Kennesaw State's interim president sole finalist for top job

The interim president of Kennesaw State University has been named the sole finalist for the permanent position.

The Georgia Board of Regents and University System of Georgia made the announcement Tuesday of Kathy “Kat” Schwaig as the sole finalist in the search for a new president.

The Regents recently waived a rule that interim presidents can’t apply, which allowed Schwaig to apply for the permanent post.

“I can think of no candidate more qualified to become KSU’s next president than the person who leads it now and knows its students, faculty, staff and community so well,” said Teresa MacCartney, acting chancellor of the university system.

Schwaig “has spent the past 20 years teaching at KSU while building relationships and gaining administrative experience that ultimately led her to become provost and then interim president,” MacCartney added. “She has a clear vision to serve students and promote the university’s academic excellence while strengthening its research and service missions.”

During her eight months as interim president, Schwaig has focused on “student-centered policies and practices aimed at improving retention, progression and graduation rates,” state education officials said in a news release.

“She has a demonstrated track record of putting students, faculty and staff first, and would be a great fit for a university and campus community she already knows so well,” Regent Neil Pruitt Jr. said.

Schwaig has also been the Dinos Eminent Scholar Chair of Entrepreneurial Management and professor of information systems. She’s also served as the dean of KSU’s Michael J. Coles College of Business. Schwaig joined the faculty at KSU in 2002.

Before joining KSU, she was on the faculty at Georgia State University, the University of South Carolina and Baylor University in Texas.