Kansas State University
Encyclopedia
Kansas State University, commonly shortened to K-State, is an institution of higher learning located in Manhattan
, Kansas
, in the United States
. Kansas State is the oldest public university in the state of Kansas, and saw a record high enrollment of 23,588 students for the Fall 2011 semester.
A branch campus is located in Salina, Kansas
, housing the College of Technology and Aviation
. Another branch campus, known as the Olathe Innovation Campus, is presently under construction in Olathe, Kansas
. When completed, the Olathe facility will be the academic research presence within the Kansas Bioscience Park, and will research bioenergy, animal health, plant science and food safety and security.
The university is classified as a research university with high research (RU/H) by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education
.
, as a land-grant institution
under the Morrill Act
. The school was the first land-grant college created under the Morrill Act. K-State is the fourth-oldest school in the Big 12 Conference
and the oldest public university in the state of Kansas.
The effort to establish the school began in 1861, when Kansas
was admitted to the United States. One of the new state legislature's
top priorities involved establishing a state university. That year, the delegation from Manhattan introduced a bill to convert the old Blue Mont Central College
(a private college incorporated in Manhattan in 1858) into the state university. But the bill establishing the university in Manhattan was controversially veto
ed by Governor Charles L. Robinson
of Lawrence, and an attempt to override the veto in the Legislature failed by two votes. In 1862, another bill to make Manhattan the site of the state university failed by one vote. Finally, upon the third attempt on February 16, 1863, the state accepted Manhattan's offer to donate the Blue Mont College building and grounds and established the state's land-grant college at the site – the institution that would become Kansas State University.
When the college opened for its first session on September 2, 1863, it became only the second public institution of higher learning to admit women and men equally in the United States. Enrollment for the first session totaled 52 students: 26 men and 26 women.
education. During this era, the tenor of the school shifted with the tenure of university presidents. For example, President John A. Anderson
(1873–1879) favored a limited education and President George T. Fairchild
(1879–1897) favored a classic liberal education. Fairchild was credited with saying, "Our college exists not so much to make men farmers as to make farmers men."
During this era, in 1873, Kansas State helped pioneer the academic teaching of home economics
for women, becoming one of the first two colleges to offer the program of study. In 1874, the college also became the first in the United States to offer printing courses, which led to journalism courses being launched in 1910; thus, today's A.Q. Miller School of Journalism & Mass Communications, though no longer teaching printing, has the nation's longest continuously offered curriculum in mass communication.
served as president of the university from 1943 to 1950, and Dr. James McCain succeeded him, serving from 1950 to 1975. Several buildings, including residence halls and a student union, were added to the campus in the 1950s. The 1960s witnessed demonstrations against the Vietnam War
, though fewer than at other college campuses. Enrollment was relatively high through most of the 1970s, but the university endured a downward spiral from approximately 1976 to 1986, when enrollment decreased to 17,570 and a number of faculty resigned. In 1986, Jon Wefald
assumed the presidency of Kansas State University. During his tenure, enrollment and donations increased.
On June 15, 2009, Kirk Schulz
became the 13th president of Kansas State University. In March 2010 he announced his K-State 2025 plan. The initiative is designed to elevate K-State to a top 50 nationally recognized research university by 2025.
, has housed the university's administrative offices for more than a century.
Since 1986, Kansas State ranks first nationally among state universities in its total of Rhodes
, Marshall
, Truman
, Goldwater, and Udall scholars with 124 recipients.
Kansas State University has 65 academic departments in nine colleges: agriculture
; Architecture
, planning and design; arts and sciences; business administration; education
; engineering
; human ecology
; technology
and aviation
; and veterinary medicine
. The graduate school offers nearly 100 master's degree programs and nearly 50 doctoral programs.
In 1991, the former Kansas Technical Institute in Salina, Kansas
was merged with Kansas State University by an act of the Kansas
legislature. The College of Technology and Aviation is located at the Salina campus, and is commonly referred to as K-State Salina
.
K-State is also known for several distinguished lecture series: Landon Lecture, Lou Douglas Lecture, Huck Boyd Lecture, and Dorothy L. Thompson Civil Rights Lectures. In recent years, the Landon Lecture Series has had high profile speakers, including President George W. Bush, President Bill Clinton, Former Mexican President Vicente Fox and Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor.
K-State implemented an academic honor code
in 1999. When students are admitted, it is implied that they will adhere to the Honor Pledge: "On my honor, as a student, I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid on this academic work."
, particularly native Great Plains
plant and animal life. The Kansas State University Gardens
is an on-campus horticulture
display garden that serves as an educational resource and learning laboratory for K-State students and the public. The Konza Prairie
is a native tallgrass prairie preserve located south of Manhattan, which is co-owned by The Nature Conservancy
and Kansas State University and operated as a field research station by the department of biology. The university also owns an additional 18000 acres (72.8 km²) in cities across the state that it operates as Agricultural Experiment Stations in research centers in Hays, Garden City, Colby, and Parsons.
