Kennesaw State University president Daniel S. Papp said in his State of the University speech Wednesday that he was "guardedly optimistic" the school's budget would be increased next year.

Papp said the only university in the 35-unit system that receives less funding per full-time student is Clayton State. He made a budget presentation to the University System of Georgia last week.

"We are far behind," Papp told an audience of about 300 —composed mainly of faculty and staff— in Stillwell Theater.

The university is catching up in facilities funding, however.

Papp said KSU will receive more than $100 million in new building funds in addition to the $60 million going toward the new health sciences building. New facilities include a new laboratory building, an addition to the business school and more classrooms and offices in the school of education.

"We need this sooner than we're going to get them," Papp said, "but at least we're going to get them."

Papp, who was named president two years ago this month, said the university is looking for additional land to expand. The Board of Regents has set a goal of growing by 100,000 students system-wide by 2020.

He said the number of degree programs at KSU also continues to grow. At next month's Board of Regents meeting, KSU will propose a bachelor's degree with a major in dance and a doctorate program in business administration, which would be the university's second doctoral program.

KSU is also exploring more off-campus sites and on-line programs.

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER

Papp, who arrived 27 minutes for his own speech, was lucky he wasn't teaching a class, where students leave if a professor is late.

However, the audience of faculty and staff stayed in their seats and heard good news about their paychecks.

"We're trying to make faculty and staff salaries competitive," Papp said.

Papp, whose office said he had a personal commitment off-campus, apologized for his tardiness.

He decided to shorten his speech by leaving out some parts of it, including a section on football. He said later that no progress has been made toward bringing the sport to campus.

"I'd love to do it," he said, "but we won't do it until we can do it financially."

WHAT'S IN A NAME

At one point in his speech, Papp referred to the university as "KU." He later dismissed speculation that the university eventually wants to change its name to Kennesaw University.

He didn't recall saying "KU."

"Did I?" he asked. "That was totally accidental."

He said the slip could have happened because KSU is getting prestige license plates. The state of Georgia allows only two letters, and KSU settled for KU instead of KE.

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

KSU has three facilities under construction: a 913-bed residence hall, which will open next fall and bring the total to 3,200 students living on campus, a central parking deck that will open this summer and add 2,600 parking spaces and an addition to the Wilson Building. Ground was broken Tuesday on that building.

Papp also said the $60 million health sciences building and a 1,000-seat dining hall, "which will totally transform again the nature of this campus," should begin in the next four months or so.

FUND-RAISING REPORT

KSU's first comprehensive fund-raising campaign has already netted $30 million in its first six months with an eventual goal of $75 million over five years.

"The statistic that I found absolutely incredible," Papp said, "is the KSU Foundation has provided the university with almost $300 million in land and buildings, houses, residence halls, parking decks and offices" over the past 10 years.

The "astounding" part, he said, is in that same time period, the state provided about $150 million, which includes the soon-to-be-constructed health sciences building.