James V Carmichael Student Center, Kennesaw State University

The student center is always the center of activity for a university, and this is true for Kennesaw State University. It has housed many restaurants, lounging areas, and rooms for events. The architecture is simple with a few additions to the original building. Opened in 1975, the Kennesaw State student center is named for Cobb County native James V. Carmichael who was instrumental in the creation of this student center. Although he died before the completion of this student center's first iteration, his legacy can live on through it. 

The James V. Carmichael Student Center, now located in the center of campus, was opened on October 2, 1975, for Kennesaw Junior College. Originally, the student center was a two-story building of approximately 40,000 square feet. Planning for. the building started in 1971. Upon completion, the building housed a cafeteria, dining hall, bookstore, counseling offices, clinic, lounge area, meeting rooms, and offices for student clubs and organizations.[1] The school newspaper, The Sentinel,  boasted that “the center is equipped with a sound system that pipes music throughout the building” During the opening ceremonies, then-Governor George Busbee and Kennesaw. State President Dr. Horace Sturgis was present. Construction costs for the building were just under $1.4 million with a final cost including equipment and contingencies of almost $1.7 million.[2] Plans for the building were approved by the Regents of the University System of Georgia on October 13, 1971. Architect John W. Cherry designed the building.[3] All of the food-service equipment had the National Sanitation Foundation seal. The building was the largest on the Kennesaw State campus when it was built, and the cost to furnish it was almost $100,000.

In 1985 KSU carried out a $245,120.00 renovation.[4] In 1985 there was a renovation that included relocating walls and moving doors in order to provide more study spaces and add more student services. In this renovation, the top balcony was enclosed to make more space for a student development board room, a wellness assessment center, and a non-traditional student service center. The renovation was carried out in two phases with the removal of asbestos in phase one. Today, the student center houses many student-related functions like the bookstore, restaurants, and club organizations like SGA and Kennesaw Pride Alliance.

There were renovations that started in the mid-1980s, which were heavily debated. It was headed by then-President Betty Seigel. They enclosed the top balcony, which allowed for more student studying space. They wanted to add and felt the most significant needs were, a student development board room, a wellness assessment center, and a non-traditional student service center. In 1998 there was an addition that nearly doubled its size.

Born on October 2, 1910, in rural Cobb County, James V. Carmichael was very important to Kennesaw Junior College (later Kennesaw State University) and Cobb County. He was hit by a car when he was 16 years old, so he walked with a cane and intense pain for the rest of his life. After taking a year to recover, he graduated from Emory with a degree in law. He married France Elizabeth McDonald and fathered three children. He served on the Board of Regents for the University System of Georgia and was “one of Georgia’s most prominent business leaders.”. He was the general manager of the Bell Aircraft Plant in Marietta, Georgia during World War II. The Bell Aircraft plant produced B-29s for the war. He was a two-term legislator in the Georgia General Assembly but unsuccessfully ran for governor in 1946, running under the Democratic party.[5] Carmichael was a Cobb County native and was deeply important in getting the student center built for Kennesaw State University. Carmichael gained national attention when he won the popular vote for Georgia Governor but lost the County Unit System— he received the largest number of votes up to this point.[6] Dying before the building was completed, his wife attended the ceremonies in his honor.[7]

[1] Correspondence from Architect John W. Cherry, 1972, KSU/18/02 Facilities Planning and Design. Building plans, records, 1965-2004 Box 6 Folder 2 of 3, Kennesaw State University Archives, Kennesaw, Georgia.

[2] Report from Horace Sturgis to Architects John W. Cherry, 1974, KSU/18/02 Facilities Planning and Design. Building plans, records, 1965-2004 Box 6 Folder 2 of 3, Kennesaw State University Archives, Kennesaw, Georgia.

[3] Report from surveyor to Horace Sturgis, 1971, KSU/18/02 Facilities Planning and Design. Building plans, records, 1965-2004 Box 6 Folder 1 of 3, Kennesaw State University Archives, Kennesaw, Georgia.

[4] Cherry, Roberts, Sullivan report, 1985, Box 7 Folder 1 of 2, Kennesaw State University Archives, Kennesaw, Georgia.

[5] Scott, Thomas. "James V. Carmichael." New Georgia Encyclopedia, last modified May 17, 2016. https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/business-economy/james-v-carmichael-1910-1972/

[6] Gary Simmers, “Carmichael Center Dedicated ,” The Sentinel, October 2, 1975, pp. 1-4.

[7] Gary Simmers, “Carmichael Center Dedicated ,” The Sentinel, October 2, 1975, pp. 1-4.