Southern Polytechnic State University Oral History Series

 

The Southern Polytechnic State University Series documents the history of the institution from the perspective of its administration, faculty, staff, and students. The interviews were conducted by Dr. Thomas Scott and his colleagues at SPSU beginning in 2014, following the announcement of the consolidation of Southern Polytechnic State University with Kennesaw State University.

Recent Submissions

  • Interview with James Gantt Fausett 

    Scott, Thomas Allan (1943- ) (Kennesaw State University Archives, 2016-04-13)
    Jim Fausett was a professor of architecture at Southern Polytechnic State University from 1971 until his retirement in 2003.

  • Interview with Ron R. Koger 

    Scott, Thomas Allan (1943- ) (Kennesaw State University Archives, 2016-03-11)
    Ron Koger served in the Southern Polytechnic State University administration from 1997 to 2014 and continued to serve in the administration of KSU following consolidation.

  • Interview with James W. (Jim) Cooper 

    Scott, Thomas Allan (1943- ) (Kennesaw State University Archives, 2015-05-13)
    James (Jim) Cooper started as the Director of Student Recruitment in 1997 at SPSU. After consolidation, Cooper was the Assistant Vice President for Alumni Relations and Advancement Communications.

  • Interview with Kathleen A. Hall 

    Scott, Thomas Allan (1943- ) (Kennesaw State University Archives, 2014-11-20)
    Kathleen A. Hall was a faculty member at SPSU from 1973 until her retirement in 2002. Dr. Hall was the first woman to hold a tenure-track professorship in math.

  • Interview with Austin Clayton 

    Harper, Kathleen (Kennesaw State University Archives, 2014-10-23)
    Austin Clayton was a student at SPSU throughout the KSU-SPSU consolidation process. Clayton was one of three SPSU student and alumni representatives to address the Board of Regents in November 2013.

  • Interview with Randy Brown, Jr. 

    Scott, Thomas Allan (1943- ); Harper, Kathleen (Kennesaw State University Archives, 2014-07-24)
    Randy Brown Jr. was a student at Southern Polytechnic State University during the period of consolidation with KSU and reported on the events surrounding consolidation in his role as editor of The Sting student newspaper.

  • Interview with Daniel R. Silver 

    Scott, Thomas Allan (1943- ); Harper, Kathleen (Kennesaw State University Archives, 2014-07-14)
    Daniel R. Silver was a civil engineering technology student at SPSU. As a student leader, Mr. Silver was actively involved in the student response to the proposed consolidation of KSU and SPSU in the fall of 2013.

  • Interview with Charles T. (Hap) Holladay 

    Scott, Thomas Allan (1943- ) (Kennesaw State University Archives, 2015-01-13)
    Charles T. (Hap) Holladay was a professor of civil engineering technology at Southern Technical Institute from 1948 to his retirement in 1984.

  • Interview with Hans A. (Al) Troemel and Sara R. (Bonnie) Troemel 

    Scott, Thomas Allan (1943- ) (Kennesaw State University Archives, 2014-12-01)
    Hans A. (Al) Troemel taught courses in the civil engineering program at SPSU from 1959 to his retirement in 1997. He helped move the campus from Chamblee to Marietta in 1961 and witnessed the growth of the institution from ...

  • Interview with Han Reichgelt 

    Scott, Thomas Allan (1943- ); Daws, Laura Beth; Harper, Kathleen (Kennesaw State University Archives, 2014-07-01)
    Dr. Han Reichgelt was Dean of SPSU’s School of Computing and Software Engineering from 2007 to 2014. During his tenure, the number of students more than doubled due in part to the creation of programs such as Computer Game ...

  • Interview with Mark Nunes 

    Scott, Thomas Allan (1943- ); Daws, Laura Beth; Harper, Kathleen (Kennesaw State University Archives, 2014-06-25)
    Dr. Mark Nunes chaired SPSU's Department of English, Technical Communication, and Media Arts from 2006 to 2014. Dr. Nunes was instrumental in developing the New Media Arts Program.

  • Interview with SPSU President Emeritus Stephen R. Cheshier 

    Scott, Thomas Allan (1943- ); Harper, Kathleen (Kennesaw State University Archives, 2014-05-16)
    Dr. Stephen R. Cheshier was the first president of SPSU, serving from the time it gained independence from Georgia Tech in 1980 to his retirement in 1997.

  • Interview with Mark K. Stevens 

    Scott, Thomas Allan (1943- ); Daws, Laura Beth (Kennesaw State University Archives, 2014-05-12)
    Dr. Mark K. Stevens received his Ph.D. in English Literature from Florida State University in 1988. He was an English professor at Southern Polytechnic State University from 1989 until his retirement in 2014.

  • Interview with Bob Harbort 

    Scott, Thomas Allan (1943- ) (Kennesaw State University Archives, 2014-05-05)
    Dr. Bob Harbort joined the faculty of SPSU in 1983 and served as the first Chair of the Computer Science Department from 1983 to 1993. He served as Director of the Center for Teaching Excellence from 2006 to 2008.

  • Interview with Julie R. Newell 

    Scott, Thomas Allan (1943- ); Daws, Laura Beth. (Kennesaw State University Archives, 2014-04-28)
    Dr. Julie R. joined the faculty of SPSU in ‘93. Dr. Newell served as the coordinator of SPSU's Science, Technology, and Society Program from 1998 until the university's consolidation with Kennesaw State in 2014.

  • Interview with SPSU Vice President for Academic Affairs Zvi Szafran 

    Scott, Thomas Allan (1943- ); Daws, Laura Beth; Stevens, Mark K. (Kennesaw State University Archives, 2014-04-04)
    Dr. Zvi Szafran served as Vice President for Academic Affairs at SPSU from 2005 to 2014. During his time at SPSU, he played a central role in curriculum development.

  • Interview with SPSU President Lisa A. Rossbacher 

    Scott, Thomas Allan (1943- ); Stevens, Mark K. (Kennesaw State University Archives, 2014-04-18)
    Dr. Lisa A. Rossbacher was the President of SPSU from 1998 to 2014. In 1998, Dr. Rossbacher was the first female geologist to serve as the president of a North American university.