Beverly J. Warren, president of Kent State University in Ohio, will step down from her position on June 30, 2019. To recognize her accomplishments over her five-year tenure, the Kent State University board of trustees has voted to name the university’s new Student Recreation and Wellness Center in her honor. Dr. Warren has also been conferred the title of president emerita.
Dr. Warren became the 12th president of Kent State University on July 1, 2014. Earlier on in her presidency, she launched A Strategic Roadmap to a Distinctive Kent State, which established a list of strategies to put the university on track for greater success. The plan focuses on putting students first and includes goals for raising enrollment, retention, graduation rates, as well as increasing funding and research opportunities on campus. Dr. Warren also launched a series of wellness initiatives aimed at creating a healthier campus environment.
Prior to coming to Kent State, Dr. Warren served in various roles at Virginia Commonwealth University including provost, senior vice president, professor, head of the Division of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation, and dean of the School of Education. Earlier in her career, she held faculty positions as Smith College, Auburn University, Appalachian State University, and Lander University. She has conducted extensive research in the fields of education and exercise physiology.
Dr. Warren is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She holds a master’s degree from Southern Illinois University, a doctorate in higher education administration from the University of Alabama, and a Ph.D. in exercise physiology from Auburn University in Alabama.