Norman J. Radow College of Humanities and Social Sciences Giving Community
Message From Dean Kaukinen
We believe the value of a higher education degree in the humanities and social sciences is immeasurable. It is our mission to prepare students for fulfilling careers that balance their professional success, community engagement, and personal growth, positioning them to be the future leaders who can navigate the complexities of an ever-changing world. However, not all students have the luxury of graduating with a four-year degree without the financial support that comes from endowed scholarships, program support, and support for the continuously changing needs for facilities and equipment that support the goals of higher education. We rely on the generosity of donors who are invested in Radow College's mission and believe the financial support they offer is fundamentally an investment in the future of our community locally and globally. Explore this web page to learn more about our current donors, our scholarship recipients, and the range of giving opportunities that enable you to make a life changing impact on our students’ success.
Donor Wall
Donors to the Norman J. Radow College of Humanities and Social Sciences are diverse
in their academic focus, their reasons for giving, and the amounts of their financial
contributions. What binds them together is a common and unshakable commitment to supporting
the educational pursuits of our Radow College students. For this we are honored and humbly thank our donors who make academic success possible
for our students today and in the future.
Norman J. Radow has been passionate about KSU for more than two decades and has a lifelong belief in the importance and the value of humanities and social sciences education in our country. His transformative gift of $9 million to KSU and the Norman J. Radow College of Humanities and Social Sciences is a powerful demonstration of his, and his wife Lindy Radow’s, commitment to KSU. Their impact is felt in a variety of ways, from the recently dedicated study space, named “The Bev” for his mother Beverly Radow, and located in the newly renovated lobby space in the Social Sciences building, the Lindy Radow Scholarship, and the Paul & Beverly Radow Lecture Series on Jewish Life. Norman Radow’s relationship with KSU began in 1999 when he reached out to the University to discuss student housing needs, which resulted in his joining the KSU Foundation, and the rest, as they say, is history. Click to learn more aboutNorman J. Radow’shistory and his support of KSU.
$5 Million and Above
Norman J. and Lindy Radow The Radow Family Foundation Inc.
$1,000,000 - $4,999,999
The Harnisch Foundation The Wallace Foundation Shaw Industries Inc.
$500,000 - $999,999
The Radco Companies Judith Fowler Ottley The Robert Bowne Foundation The Tow Foundation
$250,000 - $499,999
The Halle Foundation The Kendeda Fund Judith A. Moen and Thomas B. Stanley, III Conrad N. Hilton Foundation Hanban/Confucius Institute Headquarters The Gerber Foundation The Annie E. Casey Foundation John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Dr. Teresa P. Raczek The Teagle Foundation Incorporated
$100,000 - $249,999
Joachim Herz Stifung Foundation
Borealis Philanthropy
May and Stanley Smith Charitable Trust
Democracy Fund
The Miami Foundation
Alphawood Foundation
Raikes Foundation
Park Foundation
Online News Association
The Rich Foundation, Inc.
Vital Projects Fund, Inc.
William F. Harnisch Foundation, Inc.
Michael and Caren Merlin
Kathleen S. Scott and Dr. Thomas A. Scott
$50,000 - $99,999
Ghana Education Trust Fund
Florida Institute of Technology
The Coca-Cola Foundation, Inc.
John and Mary Franklin Foundation, Inc.
JAMS Foundation
Ethics & Excellence in Journalism Foundation
Drs. Herbert J. and Carola L. Mattord
J. Paul Getty Museum
Merlin Wealth Management
Michael Merlin and Caren Merlin
Meta Platforms
New York Foundling
AT&T Corporation
Steve and Nancy Silver
Dr. Rosa W. Bobia
Barbara A. Coombe
$25,000 - $49,999
Catherine Kaukinen
The Spencer Foundation
James A. Cox Foundation
Ann W. Pullen
Claire Francis
Southern Company Gas
A. Montag & Associates
Shaw Family Foundation
Radco - 460 Ted Turner Drive, LP
Cobb Housing, Inc.
David and Patti Bradley
Jennifer W. Dickey
GeoSurvey
Cobb Community Foundation, Inc.
Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta
Stanley Family Foundation
Marianne Sword
Rosemary P. Beggs
PaTrice M. Wapples and Sean M. Dowdy
Daniel L. Treadaway and Eric Still
American Arbitration Association - ICDR Foundation
L. A. Montag
Mill Town Music Hall
Penny E. Warren and Neil B. Warren
East Cobb Civitan Foundation, Inc.
