37 years ago, in April 1976, Kennesaw Junior College transitioned into the four- year college that we know it as today. On April 14, 1976, the Board of Regents gave the “go ahead” by a vote of 11-2. This information was outlined in an April 1976 issue of The Sentinel, which stated that the transition was “a great moment for all of us.”
This momentous occasion would also mean the first name change for the college, which began as Kennesaw Junior College in 1963. The change to four-year status meant the school would be renamed Kennesaw College. (It would not be until 1996 that the school became known as Kennesaw State University as it is today.) There were numerous reasons for the expansion as laid out by Regent Vice Chancellor Dr. John Hooper. The average SAT for Kennesaw students was well above the University systems average. Kennesaw students more often than not would successfully earn four-year degrees at other colleges and universities. Enrollment at the college was steadily increasing. Enrollment rose from 2,242 in 1974 to 3,098 in 1975, a 38 percent increase. Also, there was a large number of potential students in the northwest Georgia area who would not attend college if it meant a transfer senior year.
Approval did not come easily for the transition. Reps. Al Burruss, Joe Mack Wilson and Joe Frank Harris debated the subject for two hours with several Cobb legislators. Rep. Burruss told the Regents the need for the conversion was “critical,” while Rep. Harris promised sufficient funds would be available for future costs. They were eventually successful and had $250,000 earmarked in the Regents budget for the conversion.
Throughout the debate, two Regents strictly opposed the conversion. They were against the conversion of any junior college to senior status during the period of economic hardship.
“I reluctantly hate to oppose this, but this is a departure from our practice of efficiently utilizing all of our existing facilities in the state,” said Carrollton Regent David Tisinger.
The other vote against the change came from Columbus Regent Milton Jones. Both believed that the elevation of Kennesaw to four-year status would only worsen already declining enrollments at other colleges.
Burrus countered the Regents’ claims by pointing out that the economic hardship actually makes it quite hard for parents to send their kids to other distant colleges.
“My emotion tells me the economic crunch is precisely the reason to make it a senior college, not the reason to oppose it,” said Burrus. “There are people in Cobb, Paulding, Bartow, Cherokee and Floyd Counties who cannot afford to send their kids to West Georgia or to pay for gas to send them to Georgia State.”
The project to elevate the school to four-year status was a task that took two years to accomplish. At a victory rally in the James Carmichael Student Center, SGA president Jane Roland said, “I’m so happy, I could cry,” as she congratulated the Regents on their success.
