"[7] Southern Tech was founded in 1948 as The Technical Institute in Chamblee, Georgia by Blake R. Van Leer.

It was one among a small group of polytechnic universities in the United States that tend to be primarily devoted to the instruction of technical arts and applied sciences.

After World War II, the need for technicians spiked due to a major economic shift in Georgia from being a largely agricultural state to one that is more industry heavy.

In 1945 he was approached by the Associated Industries of Georgia (AIG) who shared their common desire to have such a program and offered Van Leer their support.

It took years for Van Leer to convince the Board of Regents to give Georgia Tech authorization to establish a technical institute.

The location chosen for the fledgling institute was a Naval Air Station in Chamblee, GA, which eventually became the site of DeKalb–Peachtree Airport.

[9]: 4  On March 24, 1948, The Technical Institute held registration for the spring quarter and 116 students enrolled (all but 10 World War II veterans), including one young woman named Barbara Hudson.

[15] Twelve years later, the college migrated to its present campus in Marietta, Georgia, which was previously part of Dobbins Air Reserve Base.

[17] Given that public comments are only allowed with fifteen days notice the Regents consolidation plans were perceived as a deceitful and secretive move by faculty and students.

[citation needed] Since the completion of the merger several scandals have plagued the newly augmented Kennesaw State.

[18] His replacement, Sam Olens, was appointed amidst controversy over his total lack of education experience or background.

[19] This appointment came on the heels of an audit that revealed that outgoing president Papp had violated financial policy in receiving more than a half million dollars in early retirement payment.

[20] Before Papp's retirement announcement a seven-figure embezzlement scheme was uncovered and five KSU staffers and contractors were arrested.

[25] Every faculty member was required to have experience in relevant work or research of a topic to be qualified to teach at the school.

The SGA shall act as an advocate and insure that the students of the Southern Polytechnic State University are capable of exercising their lawful rights concerning their education, safety, and the allocation and expenditure of service and activities monies.

The university ranked second in the nation in total enrollment of students in engineering technology degree programs.

[42] Southern Polytechnic historically had three student-run media outlets: a college radio station, a student newspaper, and a yearbook.

[47] The publication changed titles several times, first to The Engineering Technician (beginning with the issue of February 20, 1964), then Whatsizname?

[citation needed] At the time of its merger with KSU, Southern Polytechnic State University was home to fourteen fraternities and sororities: seven of the North American Interfraternity Conference (IFC), two of the National Panhellenic Conference (NPC),[50] and five of the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC).

In light of a growing liability risk the school ended the annual tub races in the early 1990s.

[52] Southern Polytechnic State University offered intramural and club sports, which included many team and individual competitive programs throughout the year.

In its most notable season of 2009–2010, Southern Polytechnic State University's soccer team went 14–2–1 and went to the NAIA tournament.

[57] The baseball team went 53–10 in the 2009 regular season, won the SSAC conference championship, and finished fifth in the NAIA World Series.

Former players have also signed with other professional organizations such as the St. Louis Cardinals, New York Mets, Cincinnati Reds, and Chicago Cubs.

The team also won the Daytona Beach first round regional, earning a trip to the Avista NAIA World Series in the school's final year of collegiate athletics.

They qualified for the NAIA tournament, where they won three straight games before losing in the final four to Azusa Pacific University.