The biggest shows from Broadway, music greats, comedy icons and some well-known classics are joining the star-studded lineup for the 2017-2018 McCain Performance Series at Kansas State University.

 

Single tickets are available now (for Alumni Association member discounts, please see end of article). This season’s collection of more than 30 exciting shows includes recent Broadway hits such as “Kinky Boots” and “Jersey Boys,” along with well-loved classics like “The Sound of Music” and Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Cinderella.” Music legends the Temptations and jazz great Kenny G will take the stage, and literary classics will be brought to life with Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” and Jane Austen’s “Sense and Sensibility.”

 

In the mood to laugh? Comedy will be provided by Paula Poundstone, David Sedaris and John Cleese, who will be live with a screening of “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.” Bringing holiday cheer will be “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” Mannheim Steamroller Christmas by Chip Davis and more. Celebrate the 20th anniversary of “Riverdance” and experience the heart-pounding excitement of percussion group TAO with their production “Drum Heart.”

 

Tickets can be purchased at the McCain Auditorium box office or by calling 785-532-6428. A downloadable brochure is available online highlighting the complete lineup of shows. Tickets are half-price for youth 18 and under for most shows. Half-price tickets for all shows is a benefit received by all K-State students. Discounts for the military and K-State faculty and staff members also are available. 

 

The mission of the McCain Performance Series is to serve the university and surrounding communities by presenting professional live performing arts programs and engagement activities that connect artists and audiences. The vision of the McCain Performance Series is to ensure that live performing arts experiences enhance and become integral to the lives of everyone McCain serves.

 

Discounts for Alumni Association members

The McCain Performance Series offers select shows each semester available at a special K-State Alumni Association member discount. The discounts will be available online starting Aug. 3 for the following shows: Parsons Dance, Sept. 14; Creedence Clearwater Revisited, Sept. 24; The B-52s, Sept. 29; The Bumper Jacksons, Oct. 28; One-Man Star Wars Trilogy, Nov. 10; Swan Lake Ballet, Jan. 26, 2018; Berlin Philharmonic Piano Quartet, Feb. 22, 2018; and Kenny G, April 29, 2018. (Note: McCain Performance Series discounts are for K-State Alumni Association members only. Discount is 15 percent off regular-priced tickets in any section; cannot be combined with any other discount(s). Valid beginning Aug. 3, and is only available online with the applicable coupon code. Fees and taxes are charged on top of all ticket face value pricing.)

 

Learn how you can become a member of the K-State Alumni Association to receive McCain discounts and other benefits, such as the K-Stater magazine, annual wall calendar, K-State Campus Store discount and more.

Let the countdown begin — in one month, Wildcat fans will be loading up their tailgating supplies, getting dressed up in their favorite purple gear, and heading to Bill Snyder Family Stadium for the start of the 2017 Kansas State University football season.

 

The K-State Alumni Association offers several ways for fans to get more engaged, including our updated Ultimate Football Guide. You can learn about K-State traditions; read about the clear bag policy and stadium regulations; and find information on gameday transportation, maps and directions, parking, and more. If you plan to tailgate, be sure to check out our collection of yummy tailgate recipes, including avocado bean dip, royal purple punch, gameday chili, and many others. And if you can’t make it back to Manhattan for gameday, look for a watch party in your area.

 

You also are invited to join the Alumni Association for special pregame events throughout the season. Pregame events provide an opportunity for K-Staters to connect and enjoy food, drinks and fun before the game.

 

The first pregame event this season will take place before the K-State at Vanderbilt game Sept. 16 in Nashville, Tennessee. The menu will include grilled chicken and pulled pork, macaroni and cheese, green beans, salad, brownies, beer, wine or soda, and more. Cost is $50 per adult, $35 per youth (ages 7-20), and free for children 6 and under. K-State guests will include Gene Taylor, director of Athletics, Kansas State University; Amy Button Renz ’76, ’86, president and CEO, K-State Alumni Association; Brad Sidener ’80, senior vice president and COO, K-State Alumni Association; Josh McCowan ’09, ’11, senior associate athletics director for development and advancement; Mike Clark, senior director of development, K-State Athletics; and Gavin Hargrave ’08, ’10, associate director of alumni programs, K-State Alumni Association. Live music from K-Stater and Nashville recording artist Jared Daniels. RSVPs due Sept. 7. 

 

You can make your trip to Nashville even more seamless and convenient by joining the Alumni Association’s official travel package. Explore Music City’s top attractions with fellow Wildcats, like the Country Music Hall of Fame and the night life on Lower Broad. View tour package details or call our sports travel hotline at 888-402-8055 for more information. Limited travel packages remain. 

