"The Feds were never particularly helpful, but it was the states that were giving their universities trouble," Schwartz says. "The Indiana legislature threatened cutbacks because of campus disturbances.

"I keep reminding students and faculty that it's their own institution. They should be their own friends. And that's what got them through the rough times."

Also in the '80s, Kent State started a public relations campaign -- and this time came out a winner. The university ran full page ads in Time, Newsweek and the Wall Street Journal featuring distinguished alumni.

"It turned out they were amazing people who no one guessed were Kent State alumni," Schwartz says. "It was one of the most remarkable advertising campaigns I've ever seen."

Schwartz maintains his own opinions about May 4 and the future of Kent State University. Most of all, he wants the university to concentrate on the business of learning.

"You know, 4,000 people showed up on a rainy day for the memorial dedication," he says. "No stone is going to make it more indelible in our minds. When is enough? We cannot forget it. There are people around here who recognize the price of everything and the value of nothing.

"May 4 is a critical event in American history. It's not Bunker Hill. It's not the Boston Massacre. The purpose of the university is to protect the future -- to educate. I am the guy who built that memorial. I don't want anyone to forget. I also don't want anyone to dwell in it. Living in the past will not get students ready for the future.

"Nowhere in this country is there a university that has an understanding of its purpose more than Kent State: That's the defense of liberty. It's a devotion, a passion that students know how to defend their own liberty. I think we finally have the message."