Kennesaw State University Magazine Fall 2011 KSU Magazine : Page 5

campus briefs Army Col. David Sutherland, left, and Marine Lt. Col. Dennis Hart discussed Kennesaw State’s Veterans Resource Center with President Daniel S. Papp. Joint Chiefs of Staff offi cers visit Veterans Resource Center Representatives of the Offi ce of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff visited Kennesaw State University in August to get a fi rst hand look at the newly-opened Veterans Resource Center, part of the Division of Student Success and Enrollment Services. Army Col. David W. Sutherland, special assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Marine Lt. Col. Dennis Hart, from the Offi ce of Warrior and Family Support; and Navy Lt. Cmdr. Kim Mitchell, deputy director of that offi ce, met with Kennesaw State President Daniel S. Papp and Kennesaw State administrators. Veterans Resource Center director Frank Wills, a veteran of the Iraq war, explained how the center seeks to apply a “seamless approach” to transition from military life to civilian and academic life. “We help these vets with anything they don’t understand,” Wills said, “whether it’s navigating the intricacies of the G.I. Bill, to registering with the Veterans Administration, to helping them get into a work-study program. Whatever they need, we are there to help them.” Wills briefed the offi cers about Kennesaw State’s outreach programs, particularly the faculty-development programs that help faculty and staff identify obstacles student-veterans may encounter when transitioning from combat to the classroom. Sutherland said that KSU’s veterans resource programs — especially in faculty development — are setting a standard as a veteran-friendly institution. “We came to observe your program and replicate what you are doing here,” he said. “The chairman is passionate about transitioning our veterans back into civilian life. We learned from the problems encountered by Vietnam vets when they returned to a society who didn’t understand them or their experiences and they had no one to turn to. “This goes beyond cheerleading. It’s about understanding where these people have been. Some get it and others don’t. Kennesaw State gets it.” Kennesaw State receives federal grant for theatre production The National Endowment for the Arts awarded the College of the Arts’ Department of Theatre, Performance Studies & Dance a grant to support the production of “Splittin’ the Raft,” an adaptation of “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” After a six-night run at the university’s Black Box Theater in September, the play was performed at various community arts organizations and schools, including the Cultural Arts Council of Douglasville, the Arts Association in Newton County, the Earl Smith Strand Theatre in Marietta and various high schools in North Georgia. The new theatre production helps fulfi ll President Daniel S. Papp’s call for Kennesaw State to be “Georgia’s engaged university.” “This project is exemplary in its community engagement,” said John Gentile, chair of the Department of Theatre, Performance Studies & Dance. “It brings a canonical work of American literature and a thoughtful consideration of contemporary social issues involving diversity to today’s students in the greater Atlanta community.” Written by Scott Kaiser, “Splittin’ the Raft” is a dramatic adaptation of the Mark Twain classic “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” as seen through the eyes of the great orator and abolitionist Frederick Douglass. The play, featuring African-American spirituals and songs by Stephen Foster, is directed by Associate Professor of Theatre and Performance Studies Harrison Long. 5 Kennesaw State University Magazine | FALL 2011

Campus Briefs

Joint Chiefs of Staff officers visit Veterans Resource Center Representatives of the Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff visited Kennesaw State University in August to get a first hand look at the newly-opened Veterans Resource Center, part of the Division of Student Success and Enrollment Services. Army Col. David W. Sutherland, special assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Marine Lt. Col. Dennis Hart, from the Office of Warrior and Family Support; and Navy Lt. Cmdr. Kim Mitchell, deputy director of that office, met with Kennesaw State President Daniel S. Papp and Kennesaw State administrators. Veterans Resource Center director Frank Wills, a veteran of the Iraq war, explained how the center seeks to apply a “seamless approach” to transition from military life to civilian and academic life. “We help these vets with anything they don’t understand,” Wills said, “whether it’s navigating the intricacies of the G.I. Bill, to registering with the Veterans Administration, to helping them get into a work-study program. Whatever they need, we are there to help them.” Wills briefed the officers about Kennesaw State’s outreach programs, particularly the faculty-development programs that help faculty and staff identify obstacles student-veterans may encounter when transitioning from combat to the classroom. Sutherland said that KSU’s veterans resource programs — especially in faculty development — are setting a standard as a veteran-friendly institution. “We