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Former names | Kansas State Agricultural College (1863–1931) Kansas State College of Agriculture and Applied Science (1931–1959) |
|---|---|
| Motto | "Rule by Obeying Nature's Laws" |
| Type | Publicland-grantresearch university |
| Established | February 16, 1863; 162 years ago (1863-02-16) |
Parent institution | Kansas Board of Regents |
| Accreditation | HLC |
Academic affiliations | |
| Endowment | $849.0 million (FY2024)[1] |
| President | Richard Linton |
| Provost | Jesse Perez Mendez |
Academic staff | 1,404[2] |
| Students | 20,295 (fall 2024)[3][4] |
| Undergraduates | 15,650 (fall 2024)[5] |
| Location | ,, United States 39°11′29″N96°34′51″W / 39.1914°N 96.5809°W /39.1914; -96.5809 |
| Campus | Small city[6], 668 acres (2.70 km2) |
| Other campuses | |
| Newspaper | Kansas State Collegian |
| Colors | Royal Purple[7] |
| Nickname | Wildcats |
Sporting affiliations | NCAA Division I FBS –Big 12 |
| Mascot | Willie the Wildcat |
| Website | www |
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Kansas State University (KSU,Kansas State, orK-State) is apublicland-grantresearch university with its main campus inManhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public institution of higher learning in the state of Kansas.[8][9] It had a record high enrollment of 24,766 students for the Fall 2014 semester.[10]
The university isclassified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity".[11] Kansas State's academic offerings are administered through nine colleges, including theCollege of Veterinary Medicine and theCollege of Technology and Aviation in Salina. Graduate degrees offered include 65 master's degree programs and 45 doctoral degrees.
Branch campuses are inSalina andOlathe. The Kansas State University Salina Aerospace and Technology Campus is home to the College of Technology and Aviation. The Olathe Innovation Campus has a focus on graduate work in research bioenergy, animal health, plant science and food safety and security.[12] Kansas State’s Staley School of Leadership offers undergraduate Certificates in Leadership Studies and Nonprofit Leadership, a secondary major in Global Food Systems Leadership, and engages over 5,000 students annually through applied learning and leadership development programs.[13][14]
| Naming history | |
| Years | Name |
|---|---|
| 1863–1931 | Kansas State Agricultural College |
| 1931–1959 | Kansas State College of Agriculture and Applied Science |
| 1959–present | Kansas State University of Agriculture and Applied Science (Kansas State University in modern naming practice) |
Kansas State University, originally namedKansas State Agricultural College, was founded in Manhattan on February 16, 1863, during theAmerican Civil War, as aland-grant institution under theMorrill Act.[9][15] The school was the first land-grant college created under the Morrill Act.[15][16] K-State is the third-oldest school in theBig 12 Conference and the oldest public institution of higher learning in the state of Kansas.[9]
The effort to establish the school began in 1861, the year thatKansas was admitted to theUnited States. One of the newstate legislature's top priorities involved establishing a state university. That year, the delegation from Manhattan, led by New England abolitionist,Isaac Goodnow, introduced a bill to convert the privateBlue Mont Central College in Manhattan, incorporated in 1858, into the state university.[17] But the bill establishing the university in Manhattan was controversiallyvetoed by GovernorCharles L. Robinson of Lawrence, and an attempt to override the veto in the Legislature failed by two votes.[18] In 1862, another bill to make Manhattan the site of the state university failed by one vote.[18] 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.[18]
When the college opened for its first session on September 2, 1863, it became only thesecond public institution of higher learning to admit women and men equally in the United States.[19] Enrollment for the first session totaled 52 students: 26 men and 26 women.[15] Twelve years after opening, the university moved its main campus from the location ofBlue Mont Central College to its present site in 1875.[15] The original site is now occupied by Central National Bank of Manhattan and Founders Hill Apartments.
