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KSU Hillel to become Cohn center: To be renamed after longtime supporters

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Colin McEwen
June 30, 2009

 

By Colin McEwen

Record-Courier staff writer

The new $3.2 million Hillel student facility at Kent State University will be known as the Cohn Jewish Student Center.

In recognition of a gift by Gary and Lisa Cohn — in honor of Gary’s parents, Vic and Ellen Cohn — the state-of-the-art building will be dedicated at a special ceremony, Chanukat HaBayit, in September.

Vic and Ellen Cohn are well-known for their support of area organizations, including Hillel. Vic Cohn served as the president of Hillel at Kent State University in the early 1980s, and was one of the tireless organizers of the new building.

Kathy Giller, dedication event co-chairwoman, said since the official opening of center earlier this year, student involvement has “skyrocketed,” with increased programming and participation in events at the facility doubling.

And for the 1,500 students from KSU and the University of Akron, the center at 613 E. Summit St. has been quite an attraction.

Traffic has been slow during this summer, but during the school year the center is buzzing with activity, with students enjoying the center’s many amenities.

“If you build it, they will come — and they have,” Giller said. “I think this is a historic moment in the legacy of Hillel at Kent State.”

Invitations to the Sept. 13 dedication event will be mailed soon, followed by the addition of the new Cohn Jewish Student Center sign.

“I’m an alum of Kent State, and I am honored to be affiliated with this project,” Giller said. “This was a labor of love. There were a lot of people involved in making this happen.

“We think this is a great asset to not only Jewish students, but to the university as a whole. When people visit the university and this state-of-the-art center, it’s just one more selling point to bring more students,” she said.

For the past 35 years, a small, three-story house on North Lincoln Street served as the center of Jewish life on campus for KSU and UA students.

Ten years ago, a group of staff, students, donors and alumni began planning new Hillel legacy — and at 11,000 square feet, the facility is large enough to host an indoor barbecue.

Jennifer Chestnut, the executive director of Hillel at Kent State, said the new facility has “been wonderfully received by the university, by both Jewish and non-Jewish students.” 

“This is a very generous gift,” she said of the Cohns’ involvement.

 




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