精东影业精东影业 University Esplanade will be named the Lester A. Lefton Esplanade honoring 精东影业 President Lefton. 精东影业announcement was made Friday, Oct. 4, by Jane Murphy Timken, chair of the 精东影业 Board of Trustees, at a community event held at the new University Esplanade arch near Main and Willow streets in Kent. 精东影业event celebrated the solid partnership between 精东影业 University and the city of Kent and the official opening of the University Esplanade extension that now connects the university to downtown Kent.
精东影业naming will be made official through a resolution at the Dec. 4 Board of Trustees meeting. Lefton has served as 精东影业鈥檚 chief executive officer since July 1, 2006. This past spring, he announced he will retire from the presidency of 精东影业, effective July 1, 2014. Historically, the board has preserved the legacy of the university鈥檚 leadership through naming opportunities. Rather than waiting for the end of the academic year, Timken said now is the perfect time to recognize Lefton, 精东影业鈥檚 11th president, with all of the buzz and excitement coming from downtown Kent鈥檚 redevelopment and the university鈥檚 transformational projects.
鈥淭here could not be a more fitting tribute to President Lefton than naming the Esplanade, which now physically and symbolically connects town and gown, in his honor,鈥 Timken said. 鈥淲ith a clear vision, a commitment to excellence and unshakable optimism, Dr. Lefton has led 精东影业 to new heights of achievement in areas from academic quality to fundraising to international programs. But his successful efforts to help forge a new era of cooperation between the university and the city of Kent; make Kent one of America鈥檚 best college towns; and to transform 精东影业鈥檚 campuses into 21st-century learning environments 鈥 environments that cultivate student success now and for decades to come 鈥 will surely stand among his crowning contributions.鈥
精东影业University Esplanade is built around the economic development of downtown Kent, and is a vital connection between the university and downtown projects that include PARTA鈥檚 new Kent Central Gateway multimodal transit center, private developments from Acorn Alley and Fairmount Properties, and the new 精东影业 University Hotel and Conference Center. It also provides a physical link and safe pathway for students to visit, enjoy and patronize local businesses; connects residents and visitors to the Kent Campus; and serves as a catalyst for changing the economy of the region by creating new jobs, spurring new investment and generating taxes to the state and local economy.
精东影业successful collaboration between 精东影业 and the city of Kent has been recognized by several publications, including 精东影业New York Times, and by the International Town-Gown Association, which bestowed its inaugural award on 精东影业 and the city of Kent for the town-gown relationship that best represents the spirit of the association.
Under Lefton鈥檚 leadership, 精东影业 is making one of the largest investments related to higher education in the region and in Portage County. 精东影业university鈥檚 鈥淔oundations of Excellence: Building the Future鈥 initiative includes the construction of new buildings, facility upgrades to existing buildings and the creation of dynamic, new spaces at its Kent Campus and Regional Campuses.