The grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony are slated today for the $16.5 million, 8,318-seat stadium at the corner of Busbee Parkway and Big Shanty Road just north of Town Center at Cobb mall.
School officials are hopeful the multi-use stadium will help put 47-year-old KSU on the map.
"We're on the verge of becoming a national university," said school President Dr. Dan Papp. "By the time we start our second half century in five years, we want to be a national university."
The stadium is part of a sports and recreation complex that's expected to cost around $55 million and be complete by year-end. Also included are nine athletic fields, nearly a mile of nature and hiking trails and a 10-acre lake. Already opened are two synthetic turf fields and a 16,000-square-foot indoor training facility christened The Owls' Nest.
The cost of the stadium and athletic complex is being funded via private donations, student fees and 30-year bonds.
The stadium may wind up doing double duty as a facility for football as well as soccer if the school decides - as many expect it will, especially considering Papp's obvious enthusiasm for it - to establish a football program. Legendary retired University of Georgia Coach and Athletic Director Vince Dooley is leading a committee currently exploring that very possibility for KSU.
"It would give us sufficient seating, we think, for the first couple of years," Papp said. "After that, if we were to go football, who knows?"
In the meantime, the stadium will be shared with The Atlanta Beat women's professional soccer team, which opens its season on national TV May 9.
The stadium also can be configured to allow a stage at one end, increasing capacity to 16,316.
In addition, it will have 572 club seats, 132 patio seats, 12 private suites, two press suites and a media interview room.
In short, KSU's stadium is going to be first class all the way. It's what KSU deserves, and should help achieve Papp's goal of becoming a nationally known university.
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