The availability of the BRI was part of what attracted the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility to K-State and Manhattan. The NBAF will feature about 500000 square feet (46,451.5 m²) of research and support space. Construction of the NBAF will cost an estimated $650 million and should be complete by 2016. It will stand just north of K-State's College of Veterinary Medicine and east of the BRI.
Following the NBAF decision, leaders at two additional federal facilities announced they are coming to K-State. The Arthropod-Borne Animal Disease Research Unit, or ABADRU, specializes in animal and plant diseases transmitted by insects. The lab is relocating from Laramie, Wyo., to K-State in order to fully realize its research mandate. The Center of Excellence for Emerging and Zoonotic Animal Diseases, or CEEZAD, will research foreign animal, zoonotic and newly discovered pathogens that can have a consequential economic impact on U.S. agriculture, homeland security and human and animal health. It will be led by K-State's Dr. Juergen Richt.
The series has featured many prominent speakers –– primarily current or former political or government leaders. For example, on Jan. 23, 2006, U.S. President George W. Bush
delivered the university's 143rd Landon Lecture at Bramlage Coliseum
. On March 2, 2007, his predecessor, Bill Clinton
, delivered the 149th Landon Lecture. Also, on September 23, 2008, former Mexican president Vicente Fox
gave the 152nd Landon Lecture. Overall, six U.S. presidents and three foreign presidents have given Landon Lectures at K-State. There are approximately four speakers per year. In January 2011, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor spoke at the lecture.
Center for Gravitational Studies in Cellular and Developmental Biology. The excimer laser
, which made LASIK
eye surgery possible, is a technology developed by Kansas State researchers.
Other research facilities include:
Kansas State's sports teams are called the Wildcats. They participate in the NCAA's Division I and the Big 12 Conference
. The official school color
is Royal Purple, making Kansas State one of very few schools (alongside Syracuse
and Harvard
) that have only one official color. White and silver are commonly used as complementary colors, with white mentioned with purple in the university's fight song "Wildcat Victory." The athletics logo is a stylized wildcat head in profile usually featured in the school color.
Sports sponsored by the school include football
, basketball
, cross country
and track
, baseball
, golf
, tennis
, rowing
, equestrian
and volleyball
. The head football coach is Bill Snyder
, the head men's basketball coach is Frank Martin
, the head women's basketball coach is Deb Patterson
and the head baseball coach is Brad Hill.
and one U.S. Senator from Kansas
are graduates of Kansas State University. Other graduates currently serve as the vice-president of Liberia
, the president of the Georgia Institute of Technology
, and the chief White House photographer. Kansas State alums have been enshrined in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
and the College Football Hall of Fame
, served as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and have earned Emmy Award
s and Olympic
gold medals.
The foundation is a separate, independent organization chartered by the state of Kansas as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit education corporation. A volunteer board of trustees governs the foundation. A 15-member board of directors elected from the membership of the board meets quarterly and is authorized to act on the trustees' behalf.
Foundation staff members work in close partnership with university administrators, deans, faculty, the K-State Alumni Association and K-State Athletics to secure charitable contributions from individuals, corporations and foundations to support identified priorities for the university.
Several of the buildings on campus were heavily damaged by an EF4 tornado
on June 11, 2008
. Damage estimates totaled more than $20 million. K-State paid a deductible of $5 million for their insurance to repair all damages.
, Goodnow Hall, Haymaker Hall
, Marlatt Hall
, Moore Hall, West Hall, Putnam Hall, Van Zile Hall, and Smurthwaite, as well as Jardine Apartments. Smurthwaite, Ford, and Boyd Halls are all female. Haymaker and Marlatt Halls were all-male residence halls until the fall semesters of 2002 and 2009 respectively, when they became co-educational. The residence halls are divided into three complexes: Derby, Kramer, and Strong.
The Student Governing Association is the largest organization of student leaders, composed of elected and appointed officials. The Student Governing Association follows the model of the U.S. government
, with executive
, legislative
and judicial
branches.
The Association of Residence Halls (KSUARH) is the second largest organization of student leaders working towards better the on-campus living experience for students living in the Residence Halls around campus.
GSA is the Graduate Student Association, and members include K-State's graduate-level business students. GSC is the Graduate Student Council, open to graduate-level students of all disciplines.
Kansas State University also offers Army ROTC (Reserve Officers' Training Corps) and Air Force ROTC programs.
. In 1888, when the University was still Kansas State Agricultural College, H.W. Jones submitted the song as part of a school-wide contest. It was originally a four-stanza song and, over the years, some lyrics have changed. The song is sung at most K-State sporting events by fans, students and alumni.
Wildcat Victory
and Wabash Cannonball
are both commonly used as fight songs. Wildcat Victory is used by many high schools as their fight song.
