Imogen Farris, Staff Writer
Kennesaw State University President Daniel S. Papp was awarded the 2014 Leadership Award on Saturday by the Cobb Chamber of Commerce.
The Chamber’s Leadership Award is presented to an individual with extraordinary leadership, vision and innovative efforts that have impacted Cobb County. “I am honored and humbled to receive the Cobb Chamber’s Leadership Award, and thank the organization’s leadership for recognizing the work we are doing at Kennesaw State University,” Papp said.
According to President and CEO of the Cobb County Chamber of Commerce David Connell, Papp was recognized for his commitment in serving the community by leading Kennesaw State University and Southern Polytechnic State University through consolidation and building a football program.
Papp has served as president of Kennesaw State since 2006 and has help lead consolidation efforts for the past 16 months. “I have watched Dr. Papp provide the vision and leadership needed to organize a process that ensured a smooth transition and a big step forward in creating a nationally recognized university,” Connell stated. “This award is an affirmation of his vision, leadership and execution of the goals associated with the consolidation.”
Several additional actions over the next two years will take place for the consolidation to be complete, including a final accreditation by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in late 2015.
“Our consolidation is a significant milestone both in the university’s history and in Cobb County’s history,” Papp said. “The faculty, staff and students of our two campuses are outstanding and dedicated individuals, and we thank them for all of their hard work and contributions to the consolidation. We also recognize that we are in a position to create a world-class institution because of the overwhelming support of our local community.”
Ben Mathis, a student of Papp at Georgia Tech where he taught for 20 years, presented the award. “The Leadership Award is not given each year, but only to recipients who have a profound impact on our community,” Mathis said. “Dan’s leadership of the merger between Kennesaw State and Southern Poly is having a transformational effect on our area. His work has been remarkable, to accomplish so much in such a short period of time. He is leading these two fine schools on a path to a world-class university. He has a vision and the ability – the proverbial right person, at the right time and right place.”
