Sam Olens New KSU President? Faculty, Staff, And Students Express Concerns

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Sam Olens

Georgia’s Attorney General Sam Olens will interview to be Kennesaw State University’s new president on October 4. But some students and alumni say his appointment would be a step backward for the school.

In an e-mail to the entire school, University System of Georgia Chancellor Hank Huckaby said that after “sincere and earnest conversations” with Olens, the Attorney General is “being seriously considered for the role of president” of KSU.

Not all students and alumni are happy about the decision to consider Olens for the job, though. The Attorney General’s public defense of Georgia’s ban on gay marriage – struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2015 – has led to protests over the potential appointment.

Two alumni have even collected more than 5,000 hundred signatures in protest. They want to remind KSU that its campus has become increasingly LGBTQ-friendly over the years, and they think the Attorney General’s leadership could hurt the school and reverse that progress.

Protests by the group began hours after Olens’ candidacy was announced.

KSU faculty have also expressed concern over appointing Olens without any formal input from faculty, staff, or students.

Kennesaw State’s former president Dad Papp abruptly resigned in earlier this year. A state audit showed more than half a million dollars in unauthorized payments. Four other university administrators were also fired over problems with a campus dining contract.