Gift to Kent State will fund scholarships in photojournalism

Staff report

KENT

The largest single gift ever made to Kent State University to fund only scholarships will transform the photojournalism program in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

A Cincinnati man who took a photojournalism class on a visit to Kent State in 1941 has left a $3 million bequest to the program. Wallace (Wally) Hagedorn, who died in 2013, was so impressed with the class he took while still in high school he became an amateur photographer.

Neither Hagedorn nor his wife attended Kent State, but Hagedorn never forgot his experience or the skills he acquired in photography, which became a lifelong passion.

Hagedorn studied botany at Miami University but didn’t graduate. He worked as a horticulturist and tree farmer in the Cincinnati area, running Hagedorn Nursery.

The Wallace J. Hagedorn Scholarship will be awarded each year to eight students in the photojournalism program. Two freshmen, two sophomores, two juniors and two seniors will each receive at least $5,000 annually.

Four additional scholarships will be awarded to Photo Illustration students in Kent State’s School of Visual Communication Design. Any remaining funds will be used to support student endeavors within the photojournalism program.

“We can never underestimate the impact that Kent State has on people, whether they are graduates or not,” said Kent State President Beverly Warren. “Mr. Hagedorn never forgot his visit to Kent State as a teenager, or the difference it made in his life. He really wanted to give back in a meaningful way, and his generous gift to fund scholarships will have a tremendous impact on our students’ lives.”

The bequest aligns with Warren’s “Students First” agenda, which makes scholarships a priority.

David LaBelle, faculty lead in Kent State’s photojournalism program, added, “Mr. Hagedorn’s generous gift is going to change a lot of lives for the better and make many dreams come true, while assuring that compassionate storytelling will live at Kent State for many years to come.”

The Wallace J. Hagedorn Scholarship can be applied to tuition, room and board and fees. Funds also will be available within a student’s curricular or extracurricular work to travel to workshops or conferences and to enter their work in competitions.