Manhattan, Kansas
Manhattan is a city located in the northeastern part of the state of Kansas in the United States, at the junction of the Kansas River and Big Blue River. It is the county seat of Riley County and the city extends into Pottawatomie County. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 52,281...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Kansas State is the oldest public university in the state of Kansas, and saw a record high enrollment of 23,588 students for the Fall 2011 semester.
A branch campus is located in Salina, Kansas
Salina, Kansas
Salina is a city in and the county seat of Saline County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 47,707. Located in one of the world's largest wheat-producing areas, Salina is a regional trade center for north-central Kansas...
, housing the College of Technology and Aviation
Kansas State University - Salina
Kansas State University-Salina is a branch campus of Kansas State University, and the home of the University's College of Technology and Aviation. It is located in Salina, Kansas, United States.- College of Technology and Aviation :...
. Another branch campus, known as the Olathe Innovation Campus, is presently under construction in Olathe, Kansas
Olathe, Kansas
Olathe is a city in and the county seat of Johnson County, Kansas, United States. Located in northeastern Kansas, it is also the fifth most populous city in the state, with a population of 125,872 at the 2010 census. As a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, Olathe is the fourth-largest city in the...
. When completed, the Olathe facility will be the academic research presence within the Kansas Bioscience Park, and will research bioenergy, animal health, plant science and food safety and security.
The university is classified as a research university with high research (RU/H) by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education
Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education
The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education is a framework for classifying, or grouping, colleges and universities in the United States. The primary purpose of the framework is for educational research and analysis, where it is often important to identify groups of roughly...
.
History
Kansas State University, originally named Kansas State Agricultural College, was founded on February 16, 1863, during the American Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, as a land-grant institution
Land-grant university
Land-grant universities are institutions of higher education in the United States designated by each state to receive the benefits of the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890....
under the Morrill Act
Morrill Land-Grant Colleges Act
The Morrill Land-Grant Acts are United States statutes that allowed for the creation of land-grant colleges, including the Morrill Act of 1862 and the Morrill Act of 1890 -Passage of original bill:...
. The school was the first land-grant college created under the Morrill Act. K-State is the fourth-oldest school in the Big 12 Conference
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving...
and the oldest public university in the state of Kansas.
The effort to establish the school began in 1861, when Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
was admitted to the United States. One of the new state legislature's
Kansas Legislature
The Kansas Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Kansas. It is a bicameral assembly, composed of the lower Kansas House of Representatives, composed of 125 Representatives, and the upper Kansas Senate, with 40 Senators...
top priorities involved establishing a state university. That year, the delegation from Manhattan introduced a bill to convert the old Blue Mont Central College
Blue Mont Central College
Blue Mont Central College was a private, Methodist institute of higher learning located in Manhattan, Kansas, in the United States. The college was incorporated in February 1858, and was the forerunner of Kansas State University.After Kansas became a U.S...
(a private college incorporated in Manhattan in 1858) into the state university. But the bill establishing the university in Manhattan was controversially veto
Veto
A veto, Latin for "I forbid", is the power of an officer of the state to unilaterally stop an official action, especially enactment of a piece of legislation...
ed by Governor Charles L. Robinson
Charles L. Robinson
Charles Lawrence Robinson was the first Governor of Kansas. He was also the first governor of a US state to be impeached, although he was not convicted or removed from office. To date he is the only governor of Kansas to be impeached...
of Lawrence, and an attempt to override the veto in the Legislature failed by two votes. In 1862, another bill to make Manhattan the site of the state university failed by one vote. Finally, upon the third attempt on February 16, 1863, the state accepted Manhattan's offer to donate the Blue Mont College building and grounds and established the state's land-grant college at the site – the institution that would become Kansas State University.
When the college opened for its first session on September 2, 1863, it became only the second public institution of higher learning to admit women and men equally in the United States. Enrollment for the first session totaled 52 students: 26 men and 26 women.
19th century
The early years of the institution witnessed debate over whether the college should provide a focused agricultural education or a full liberal artsLiberal arts
The term liberal arts refers to those subjects which in classical antiquity were considered essential for a free citizen to study. Grammar, Rhetoric and Logic were the core liberal arts. In medieval times these subjects were extended to include mathematics, geometry, music and astronomy...
education. During this era, the tenor of the school shifted with the tenure of university presidents. For example, President John A. Anderson
John Alexander Anderson
John Alexander Anderson was a six-term U.S. Congressman from Kansas , and the second President of Kansas State Agricultural College ....
(1873–1879) favored a limited education and President George T. Fairchild
George Fairchild
George Thompson Fairchild was an American educator and university president.Fairchild was the son of Grandison Fairchild...
(1879–1897) favored a classic liberal education. Fairchild was credited with saying, "Our college exists not so much to make men farmers as to make farmers men."
