Kennesaw State University: New Name for Established Program
In those lines, from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Juliet declares that Romeo is not defined by his name but by who he is. Such was the case when in January of 2015, Southern Polytechnic State University was consolidated with Kennesaw State University to form the “New U,” making it the fourth such name change in SPSU’s 66-year history. Today, the University is named Kennesaw State University but still maintains the same academic programs offered at the institution for decades.
“For the past 50 years, we have offered architecture, and that hasn’t changed with the consolidation of the two institutions,” said Tony Rizzuto, chair of the architecture department at Kennesaw State University near Atlanta. Currently, the University offers the five-year B.ARCH degree and the M.S.ARCH degree with two concentrations, in urbanism and sustainable design, with the intention of opening a program in interior design in the coming years.
The new university combines the best from two of Georgia’s most respected institutions. Designated a comprehensive university by the University System of Georgia’s Board of Regents, it offers students a broad spectrum of academic options with more than 150 undergraduate and graduate degrees, including nationally ranked programs in business, engineering and information technology, plus premier architecture, education, nursing and science programs. With a student population of more than 33,000 KSU is now one of the 50 largest public universities in the U.S. While much of the essence of the Marietta campus remains the same, including its B.ARCH and M.S.ARCH programs, the consolidation and name change bring new opportunities.
