Kennesaw State was recently elevated to an R2 designated institution in the 2018 Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.
An R2 designation indicates a doctoral university with high research activity and is the second-highest classification for research institutions in the United States.
Doctoral research institutions that granted at least 20 research or scholarship doctoral degrees and had at least $5 million in research expenditures were considered for the R2 designation, according to the Carnegie Classification website.
“This is an exciting step forward for Kennesaw State and places the university among a select group of institutions in the nation,” KSU President Dr. Pamela Whitten said.
“In addition to our expanding doctoral programs, this designation is especially significant for our students who are benefitting from increased opportunities to work alongside faculty researchers on important discoveries while learning, first-hand, how to engage in their own research,” Whitten continued.
KSU recently appointed a renowned researcher, Phaedra Corso, as the new vice president of research. Corso currently serves as director of the Economic Evaluation Research Group in the College of Public Health and as the associate director of the Owens Institute for Behavioral Research at the University of Georgia. Corso will start in the new position at KSU in February.
Additionally, KSU will be the first Georgia university to host the 33rd annual National Conference on Undergraduate Research in April. The event brings 3,500 to 4,000 students together to present their research, according to the Council on Undergraduate Research website.
“Standing out among our fellow R2 universities will require the dedication and support of the entire KSU community, including the faculty and leadership from our 13 colleges and our many staff members,” Whitten wrote in a blog post on Jan. 8.
“This new designation is a significant recognition of just how far Kennesaw State has come,” Whitten continued. “Yet it also gives us new perspectives on what we can do to improve the educational experience for every one of our students.”
This designation succeeds KSU’s previous designation as an R3. KSU was elevated to an R3 doctoral research institution in 2015 from its previous classification as an M1 designated institution, which indicates a master’s college or university that supports larger programs.
