Kennesaw State University will address its bustling student population by building a new dormitory on its main campus.
KSU hopes to open its proposed $37 million dorm next to its existing Austin Residence Complex on its Kennesaw campus by the fall semester of 2022.
The dorm, which would be about 120,000 square feet, would include about 500 units and have a mix of single- and double-occupancy units, plus community and study spaces “geared towards the first-year experience,” the university said.
KSU President Pamela Whitten said studies show students who live on campus are more involved with the university and are more satisfied with their experience, “which translates to increased student success.”
“Living on campus is especially beneficial in helping first-year students transition to college life and build deeper connections with both peers and faculty members,” she said.
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The Board of Regents on Tuesday approved the project. KSU is authorized to use $2 million in auxiliary reserves to ensure “student affordability,” the board said.
Details about the total cost for the project, including how much private funding would be used, have not been released by KSU.
The new dorm would address a surge in demand for on-campus housing — especially freshmen. KSU previously said its wait list for housing for the fall semester exceeded 1,500 students, 1,000 of whom were freshmen. A recent study indicates KSU needs to expand its housing to include an additional 1,400 beds on the Kennesaw campus.
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“We are striving to accommodate all students who want to live on campus and call Kennesaw State their home away from home,” Whitten said. “This is one key aspect of our commitment to providing students with a rich living and learning experience.”
KSU is the third-largest university in the state with an enrollment of 37,807 students. The university welcomed about 6,500 new freshmen students in fall 2019, which was a 30-percent increase from 2018.
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