Benefactor Spotlight

Mr. Norman J. Radow, a long-time Kennesaw State University supporter, and benefactor and namesake of the Norman J. Radow College of Humanities and Social Sciences, is the force behind the institute. RISE was endowed by Mr. Radow and his wife, Lindy Radow, to create a vehicle through which the college can conduct vigorous research on the challenges of social equity and develop sustainable solutions that can produce long-term societal change.  

Mr. Radow’s lifelong belief in the importance of expanding humanities and social sciences education in our country is born out of his personal history and observations. Born in Brooklyn in 1957, Radow was raised in and around public housing projects and saw how poverty and segregation affected public policy. He decided that if he were ever able to do so, he would help families just like those with whom he grew up to live in safer communities that offered more opportunities.

A noted philanthropist, community champion, and respected business leader in commercial real estate, his commitment to the humanities and social sciences began during his own time in college. He earned a B.A. degree in history, with minors in philosophy and communications at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Plattsburgh in 1978. “Anyone can learn the technical aspects of business,” Mr. Radow says. “My humanities degree gave me a thoughtful perspective of our world, helped me think critically, write well, and support positions and theories to my peers. This gave me the tools I needed to succeed – in law school, in business, and in life.”