Victor C. Sukumar and Sheela R. Sukumar
The Vasser Woolley Foundation Inc.
Impact Stories
Every dollar donated makes a positive impact on our students’ ability to succeed and our faculty’s capacity to conduct relevant research. But, there’s nothing like hearing directly from our students, faculty, and the donors who support them to fully understand how important it is to invest in the future of our communities, businesses, civic organizations, and educational institutions. Learn more about the impact we are having through the stories shared below.
Chasidy Harris, Senior, Sociology Major
Having been awarded a Lindy Radow Scholarship as well as the Osher Re-entry Scholarship, Chasidy Harris has some breathing room to finish her undergraduate degree with a little less stress. Additionally, the scholarships allowed her to save the necessary funds to study abroad, a long-time dream, and enabled her to finish her degree on schedule. Harris says, “It definitely would have taken me a little bit longer. Being able to study abroad I was able to get two credits that I needed to get my degree. Because of the way I came in [to KSU], I technically was a transfer student. So, my class schedule was packed for every semester so there was no real wiggle room. So, I would have either have had to graduate this summer or in the fall so the scholarships definitely helped a lot.” Harris says the scholarships meant she did not have to take out more student loans and they relieved her stress, allowing her to focus on the work.
A self-described “non-traditional student,” Harris works full time remotely and commutes to campus. When asked what she would say to Lindy Radow, the namesake of one of her scholarship awards, Harris said “Thank you for supporting our college and seeing the benefit of the humanities programs and how much we can bring to society.”
Stacy Adams, Senior, English Education Major
Stacy Adams is pursuing a dream that has been years in the making. As the eldest of four daughters raised by her single mother, Adams initially pursued an academic path that would have led to a more profitable profession, but it wasn’t her passion. After two years she dropped out, worked for two years, then chose to pursue her calling to teach. As an English Education major graduating in May 2023, Adams is thrilled to have been awarded scholarships that will fully cover her senior year at KSU. She is the recipient of English Education Outstanding Future Teacher of Color Award, the Excellence in English Education Award, and the GAP Scholarship. Adams recounts that after logging in to her Owl Express finance account page and seeing the scholarships posted and a balance of $0.00, that the feeling was “indescribable.”
“We just purchased a home and so I am learning the responsibilities of paying a mortgage and all the other things that are still on my plate, and so this was just one less thing that was weighing me down and the relief was amazing.” She has been working full time and fulfilling the 20-hour required internship while still managing her courseload. Adams hopes to start teaching in August and plans to stay in the classroom for as long as possible. Her long-term ambitions are to stay in education and work her way into a position at the policy-making level to affect positive change in education.
Connor Welch, Senior, Psychology & Chemistry Major
Four scholarship awards are paving the way to a degree for Connor Welch. A double major in psychology and chemistry, Welch is working toward medical school and then a career in psychiatry. His scholarship awards are very personal and impactful. Welch has received the Scott E. Duffy Endowed Scholarship, the Center of Young Adult Addiction and Recovery Scholarship Board Scholarship, the Center for Young Adult Addiction and Recovery Annual General Scholarship, and a study abroad scholarship.
Welch has been in long-term recovery from substance use and alcohol disorder and has been sober and in recovery now for more than three years. After being on this path for three years, his decision to choose to pursue his degrees at KSU was driven in part by KSU’s very strong Collegiate Recovery Community (CRC). In fact, KSU’s program is the largest in the Southeast. Welch applied on a “whim” because it was his first year of sobriety and he “wanted to feel supported and have a community.” He found exactly that at KSU and has become very actively engaged in the community. He will be heading to Italy to study abroad and then will continue his mission to complete his double major degree.
Jose Lugo, Junior, Political Science Major
Jose Lugo credits a supportive partner, encouraging parents, and generous scholarships with keeping him focused and committed to earning his degree in political science. At 35, Lugo is at KSU’s Norman J. Radow College of Humanities and Social Sciences to finish a degree he started many years ago. Although he continues to budget very carefully to pay for his education, being the first-ever recipient of the Dr. Simon Sukumar Memorial Scholarship, which is specifically for students in the Norman J. Radow College of Humanities and Social Sciences who are majoring in Political Science, has been a big relief. He says money, like for most people, is an issue. Receiving the scholarship means he can relax knowing he “can apply the scholarship to next semester.”