During this era, in 1873, Kansas State helped pioneer the academic teaching of home economics
Home Economics
Home economics is the profession and field of study that deals with the economics and management of the home and community...
for women, becoming one of the first two colleges to offer the program of study. In 1874, the college also became the first in the United States to offer printing courses, which led to journalism courses being launched in 1910; thus, today's A.Q. Miller School of Journalism & Mass Communications, though no longer teaching printing, has the nation's longest continuously offered curriculum in mass communication.
Recent history
The name of the school changed in 1931 to "Kansas State College of Agriculture and Applied Science". In 1959, the Kansas legislature changed the name again to "Kansas State University of Agriculture and Applied Science" to reflect a growing number of graduate programs, though, even in Kansas state legal matters, it is interchangeably referred to as Kansas State University. Milton S. EisenhowerMilton S. Eisenhower
Milton Stover Eisenhower, served as president of three major American universities: Kansas State University, the Pennsylvania State University, and the Johns Hopkins University. He was the younger brother of U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Edgar N. Eisenhower, and Earl D...
served as president of the university from 1943 to 1950, and Dr. James McCain succeeded him, serving from 1950 to 1975. Several buildings, including residence halls and a student union, were added to the campus in the 1950s. The 1960s witnessed demonstrations against the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, though fewer than at other college campuses. Enrollment was relatively high through most of the 1970s, but the university endured a downward spiral from approximately 1976 to 1986, when enrollment decreased to 17,570 and a number of faculty resigned. In 1986, Jon Wefald
Jon Wefald
Jon Michael Wefald is an American educator and served as the twelfth President of Kansas State University.-Biography:...
assumed the presidency of Kansas State University. During his tenure, enrollment and donations increased.
Kirk Schulz
Kirk Herman Schulz is an American educator and 13th president of Kansas State University. -Biography:Schulz was born in Portsmouth but raised in Norfolk, Virginia. He graduated in 1981 from . Schulz attended Old Dominion University for three years before transferring to Virginia Tech in 1984. ...
became the 13th president of Kansas State University. In March 2010 he announced his K-State 2025 plan. The initiative is designed to elevate K-State to a top 50 nationally recognized research university by 2025.
Historic buildings
The university moved from the location of Blue Mont Central College to its present site in 1875. The original site is now occupied by Central National Bank of Manhattan, Kansas, and Founders Hill Apartments. Holtz Hall, built in 1876, was the first new building erected after the move and is now the oldest free-standing building on campus. The signature building at Kansas State University, Anderson Hall, developed in three stages between 1877 and 1885. Anderson Hall, now listed on the National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
, has housed the university's administrative offices for more than a century.
Academic profile
Rhodes Scholarship
The Rhodes Scholarship, named after Cecil Rhodes, is an international postgraduate award for study at the University of Oxford. It was the first large-scale programme of international scholarships, and is widely considered the "world's most prestigious scholarship" by many public sources such as...
, Marshall
Marshall Scholarship
The Marshall Scholarship, a postgraduate scholarships available to Americans, was created by the Parliament of the United Kingdom when the Marshall Aid Commemoration Act was passed in 1953. The scholarships serve as a living gift to the United States of America in recognition of the post-World War...
, Truman
Truman Scholarship
The Harry S. Truman Scholarship is a highly competitive federal scholarship granted to U.S. college juniors for demonstrated leadership potential and a commitment to public service. The scholarship is in the amount of $30,000 toward a graduate education...
, Goldwater, and Udall scholars with 124 recipients.
Kansas State University has 65 academic departments in nine colleges: agriculture
Kansas State University College of Agriculture
The Kansas State University College of Agriculture offers 16 undergraduate majors, one undecided program, 14 minors, and 10 graduate programs of study...
; Architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
, planning and design; arts and sciences; business administration; education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
; engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
; human ecology
Human ecology
Human ecology is the subdiscipline of ecology that focuses on humans. More broadly, it is an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary study of the relationship between humans and their natural, social, and built environments. The term 'human ecology' first appeared in a sociological study in 1921...
; technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
and aviation
Aviation
Aviation is the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft. Aviation is derived from avis, the Latin word for bird.-History:...
; and veterinary medicine
Veterinary medicine
Veterinary Medicine is the branch of science that deals with the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease, disorder and injury in non-human animals...
. The graduate school offers nearly 100 master's degree programs and nearly 50 doctoral programs.
In 1991, the former Kansas Technical Institute in Salina, Kansas
Salina, Kansas
Salina is a city in and the county seat of Saline County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 47,707. Located in one of the world's largest wheat-producing areas, Salina is a regional trade center for north-central Kansas...
was merged with Kansas State University by an act of the Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
legislature. The College of Technology and Aviation is located at the Salina campus, and is commonly referred to as K-State Salina
Kansas State University - Salina
Kansas State University-Salina is a branch campus of Kansas State University, and the home of the University's College of Technology and Aviation. It is located in Salina, Kansas, United States.- College of Technology and Aviation :...
.