The early years of the institution witnessed debate over whether the college should provide a focused agricultural education or a fullliberal arts education. During this era, the tenor of the school shifted with the tenure of college presidents. For example, PresidentJohn A. Anderson (1873–1879) favored a limited education and PresidentGeorge T. Fairchild (1879–1897) favored a classic liberal education.[15][20] Fairchild was credited with saying, "Our college exists not so much to make men farmers as to make farmers men."[15]
During this era, in 1873, Kansas State helped pioneer the academic teaching ofhome economics for women, becoming one of the first two colleges to offer the program of study.[21][22]
In November 1928, the school was accredited by the Association of American Universities (AAU) as a school whose graduates were deemed capable of advanced graduate work.[15] The name of the school was changed in 1931 toKansas State College of Agriculture and Applied Science. In 1959, the Kansas legislature changed the name again toKansas State University of Agriculture and Applied Science to reflect a growing number of graduate programs. However, in modern practice, the "Agriculture and Applied Science" portion has usually been omitted even from official documents such as state statutes.[23][24]
Milton S. Eisenhower was president from 1943 to 1950. Eisenhower was a leading UNESCO delegate and served as the first chairman of the U.S. National Commission for UNESCO. Influenced by his work with UNESCO, he pursued a number of progressive reforms at Kansas State College to promote democracy, citizenship, and global peacebuilding. These curricular reforms led to a subsequent peace-building movement on the campus that agitated for civic participation, humanitarian action, and desegregation from 1947 to 1950.[25]
On June 15, 2009,Kirk Schulz became the 13th president of Kansas State University.[26] In March 2010 he announced his K-State 2025 plan.[27] The initiative is designed to elevate K-State to a top 50 nationally recognized research university by 2025. In 2011, during Schulz's tenure, the Olathe branch opened. His last day was April 22, 2016, as he was selected asWashington State University's next president.[28]
In late April 2016, Ret. GeneralRichard Myers began serving as the interim president of Kansas State University[29] and was announced as the permanent 14th president on November 15, 2016.[30] He was succeeded byRichard Linton, a former dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Science atNorth Carolina State University (2012–2022).[31]
The state legislature established the state'sland-grant college inManhattan on January 13, 1863.[19] A commission to establish a state university inLawrence was called for later in the same legislative session, provided that town could meet certain requirements, and finalized later that year.[9] Kansas State was the first public institution of higher learning founded in the state and began teaching college-level classes in 1863. By comparison, the University of Kansas opened in 1866, and offered only preparatory-level classes until college-level classes began in 1869.
Kansas State was founded with an agricultural and scientific college consistent with the land-grant college mandate, as well as departments for military science and literature.[9] It was formally renamed asKansas State University in 1959.[20]
The main campus of Kansas State University in Manhattan now covers 668 acres (2.70 km2). The campus is historic, featuring morebuildings built before 1910 than any other campus in Kansas. Holtz Hall, built in 1876, is the oldest free-standing building on campus.[15] However, the oldest building on campus is the original section ofSeaton Hall, which now forms Seaton Court, facing the courtyard ofHale Library and Eisenhower Hall. Originally named the Industrial Workshop, this section of Seaton Hall is the oldest remaining education building on the Manhattan campus.[15]
The predominant architectural feature of the Manhattan campus is its use of nativelimestone. This includes the signature building at Kansas State University,Anderson Hall, developed in three stages between 1877 and 1885. Anderson Hall, now listed on theNational Register of Historic Places, has housed the university's administrative offices for more than a century. Dickens Hall was constructed in 1908 and currently houses the statistics and philosophy departments. Although there are many historic building on the campus, since 1986 Kansas State has also added over two million square feet (186,000 m2) of new buildings to the campus, including an expanded library, new art museum, and plant sciences building.
Several of the buildings on campus were heavily damaged by an EF4tornado onJune 11, 2008. Damage estimates totaled more than $20 million.[32]
Since 2014, the Main campus has been under significant renovation to accommodate infrastructure changes. The campus is also adopting a more walking friendly atmosphere by closing off many small access roads to vehicles.[33]
| Academic rankings | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Forbes[34] | 183 |
| U.S. News & World Report[35] | 165(tie) |
| Washington Monthly[36] | 226 |
| WSJ/College Pulse[37] | 286 |
| Global | |
| ARWU[38] | 501–600 |
| QS[39] | 901-950 |
| THE[40] | 601–800 |
| U.S. News & World Report[41] | 616 |
Since 1986, Kansas State ranks first nationally among public universities in its total ofRhodes,Marshall,Truman,Goldwater, and Udall scholars with 147 recipients.[42] The school is a member of the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools, and is home to the Kansas Beta chapter of thePhi Beta Kappa honor society. The institution petitioned in 1925, and three years later received, a charter ofMortar Board National College Senior Honor Society.
