By now, you've seen and heard news reports about the shocking mass shooting at Northern Illinois University. I know I speak for the entire Kent State community in expressing profound grief that so many promising lives have been lost, and in extending heartfelt condolences and prayers to the families and friends of the students who were killed and injured, and to the entire Northern Illinois community.

I also know that as our community shares the shock and sadness that is now overwhelming a fellow university and touching our entire nation, many of us also feel uneasy about the fact that such a violent act could occur on a college campus - especially so soon after the tragedy at Virginia Tech. I wish I could offer a guarantee that ways will be found to prevent such senseless acts on college campuses and in our country. Of course, the realities of modern society preclude such a blanket statement. Having said that, I want to stress that Kent State is fully prepared to respond to all emergencies.

Because campus safety and security are top priorities, we have in place a carefully conceived, comprehensive emergency plan that is reviewed and fine-tuned on a regular basis. Most important, we have one of the best campus police departments in the nation, one that is, in fact, a national model of excellence. As reassuring as this should be, the tragedy at Northern Illinois University is a painful reminder that each of us must take an active role in our own safety.

With that in mind, I want to urge everyone in the university community who has not already done so to sign up for Flash ALERTS, the university's emergency text-messaging service for students, faculty and staff on all Kent State campuses.  Flash ALERTS will provide you with immediate information and updates about all campus emergencies - on your phone. Signing up is simple and requires only your Flashline user name and password. Please take a moment and sign up by visiting www.kent.edu/flashalerts .

Again, as we share our grief about the tragedy at Northern Illinois, let us renew our individual and community commitment to being steadfast and vigilant about campus safety.

Sincereley,

Lester A. Lefton
President