Kennesaw State University president Sam Olens said Friday his deans are trying to hire more faculty members as the school grapples with its increasing enrollment.
The university has hired additional faculty members this school year, he said, in areas such as engineering. Olens said he’s directed his team to hire at least 25 professors by the fall as more students apply, particularly with stronger academic records.
“We’ve found ourselves cut short at times with the need for certain types of professors,” Olens said in an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
KSU's enrollment, about 33,000 students, has increased by more than 5,000 students since 2010. It merged with Southern Polytechnic State University in 2015.
Olens, in his first year as KSU’s president, spoke about his vision for the university and the challenges it faces in two state of the university addresses earlier this week.
Olens told the AJC he's also looking to hire an internal auditor and fill other positions to improve KSU's financial management. The university fired several top officials for a series of policy and ethics errors before Olens was hired last year.
Olens said he’s also trying to get more needs-based scholarships and research money for KSU, noting ongoing research in autism, neurological disorders and cancer treatment.
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