K-State is also known for several distinguished lecture series: Landon Lecture, Lou Douglas Lecture, Huck Boyd Lecture, and Dorothy L. Thompson Civil Rights Lectures. In recent years, the Landon Lecture Series has had high profile speakers, including President George W. Bush, President Bill Clinton, Former Mexican President Vicente Fox and Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor.
K-State implemented an academic honor code
Honor code
An honour code or honour system is a set of rules or principles governing a community based on a set of rules or ideals that define what constitutes honorable behavior within that community. The use of an honor code depends on the idea that people can be trusted to act honorably...
in 1999. When students are admitted, it is implied that they will adhere to the Honor Pledge: "On my honor, as a student, I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid on this academic work."
Agriculture
The university has had a long-standing interest in agricultureAgriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, particularly native Great Plains
Great Plains
The Great Plains are a broad expanse of flat land, much of it covered in prairie, steppe and grassland, which lies west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada. This area covers parts of the U.S...
plant and animal life. The Kansas State University Gardens
Kansas State University Gardens
The Kansas State University Gardens is a new horticulture display garden being developed and maintained by the Department of Horticulture, Forestry and Recreation Resources, Kansas State University. It is located on campus at the intersection of Denison Avenue and Claflin Road, Manhattan, Kansas....
is an on-campus horticulture
Horticulture
Horticulture is the industry and science of plant cultivation including the process of preparing soil for the planting of seeds, tubers, or cuttings. Horticulturists work and conduct research in the disciplines of plant propagation and cultivation, crop production, plant breeding and genetic...
display garden that serves as an educational resource and learning laboratory for K-State students and the public. The Konza Prairie
Konza Prairie
The Konza Prairie Biological Station is a 3,487-hectare preserve of native tallgrass prairie in the Flint Hills of northeastern Kansas. It is located south of Manhattan, Kansas and its southern boundary parallels Interstate 70...
is a native tallgrass prairie preserve located south of Manhattan, which is co-owned by The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy is a US charitable environmental organization that works to preserve the plants, animals, and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive....
and Kansas State University and operated as a field research station by the department of biology. The university also owns an additional 18000 acres (72.8 km²) in cities across the state that it operates as Agricultural Experiment Stations in research centers in Hays, Garden City, Colby, and Parsons.
Arts and culture
The university is home to several museums, including the Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art, the K-State Insect Zoo, the KSU Historic Costume and Textiles Museum, and the Chang, Chapman, and Kemper galleries which feature faculty and student artwork. The university also offers an annual cycle of performance art at McCain Auditorium, including concerts, plays and dance.The Biosciences
In 2006, K-State dedicated the Biosecurity Research Institute. The BRI, in Pat Roberts Hall, is a safe and secure location in which scientists and their collaborators can study high-consequence pathogens. It was designed and constructed for biosafety level 3 (BSL-3) and biosafety level 3 agriculture (BSL-3Ag) research.The availability of the BRI was part of what attracted the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility to K-State and Manhattan. The NBAF will feature about 500000 square feet (46,451.5 m²) of research and support space. Construction of the NBAF will cost an estimated $650 million and should be complete by 2016. It will stand just north of K-State's College of Veterinary Medicine and east of the BRI.
Following the NBAF decision, leaders at two additional federal facilities announced they are coming to K-State. The Arthropod-Borne Animal Disease Research Unit, or ABADRU, specializes in animal and plant diseases transmitted by insects. The lab is relocating from Laramie, Wyo., to K-State in order to fully realize its research mandate. The Center of Excellence for Emerging and Zoonotic Animal Diseases, or CEEZAD, will research foreign animal, zoonotic and newly discovered pathogens that can have a consequential economic impact on U.S. agriculture, homeland security and human and animal health. It will be led by K-State's Dr. Juergen Richt.
Landon Lecture Series
Kansas State University offers the Landon Lecture Series for students, faculty and the community. The lecture series' name honors former Kansas governor and presidential candidate Alfred Landon.The series has featured many prominent speakers –– primarily current or former political or government leaders. For example, on Jan. 23, 2006, U.S. President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
delivered the university's 143rd Landon Lecture at Bramlage Coliseum
Bramlage Coliseum
Fred Bramlage Coliseum is a 12,528-seat multi-purpose arena in Manhattan, Kansas. The arena's primary function is as home to the men's and women's basketball teams for Kansas State University. The building also holds offices for Kansas State Wildcats baseball, Intercollegiate Athletics, and Sports...
. On March 2, 2007, his predecessor, Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
, delivered the 149th Landon Lecture. Also, on September 23, 2008, former Mexican president Vicente Fox
Vicente Fox
Vicente Fox Quesada is a Mexican former politician who served as President of Mexico from 1 December 2000 to 30 November 2006 and currently serves as co-President of the Centrist Democrat International, an international organization of Christian democratic political parties.Fox was elected...
gave the 152nd Landon Lecture. Overall, six U.S. presidents and three foreign presidents have given Landon Lectures at K-State. There are approximately four speakers per year. In January 2011, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor spoke at the lecture.
