Momentum provided the theme as Kennesaw State University’s faculty and staff gathered at VyStar Arena on Aug. 20 to celebrate the opening of the 2026-27 academic year with Launch ’26.

Speakers and guests enjoyed a look into KSU’s future, illustrated by visions of continued growth, academic excellence, ascendant and relevant research, and continued student success.

"Our progress did not happen all at once, and it did not happen by accident,” President Kathy S. Schwaig said. “That is why we began Launch ’26 this morning by looking ahead. The future we imagine is not abstract. It has names, faces, hopes, and ambitions.”

Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Ivan Pulinkala emphasized KSU’s academic growth, manifested in the University’s new affiliation with the Georgia Research Alliance, as well as new bachelor’s degree programs in financial technologies and artificial intelligence, and a new Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences that will start for the 2027-28 academic year. 

“We continue to advance KSU with a duality of focus in both teaching and research,” he said. “Across our academic colleges and administrative units, students, faculty and staff are working to expand our institutional influence – and this work continues to be recognized in multiple disciplinary and national forums.”

KSU’s national reputation has grown, thanks to several years of student body growth, new research affiliations and increased expenditures, and new degree programs. KSU embodies a university on the rise, and the speakers reflected on these recent achievements. The event was focused on what comes next, not only in the new academic year but also in the long-term evolution of Kennesaw State.

“Twenty years from now, I believe we will be known as a community-embedded research university whose impact can be measured not only in publications and grants, but in healthier communities, stronger economies, and better lives across our region and beyond,” said Chris Cornelison, assistant vice-president of innovation and strategic partnerships and associate professor of microbiology. “Our faculty will have seamless access to world-class research facilities and partnerships that expand what's possible, and our students will continue learning alongside researchers who are shaping the future in real time.”

Student Government Association President Allisa George, a public health and biology dual major, embodies the future and the momentum of KSU in her research on campus and in her future goals; she hopes to serve as a physician dedicated to improving public health outcomes in underserved communities. At the same time, through telling her own story, George stressed the legacy that all in attendance have a part in, as well as her own legacy as a beneficiary of KSU’s upward trajectory.

“If there’s one thing I hope you take from my story, it’s that the work you do at Kennesaw State matters far beyond this campus and this moment in time. Each day, you are shaping the future through every student you serve,” she said.