A master plan for both the Kennesaw and Marietta campuses dating back to November 2016 includes extensive details for academic, athletic and housing projects that are aimed at increasing the physical and financial scope of the university.
Available on Kennesaw State’s Facilities Services website, the plan includes renovations, proposed new construction and future business partnerships. The vast majority of the Kennesaw campus’ plan includes new student housing, which is planned to hold up to 3,400 beds.
Though the issues surrounding student housing are addressed, the tradeoff of creating new housing means a decrease in parking spots, which is an ongoing problem plaguing the university. The housing layout encompasses areas of existing parking, including the northern and southern tips of campus.
Furthermore, new academic construction is in the works with the English building extension nearly complete and the Academic Learning Center to be built soon. Both buildings will also take up parking areas for faculty, and future parking for students and guests is in question.
A change is planned for athletic facilities with a new baseball and softball field to be built where the current Owl’s Nest facility is. As a result, club sports teams will be pushed to a smaller athletic complex near the football stadium.
Expansion of the football stadium and a new separate field for the lacrosse and soccer teams, which currently play at Fifth Third Bank Stadium, are also in the plan.
At the Marietta campus, extensions are focused on paving a new road around campus, building a new materials science building and preserving forested areas around Rottenwood Creek.
Despite the detailed and potentially costly nature of the 2016 Master Plan, there does not seem to be a cohesive idea of the total expense of the projects.
“We do not have the budget information on the Campus Master Plan as future project budgets were not fully developed as a part of the master planning process,” said John Anderson, the assistant vice president of Facilities Services. “There are various funding sources that may be considered for projects to actually be designed and constructed. These potential sources include State funding, KSU funding, Private/Donated funding, and Grants.”
