KSU President Pamela Whitten said the university’s
new marketing material and logo, which will also apply
to athletics, better “expresses our goals and values
of making this a place where students, who are the
center of our universe, find their inspiration, find their
passion, find the things that will drive them to move
forward to accomplish their hopes and dreams.”
Whitten closed her speech by continuing the tradition
she began shortly after she took the reins as president.
“When I was raising my three kids, we always had
a first day of school cake to celebrate the first day of
school,” she said, adding that last year, the cake ran out
at the Marietta campus in 10 minutes. “This year, we
have a whole lot more cake, so I guarantee we will not
be running out of cake.”
Whitten chose two students to help her make the ceremonial
first cut, and began serving up slices to droves
of waiting students.
Jacob Benton, a junior and marketing major who said
he takes classes at both campuses, was pulled in by
the festivities at the Marietta campus. Benton said he’d
never seen so many students enjoying food and games
out on the campus’ “K Field.”
Benton said he thinks the new marketing campaign
will help KSU compete against other major universities
in the state. But more importantly, he said, it will mend
a rift that some students feel between Marietta and
Kennesaw following KSU’s consolidation with Southern
Polytechnic State University in 2015.
“I definitely felt like there was a disconnect, but I do
think that this could potentially bring the two campuses
together more,” Benton said. “I haven’t really been
too involved in the student community yet, but this
really drew me in. It makes me feel more a part of the
community.”
FACTBOX
Kennesaw State University
470-578-6000 | www.kennesaw.edu
Kennesaw campus: 1000 Chastain Road, Kennesaw, GA 30144
Marietta campus: 1100 South Marietta Parkway, Marietta, GA 30060
Number of students: 35,420 (2018 numbers)
Undergraduate students: 32,274
Graduate students: 3,146
Faculty and staff: 4,350
Most popular programs/departments:
Biology | Nursing | Psychology | Mechanical Engineering
Management
In-state tuition by semester:
Undergraduate: $2,781 full-time, 15 credit hours (in-state)
Tuition per credit hour: $185.40, part-time
Six-year graduation rate: 43.4%
Retention rate: 78.6%
Estimated economic impact: $1.46 billion (Fiscal 2017)
/www.kennesaw.edu
/www.mdjonline.com