Over five decades after the building was originally built, the James V. Carmichael Student Center on the Kennesaw campus has undergone expansion after expansion to accommodate a growing student population.
Located across University Hall and by the Campus Green, the Carmichael Student Center is the epicenter of Kennesaw State University’s students and their families, faculty and staff.
Within recent years, the Carmichael Student Center grew exponentially as the university’s student population skyrocketed. As more new students attended the school, the introduction of new resources helped to support this growth. The center contains the KSU Bookstore, meeting rooms, lounge areas, The Marketplace, restaurants and more. At the epicenter of the campus, it’s where most students will cross paths during their time in Kennesaw.
According to an archived document via the KSU Archives Scholarly Online Access Repository, the James V. Carmichael Student Center was not a part of the initial plan for the Kennesaw Junior College campus, as it was named in 1966.
Three years later, in 1969, Kennesaw Junior College’s President Horace Sturgis, among other administrators, considered the potential of a new student center. Two years after this initial consideration, in 1971 the Board of Regents approved the construction of the student center, which now spans 40,000 square feet.
In a 1971 issue of The Sentinel dated July 2, the building was estimated to cost $1.2 million. Today, that amounts to almost $8.9 million with a 638.7% cumulative rate of inflation.
In 2013, Professor Emeritus of History and Campus Historian Dr. Thomas Allan Scott published an account of the student center in its first fifty years since opening in coordination with its anniversary. Titled Kennesaw State University: The First Fifty Years, 1963-2013, Dr. Allan Scott provides a comprehensive history of Kennesaw State University, detailing its transition from a small junior college to the third largest university in the state of Georgia.
Within the last ten years, transitions of departments and expansion have occurred within the center. For example, between 2021 and today, the opening of Jamba Juice and Moes has added to the dining options for students. Before, there were only three food options: Panda Express, Chick-Fil-A and Hissho Sushi.
The University Rooms are also located here, on the ground floor where many festivals and formal events are held. Cultural and community offices, such as the Global Village, Student Government Association and the Women’s Resource Center are also located for any student access in the building. Talon Express and the mailroom are also among the offices that occupy the center.
The dining area is extended to where the old bookstore used to be. It has now been converted into a quiet study and lounge area where students have the space to eat, chat and study. The renovated bookstore is located upstairs.
For more information or access to the full document of the archive of the James V. Michael Student Center, visit soar.kennesaw.edu.