The Sukumar scholarship stood out because he felt Dr. Sukumar was someone he could relate to and emulate. Lugo’s commitment to earning his degree is unshakable. He recalls years ago being told, “getting a college degree isn’t a measurement of how smart you are, what it shows is dedication and commitment to something. It reassures me that if I commit to something I can compete. I know it will make my family proud. I would be proud. Ideally, I’d like to go to graduate school, so if I could do the Double Owl, here at KSU that would be great.” Lugo’s hope is to work and serve in communities like the Columbia Heights community in Washington, D.C. where he grew up.
Scholarship Outlook
The Merlin Family's Generous Gifts to Radow College
The Merlin family has pledged a substantial $100,000 to Radow College. This generous
commitment is equally divided between two transformative gifts: The Merlin Wealth
Management Gift for Financial Education provides $50,000 to Radow College faculty
to integrate financial education and micro-credentials into their courses. The Caren
and Michael Merlin Family Scholarship, endowed with $50,000, provides stipends to
student teachers to alleviate financial pressures and support their focus on coursework.
Endowment Growth
In just the past two years Kennesaw State University has doubled its endowment to the current level of $100 million. This growth is emblematic of the faith our donors have in KSU, and the commitment our community of supporters has to our educational mission, dedication to student success, and expansion of research opportunities for both faculty and students. The work can’t stop here. A strong and growing endowment ensures continued investment in our success.
New Scholarships
The Norman J. Radow College of Humanities and Social Sciences has added five new scholarships. Thanks to our generous donors, Radow College has established the Jeanette Milner Treadaway Scholarship; the Rebecca Mattord Memorial Scholarship, intended for students studying geography and GIS/GSSP; the Dr. Simon Sukumar Memorial Scholarship, which supports student majoring in political science; the Brian Olcott LaRaia Traveling Scholarship to support students’ study abroad; and the Gary Kaukinen Memorial Scholarship for History Education majors at Radow College.
First Generation
Kennesaw State University’s student population is approximately 43,000. Of that group, 38% are on track to be the first in their family to graduate college. That’s 16,340 students, many of whom need financial support to achieve their education goals. This is why support through endowed scholarships is so important. Through earning a college degree, these first generation students are in a position to increase their earning potential and build a legacy of professional and educational success in their families.
Giving Opportunities
There are many ways to make contributions to support the Radow College of Humanities and Social Sciences (RCHSS). From a $5 or $10 donation to multi-million-dollar gifts of support, we can assist you in identifying scholarship endowments, research, student engagement opportunities, social equity programs, distinguished professorships, naming opportunities, and more.
Your giving supports our commitment to offering world-class transdisciplinary, experiential learning that equips students with valuable professional skills, career readiness and diverse experiences, as well as supporting our award-winning faculty in their ability to conduct research with relevance. Click on the link below, or scroll down to connect to our Radow College Director of Development, Akua Asiamah Andrade, to discuss your giving strategy.
Featured Giving Categories
Dean's Academic Excellence Fund
This fund supports new and continuing initiatives enabling the college to address emerging strategic opportunities, including the integration of traditional and cutting-edge approaches to research, teaching, and learning for which other funding may not be readily available. The advancement of faculty and student engagement and success, opening up opportunities for undergraduate research, and team science approaches to research, teaching and practice benefit from the Dean’s Academic Excellence fund.
Faculty Research with Relevance
Our faculty are charged with conducting research that is in line with our status as a student-centered, research driven R2 institution. Opportunities for supporting our research mission include, but are not limited to, named professorships, faculty fellowships, research equipment and infrastructure, sponsored research, and supporting our research institutes and centers through naming opportunities.
Student Scholarship and Support
You may be most familiar with student scholarships as a means to advancing a student’s academic goals through financial support. Our named endowed scholarships, annual college, department and school scholarships, our KSU Journey Honors Scholarships for Radow College students, named scholarship support, student-based projects and graduate research and teaching assistant scholarships and stipends are all excellent ways to directly support our undergraduate and graduate students.
Student Engagement and Success Initiatives
Nothing can compare to hands-on, experiential learning, the thrill of studying abroad, or the motivation that participating in academic competition. The opportunity to put theory into practice and take lived experience into a professional job opportunity is invaluable. Your support for service-learning, capstone projects, undergraduate research, life-changing international study, and academic competitions that offer financial awards for excellence offer a range of opportunities for your support and give students one in a lifetime experiences.
Other College Initiatives
The Norman J. Radow College of Humanities and Social Sciences offer several ways you
can make positive social change through your support of our Dean Fellowship program
for graduate students; or investing in our Post-Doctoral Fellowship that enables us
to bring the brightest minds to KSU for a 12-month position.
For More Information on How You Can Make an Impact
