journal articles and two books, including “Stringing Together a Nation,” which won the 2005 Warren Dean Memorial Prize for the most significant book on Brazilian history.

President Diacon is married to former Kent State employee Moema Furtado; they have one grown son. Together, they enjoy attending music and theater performances and local festivals. He has run seven marathons and desperately wants to get back to his first love: riding motorcycles.

References

• “A History of Kent State University” (PDF).
• “Preliminary Headcount, Fall Term 2021”. Ohio Department of Higher Education.
• “Kent State University At a Glance”. Petersons.com.
• “Our Brand | Kent State University”. Kent State University.
• “Graduation Planning System”. Kent.edu.
• “Carnegie Classifications Institution Lookup”. carnegieclassifications.iu.edu.
• “Flashback | Kent State University”. www.kent.edu.
• “John Edward McGilvrey, Papers, 1890-1945”. Kent State University Special Collections and Archives.
• “Renovations for Oscar Ritchie on Track”. eInside.
• “London Black Squirrels Take Over Kent State University”. Victoria-Park.com.
• “Liquid Crystal Institute blazes new trails at Kent State”. Inside Business.
• “Liquid Lessons: The Missed Opportunity of Liquid Crystal Technology isn’t Lost on Researchers Crain’s Cleveland Business.
• “James Fergason – Lemelson-MIT Program”. lemelson.mit.edu.
• “Crystal clear; Kent State playing lead role in exploring medical, anti-bioterror uses for liquid crystal technology”. Crain’s Cleveland Business. Crain Communications.
• “Kent State University Campus Bus Service: History 1965-2004” (PDF).