Engineering & Physics
The university's extensive list of research facilities includes the James R. Macdonald Laboratory for research in atomic, molecular and optical physics and the NASANASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
Center for Gravitational Studies in Cellular and Developmental Biology. The excimer laser
Excimer laser
An excimer laser is a form of ultraviolet laser which is commonly used in the production of microelectronic devices , eye surgery, and micromachining....
, which made LASIK
LASIK
LASIK or Lasik , commonly referred to simply as laser eye surgery, is a type of refractive surgery for correcting myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism...
eye surgery possible, is a technology developed by Kansas State researchers.
Other research facilities include:
- Institute for Environmental Research
- The National Gas Machinery Laboratory
- TRIGA Mark II Nuclear Research Facility
- Semiconductor Materials and Radiological Technologies (S.M.A.R.T.) Laboratory
- Center for Complex Fluid Flows
Intercollegiate athletics
Kansas State's sports teams are called the Wildcats. They participate in the NCAA's Division I and the Big 12 Conference
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving...
. The official school color
School colors
School colors are the colors chosen by a school to represent it on uniforms and other items of identification. Most schools have two colors, which are usually chosen to avoid conflicts with other schools with which the school competes in sports and other activities...
is Royal Purple, making Kansas State one of very few schools (alongside Syracuse
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
and Harvard
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
) that have only one official color. White and silver are commonly used as complementary colors, with white mentioned with purple in the university's fight song "Wildcat Victory." The athletics logo is a stylized wildcat head in profile usually featured in the school color.
Sports sponsored by the school include football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, cross country
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
and track
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
, baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, rowing
Rowing (sport)
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
, equestrian
Equestrianism
Equestrianism more often known as riding, horseback riding or horse riding refers to the skill of riding, driving, or vaulting with horses...
and volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
. The head football coach is Bill Snyder
Bill Snyder
Bill Snyder is the head football coach at Kansas State University. He was rehired to the position on November 24, 2008, making Snyder one of the rare college football head coaches to have non-consecutive tenure at the same school. Snyder previously served as head coach at the school from 1989 to...
, the head men's basketball coach is Frank Martin
Frank Martin (basketball coach)
Frank Martin is the head men's basketball coach at Kansas State University. Martin was announced as Kansas State's 22nd head men's basketball coach on April 6, 2007, following the resignation of Bob Huggins, who departed for West Virginia University...
, the head women's basketball coach is Deb Patterson
Deb Patterson
Deb Patterson is the current head women's basketball coach at Kansas State. She is the all-time winningest coach in school history. On December 20, 2008 she won her 250th career game....
and the head baseball coach is Brad Hill.
Notable alumni
Beginning with the first graduating class in 1867, a number of Kansas State alums have gone on to distinguished careers. Presently, the Governor of KansasGovernor of Kansas
The Governor of the State of Kansas is the head of state for the State of Kansas, United States. Under the Kansas Constitution, the Governor is also the head of government, serving as the chief executive of the Kansas executive branch, of the government of Kansas. The Governor is the...
and one U.S. Senator from Kansas
United States Congressional Delegations from Kansas
These are tables of congressional delegations from Kansas to the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives. -United States Senate:- Delegates from Kansas Territory :-United States House of Representatives:-1859 - 1873: 1 seat at-large:...
are graduates of Kansas State University. Other graduates currently serve as the vice-president of Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
, the president of the Georgia Institute of Technology
Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...
, and the chief White House photographer. Kansas State alums have been enshrined in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...
and the College Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
, served as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and have earned Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
s and Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
gold medals.
Foundations
The Kansas State University Foundation was established in 1944 as the official fundraising arm of Kansas State University. Its mission is to secure and prudently manage private gifts in support of Kansas State University and foster a culture that unites philanthropic desires with university priorities.The foundation is a separate, independent organization chartered by the state of Kansas as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit education corporation. A volunteer board of trustees governs the foundation. A 15-member board of directors elected from the membership of the board meets quarterly and is authorized to act on the trustees' behalf.
Foundation staff members work in close partnership with university administrators, deans, faculty, the K-State Alumni Association and K-State Athletics to secure charitable contributions from individuals, corporations and foundations to support identified priorities for the university.
Campus
The main campus of Kansas State University in Manhattan covers 668 acres (2.7 km²). Since 1986, Kansas State has added over 2 million square feet (186,000 m²) of buildings to the campus, including a new library, art museum and plant sciences building.Several of the buildings on campus were heavily damaged by an EF4 tornado
Tornado
A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as a twister or a cyclone, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in a wider...
on June 11, 2008
June 2008 tornado outbreak sequence
The June 2008 tornado outbreak sequence was a series of tornado outbreaks affecting most of central and eastern North America from June 3–11, 2008. 192 tornadoes were confirmed, along with widespread straight–line wind wind damage. Seven people were killed from a direct result of...
. Damage estimates totaled more than $20 million. K-State paid a deductible of $5 million for their insurance to repair all damages.
