Kent State University. Office of the President.

The tradition of the annual "State of the University" Address dates back to at least 1963. The address is used as a forum for the president of Kent State University to outline the academic and financial state of the university. The address has also been used as a platform to express the presidents' vision of the future of the university and as a way to introduce new university wide objectives and goals. The audience for these addresses was initially limited to the Faculty Senate but was eventually opened up to the student body and the public. The traditional model for delivering the speech was abandoned in the 2012-2013 academic year, when President Lefton instead gave several smaller speeches to area alumni groups.

From the guide to the Kent State University Presidents' "State of the University Address" collection, 1963-2011, (Kent State University Libraries. Special Collections and Archives.)