Wellstar Health System President and CEO Candice L. Saunders and KSU President Kathy S. Schwaig (photo courtesy of Kennesaw State University)

The following article and photos first appeared on the Kennesaw State University website, republished with permission

Kennesaw State University (KSU) and Wellstar Health System (Wellstar) today announced a new collaboration to support the health, wellbeing, and performance of KSU student-athletes. The partnership has three main components:

• Wellstar has provided the lead funding commitment for a new state-of-the-art training and conditioning complex for KSU student-athletes as they compete in Conference USA.
• KSU and Wellstar will partner to create a new center to support the physical and mental wellbeing of KSU student-athletes and conduct cutting-edge research into sports performance; the center will be called the Center for Research on Human Sport Performance and Wellbeing.
• Beginning July 1, 2026, Wellstar will be the exclusive orthopedics and sports medicine provider, partner, and sponsor of the KSU Athletics Association, providing key services for Kennesaw State student-athletes.

Today’s agreement builds on a longstanding partnership between the two institutions. Wellstar manages the University’s on-campus student health clinics and is the named donor of KSU’s Wellstar College of Health and Human Services and its Wellstar School of Nursing. In 2020, Wellstar made a $9 million funding commitment to help KSU double enrollment in its Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, which is helping meet Georgia’s urgent need for nurses.

“We are grateful to Wellstar for their continued generosity and support of Kennesaw State’s mission,” said KSU president Kathy S. Schwaig. “Their latest contribution comes at an exciting and pivotal time for the University, and it will further strengthen our ability to train the next generation of healthcare providers, as well as to support athletic programs that will benefit our students for years to come.”

“We congratulate Kennesaw State for growing its healthcare programs and expanding its medical research,” said Candice L. Saunders, president and CEO of Wellstar Health System. “We appreciate the opportunity to take an active role caring for our community’s athletes and providing the next generation of athletes with opportunities to improve their physical and mental wellness, on and off the field.”

Subject to approval by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, the Sports Performance Complex and the Sports Medicine and Training Center will provide comprehensive services to more than 450 student-athletes, including injury prevention and treatment, physical therapy, and hydrotherapy, and will contain a strength and conditioning suite, training table, locker rooms, and new weight room. In addition, the complex will provide a new home for KSU’s football program with team and position meeting rooms, coaches’ offices, and a team locker room.

Wellstar’s funding will also support the creation of the Center for Research on Human Sport Performance and Wellbeing in the Wellstar College of Health and Human Services. The center will engage in research and teaching that explores technological methods to improve sport performance and athletes’ overall wellbeing.

Officials from KSU and Wellstar celebrated the agreement at a signing ceremony held on the Kennesaw campus, which comes 10 months after the University launched its most comprehensive fundraising campaign, The Campaign for Kennesaw State.

KSU competes in NCAA Division I in eight men’s sports and 10 women’s sports. Since joining Division I in 2005, KSU has won 61 conference championships across a range of women’s and men’s sports.

Earlier this month, KSU assistant coach Daniel Haugh competed in the Summer Olympics in Paris in the hammer throw, becoming the first former student-athlete in Kennesaw State’s Division I history to compete in the Olympics twice. Current student Emma Hunt competed in the Paris Olympics in sport climbing. Other recent success has included the KSU men’s basketball team making a memorable March Madness run to the NCAA Tournament in 2023, and track and field standout Isaiah Rogers winning the national championship in the weight throw.