Kennesaw Hall, Kennesaw State University

This educational and administrative building began construction in 1998 and was completed the following year. One of the centerpieces of Kennesaw State's redevelopment effort at the end of the twentieth century, Kennesaw Hall boasts a modern, five-story frame that can be easily seen from the nearby Barrett Parkway. Kennesaw Hall is home to the Bursar's Office, the Office of Research, Faculty Affairs, the Registrar's Office, multiple classrooms, and administrative offices. The Office of the President is located on the top floor of Kennesaw Hall. Kennesaw Hall is located across from the Carmichael Student Center and overlooks the main student quad.

Once the Board of Regents granted Kennesaw State "University" status on June 12, 1996, the final years of the twentieth century would see KSU embracing its new scholarly designation by undergoing major architectural projects. Starting in the 1980s, the formerly named Kennesaw College began petitioning the Georgia Board of Regents for expansion grants, arguing that its student body growth had been outpacing the institution's growth. To maintain a high educational standard for its growing population, KSU President Betty Siegel and the university's Board of Directors decided to supplement its yearly appropriations from the state through a public funding campaign designed to raise funds to pay for new educational and student support buildings, purchase the project's necessary acreage, and expedite the usually lengthy process of expansion. The ambitious fundraiser sought to raise $75 million for the proposed additions. The fundraiser highlighted a new Health Sciences building, a state-of-the-art student recreation facility, and classrooms for the Bagwell College of Education. In 2015, construction on the Bagwell Education Building and an attached walkway connected to Kennesaw Hall and its complementary facilities were completed.

The Kennesaw Foundation's efforts were immensely successful, partly due to its clever and precocious use of technologically contacting and thanking prospective donors. The Kennesaw Hall project was without its fair share of logistical concerns since the necessary 30 acres meant a complete rerouting of Frey Road for the newly purchased land to connect to the rest of the campus. By the end of 1998, the fundraising campaign's success was met with the necessary allowances by Cobb County, and Kennesaw State's endeavor entered the lengthy and expensive process of building these new additions.

Kennesaw Hall, one of the focal pieces of KSU's decade of expansion during the twenty-first century, symbolizes its commitment to student success in its architecture. The building's main entrance is an open, circular atrium that looks out onto the building's outdoor courtyard. The first floor's wide hallway cuts diagonally across the hall's floor plan, with lines of administrative offices and auxiliary paths leading to classrooms easily accessible to students and faculty members. Commonly found on Kennesaw Hall's first two floors are the circulating pieces of student art that complement the building's contemporary design. The openness of the floorplan betrays how many classrooms and offices are housed in the 1999 building; the three upper floors have congruent walkways that can be seen from ground level. Neat rows of offices on the building's southern side juxtapose the larger conglomerations of larger classrooms opposite them. Neatness and precision are met with creativity and a willingness to think differently. The prominence of glass in Kennesaw Hall's architecture allows many of its classrooms to enjoy plenty of natural light. Since its completion in 1999, Kennesaw Hall has stood proudly at the end of the student squad, greeting all who visit this unique Georgia university and encouraging its students to dream big and immerse themselves in a world of academic and cultural possibilities.

Cheakalos, Christina. "College Presidents Seek Money to Build." The Atlanta Journal-Constitution June 11th, 1997.

Scott, Thomas Allan. Kennesaw State University: The First Fifty Years, 1963-2013. Kennesaw, Georgia. Kennesaw State University Press, 2013.

Stepp, Diane R. "Kennesaw State to Expand." The Atlanta Journal-Constitution December 5th, 1998.