KENNESAW, Ga. | Nov 26, 2024

Longtime Kennesaw State University supporters Dave and Donna Walens have pledged a $4 million contribution to KSU Athletics. The Walens’ gift propels Kennesaw State to having secured $28.2 million of $30 million necessary for the Athletics Capital Campaign, which is a prominent component of the $200 million Campaign for KSU.

The Campaign for KSU is the most comprehensive fundraising effort in the university’s history. The Campaign is inspiring student success at KSU through scholarships and support programs, strengthening multidisciplinary research initiatives, and expanding academic and athletic facilities.
 
“This transformative gift from Dave and Donna Walens will help fund state-of-the-art facilities, empowering KSU to excel at the highest levels of competition in Conference USA,” said Kennesaw State President Kathy S. Schwaig. “Their generosity creates a lasting legacy, elevating the student-athlete experience, fostering both academic and athletic excellence, and fueling our momentum as a university on the rise.”
 
Previously, the Walens family was one of the first donors to the Legacy Locker initiative supporting The Owls Fund, the fundraising arm of KSU Athletics. Legacy Locker donors purchase the naming rights to a locker in one of the home locker rooms inside Fifth Third Stadium, the Convocation Center, Mickey Dunn Stadium, and Bailey Park, with all proceeds going toward resources and programs for KSU student-athletes.
 
Dave Walens’ contributions to Kennesaw State have included one of the most recognized symbols on the Kennesaw Campus – the iconic black and gold sculpture of the university’s “KS” mark on the Campus Green. Walens, the CEO and president of Exploring, Inc., commissioned his company to design, build, and install the more than 10-foot logo sculpture which was unveiled in 2020.
 
“Dave and Donna have been lifelong philanthropists, and they inspire me personally and so many people in Owl Nation with their giving heart and giving spirit,” KSU Director of Athletics Milton Overton said. “They already have made a historical mark at Kennesaw State with the donation of the ‘KS’ on the Green, and now their family legacy will live on forever through this contribution.”
 
Walens began his involvement with Kennesaw State by serving on, and eventually chairing, the advisory board for the Robin and Doug Shore Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center in the Michael J. Coles College of Business. That led to his nomination to the KSU Foundation Board of Trustees, which he is serving on for his sixth year.

“Donna and I are grateful to play a role in supporting a university that has given so much to so many and to help ensure its legacy of excellence continues for generations to come,” Dave Walens said. “Kennesaw State University is more than just an institution to me — it’s a place where potential becomes possibility, where students and student-athletes alike are given the resources to grow, achieve, and lead.”

A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees to its more than 47,000 students. Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia with 11 academic colleges. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the country and the world. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 7 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.