The Georgia Board of Regents Tuesday made official the appointment of Kathy “Kat” Schwaig as president of Kennesaw State University.
Schwaig’s appointment goes into effect Wednesday. The regents last week named her the sole finalist for the job.
“There is no question that Kennesaw State University has an extraordinary story and a promising future, and I’m honored the board has confidence in me to keep that story moving forward,” Schwaig said. “My highest priority has been to support faculty and staff in making KSU a student-centered university, and the university’s focus on retention, engagement and academic success won’t change.”
Schwaig has served as KSU’s interim president since July 2021, after the last president, Pamela Whitten, departed for Indiana University. In her eight months leading KSU, Schwaig has focused on policies aimed at improving retention, progression and graduation rates, the Board of Regents said.
“Kennesaw State has a strong advocate and leader in Dr. Schwaig, and there is no question about the passion she has for the university and its students, faculty and staff,” USG Acting Chancellor Teresa MacCartney said. “As a longtime member of the KSU community, she has been a major part of its journey to become a force for student success in higher education, and I congratulate her on being named president of the institution she loves.”
Schwaig previously served as provost and senior vice president for academic affairs from 2019 to 2021, overseeing all aspects of the university’s academic mission and supervising the deans of KSU’s 11 colleges.
“I think she is just tremendous. … I just was always impressed with her knowledge, with how she could present things. ... She understands that the role of the university is for the students,” said Bob Prillaman, a retired businessman and loyal donor to KSU’s nursing school. “And everything that she does, or everything that I have observed in dealing with staff, deans or whoever, has always been doing that which was the proper thing for the students. She is a quality lady that is going to lead KSU to new heights.”
She first joined KSU in 2002 and was dean of KSU’s business college from 2012 to 2019. In 2019, the college’s MBA program was ranked among the top 20 in the country and first in Georgia by U.S. News and World Report. Schwaig led the college through two successful reaccreditation reviews by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business and was instrumental in attracting $13 million in gifts, the regents said.
A native Texan, Schwaig holds a BBA in Accounting and an MBA in Information Systems from Baylor University, a Master’s of Liberal Arts from Johns Hopkins University, and a Ph.D. in Information Systems from the University of South Carolina.
Last October, the Board of Regents voted to grant Schwaig a waiver to BoR policy 2.1, which states that interim presidents shall not be considered as candidates for president.
Since being chartered in 1963, KSU has grown from a two-year junior college to the third-largest university in the state. As of fall 2021, it had about 43,000 students, behind only Georgia State and Georgia Tech in enrollment. Enrollment is up by 10,000 students since 2015.
KSU employs more than 5,000 people and contributed an estimated $1.6 billion to Georgia’s economy in fiscal 2020.
“I am excited about Dr. Schwaig’s new position as KSU president and the initiative that she has already taken to connect with community partners,” said Cobb County Chairwoman Lisa Cupid. “I look forward to working with her during her presidency.”
The school offers more than 165 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees. Since 2018 it has been classified as an R2 doctoral university, the second-highest classification for research institutions in the country.
Strong fundraising performance has seen KSU’s endowment more than double since 2019, going from about $47.5 million to about $102 million by the end of 2021.
“I think that we all do have something of great pride when we look at what started out with good people from Marietta starting a two-year college, and it is now becoming a major college, and one that has grown to about 43,000 students,” Prillaman said. “And that is quality growth. And if you look at it from the partnerships, the economic value alone of KSU to this community is astonishing. But that’s nothing compared to what it does for young people, and that’s what it’s all about.”
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Remember the human. Show other commenters the respect they deserve as human beings. If you wouldn't say it in a crowded room full of people you don't know, don't say it here. Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.