came to observe your program and replicate what you are doing here,” he said. “The chairman is passionate about transitioning our veterans back into civilian life. We learned from the problems encountered by Vietnam vets when they returned to a society who didn’t understand them or their experiences and they had no one to turn to. “This goes beyond cheerleading. It’s about understanding where these people have been. Some get it and others don’t. Kennesaw State gets it.” Kennesaw State receives federal grant for theatre production The National Endowment for the Arts awarded the College of the Arts’ Department of Theatre, Performance Studies & Dance a grant to support the production of “Splittin’ the Raft,” an adaptation of “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” After a six-night run at the university’s Black Box Theater in September, the play was performed at various community arts organizations and schools, including the Cultural Arts Council of Douglasville, the Arts Association in Newton County, the Earl Smith Strand Theatre in Marietta and various high schools in North Georgia. The new theatre production helps fulfill President Daniel S. Papp’s call for Kennesaw State to be “Georgia’s engaged university.” “This project is exemplary in its community engagement,” said John Gentile, chair of the Department of Theatre, Performance Studies & Dance. “It brings a canonical work of American literature and a thoughtful consideration of contemporary social issues involving diversity to today’s students in the greater Atlanta community.” Written by Scott Kaiser, “Splittin’ the Raft” is a dramatic adaptation of the Mark Twain classic “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” as seen through the eyes of the great orator and abolitionist Frederick Douglass. The play, featuring African- American spirituals and songs by Stephen Foster, is directed by Associate Professor of Theatre and Performance Studies Harrison Long. New Interdisciplinary Studies Department opens Eight academic programs in Kennesaw State University’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences have been merged into an Interdisciplinary Studies Department. The new department comprises African and African Diaspora Studies, American Studies, Asian Studies, Environmental Studies, Gender and Women’s Studies, Latin American Studies, Religious Studies and Peace Studies. The programs that make up the new department previously operated as a cluster under the Office of the Dean in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. “The alignment of these programs and their successful history of collaboration in terms of curriculum delivery, sharing resources, interdisciplinary research and staging successful events and activities reinforce the strategic goal of nurturing interdisciplinary and intercultural learning,” said Richard Vengroff, dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. Vengroff also noted that the departmental structure allows decisions about faculty tenure, promotion, service and scholarship to reside wholly within the department rather than in the discipline- based home departments to which the faculty members were previously assigned. Board of Regents approves Bagwell College addition Kennesaw State University will start construction next year on a more than $20 million addition to the Bagwell College of Education, thanks to an $18 million allocation in the state’s budget. The projected enrollment growth at Kennesaw State and new educator-preparation degree programs require more dedicated space. Also, new initiatives in the Bagwell College — such as the Center for Literacy and Learning — require room to grow. “We are deeply appreciative of the strong support from the University System of Georgia’s (USG) Board of Regents for this much-needed addition to the Bagwell College of Education and to Gov. Nathan Deal and the General Assembly for recognizing the important role Kennesaw State plays in the education of the state’s teachers,” said President Daniel S. Papp. “The outstanding support and advocacy on behalf of KSU by the members of our Cobb County delegation also played a key role in the funding of this critical need for the university.” Kennesaw State graduates more teachers annually than any other USG institution — enrollment in the Bagwell College has more than doubled since the mid-2000s — but USG graduates satisfy only 30 percent of the state’s teacher requirements, with another 20 percent of teachers coming from private universities. However, a “20,000 by 2020” USG initiative seeks to meet 80 percent of the state’s need for teachers by the year 2020 while strengthening teacher quality, recruitment and retention. Kennesaw State ranks among top 100 producers of minority grads Kennesaw State University ranked among the nation’s top degree producers of minority students in a special report published by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education. This is the first time Kennesaw State was included in the publication’s rankings. The national magazine’s annual “Top 100 Undergraduate Degree Producers” report recognized Kennesaw State as a top overall degree producer of African-American students (95th). KSU also was recognized as a leading institution for African-American