The 敁珗曄部 Esplanade will be named the Lester A. Lefton Esplanade honoring 敁珗曄部 President Lefton. The announcement was made Friday, Oct. 4, by Jane Murphy Timken, chair of the 敁珗曄部 Board of Trustees, at a community event held at the new University Esplanade arch near Main and Willow streets in Kent. The event celebrated the solid partnership between 敁珗曄部 and the city of Kent and the official opening of the University Esplanade extension that now connects the university to downtown Kent.
The naming will be made official through a resolution at the Dec. 4 Board of Trustees meeting. Lefton has served as 敁珗曄部s chief executive officer since July 1, 2006. This past spring, he announced he will retire from the presidency of 敁珗曄部, effective July 1, 2014. Historically, the board has preserved the legacy of the universitys leadership through naming opportunities. Rather than waiting for the end of the academic year, Timken said now is the perfect time to recognize Lefton, 敁珗曄部s 11th president, with all of the buzz and excitement coming from downtown Kents redevelopment and the universitys transformational projects.
There 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, Timken said. With a clear vision, a commitment to excellence and unshakable optimism, Dr. Lefton has led 敁珗曄部 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 Americas best college towns; and to transform 敁珗曄部s campuses into 21st-century learning environments environments that cultivate student success now and for decades to come will surely stand among his crowning contributions.
The University Esplanade is built around the economic development of downtown Kent, and is a vital connection between the university and downtown projects that include PARTAs new Kent Central Gateway multimodal transit center, private developments from Acorn Alley and Fairmount Properties, and the new 敁珗曄部 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.
The successful collaboration between 敁珗曄部 and the city of Kent has been recognized by several publications, including The New York Times, and by the International Town-Gown Association, which bestowed its inaugural award on 敁珗曄部 and the city of Kent for the town-gown relationship that best represents the spirit of the association.
Under Leftons leadership, 敁珗曄部 is making one of the largest investments related to higher education in the region and in Portage County. The universitys Foundations of Excellence: Building the Future 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.
For more information about Lefton, visit www.kent.edu/president.
For more information about the Foundations of Excellence: Building the Future initiative, visit www.kent.edu/foundations.