The Kent State University ToddCast

Join Kent State University President Todd Diacon for an in-depth conversation with Bryan Alexander, senior scholar at Georgetown University and author of "Peak Higher Ed: How to Survive the Looming Academic Crisis."

In this episode of the ToddCast, President Diacon and Dr. Alexander explore the transformative challenges facing American higher education. They discuss the concept of "peak higher ed" including the period of maximum enrollment, research funding and public support that characterized post-war American universities. They examine the "polycrisis" of overlapping challenges institutions now face, including demographic shifts, changing cultural attitudes toward college, declining state funding and the impact of emerging technologies like AI.

In this episode, President Diacon meets with Jane Chu, former chair of the National Endowment for the Arts, to speak about arts entrepreneurship, the hard work and discipline of the arts and the different ways that manifests in a wide range of careers.

In this episode of the ToddCast, Kent State University President Todd Diacon interviews Marcus Lehto, co-creator of the iconic Halo video game franchise. Marcus shares his journey from studying graphic design at Kent State in the early 90s to revolutionizing the gaming industry. Marcus reveals the origin story of Halo and the Master Chief character, his experiences working with industry giants like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, and memorable celebrity encounters throughout his career. This conversation offers unique insights into the creative process behind one of gaming's most influential franchises and how a Kent State education helped shape a cultural phenomenon.

Listen to this special episode of the ToddCast featuring an interview with Professor Emeritus Jerry M. Lewis, Ph.D., who was on duty as a faculty marshal on May 4, 1970.

President Diacon meets with Valerie George, '06, who studied Biological Chemistry at Kent State. She found her passion for hair color chemistry at Paul Mitchell, and now owns her own lab, Simply Formulas, Inc., which creates hair care formulas for global brands. Valerie has been named one of Beauty Independent’s 30 Top Beauty Product Developers and co-hosts the popular Beauty Brains podcast. 

President Diacon chats with Lillian Kuri, BS ’93, BArc ’94, graduate of the architecture program and the CEO and president of The Cleveland Foundation about her time at Kent State, her career and how she views the future of Northeast Ohio.