KSU Growth Expands Georgia Research and Talent Pipeline

Georgia employers working with higher-education partners should track KSU's new degrees and research investments.

Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in People

Contemporary university research building with glass curtain walls and stone base, set across a green lawn lined with pines and oaks under soft morning light. — Kennesaw State University President Kathy S. Schwaig was named to Georgia Trend's 2026 Georgia 500 list as the university expanded its research spending and academic footprint. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Georgia Trend named Kennesaw State University President Kathy S. Schwaig to its 2026 Georgia 500 list, alongside KSU Foundation trustees and alumni. The list recognizes the state's most influential business, education, community and political leaders, and the 2026 edition includes 35 education leaders statewide.

Why it matters

For Georgia operators, the recognition signals how a major public university has grown its research and academic footprint, a trend with implications for regional talent pipelines, research partnerships and workforce development. Schwaig has appeared in every edition of the list since it debuted in 2022, marking her fifth consecutive appearance.

The 2026 Georgia 500 includes 35 education leaders statewide, and Schwaig has appeared in all five editions since the list debuted in 2022. KSU added 50 new undergraduate and graduate degrees and minors and completed nearly 20 capital projects during the period cited. The extraction does not provide prior-year totals or a benchmark for how these recognitions compare across editions.

The players

Kennesaw State University

A public university in metro Atlanta with a growing research portfolio and expanding degree offerings that serves as a regional talent source for Georgia employers.

Georgia Trend

A Georgia business and lifestyle magazine that compiles the annual Georgia 500 list of the state's influential leaders.

Kathy S. Schwaig

KSU's president since 2022, previously dean of the Coles College of Business and the university's provost and senior vice president for academic affairs.

The details

Georgia Trend compiles the Georgia 500 each year to identify the state's most influential leaders across business, education, community and politics. Schwaig's recognition reflects her tenure as KSU president, which began in 2022 after she served as dean of the Michael J. Coles College of Business and as provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. Under the university's Taking Flight strategic plan, KSU has pursued national prominence, nearly tripled research spending, joined the Georgia Research Alliance, and earned Carnegie Doctoral Research Institution status.

2022: The Georgia 500 list debuted, and Schwaig was named KSU president.
2026: Georgia Trend published the 2026 Georgia 500 list, which included Schwaig and KSU Foundation trustees and alumni.

Market Landscape

Carnegie's research-university classifications provide the framework that KSU's Doctoral Research Institution designation now operates within. The recognition places KSU's growth alongside other Georgia institutions competing for research funding, faculty and industry partnerships.

Georgia operators working with higher-education partners should watch KSU's expanding degree offerings and research investments as potential sources of graduates, sponsored research and collaboration opportunities. Procurement and workforce teams may find it useful to track how the university's Taking Flight priorities translate into new programs over the next planning cycle.

The takeaway

Institutional growth in research spending and degree programs can shape the regional talent market Georgia employers draw from. Operators should track KSU's new degree launches and research partnerships in their hiring and collaboration planning.