Ambassador Crawford College of Business and Entrepreneurship

05/19/2026

Second-year business management and finance major Nathan Smith of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, was recently elected as president of Kent State’s Undergraduate Student Government, along with his Vice President, Ridwan Olayiwola, a mechanical engineering major. Nathan and Ridwan officially began in their leadership roles on April 29. Learn more about Nathan's future plans in this Q&A: https://ow.ly/YcMb50YZyTL

05/14/2026

students had an opportunity to learn about the realities of leading a startup from alumnus Matthew Likens '75 as he spoke at the Michael D. Solomon Entrepreneurship Speaker Series in April. Read more about his talk:

Kent State alumnus Matthew Likens, '75, shared his journey from global corporations to successful startups like Ulthera during the Solomon Entrepreneurship Series.

05/12/2026

Congratulations to the winners of the Spring 2026 Pitch competition! During the event, six student entrepreneurs pitched their businesses to a panel of executive judges for a chance to win more than $20,000 in cash prizes. Winners were as follows:

First place ($10,000): Senior business analytics major Yamini Kumar and senior entrepreneurship major Braden Hunt with Cottage Core.

Second place ($5,000): Senior business management major Anthony Dalayanis and senior computer science major Nicholas Widmer with Shadowdesk AI.

Third place ($2,000): Senior entrepreneurship major Jake Marriner with Marriner Outdoor.

Read more: https://ow.ly/k0Lw50YV77g

Six student entrepreneurs pitched their businesses to a panel of executive judges for a chance to win more than $20,000 in cash prizes during the Spring

05/07/2026

sales students brought back a number of awards after competing at the Pi Sigma Epsilon National Conference and two Sales Team events this spring. Read more about their accomplishments: https://ow.ly/m3Vx50YV5su

Kent State sales students brought back a number of awards after competing at the Pi Sigma Epsilon National Conference and two Sales Team events this spring

04/28/2026

Kent State alumna Olivia Fenneken MBA ’25, founder of Cottage Core, earned a spot in the prestigious 2026 Rice Business Plan Competition (RBPC) held earlier this month.

“To be selected as one of 42 startups out of the entire world to compete at this level is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I am so proud to be the first Kent State student to participate,” Olivia said.

Read more:

Kent State alumna Olivia Fenneken MBA ’25, founder of Cottage Core, earned a spot in the prestigious 2026 Rice Business Plan Competition (RBPC) held

04/23/2026

Kent State University’s Ambassador Crawford College of Business and Entrepreneurship has earned six national rankings for the university in the newly released U.S. News & World Report 2026 Best Graduate Schools report, further cementing its reputation as one of the region’s premier destinations for graduate business education. Learn more: https://ow.ly/l38B50YMPX3

Kent State University’s Ambassador Crawford College of Business and Entrepreneurship has earned six national rankings for the university in the newly

01/30/2026

Kent State University has earned national recognition in U.S. News and World Report’s 2026 Best Online Programs rankings, placing among the nation’s best across multiple graduate disciplines. This distinction reflects the university’s ongoing commitment to delivering accessible, high-quality online graduate education.

The college’s online master’s in business programs moved up three spots to land at No. 76 – the highest among all institutions in northern Ohio on the Best Online Master’s in Business Programs list. The online MBA program ranks No. 127, leading all public institutions in the Northeast Ohio region on the Best Online MBA Programs list. Read more:

Kent State's online graduate programs rank in top 100 nationally. Master's in Nursing ( #62), Education ( #64), and Business ( #76) earn recognition in 2026 U.S. News Best Online Programs rankings.

12/16/2025

Assistant Professor of Accounting Kevin Munch, Ph.D. joined the faculty this fall after choosing to return to school to follow in his father's footsteps and become an educator. Learn more about the path that led him to Kent State: https://ow.ly/mTKL50XyqrU

12/09/2025

The Kent State Women’s Lacrosse team recruited Sydney Davis to Kent State. The relationships she built here and the wide variety of academic options made her feel at home. Read more about her journey at :

The Kent State Women’s Lacrosse team recruited Sydney Davis to Kent State. The relationships she built here and the wide variety of academic options made

12/02/2025

Kent State’s John S. and Marlene J. Brinzo Center for Entrepreneurship, located within the Ambassador Crawford College of Business and Entrepreneurship, announces the winners of the 2025 Idea Pitch competition. The Idea Pitch, sponsored by the Ohio Innovation Fund, took place November 20 in Crawford Hall.

Read more: https://ow.ly/hsjZ50Xy9v6

Kent State’s John S. and Marlene J. Brinzo Center for Entrepreneurship, located within the Ambassador Crawford College of Business and Entrepreneurship,