Kansas State University has 65 academic departments in nine colleges:Agriculture; Architecture, Planning and Design; Arts and Sciences; Business Administration; Education; Engineering; Health and Human Sciences;Technology and Aviation; and Veterinary Medicine. The graduate school offers 65 master's degree programs and nearly 50 doctoral programs.
In 1991, the former Kansas Technical Institute inSalina, Kansas was merged with Kansas State University by an act of the Kansas legislature. The College of Technology and Aviation is at the Salina campus. Initially, this campus was referred to as Kansas State University – Salina, but on October 14, 2014, the Kansas Board of Regents approved a name change to Kansas State University Polytechnic Campus.[43] The campus was again renamed in 2021 to Kansas State University Salina Aerospace and Technology Campus.[44]
In 2018, the Kansas Board of Regents approved that the name of the College of Engineering should be changed to theCarl R. Ice College of Engineering in Ice's honor.[45]
The university has had a long-standing interest inagriculture, particularly nativeGreat Plains plant and animal life. TheKansas State University Gardens is an on-campushorticulture display garden that serves as an educational resource and learning laboratory for K-State students and the public. TheKonza Prairie is a native tallgrass prairie preserve south of Manhattan, which is co-owned byThe Nature Conservancy and Kansas State University and operated as a field research station by the department of biology. The university also owns an additional 18,000 acres (73 km2) in cities across the state that it operates as Agricultural Experiment Stations in research centers in Hays, Garden City, Colby, and Parsons.
In 2006, K-State dedicated the Biosecurity Research Institute.[46] 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.[47]
The university's research facilities include the James R. Macdonald Laboratory for research in atomic, molecular and optical physics and theNASA Center for Gravitational Studies in Cellular and Developmental Biology. Theexcimer laser, which madeLASIK eye surgery possible, is a technology developed by Kansas State researchers.[48]
Kansas State was involved in early experimentation with television and radio broadcasts. The first radio station licensed in Manhattan was Kansas State's experimental station 9YV.[49] In 1912 the station began a daily broadcast (inmorse code) of theweather forecast, becoming the first radio station in the U.S. to air a regularly scheduled forecast.[50][51] After a series of efforts to secure a more high-powered signal for the university – including a brief cooperation withJohn R. Brinkley's notorious KFKB – Kansas State was granted a license forKSAC, which began broadcasting with 500 watts of power on December 1, 1924.[51] The station was reassigned to the frequency of AM 580 in 1928, and continued broadcasting on that frequency until November 27, 2002, when it made its last broadcast after the frequency was bought out byWIBW inTopeka, Kansas.[51]
On March 9, 1932, theFederal Radio Commission granted Kansas State a license to operate the television station W9XAK.[52] It was the first television station inKansas.[53] Activity on the station peaked in 1933 and 1934, with original programs being produced three nights a week. On October 28, 1939, the station broadcast theHomecoming football game in Manhattan betweenKansas State andNebraska, which was the second college football game ever televised.[54] The station went off the air in 1939.[52]
K-State Research Exchange, referred to as K-REx, is a local branding of Kansas State University's implementation ofDSpace.[55][56]
Kansas State University graduate students are required to submit an electronic version of their thesis, dissertation, or report, which is then made openly available through the K-State Research Exchange (K-REx), and become indexed by search engines.[57][58]
| Race and ethnicity | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 80% | ||
| Hispanic | 9% | ||
| Two or more races | 4% | ||
| Black | 3% | ||
| Asian | 2% | ||
| International student | 2% | ||
| Unknown | 1% | ||
| Economic diversity | |||
| Low-income[a] | 20% | ||
| Affluent[b] | 80% | ||
The university is home to several museums, including theMarianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art, the KSU Historic Costume and Textiles Museum, the K-State Insect Zoo, 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.[60]
The former All-University Convocation lecture series – which began with a speech byHarry Golden on April 3, 1963, and ended in 1997[61] – brought to campus prominent leaders such asMartin Luther King Jr., Supreme Court JusticesByron White andWilliam O. Douglas, Senate Minority LeaderEverett Dirksen, Rep.Shirley Chisholm, and thinkers such asArthur C. Clarke,Benjamin Spock,Betty Friedan,Buckminster Fuller, andSaul Alinsky.
