Kennesaw State University students say "Yes" to football!
Nearly 56 percent of voters support football at Georgia’s third largest university For more…
Georgia (Nov 16, 2010) —
Nearly 56 percent of voters support football at Georgia’s third largest university
For more information on football at KSU go to http://www.kennesaw.edu/ksufootball/
KENNESAW, Ga. (Nov. 16, 2010) — Kennesaw State University students have voiced support for a football fee at Georgia’s
third largest university. Of the 7,358 students who voted in last week’s survey, 55.5
percent of them support a $100 per-semester fee, which would be initiated at the earliest
in fall 2012 — but only if several additional milestones are achieved before then.
There were 22,388 eligible voters — those who currently pay the university’s athletics fee — and 33 percent of them voted.
The vote took place online between Nov. 8 and 14, via a survey shaped by KSU’s Student
Government Association (SGA), with advice and guidance provided by KSU faculty. In
the week preceding the vote, KSU President Daniel S. Papp conducted nine football
forums on campus with students, faculty and staff to provide information about the
proposal to add football and to discuss its pros and cons.
Today’s positive vote followed the release in mid-September of a report by KSU’s Football
Exploratory Committee, which concluded there was solid support for football. Headed
by legendary UGA football coach and athletics director Vince Dooley, the committee’s
much-awaited report commissioned by Papp, recommended that the university move forward
with plans to field a football team. At that time, Papp promised to gauge student
support further before a decision was made.
“Student financial support is critical if KSU is going to have a football program,”
Papp said. “Before our students voted, I wanted them to have all the facts and give
them a chance to ask questions in an open forum. The only way we can afford to field
a football team is with the support of student fees.”
Funding football at KSU could cost between $5 million and $6 million annually, according
to the report prepared by the Football Exploratory Committee. A student fee of $100
per semester, along with additional funds from sponsors, donors and ticket sales are
necessary to generate revenue for the program.
Despite today’s report of strong student support for football, Papp stressed that
there are still challenges ahead. “Starting a football program from scratch will not
be easy, but then again nothing truly worthwhile ever is easy,” he said. “We still
have a long way to go, but we are another step closer to having football at KSU! With
today’s vote by the students, we are at second down; we have two more downs to go
before we have a touchdown!”
The next step in the assessment process is to conduct an 18-to-30 month fundraising
campaign. The campaign would need to raise between $8 million and $12 million to create
the infrastructure needed to launch the football program and to expand women’s sports
at the university to meet Title IX gender-equity requirements. If the fundraising
is successful, a business plan then would be submitted to the Board of Regents (BOR),
which would include a formal request for the $100 student fee.
Based on the timeline of the fundraising campaign, that will determine when the business
plan and fee request would be submitted to the BOR. At the earliest, the request would
be submitted in spring 2012 or at the latest in spring 2013. Therefore, the earliest
students would pay the new fee is in the fall 2012 semester.
KSU’s Vice President for Student Success Jerome Ratchford, who chaired the Football
Vote Planning Committee, said that the committee’s mission was to educate and inform
students about the potential benefits and costs of adding football. “That’s why we
took great pains to hold several forums around campus at various times to solicit
student input and provide accurate and timely information,” Ratchford said. “We wanted
to be fair and impartial and then let the students vote in a binding referendum. I
am pleased that students actively engaged in the voting process and let their opinions
be known regarding how they feel about adding football to our athletics program at
KSU.”
Ali Kamran, president of KSU’s Student Government Association, commented on the level
of student engagement. “It was very refreshing to see more than 7,000 students vote
on this important matter,” he said. “The students were actively involved. I want to
thank everyone in KSU student government for their help in raising awareness of this
important issue.”
KSU SGA Vice President Darius Robinson, who co-led the student voting process, added:
“We were at fourth and inches and decided to go for it,” he said. “We still have two
quarters to play before this dream can become a reality, but we are now one step closer
to having football at Kennesaw State University.”
Now that the student vote has moved KSU another step closer to fielding a football
team, football games could take place at the university as early as fall 2014. If
the fee approval takes place in spring 2012, coaches would be recruited in fall 2012
and players would be recruited beginning in fall 2013. With some adjustments, a football
team could play in the state-of-the-art, $16.5 million KSU Soccer Stadium that was
completed in May.
Papp reiterated that quality academics will remain the university’s focus even if
a football program is launched. “A football program could serve our mission well,
as it may help bring increased national recognition to our institution and highlight
the important work that is being done here in teaching and research,” Papp said. “We
are already recording a heightened media interest in the university due to the conversations
we are having about a potential program. Fielding an intercollegiate football team
will promote student and alumni attachment, make KSU degrees more valuable, and will
enhance our ability to raise funds and attract more students.”
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Kennesaw State University is the third largest university in Georgia, offering more
than 70 graduate and undergraduate degrees, including doctorates in education, business
and nursing, and a new Ph.D. in international conflict management. A member of the
35-unit University System of Georgia, Kennesaw State is a comprehensive, residential
institution with a growing population of more than 23,400 students from 142 countries.
A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers more than 150 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees to its approximately 41,000 students. With 11 colleges on two metro Atlanta campuses, Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia and the third-largest university in the state. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the region and from 92 countries across the globe. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 6 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status, and one of the 50 largest public institutions in the country. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.
