Kennesaw State University (KSU) is a public research university in the U.S. state of Georgia with two campuses in the Atlanta metropolitan area, one in the Kennesaw area and the other in Marietta on a combined 581 acres (235 ha) of land.

[5] KSU also holds classes at the Cobb Galleria Centre, Dalton State College, and in Paulding County (Dallas).

[7][8] Kennesaw State's athletic teams are an NCAA Division I member of the Conference USA.

KSU was chartered by the Board of Regents on October 9, 1963, during one of the most dramatic periods of college expansion in Georgia's history.

When the school opened in fall of 1966, it was named Kennesaw Junior College and had an initial enrollment of 1,014 students.

[10][11] By 1985, KSU had initiated its first graduate degree programs, in business and education, and began a period of rapid growth, including building some residential housing.

The Kennesaw State's baseball and softball teams won the NCAA Division II national championships in 1996.

[16][17][18] Southern Polytechnic was started by the president of the Georgia Institute of Technology, Blake R. Van Leer who was known for making Atlanta the "MIT of the South.

On January 1, 2015, Kennesaw State University was classified by the Carnegie Foundation for Teaching and Learning as a Community Engaged Institution.

[21] In the Fall of 2016, students and faculty protested the suspected appointment of Georgia's Republican attorney general, Sam Olens, as the next Kennesaw president.

[27] This shift was initiated due in part to poor security by the center, which had accidentally exposed over 6.5 million voter records.

[30] Located adjacent to the Social Sciences Building was a 350,000-pound (160,000 kg) sculpture entitled "Spaceship Earth", created by Finnish American artist Eino.

[31] The sculpture was commissioned by the Maxwell Family Foundation in memory of the late environmentalist David Brower.

The sculpture was intended to be a permanent reminder to future generations to take care of their delicate planet.

[32] The Convocation Center is located southeast of the Campus Green and houses the NCAA Division I men's and women's basketball programs at Kennesaw State University.

[33] The historic district of the university (Original Campus) is located in the west section of campus and includes the University College,[34] formerly the Social Sciences Building, Pilcher Public Service and Library, Willingham Hall, Nursing, Advancement, and Technology Annex buildings.

They were created from former bachelor officers' quarters in facilities leased from the Atlanta Naval Air Station.

When the campus moved in Marietta, student accommodation was located in former employee housing at the United States Air Force Plant 6.

[47] Kennesaw State's Department of Community and Professional Education, the largest in the nation, is housed in the KSU Center, located a mile away from the main campus.

Research is grouped into four themes: Biomedical and Health; Computing and Technology, Human development & Well-being; and Sustainable and Safe Communities.

After Division I's Gulf Star Conference dissolved in 1987, Commissioner Dave Waples replaced the retiring Landrum that fall.

In the fall of 1994, KSU officially joined the NCAA, Division II, Peach Belt Conference.

The university fully transitioned to Division I status in the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the beginning of the 2009–10 season.

The Owls initially competed as a part of the Big South Conference because the ASUN did not sponsor football.