Kennesaw State saw record enrollment for the Fall 2019 semester, and with this increase, the university is seeking more faculty and academic advisors and has proposed building new dorms for students.
“[Students] recognize the immense value and opportunity to be had at Kennesaw State,” KSU President Dr. Pamela Whitten said to the AJC.
This Fall, 37,807 students enrolled at KSU — a 6.7 percent increase compared to last Fall’s 35,420 students that enrolled, according to the Marietta Daily Journal.
Freshman enrollment saw a 30 percent increase this Fall compared to last Fall, with 6,500 new freshmen, according to the AJC.
Within the University System of Georgia, KSU’s enrollment growth is second among USG institutions, behind the Georgia Institute of Technology, according to the MDJ.
Whitten also said that KSU wants to ensure that the ratio of newly-enrolled students to professors does not become disproportionate, so KSU is seeking to hire at least 80 faculty members and 30 academic advisors during this 2019-2020 school year, according to the AJC.
At a USG’s Board of Regents Committee on Real Estate and Facilities meeting Tuesday, Nov. 12, KSU officials proposed the construction of a new dorm called the “Project,” aimed at freshman students, according to a BOR agenda report.
The Project would be next to the Austin Residence complex on Kennesaw State University Road, the report said.
The new residence complex would contain about 514 beds with both single and double-bedrooms. Freshman study and community spaces that encourage new students to engage with other new KSU students would also be housed within the proposed dorm, according to the BOR report.
“Multiple studies have indicated that students who live on campus tend to become more involved at their school and express greater satisfaction with their undergraduate experience, which translates to increased student success,” Whitten said. “Living on campus is especially beneficial in helping first-year students transition to college life and build deeper connections with both peers and faculty members. At Kennesaw State, we are striving to accommodate all students who want to live on campus and call Kennesaw State their home away from home, which is why we are excited about this proposed new residential housing project.”
Adding 514 new beds to KSU will help the university reach its goal of meeting the demand for 1,400 more beds on the Kennesaw campus, according to the BOR report.
Building the Project is projected to cost $37 million and be finished by Fall 2022, according to the report. To fund the project, KSU proposes using a public-private venture along with $2 million from auxiliary reserves, such as student housing, bookstores and institutes.
KSU spokeswoman Tammy Demel said that the BOR must vote on the plan for the Project, according to the AJC.
KSU is the third-largest university in Georgia, followed by Georgia State University with 53,619 students and the University of Georgia with 38,920 students.
