The final additions are being made to Kennesaw State University's new soccer stadium as it approaches its May 2, 2010 grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony. Standing on the field's luscious bermuda grass, KSU President Dr. Dan Papp on a recent stadium visit confidently asserted that the $16.5 million, 8,318-seat stadium at Busbee Parkway and Big Shanty Road will go far in putting the 47-year-old university on the national stage.

The stadium is the centerpiece of KSU's new sports and recreation park that will include at least nine athletic fields and nearly a mile of nature and hiking trails in proximity to a 10-acre lake. The first phase of the park included two synthetic-turf fields and a 16,000-square-foot indoor training facility called the Owls Nest, which opened in October. It's all expected to be completed by the end of the year and cost between $53 million and $56 million.