Dr. Randall Kennedy, Associate Athletics Director for Student-Athlete Success Services (SASS) He joined the Department of Athletics prior to the 2012-13 academic year after previously serving as Associate Director of Athletics Academic Advising at the University of Oklahoma.
In his role as Associate Athletics Director for SASS, Kennedy oversees the academic support of the student-athletes at KSU, making sure they meet NCAA, Conference USA and Kennesaw State University benchmarks for eligibility. He and his staff focus on vocation, helping students look to life after sports and reaching their career goals. Dr. Kennedy is also responsible for monitoring Academic Progress Rate (APR) numbers for all sports and is working to build strong connections with the campus.
On his watch, KSU student-athletes have recorded the highest GPA’s for every sport and overall as a department. During his tenure, KSU has also earned 9 Academic All-Americans and numerous national team recognitions for academic success.
In 2016 Dr. Kennedy created the FlightPlan program to help student-athletes grow holistically; This program entails academic, health and well-being, leadership and character development, as well as career planning to prepare student-athletes for life after sports.
During his time at Oklahoma, Dr. Kennedy was responsible for overseeing the athletic advising staff for all 650 student-athletes. He also monitored the advising process for student-athletes to adhere to all Big 12 and NCAA rules, contributed to staff professional development, was a member of the athletic department’s risk management team, had direct responsibility for the men’s baseball and women’s softball teams, and had input into the facility design of a new athletic academic center.
Prior to his time at OU, Dr. Kennedy was the Director of the Bratzke Student-Athlete Academic Success Center at Eastern Kentucky University. He was responsible for overseeing academic support for all 350 athletes and 17 sports programs. During his tenure, student-athletes recorded the highest percentage of Colonel scholar-athletes and the highest term GPA to date, while the football program was recognized for having the highest APR in the Ohio Valley Conference in 2008 and 2009.
Dr. Kennedy also served seven years as an academic coordinator in the Total Person Program at the University of Missouri.
Dr. Kennedy is a member of the National Association of Athletic Academic Advisors (N4A) and is currently certified through N4A as an academic advisor and serves as a consultant for institutional certification for N4A. He also has served as a national presenter for the joint partnership of the N4A and NCAA on APR.
Dr. Kennedy earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Missouri, a master’s degree in sports administration from Wichita State, and a doctorate degree in educational and counseling psychology from the University of Missouri. He and his wife, Cindy, have four children: Cole, Kate, Will and Brooke.