students graduating in seven different academic categories (see list below) and ranked among the top institutions for Asian Americans majoring in education (23rd). “We are proud to stand among the nation’s colleges and universities that are being recognized as leaders in the area of diversity,” said President Daniel S. Papp. “Embracing and leveraging our campus diversity is a major component of Kennesaw State’s overall strategic plan. We thank the publishers of Diverse: Issues in Higher Education for recognizing our outcomes and progress.” Diverse: Issues in Higher Education’s list of top 100 degree producers showcases U.S. colleges’ and universities’ success in awarding degrees to African-American, Hispanic, Asian-American and Native-American students. In determining its rankings, Diverse uses the most recent enrollment data from the U.S. Department of Education as submitted by each institution. In fall 2010, minority students accounted for 26 percent of Kennesaw State’s more than 23,400 undergraduate and graduate students. Other categories where KSU ranked: • 23rd for all African-American students graduating with a degree in accounting • 29th for all African-American students graduating with a degree in finance • 31st for all African-American students graduating with a degree in marketing • 32nd across all minority students graduating with a degree in education • 33rd for all African-American students graduating with a degree in education • 40th for all African-American students graduating with a degree in parks, recreation, leisure and fitness studies • 46th for all African-American students graduating with a degree in nursing • 47th for all African-American students graduating with a degree in the physical sciences Kennesaw State’s economic impact grows by $100 million Spending by Kennesaw State University students was the driving force behind a 14 percent jump in the university’s local economic impact in fiscal year 2010 over FY 2009, according to a report released by the University System of Georgia Board of Regents. The institution’s FY 2010 economic impact on the 28-county Atlanta metropolitan region was more than $800 million, up from $701 million in FY 2009. The overall economic impact of the 35-unit university system on the state’s economy in FY 2010 was $12.6 billion. “Kennesaw State’s impact on the local economy is substantial and expanding,” said KSU President Daniel S. Papp. “With a growing student body of more than 24,100, we are proud to call Cobb County home and to contribute in such a significant manner to the region’s success.” The USG study was conducted by the Selig Center for Economic Growth at the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business, which analyzed data collected between July 1, 2009, and June 30, 2010, to calculate the university’s economic impact. The study measures initial spending on personal services, operating expenses and student spending, as well as the impact of this spending on output, value-added, labor income and employment. “Colleges and universities are key drivers in economic development,” said study author Jeffrey M. Humphreys, director of economic forecasting for the Selig Center. “Higher education institutions educate the work force, innovate through basic and applied research and collaborate with employers to help them become more competitive.” Comings&Goings W. Ken Harmon was named provost and vice president for academic affairs at Kennesaw State University. Harmon joined Kennesaw State in 2006 as head of the university’s accounting program and was named dean of the Coles College of Business in 2009. As dean, he collaborated closely with Atlanta-area companies to raise the profile of the college, which is now regarded one of the top business schools in the Southeast. In July 2010, Harmon was named interim provost and vice president for academic affairs. Harmon holds a doctorate in accounting from the University of Tennessee. Prior to joining Kennesaw State, he served as dean of the school of management at Millsaps College in Jackson, Miss., and chair of the accounting departments at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Middle Tennessee State University and Arizona State University’s West Campus. He also served on the accounting faculties of the University of Missouri and Drexel University. Wesley K. Wicker stepped down in October as Kennesaw State’s vice president for advancement after 10 years of service. He is credited with leading “The New Faces of Kennesaw State,” the university’s first-ever comprehensive five-year capital campaign, which raised $77 million, 15 months ahead of schedule — including a $500,000 scholarship pledge and an anonymous gift of $250,000 to the College of the Arts’ theatre program. During the campaign, KSU also received the largest grant the university has ever received and the largest single private contribution — $5 million from an anonymous donor. The campaign also raised 14 gifts of at least $1 million each. Joseph D. Meeks, dean of KSU’s College of the Arts, was named interim vice president of advancement on Nov. 1 and will serve jointly as dean of his college and in the interim role until a permanent vice president is named.

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