Proverbs 15:22 – Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counselors they are established.

– King James Bible

I believe in surrounding myself with minds that think greater than mine and doers who move mountains. The Proverb above essentially states that if you have many different opinions and ideas your goal is more likely to succeed. In other words, in the counsel of many, there is great wisdom. Sometimes these people around me are long time friends, work acquaintances, and some times strangers. I had the pleasure of meeting one of these minds as recently as last year. Caric Martin is a friend of Kennesaw State University in many ways. I believe most importantly as a counselor. He is a brilliant and calculated thinker who recently responded to one of my previous articles about school spirit at Kennesaw State. He agrees the challenge for Kennesaw State students over the next several years is an important one. I wanted to share his words and thank him for his knowledge and dedication to Owl Nation.

There is an old business adage that “Awareness Creates Value”. If you aren’t aware of a company or product you definitely aren’t going to buy. Using this rule for  KSU, Awareness of Kennesaw State creates value for students and alumni and the degrees they have earned. You can go to the best school in the world, but if it isn’t well known does it give you an advantage?

One example I have used is the comparison of Stanford University and the University of Chicago. Which one is better known? What is the academic quality of each institution? Ask that question to a regular person and see what answer you get. Most will know Stanford, fewer will know Chicago. What if that person was the hiring manager and has to choose between candidates from the two schools? Why does anyone on the east coast know about Stanford, can we tell one thing about their academics, arts, even who founded it and why? (It has to do with Harvard by the way, a great story of snobbery).

It should be the goal of every student and alumni to increase the awareness of KSU to enhance the value of their degrees. One way to enhance awareness is to assist the athletic program and help them be successful. Students can’t give money, but they can give time and enthusiasm. It is to their advantage for the Athletic Programs be successful in their endeavors. It enhances the value of their degrees. They have the most time to benefit from our rise in prominence. But to break it down, how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time., Students need to attend men’s basketball games and be spirited for two reasons. One to encourage the team and secondly to show our football recruits the level of support they will receive starting in 2015. 

Seeds planted now with student time and enthusiasm for the athletic program will payoff with increased awareness later and more value for KSU degrees!

By the way, the University of Chicago did all the theoretical work on the atomic bomb and is a great academic institution equal to or better than Stanford. But no one discusses that.

Also, Stanford is officially named Leland Stanford, Jr. University. Mr. & Mrs. Leland Stanford Sr. went to see Dr. Charles Elliott President of Harvard University and offered to give enough money to build a dormitory. They were not as well dressed as Dr. Elliot and he was condescending to them and asked if they knew how much it would cost to build a dorm implying that they couldn’t afford it. The Stanford’s politely left and started their own university!

This article by Caric is absolutely right on! Kennesaw State’s awareness is at a moderate level. The opportunity for the students to increase the notoriety is real. With a full bowl of loud and enthusiastic students at Kennesaw State’s athletic events, the mindset of the Owl players and coaches change. Students can create a winning atmosphere that affect the games. This atmosphere also changes the mindset of the opposing players and coaches. They know that if they make one error, the Owl fans will let them hear it and remind them of it often.  It will also give the players an experience that they are not likely to forget. That would translate into creating reputation. What is Kennesaw State’s fan reputation now? Yeah,…that’s what I thought. That is a direct relation to the student’s involvement in the athletic events. Don’t get me wrong, I have seen the fan base double, if not triple, in the last few years.  The direction we are going in is the right one. But, the opportunity is here for those KSU14, KSU15, KSU16, and KSU17 to establish a reputation for Owl fans as, loyal, loud, and effective. Kennesaw State adopted the OurTimeKSU hashtag with football, but it is more than that. Our time means, now! There is an old idiom: “Strike while the Iron is Hot.” It means that blacksmiths who wanted to shape iron into swords and armor had to heat the iron to a certain temperature and then act quickly striking the iron with a hammer to form and mold it into the desired piece. Once cooled the iron was hard and unmovable. Our time is now, the iron is hot and the students are the blacksmiths. Strike the iron and lets mold a reputation that Kennesaw State and Owl fans can be proud of…Here’s to the KSU Blacksmiths!