K-State has twelve residence halls on campus: Boyd Hall,Ford Hall,Goodnow Hall,Haymaker Hall,Marlatt Hall,Moore Hall,West Hall, Putnam Hall, Van Zile Hall, and the new Wefald hall, completed in 2016.[62] The Living Community at Jardine, 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.[63] The residence halls are divided into three complexes: Derby, Kramer, and Strong.[64]
K-State implemented anacademic honor code in 1999.[65] 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."
Kansas State has more than 400 student organizations.[66]
Student media includeKSDB-FM "Wildcat 91.9",KKSU-LD "Channel 8", theKansas State Collegian, and theRoyal Purple Yearbook.
Alma Mater is the name of the official school song of Kansas State University. 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.[67] The song is sung at most K-State sporting events by fans, students and alumni.Wildcat Victory andWabash Cannonball are both commonly used as fight songs. Wildcat Victory is used by many high schools as their fight song. Since the early 2010s, K-State students have chanted obscenities at sporting events toward their rival, theUniversity of Kansas, toDarude'sSandstorm and the Wabash Cannonball. This tradition has continued despite the efforts of Hall of Fame Football CoachBill Snyder, Kansas State Basketball Coach,Jerome Tang, and Band Director, Frank Tracz.[68][69][70]
There are dozens of national and international fraternities and sororities at Kansas State University.
Intercollegiate sports began at Kansas State in the 1890s. The school's sports teams are called the Wildcats, and they participate in theNCAA Division I and theBig 12 Conference. Theofficial school color isRoyal Purple, making Kansas State one of very few schools (alongsideSyracuse[71] andHarvard[72]) that have only one official color.[73] White and silver are commonly used as complementary colors; white is 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, called the "Powercat".
Sports sponsored by the school includefootball,basketball,cross country andtrack,baseball,golf,tennis,rowing, women's soccer, andvolleyball. The head football coach isChris Klieman, the head men's basketball coach isJerome Tang,[74] the head women's basketball coach isJeff Mittie, and the head baseball coach isPete Hughes. In 2012−2013, Kansas State became only the second Big 12 school to win conference titles in football, men's basketball, and baseball in the same school year.[75]
Historically,African-American athletes at Kansas State were responsible for breaking the modern "color barrier" inBig Seven Conference athletics. Harold Robinson became the first African-American athlete in the conference in more than two decades and the first ever to receive a scholarship, playing football for Kansas State in 1949. In the spring of 1951 the conference's baseball color barrier was broken by Kansas State'sEarl Woods, and in the winter of 1951–1952 Kansas State's Gene Wilson broke the conference color barrier in basketball (together withLaVannes Squires at theUniversity of Kansas).
Beginning with the first graduating class in 1867,[76] a number of Kansas State alumni have gone on to distinguished careers. The 46thGovernor of Kansas,Sam Brownback, and oneU.S. Senator from Kansas,Pat Roberts, are graduates of Kansas State University. Other graduates currently serve as the vice-president ofLiberia, thepresident of theGeorgia Institute of Technology, and thepresident of theUniversity of the Virgin Islands. Kansas State alumni have been enshrined in theRock and Roll Hall of Fame and theCollege Football Hall of Fame, served as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and have earnedEmmy Awards andOlympic gold medals.Geraldine L. Richmond, theNational Medal of Science laureate (2013) andPriestley Medalist (2018), received a B.S. in chemistry in 1975.[77]
In line with its roots as a land grant college, a number of Kansas State's most eminentfaculty in its earliest years were in the areas of agriculture, science and military. For example, famed geologistBenjamin Franklin Mudge was chair of the geology department, while famed Army officerAndrew Summers Rowan, the subject of the essayA Message to Garcia, served as professor of military tactics.
Kansas State faculty have received a number of awards.Fred Albert Shannon was awarded thePulitzer Prize for History in 1929, while teaching history at Kansas State. In 2008,CASE and theCarnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching honoredMichael Wesch as national Professor of the Year. At least eight Kansas State faculty members have gone on to serve as university presidents, includingNaomi B. Lynn, the first Hispanic female president of an American public university.
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