Dr. Kathy “Kat” Schwaig, chief academic officer and provost, has been named interim president effective June 30, 2021, of Kennesaw State University by University System of Georgia Chancellor Steve Wrigley. Schwaig takes over for President Pamela Whitten, who will become the next president of Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, on July 1, 2021.

“Dr. Schwaig has great passion for Kennesaw State University and has built a reputation as an exceptional leader who understands how to foster success and keep KSU a student-centered university,” USG Chancellor Steve Wrigley said. “I appreciate her willingness to serve and know she will continue to work collaboratively with faculty, staff, students and leadership to help KSU achieve its goals.”

As provost, Schwaig has been responsible for all aspects of the university's academic mission including the intellectual environment for faculty, students and staff, and planning, budgeting, supervising and reviewing programs in instruction, research and continuing education. She supervised the deans of KSU’s 11 colleges and led the faculty in their efforts to strengthen academic programs and foster a culture of academic excellence.

Schwaig previously served as the Dinos Eminent Scholar Chair of Entrepreneurial Management and professor of information systems, as well as the dean of KSU’s Michael J. Coles College of Business, a position she held from 2012 to 2019. Schwaig joined the faculty at KSU in 2002, giving her almost 20 years of teaching and professional experience as an Owl.

During her tenure as business school dean, the college’s reputation rose including its part-time MBA being ranked among the top 25 in the nation and first in Georgia among public institutions by Bloomberg Businessweek (2018). CEO magazine (2018) ranked the Executive MBA program first in Georgia and seventh nationally. The Online MBA program was ranked in the Top 20 nationally and first in Georgia by U.S. News and World Report (2019)

In addition, Schwaig led the college through two successful reaccreditation reviews by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International) and was instrumental in bringing in $13 million in philanthropic gifts.

Schwaig has held several faculty and leadership roles at KSU, including interim and associate dean, interim department chair for the Department of Accounting and interim department chair for the Department of Computer Science and Information Systems in the University’s College of Science and Mathematics. Prior to joining KSU, Schwaig held faculty positions at Georgia State University and Baylor University.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to serve Kennesaw State as interim president,” Schwaig said. “Because of our great students and the dedication of KSU faculty and staff, we enjoy significant momentum and focus in the areas of enrollment growth, student success and research funding. Working collaboratively with all university stakeholders, my objective as interim president is to continue KSU’s extraordinary trajectory towards becoming one of the best R2 institutions in the nation.”

A native of central Texas, Schwaig earned a BBA in Accounting and an MBA in Information Systems from Baylor University, a Master’s of Liberal Arts from Johns Hopkins University, and a Ph.D. in Information Systems from the University of South Carolina.