KENNESAW, Ga. | Feb 25, 2025

It’s not every day that students get the opportunity to take a class with the two highest ranking administrators on campus. However, Kennesaw State University President Kathy S. Schwaig and Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Ivan Pulinkala are redefining what it means to be a university leader.

This semester, they led HON2400, an Honors Discovery course called “Cultivating Leadership Skills,” offering their expertise and wisdom to about two dozen students. Schwaig shared her personal leadership journey, and Pulinkala focused on the theoretical principles of leadership.

Honors Discovery courses are short-term, noncredit experiences that revolve around unique topics and offer content beyond regular curriculum, often integrating current events or pop culture, taught by subject matter experts invited by the KSU Journey Honors College. Schwaig and Pulinkala aim to set an example for senior administrators, reinforcing the core passions of research and instruction that led many to where they are today.

The broader effort of reengaging members of the president’s cabinet and the provost’s leadership team is also about continuing to gauge the needs of students, faculty, staff and the broader community. When senior administrators are given the latitude to be involved on the ground, through teaching or research, there’s greater intentionality in university operations.

Schwaig said interacting from an authentic place is crucial to this initiative.

“If you can really make a connection with the students, interact with them and have fun, and in that interaction, be authentic, you will learn so much more,” Schwaig said.

Shattering facades

Much of the course was dedicated to discussion and personal discovery, a process eased by Schwaig and Pulinkala’s self-disclosure. Schwaig shared her struggle as an undergraduate student and the difficulty she had getting to the finish line.

Applying Pulinkala’s focus on the conceptual, Schwaig also advised students to be intentional and to consider the values she personally tries to uphold in both her personal and professional life, such as humility and confidence.

“After class, students would tell me, ‘Thank you for talking about who you are,’” she said. “Being honest about who I am and where I’ve been makes them comfortable to do the same. You don’t go in there and pretend you’re something you’re not.”

The class was coveted, with about half of the 50 applicants chosen to enroll. One such student was Ella Smith, who is also a President's Parliament Scholar Ambassador.

“It really means a lot that they took this time to speak with students, like me, and really make their presence known,” Smith said. “They're not just some face on a wall or some name on a website. They’re real people, just like us.”

Even in upper leadership, Schwaig and Pulinkala evaluate themselves, and that’s a major takeaway for Smith.

“They reflect on what they've done and what they're trying to be,” she said.

For Claudia Garavis Montagut, another President’s Parliament Scholar Ambassador, Schwaig and Pulinkala’s class reminded her that KSU is a place that welcomes everyone. Originally from Colombia, Montagut attended a school that ranged from 200 to 500 students. At KSU, where nearly 48,000 students are enrolled, she said the approachability is even greater.

“President Schwaig and Provost Pulinkala really care about the students here, and they show that by providing opportunities in classes like the one that we just had,” she said.

Reigniting passion

Pulinkala taught the leadership class before, but it was his first time in step with Schwaig, who started at KSU as a faculty member of more than a decade in the Michael J. Coles College of Business before advancing through the ranks to senior administration. While some years had passed since Schwaig was an instructor of record, her love for teaching was evident to Pulinkala.

“You wouldn't know it if you saw her with the students in the classroom,” Pulinkala said. “She’s a natural.”

Schwaig books her calendar two to three months out, pivoting to a new task about every ten minutes, whether it be meeting with her cabinet members and external constituents or performing ceremonial duties. Stepping into the classroom operates as a touch point, she said. It's grounding.

“You turn the knob on the door and enter into a very sacred place,” she said. “It's been fun for me to get to have that opportunity to do it again. Teaching is why we came to the academy in the first place, right? It’s our lifeblood.”

The docket of Honors Discovery courses in the fall 2024 semester ranged from College of Architecture and Construction Management Dean Hazem Rashed-Ali’s course titled “Sustainability, Climate Change, and the Built Environment” to Vice Provost Sheb True’s class, “Cultural Navigation.” Other faculty administrators also taught Honors Discovery courses this semester, including Coles College Dean Robin Cheramie.

Pulinkala continues to teach a class at least once a year, staying active in the state’s largest collegiate dance program, which he founded at KSU in 2005. Last year, Pulinkala choreographed a performance and will again this fall, auditioning students.

Pulinkala said it’s a privilege to work with students.

“They’re entrusting you with a level of care for their intellectual development,” he said. “You just walk away with gratitude.”

Schwaig and Pulinkala envision other universities following their lead, creating dynamic teaching and learning experiences that allow senior administrators to stay connected and best understand needs across campus.

“It’s organic to the academic mission,” Pulinkala said.

– Story by Amber Perry

Photos by Matt Yung

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 8 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.