Main campus buildings
- Ackert Hall
- Ahearn Field HouseAhearn Field HouseAhearn Field House is one of the athletic buildings on the campus of Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas. It is currently home to the K-State volleyball team and indoor track and field squad, and houses facilities for the and the ....
- Anderson Hall
- Beach Museum of Art
- Bill Snyder Family Football StadiumBill Snyder Family Football StadiumBill Snyder Family Football Stadium is a stadium in Manhattan, Kansas. It is primarily used for American football, and is the home field of the Kansas State University Wildcats football team. It is named after head coach Bill Snyder and his family...
- Bluemont HallBluemont HallBluemont Hall is a building on the Kansas State University campus. The building was constructed in 1981, and was named after the original Blue Mont Central College. Bluemont hall is the location for the College of Education and Psychology department. This building includes modern research...
- Boyd Hall
- Bramlage ColiseumBramlage ColiseumFred Bramlage Coliseum is a 12,528-seat multi-purpose arena in Manhattan, Kansas. The arena's primary function is as home to the men's and women's basketball teams for Kansas State University. The building also holds offices for Kansas State Wildcats baseball, Intercollegiate Athletics, and Sports...
- Brandeberry Indoor Complex
- Burt Hall
- Bushnell Hall
- Call Hall
- Calvin Hall
- Campus Creek Complex
- Cardwell HallCardwell HallCardwell Hall is a building on the northwest part of the campus of Kansas State University. It was constructed in 1963. It is currently the home of the Department of Mathematics and Department of Physics....
- Chalmers Hall
- Chemistry & Biochemistry Building
- Chester E. Peters Recreation Complex
- Coles Hall
- College Court Building
- Danforth & All Faiths Chapels
- Davenport Building
- Derby Dining CenterDerby Dining CenterDerby Dining Center, named after reference librarian Grace Derby, is the largest dining facility at Kansas State University's campus and serves approximately 2,000 students living in Ford, Haymaker, Moore and West Residence Halls. Home to the Wildcat Training Table, The Derb’ is a short walk from...
- Dickens HallDickens HallDickens Hall is a historical building at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas. It currently houses the departments of Statistics and Philosophy and the ....
- Dole Hall
- Durland Hall
- Dykstra Hall
- Edwards Hall
- Eisenhower Hall
- English/Counseling Services
- Environmental Research Lab
- Extension Forestry Facilities
- Fairchild Hall
- Feed Technology
- Fiedler Hall
- Ford HallFord HallFord Hall is an all-female residence hall at Kansas State University and is named for Kenney L. Ford who was Secretary of the Kansas State Alumni Association from 1928-1961. It is located on the South East corner of the Derby Complex at Kansas State's Manhattan, Kansas campus south of Haymaker...
- Gen. Richard B. Myers Hall
- Goodnow Hall
- Greenhouse D – Conservatory
- Hale LibraryHale LibraryHale Library is the main library building on Kansas State University's Manhattan, Kansas campus.-History:On October 5, 1997, Hale Library was officially dedicated ending an 80 year architectural odyssey and ushering in a new world of library resources, both traditional and electronic...
- Haymaker HallHaymaker HallHaymaker Hall is a co-ed residence hall at Kansas State University. It is located on the North-East corner of the Derby Complex at Kansas State's Manhattan, Kansas campus North of Ford Hall and East of Moore Hall on Manhattan Avenue and Claflin Road. It has a residence of approximately 525...
- Hoeflin Stone House
- Holton Hall
- Holtz Hall
- International Student Center
- Jardine Terrace Apartments
- Justin Hall
- Kansas Artificial Breeding Service Unit
- K-State Student Union
- Kedzie Hall
- King Hall
- Kramer Food Center
- Leadership Studies Building
- Leasure Hall
- Margaret Ahlborn/Ula Dow Cottage
- Marlatt HallMarlatt HallMarlatt Hall was the only all-male residence hall at Kansas State University, United States. Starting with the 2009-2010 academic year, Marlatt became a coed residence hall which includes the honors program cluster floor , an Architecture cluster floor, and an Engineering cluster floor...
- McCain Auditorium
- Memorial StadiumMemorial Stadium (Kansas State)Memorial Stadium is a stadium in Manhattan, Kansas. For several decades it was used by Kansas State University for college football and track and field. It was the home field of the K-State's football team between 1922 and 1967, prior to the opening of Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium...
- Moore Hall
- Mosier Hall
- Nichols HallNichols HallNichols Hall is a building on the campus of Kansas State University. This building was originally built in 1911 and appears as a castle from the exterior. It burned down in 1968 and was rebuilt again in 1985...
- Pat Roberts Hall
- Pittman Building
- Power Plant
- Putnam Hall
- Rathbone Hall
- Seaton HallSeaton HallSeaton Hall and Seaton Court are the names of two parts of one sprawling building on the campus of Kansas State University. The building is set just north of the Student Union and Bosco Plaza.-Renovations:...
