Lester A. Lefton (born July 27, 1946) is an American academic and higher education administrator. He was the President of Kent State University (2006–2014). He has 35 years of experience in higher education, having served for 25 years at a public institution and nine at private institutions. During his career, he has been a psychology professor, dean and provost, as well as a psychology textbook author. Of Jewish heritage, Lefton was born in Brookline, Massachusetts, and completed his bachelor's in psychology from Northeastern University in Boston in 1969. He earned his doctorate in experimental psychology, specializing in visual perception and focusing on cognitive psychology in 1974 from the University of Rochester, where he held a U.S. Public Health Service Predoctoral Fellowship. Academic career In 1972, he became an assistant professor at the University of South Carolina, associate professor in 1975, and full professor in 1980. Lefton served as chair of the psychology department (1986–1994) and dean of the College of Liberal Arts for three years (1994–1997). He moved to George Washington University in Washington, D.C., where he served as dean of the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences for four years (1997–2001). Lefton was senior vice president and provost of Tulane University for five years (2001–2006). Lefton has published dozens of peer-refereed research articles. He has been a fellow of the American Psychological Association. He is known nationally as a passionate advocate for undergraduate education. An award-winning teacher with 36 years of university teaching experience, Lefton's introductory psychology textbook, now in its ninth edition, is used in college classrooms nationwide. Kent State President Named Kent State president in 2006, Lefton oversaw one of the nation's largest university systems and the second largest university in the state of Ohio. Kent State's eight campuses provide more than 280 academic programs to a record 41,300 undergraduate and graduate students. He earned $520,000 a year, plus up to 20 percent bonus, retirement benefits, a housing allowance, automobile, entertainment, deferred annuity, etc. Among the highlights of his presidency he: worked to streamline the path to graduation for students (e.g., simplification of Liberal Education Requirements) as part of a heightened emphasis on student recruitment and retention. created a broad-based Commission on Inclusion and, on its recommendation, created the university's first Vice President for Diversity position. intensified emphasis on international programs and experiences, including agreements with leading universities in China and other parts of the world. set