 

Watch for more details about these other pregame events, coming soon: K-State at Texas, Oct. 7; K-State vs. Oklahoma (K-State Homecoming), Oct. 21; K-State at Kansas, Oct. 28; K-State at Texas Tech, Nov. 4; and K-State at OSU, Nov. 18.

 

Also be sure to follow the K-State Alumni Association on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for more content throughout the season. This year’s football posts will have a “traditions” theme.

 

Learn more about K-State football or purchase tickets.  

Sarah Barrett ’09, ’14 understands what it’s like to be a student struggling with hunger.

 

Barrett, a Kansas State University Clery Act federal compliance coordinator, grew up with food insecurity, and as a college student sometimes had to choose between paying bills or buying food, even though she received scholarships for tuition.

 

Now, she is part of an effort that is bringing together the K-State family to make sure every student has as many opportunities for success as possible. The university is starting a new food pantry, and it’s a cause all K-Staters can help with.

 

“This is something very close to my heart, and something I have dealt with,” Barrett said. “It’s really my passion project. I was that student — the student who struggled. I had to make difficult decisions in the present, in order to create a better future for myself and my family.”

 

Food insecurity is a growing concern on college campuses nationwide. The National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness defines food insecurity as “the lack of reliable access to sufficient quantities of affordable, nutritious food.” A recent survey of college students across the U.S. found 48 percent of respondents experienced food insecurity in the previous 30 days.

 

Barrett shared results from K-State’s Campus Climate Assessment Project, which revealed that 39.4 percent of students who reported financial hardship indicated they had difficulty affording food. In a financial stress study conducted by staff in the Office of Student Life and a College of Human Ecology faculty member, 14 percent of student respondents indicated they did not have enough money to meet their basic necessities, and 51 percent indicated they didn’t have enough money for groceries at least once in the three preceding months. 

 

For students who are at a financial breaking point, the item they skimp on is food, Barrett said. Or, they may use behaviors, that range from healthy to unhealthy, to earn more money to buy food, whether it’s selling plasma or adding on another job. Students have to make difficult decisions every day, she said. Moreover, “means testing” and a lack of transportation are often barriers that hinder them from accessing services off-campus.

 

“This was really troubling for us,” Barrett said. “How can we expect students to engage in higher learning, if they’re sitting in class unable to concentrate and participate because they’re so hungry?”

 

The FEED K-State Initiative is stepping up to address that need. The program is a collaborative effort among students, faculty, staff and community partners, focused on promoting food security for individuals on campus. “FEED” stands for Fueling Educational Excellence Daily; having access to nutritious food is a key part of the foundation for academic success.

 

K-State’s new food pantry will be at Fairchild Hall Room 009, and it will be accessible to all K-State students. Barrett said the pantry will be a client-centered, shopping-style experience, and it also will include an office space for students who would like a private consultation to help them connect with other resources, such as Lafene Health Center and Powercat Financial, to address a variety of challenges. Although the pantry will start by offering toiletries and nonperishable food items only, Barrett hopes they’ll be able to expand their offerings to include perishable goods in the future.

 

“Food insecurity not only affects academic achievement, but overall student wellbeing,” she said. “As a land grant institution, K-State is uniquely poised to make significant progress on this complex problem. By intentionally and effectively supporting student success at its most basic level, we can meet students where they’re at and provide the resources to fuel both their bodies and their minds.”

 

Initial start-up dollars have been secured through allocation of Student-Centered Tuition Enhancement distributed by the Student Government Association and private donations from the Parent and Family Association. Alumni and friends can help by donating nonperishable food items to the pantry, or there is also a special KSU Foundation account for financial gifts. Contact Barrett at 785-532-6432 or sfbarrett@ksu.edu for more information about the FEED Initiative or making a donation of either kind. You can also drop off food donations on campus in the month of August at the Office of Student Life, 201 Holton Hall, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday–Friday. A website is pending but will be available soon.

 

“We’re all in this together,” Barrett said. “We know what it means to be K-State Proud, and family feeds family.”

Students on campus for the summer cooled off with lemonade and ice pops, started their morning with bagels and coffee, sampled juicy watermelon, and more, thanks to the K-State Summer program.

 

K-State Summer is an annual program offering special activities and giveaways throughout the summer months to help students beat the heat and enjoy some fun between classes. K-State Global Campus staff helped coordinate the events. 

