Our IFMA tour of Kennesaw State University on June 28th was a fantastic tour that only covered three (3) of KSU’s newer buildings, but it really showcased what this once smaller,” higher-ed” campus has been doing over the last 5-10 years. Approximately 25 of us started out with a noon lunch at the “Commons” campus dining hall, which is in the process of receiving its LEED Gold certification, and is listed as one of the top 5 university dining halls in the U.S. It’s “farm-to-table” approach with 2 nearby KSU-owned farms and an on-site herb garden really amazed us. The tour then took us across a courtyard to the highly-esteemed & beautifully glass-fronted “Prillaman Health Sciences” building which has already received its LEED Gold accreditation. The classroom & laboratory’s technological offerings reminded many of us that it had been a long time since we had been to college….haha.
The final stop was a short walk across campus to the “Bailey Performance Center” which is where KSU’s orchestra practices, and performs public concerts. The lobby (and adjacent room) showcased art either donated or loaned to the university to allow for a very pleasing, and enchanting entrance to the performance hall. Once in the hall, we all quickly realized that sound-quality is the cornerstone of this facility. No dollars had been spared to allow for second-to-none acoustics!
In addition, and in closing, our tour guides consisting of the Plant Operations Director Jodie Sweat, and her respective facility managers, did a fantastic job of mixing hardened information about facets of their facility, along with fun, interesting facts.
Cheers, and thank you, to KSU!
Bobby White
