'Kent State Day' at Statehouse about Finding Jobs for Students

Forty Ohio employers are traveling to Columbus Wednesday to join representatives from and alumni in the workforce for the university’s annual Kent State Day at the Statehouse.

During this daylong advocacy event with the theme “Talent Meets Jobs: A Kent State Education Aligns with Employer Need,” these major Ohio employers will meet with 21 legislators and other state officials to express their recognition of the important role that Kent State plays in workforce development.

Along with employers of Kent State graduates, successful Kent State alumni in the workforce will join the Kent State delegation, which includes Kent State President Lester A. Lefton, members of the board of trustees, deans from Kent State’s eight campuses and students, to tell their personal experiences with Kent State in preparing students for work. The employers and graduates represent a diverse group of industry sectors in Northeast Ohio and Central Ohio.

“We have an impressive group of industry leaders who are making an investment of time and effort to come to the Ohio Statehouse and support higher education by discussing their first-hand experience hiring Kent State graduates,” Lefton said. “Some of these corporate executives are also proud Kent State graduates who will share with legislators how Kent State prepared them for successful careers. In addition, these executives are joining us in Columbus to discuss job creation in Ohio and the importance of college-educated talent for the growth and prosperity of their companies.”

The companies represented at the Kent State Day at the Statehouse event collectively provide more than 100,000 jobs for Ohioans. The list of employers  includes Abercrombie & Fitch, Allied Machine & Engineering Corporation, Allstate Insurance, Cleveland Clinic, Fahlgren Mortine, FirstEnergy Corporation, First National Bank, Nationwide Insurance, the North Canton Chamber of Commerce, the Ohio Wine Producers Association, Parker Hannifin Corporation, Robinson Memorial Hospital, Saint-Gobain, the Sherwin-Williams Company, Soft-Lite, Summa Health System, the Timken Company, Tinker Omega Manufacturing, University Hospitals Health System, Victoria’s Secret, Vocon, Inc. and W.S. Tyler.

Iris Harvey, Kent State vice president for university relations, said Kent State Day at the Statehouse helps advance the mission of Kent State and discuss issues important to higher education.

“Legislators deal with issues every day that greatly impact higher education and workforce development,” Harvey said. “Our elected senators and representatives are very interested in learning directly from employers and graduates about how well Kent State prepares students to meet employer needs.”