KSU is currently undergoing construction to renew and expand its sites in order to comfortably sustain the growth of students, faculty and staff on campus.
STUDENT CENTER
The East Entrance of the Student Center is being renovated to include a sushi bar and a grill. At the East Entrance, which opens up to the Campus Green, renovations include a new entry in front of the bridge that will lead to lighted sidewalks, a patio and landscaping amenities.
The West Entrance of the Student Center is set to include a new outdoor grill that faces the Library. The structure, which will be called the Tuscan Grille, is set to connect outside under a canopy covering. A new concrete patio and exterior lighting will be added.
A Sushi Café will be built in place of the old CyberNest downstairs in the Student Center. These renovations should be completed sometime in late September.
STUDENT RECREATION AND ACTIVITES CENTER
Construction on the new Betty L. Siegel Student Recreation and Activities Center began in April.
The new facility is set to include indoor and outdoor swimming pools, four basketball courts, a multi-activity court, eight tennis courts and a weight and fitness area. A rock climbing wall, indoor track, sand-filled volleyball court and racquetball court will also be included in the renovation.
On Nov.18, 1964, the first groundbreaking was held for an assembly of KSU on its current site. A groundbreaking ceremony will be held Oct. 10 for the Dr. Betty L. Siegel Student and Recreation Activities Center to honor its purpose and growth throughout the KSU community.
Camia McDonald, a junior Musical Theater major said she is excited about the new additions to the Recreation and Activities Center.
“As a junior, I’m not sure if I’ll get to experience the new [recreation center] to its fullest, but I think it will be a wonderful asset to the overall student body,” McDonald said. “I [will] definitely use the [recreation] center more once the renovations are complete. I think this was long overdue.”
The center is currently closed for business but will gradually reopen sections during the renewal process. The center is projected to be complete in Fall 2014.
BERNARD A. ZUCKERMAN MUSEUM OF ART
The Bernard A. Zuckerman Museum of Art will be a 9,000-square-foot venue that will feature an art collection and three exhibition galleries. It will also consist of the Leo Delle Lassiter Jolley Foundation Collection Research Center and the Ruth V. Zuckerman Pavilion.
“Bernie Zuckerman, who unfortunately just passed away, gave us a matching grant and said if we raised a couple million dollars, he would give us a couple million dollars,” said KSU President Daniel Papp in a June interview with The Sentinel. “We managed to raise it, and you’re seeing the Zuckerman Art Center going up next to the Bailey Performance Center.”
The center is scheduled to open sometime in October.
PRIOR RENOVATION
The campus has experienced several renovations in the past year. In August 2012, University Place II was expanded to offer 451 more beds with units that included a balcony, Wi-Fi and washer and dryers.
The Science Lab introduced a fifth floor addition in September 2012 which contains seven teaching labs, 26 faculty and administrative offices, four conference rooms and four data-server rooms. The third floor of the Sturgis Library was also renewed to include two new classrooms, seven study rooms, a conversion of the Children’s library into a classroom, rewiring and freshly painted doors and frames.
BAGWELL COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
The Bagwell College of Education kicked off its groundbreaking May 10 as it enlarged education classroom facilities that combined rooms currently in Kennesaw Hall, according to News at KSU. Final reformation consists of 17 classrooms with more than 82,000 square feet, office space for more than 30 faculty and staff members and two computer labs primarily for elementary teachers seeking master’s degrees.
“The university and the Bagwell College of Education are top choices for students who aspire to careers in teaching and educational leadership,” said Arlinda Eaton, dean of the Bagwell College of Education in a KSU news release in May.
“As the number of future teachers enrolling at Kennesaw State continued to grow so did momentum for the new education building addition,” Eaton said. “We simply needed more space to meet the need for more teachers in Georgia.”
