President's visit heralds good news
By Cheryl Anderson Brown
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Photos by Joshua Stone |
Kennesaw State University President Daniel S. Papp spent Friday, April 25 with the and staff of the College of the Arts, sharing the university's plans and answering questions about current and future issues. Following a one-on-one meeting with Dean Joseph Meeks, Papp met with the COTA and staff in the Dr. Bobbie Bailey & Family Performance Center.
In his opening, Papp announced that the university has received word that it will receive a $12 million budget increase for FY2009; this is the largest increase in its history. He also announced that construction on the 1,740-spot Central Parking Deck and the 913-bed residence is ahead of schedule and should be completed in the next two or three months. Earlier that morning, he received news that a donor is possibly going to help fund graduate teaching and research assistantships. The cabinet is seeking opportunities for off-campus teaching locations and is hoping to have the proposed 1,000-seat dining hall on the Board of Regents agenda in June. Finally, he shared that of the 7,000 students who responded to a survey about football, 78% said they wanted football and 30% said they would be willing to pay $105 per semester to support it.
As for challenges facing the university, Papp said that football still faces many hurdles including funding and location. Likewise, the university has many facilities needs that it is trying to address in a number of ways, including $100 million in new construction and new acquisitions that are being secured by the KSU Foundation. A proposed addition to the six-year-old Visual Arts Building is not included the $100 million. The university is also working to bring down the -student ratio, which may benefit from the projected flat growth for the next fall although the university still anticipates rapid enrollment growth over the next several years.
On the whole, Papp was optimistic about the university's future as one of three institutions tagged by the Board of Regents as "robust," a designation which will likely mean continued growth in financial support.
"Things are looking very, very good for Kennesaw State," Papp said, "and the College of the Arts is doing absolutely wonderful things. Keep up the good work."