When historians and writers explore college student protest and dissent in the 1960s, they tend to focus on the students. Historians have written rich histories of campus protests, yet there is little about collegiate administrations, and their role in campus unrest. When historians do reference the administration, it is to mention administrative decisions without further elaboration on their significance. This omission is disappointing because administrative decisions affected student behavior, and in the case of some universities, forced presidential resignations.This thesis presents an original, detailed narrative of the history of dissent and protest at Kent State University using archival sources such as internal memos, and letters from the Kent State University Library and Special Collections. The internal memorandums between various administrators within the University shed light on how they felt privately, and I have also drawn from local and national newspaper articles, and secondary sources. In addition, I have interviewed Kent State alumnus Thomas Grace, who was shot by a National Guardsmen on May 4, 1970, and former Vice President of Student Affairs Dr. Robert Matson. Their interviews and experiences provide greater context and insight into student and administration reactions at Kent State University.