- Shellenberger Hall
- Straube House, UFM Community Learning Center
- Thompson Hall
- Throckmorton Hall
- Trotter Hall
- Umberger Hall
- Van Zile Hall
- Ward Hall
- Waters Hall
- Weber Hall
- West Hall
- Willard Hall
- Wind Erosion Laboratory (damaged by June 11th, 2008 tornadoJune 2008 tornado outbreak sequenceThe June 2008 tornado outbreak sequence was a series of tornado outbreaks affecting most of central and eastern North America from June 3–11, 2008. 192 tornadoes were confirmed, along with widespread straight–line wind wind damage. Seven people were killed from a direct result of...
)
Residential life
K-State has 10 residence halls on campus: Boyd Hall, Ford HallFord Hall
Ford Hall is an all-female residence hall at Kansas State University and is named for Kenney L. Ford who was Secretary of the Kansas State Alumni Association from 1928-1961. It is located on the South East corner of the Derby Complex at Kansas State's Manhattan, Kansas campus south of Haymaker...
, Goodnow Hall, Haymaker Hall
Haymaker Hall
Haymaker Hall is a co-ed residence hall at Kansas State University. It is located on the North-East corner of the Derby Complex at Kansas State's Manhattan, Kansas campus North of Ford Hall and East of Moore Hall on Manhattan Avenue and Claflin Road. It has a residence of approximately 525...
, Marlatt Hall
Marlatt Hall
Marlatt Hall was the only all-male residence hall at Kansas State University, United States. Starting with the 2009-2010 academic year, Marlatt became a coed residence hall which includes the honors program cluster floor , an Architecture cluster floor, and an Engineering cluster floor...
, Moore Hall, West Hall, Putnam Hall, Van Zile Hall, and Smurthwaite, as well as Jardine Apartments. Smurthwaite, Ford, and Boyd Halls are all female. Haymaker and Marlatt Halls were all-male residence halls until the fall semesters of 2002 and 2009 respectively, when they became co-educational. The residence halls are divided into three complexes: Derby, Kramer, and Strong.
Student organizations
Kansas State has more than 400 student organizations.The Student Governing Association is the largest organization of student leaders, composed of elected and appointed officials. The Student Governing Association follows the model of the U.S. government
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
, with executive
Executive (government)
Executive branch of Government is the part of government that has sole authority and responsibility for the daily administration of the state bureaucracy. The division of power into separate branches of government is central to the idea of the separation of powers.In many countries, the term...
, legislative
Legislature
A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...
and judicial
Judiciary
The judiciary is the system of courts that interprets and applies the law in the name of the state. The judiciary also provides a mechanism for the resolution of disputes...
branches.
The Association of Residence Halls (KSUARH) is the second largest organization of student leaders working towards better the on-campus living experience for students living in the Residence Halls around campus.
GSA is the Graduate Student Association, and members include K-State's graduate-level business students. GSC is the Graduate Student Council, open to graduate-level students of all disciplines.
Kansas State University also offers Army ROTC (Reserve Officers' Training Corps) and Air Force ROTC programs.
Student media
- Radio Station: KSDB-FM The Wildcat 91.9 Student Radio
- Newspaper: Kansas State CollegianKansas State CollegianThe Kansas State Collegian is the official daily student-run newspaper of Kansas State University. Founded in 1896, the Collegian is the eighth largest daily publication in the state of Kansas with a circulation of 10,000.-History:...
- Yearbook: Royal Purple YearbookRoyal Purple YearbookThe Royal Purple Yearbook is the official yearbook of Kansas State University. The Royal Purple has won many awards, including several National Pacemaker Awards. The Columbia Scholastic Press Association gave the 2006 Royal Purple a Silver Crown. The Royal Purple is the only official yearly...
- Television: "Purple Power Hour," "Manhattan Matters," & "Wildcat Watch"
School Songs
Alma Mater is the name of the official school song of Kansas State UniversityKansas State University
Kansas State University, commonly shortened to K-State, is an institution of higher learning located in Manhattan, Kansas, in the United States...
. In 1888, when the University was still Kansas State Agricultural College, H.W. Jones submitted the song as part of a school-wide contest. It was originally a four-stanza song and, over the years, some lyrics have changed. The song is sung at most K-State sporting events by fans, students and alumni.
Wildcat Victory
Wildcat Victory
Wildcat Victory is a fight song written in 1927 by Harry E. Erickson for Kansas State Agricultural College . Aside from this song, the school also commonly uses the song Wabash Cannonball as an alternate fight song....
and Wabash Cannonball
Wabash Cannonball
"The Wabash Cannonball" is an American folk song about a fictional train, thought to have originated in the late nineteenth century. Its first documented appearance was on sheet music published in 1882, titled "" and credited to J. A. Roff...
are both commonly used as fight songs. Wildcat Victory is used by many high schools as their fight song.