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Gift to endow Fashion School chair and support study-away program for students

�鶹ӰԺ, Ohio – May 1, 2017 – �鶹ӰԺ has received a $2.5 million gift for its Shannon Rodgers and Jerry Silverman School of Fashion Design and Merchandising from the Margaret Clark Morgan Foundation of Hudson, Ohio. The gift will fund two initiatives: $1.5 million to endow a chair to support the Fashion School’s director and a matching grant of up to $1 million to support the study-away program benefiting fashion school students. 

“This incredible gift from the Margaret Clark Morgan Foundation will greatly enhance global experiences for our fashion students,” said �鶹ӰԺ State President Beverly Warren. “The foundation’s support of our Fashion School elevates the professional trajectory of both faculty and students and positions �鶹ӰԺ State as a distinctive global innovator.”

�鶹ӰԺ State’s Fashion School is consistently rated among the best fashion institutions in the United States and worldwide. It is currently ranked No. 3 in the U.S. for design and merchandising by Fashion-Schools.org and No. 19 in the world by The Business of Fashion’s 2016 Global Fashion School Ranking.

A hallmark of an exceptional global university is providing life-changing experiences for its students to become globally competent leaders in their fields. �鶹ӰԺ State’s Fashion School is now the first in the country to require a study-away experience for all fashion students. Opportunities to spend a semester in Florence, Italy, with the world’s best designers, work in the Fashion School’s New York City Studio, and programs in Paris and Hong Kong provide life-changing experiences and a reputation for excellence that makes �鶹ӰԺ State fashion students globally competitive. 

“Peg Morgan, our founder, had a lifelong interest in fashion and always deeply valued education,” said Rick Kellar, president of the Margaret Clark Morgan Foundation. “The Fashion School at �鶹ӰԺ State is a perfect match for her creative and personal passions. Peg’s legacy of support for �鶹ӰԺ State will continue to be carried out through this gift, accelerating the ascension of �鶹ӰԺ State as the premier global educator of future fashion industry leaders.”

The gift was formally announced by President Warren on Saturday, April 29, at the 2017 Annual Fashion Show, FS² Presented by Michael Kors – Sponsor/VIP Show. The annual fashion show highlights the talents and creations of the Fashion School’s design and merchandising students. Also that evening, Don Witkowski, a �鶹ӰԺ State alumnus and president of men’s at Michael Kors, was inducted into the Fashion School’s Hall of Fame.

�鶹ӰԺ �鶹ӰԺ
�鶹ӰԺ is one of 76 public higher-research universities, as categorized by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, and is ranked in the first-tier list of Best National Universities by U.S. News & World Report. With eight campuses spanning Northeast Ohio, a College of Podiatric Medicine, a Regional Academic Center, and academic sites in major world capitals such as New York City, Geneva and Florence, the university prepares students to be industry leaders, dynamic innovators and change agents who make significant impacts nationally and around the world. 

For more information about �鶹ӰԺ State, visit www.kent.edu. 

�鶹ӰԺ the Fashion School at �鶹ӰԺ State 
�鶹ӰԺ’s School of Fashion Design and Merchandising is consistently rated among the best fashion institutions in the U.S. and worldwide. Fashion-specific surveys rank �鶹ӰԺ State’s Fashion School alongside its national and international peer institutions. 

• Fashion-Schools.org — #3 in the U.S. ( and )
• The Business of Fashion —  
• Fashionista —
• CEOWORLD Magazine —

Additionally, �鶹ӰԺ State ranks in the top tier of American universities, according to U.S. News and World Report, and it is the only public university in Northeast Ohio to receive such a distinction. Information about �鶹ӰԺ State’s Fashion School is available at www.kent.edu/fashion. 

�鶹ӰԺ Margaret Clark Morgan Foundation
The Margaret Clark Morgan Foundation was founded in 2001 in Hudson, Ohio, as a private grantmaking foundation. Morgan Adhesives founder Burton D. Morgan, Margaret (Peg) Clark Morgan’s husband, provided the initial donation to establish the foundation. The foundation works to pursue the interests of Peg Morgan, a longtime Hudson resident and active community member. The Margaret Clark Morgan Foundation supports the nourishment of the human mind through the promotion of mental wellness, the arts, and education. It envisions a world where:

• All regard mental wellness as an integral part of a healthy life.
• Recovery from mental illness is the expectation.
• The arts and education are cornerstones of a vibrant society.

Information about the Margaret Clark Morgan Foundation is available at . 

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Media Contacts:
Eric Mansfield, emansfie@kent.edu, 330-672-2797
Emily Vincent, evincen2@kent.edu, 330-672-8595

For questions about the �鶹ӰԺ Foundation, contact:
Leigh Greenfelder, lgreenfe@kent.edu, 330-672-7108