 After a fire destroyed the Seneca Chain Company in 1909 , one of the city 's main industries at the time , city leaders created the Kent Board of Trade in 1910 , a forerunner to the Chamber of Commerce . The new Board was successful later that year in having Kent selected out of twenty northeastern Ohio cities as the site of a new teacher training college , which became known as the " Kent State Normal School " . The site for the school was on 53 acres ( 21 ha ) of land donated by William S. Kent , son of Marvin Kent , on what was then the eastern edge of town . By 1929 the school was renamed Kent State College after the establishment of a college of liberal arts and degrees in the arts and sciences and in 1935 was renamed Kent State University after it was given authorization to grant advanced graduate degrees . The bill giving Kent State university status was signed into law by Ohio governor and Kent native Martin L. Davey , son of tree surgeon John Davey . During the 1950s and 1960s the growth of Kent State University combined with the effects of suburbanization resulted in significant population growth for the city , rising from just over 12 @,@ 000 residents at the 1950 census to over 28 @,@ 000 by 1970 . Black squirrels were brought to the campus from Canada in 1961 by Kent State University head groundskeeper Larry Woodell . The squirrels have become an icon for both KSU and the city and are often used as unofficial mascots and symbols . 
