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History of the Burruss Institute
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In July 1988, the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, created the
A.L. Burruss Institute of Public Service and Research. To achieve the University President's
goal of "commitment to community," the Institute embarked on an ambitious plan to
reach city, county, regional, state, and federal agencies and elected officials, as
well as non-profit and community service organizations, by providing technical assistance
and applied research services in a diversity of areas ranging from gerontology to
lake management studies within North Atlanta and Northwest Georgia.
The structure of the Institute is flexible, making it especially sensitive and responsive
to the needs of its clients. The A.L. Burruss Institute of Public Service and Research
draws upon the expertise of the academic departments of Kennesaw State University
by providing opportunities for many faculty, from diverse research fields, to participate
in applied research projects on an as-needed basis. Similarly, Kennesaw State University
students, serving as student assistants, interns, co-ops and as interviewers in the
Telephone Survey Research Laboratory, have contributed experience in day-to-day operations
at the Institute or at government agencies and community organizations.
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The Institute's staff also has extensive community involvement of its own, taking
part in many voluntary programs of government agencies, the juvenile court system,
chambers of commerce and civic organizations, often speaking to these groups, advising
them and sharing in their enterprises.
The Institute has partnered with a number of prominent organizations, including the Army Corps of Engineers, the Lake Allatoona Watershed Study and the Nature Conservancy, and it has collaborated on joint projects with other universities, including Emory University and the University of Georgia. The Institute also assists many local, state, and national government agencies, such as the Department of Justice, the Governor's Office of Highway Safety and other law enforcement departments.
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