 

View photos from this summer’s events in the gallery below. (Photos by Ashley Pauls and Alexus Lacy, K-State Alumni Association)

 

Fifty years ago, the Kansas State University football team played their final game in World War I Memorial Stadium, on Nov. 20, 1967. The stadium holds years of memories for K-State alumni and friends — from watching football games and enjoying the crisp autumn weather, to holding up flash cards in the stands. The stadium also has been used for Marching Band practice, track and field, club sports and even housed dormitories.

 

Earlier this year, the K-State Alumni Association partnered with a class in K-State’s Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Community Planning to collect memories from alumni and friends about this historic facility, which was originally built to honor K-State’s 48 fallen in World War I. More than 150 memories were submitted for this project, showing just how important Memorial Stadium is to K-Staters.

 

For Karen Quilty-Miller ’71, Topeka, Kansas, sitting in the stands of Memorial Stadium and watching football games made her proud to be a K-Stater, even if the team didn’t have a winning record at the time.

 

“The first game I went to, we played Penn State Nittany Lions. We lost, but I cried because I was so proud to be a Wildcat,” she said. “Upon graduation, my first alumni game was against Nebraska. We lost 17-44 and had been down at zero most of the game. Typical of K-State fans, when we scored our first touchdown, we went wild. At the end of the game, we were all still going wild — just knowing it wasn’t a shutout and the pride in our team for never giving up the fight. It’s true — K-State is family!”

 

Although the inside of the stadium walls are now home to the Purple Masque Theatre and the Berney Family Welcome Center, in the past the stadium also served as a dormitory for students. John Marcoline ’60, Minonk, Illinois, remembers a fun snow day for students in the dorm.

 

“One winter, I think it might be the winter of 1958, Manhattan got a large snow storm,” he recalled. “About 20 of the West Stadium dorm residents decided to build a toboggan slide in the stadium. We built it from the top of the stadium, down the steps, over the wall and out onto the football field. We then made our own sled from two-by-fours and four-by-10s. On the first run with a regular sled, I went over the wall and the sled stuck in a snow bank and I kept going by myself. Later, with our homemade sled, I and a co-ed (Charlene Murphy Piper ’61, a Gamma Phi Beta) went from the top of the stadium all the way across to the East Stadium wall.”

 

The stadium continues to be a treasured spot for students, whether it’s to enjoy a group activity or to sit quietly and look out over the campus.

 

“My first day on campus as a freshman, after moving in, my family and I went and watched the band play here,” said John Lantz ’09, ’12, Fairfax, Virginia. “Also spent a lot of time at Memorial Stadium thinking and reflecting on the year past and the year upcoming over the summer when I was a student. Loved being there and sitting up high in the old stands.”

 

The project to collect Memorial Stadium memories was launched in conjunction with the formal dedication of World War I Memorial Stadium on April 21, 2017. The Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Community Planning is developing proposals to make the historical stadium area a vibrant community on campus for generations to come. Learn more about the project, and read more memories on the Alumni Association’s website.

Join the K-State Alumni Association for a once-in-a-lifetime event: a celebration of the upcoming total solar eclipse.

 

The total solar eclipse will take place Aug. 21. A total solar eclipse occurs when the disk of the moon appears to completely cover the disk of the sun, leaving only its corona visible. The Aug. 21 eclipse will be a historic event — it is the first total eclipse of the sun visible from all 48 contiguous United States (excluding Alaska and Hawaii) since 1979, and the last time a total eclipse was visible from coast to coast was June 8, 1918.

 

The K-State Alumni Association will be hosting a family-friendly watch party to commemorate this event from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. (CDT) at East Hills Shopping Center, 3702 Frederick Ave., St. Joseph, Missouri (estimated time of the actual eclipse will be from 11:40 a.m. to 2:34 p.m.). St. Joseph is considered to be one of the most ideal locations to experience the eclipse; St. Joseph will experience 100 percent totality (i.e. the moon completely covers the sun’s face) while other nearby locations like Kansas City and Manhattan will not. St. Joseph also has one of the longest viewing times of totality.

 

The Alumni Association is offering exclusive solar eclipse glasses that will enable you to view the sun safely (read these important eclipse viewing safety tips). You can also use your glasses to receive discounts at participating stores in the mall. Food vendors will be available, along with a play area for children and free admission to the planetarium.

 

Cost to attend the Alumni Association watch party is free, and no RSVP is required. Alumni and friends are encouraged to arrive early, as a large amount of traffic is anticipated. Parking will be on a first-come, first-served basis. The Alumni Association will have a watch party tent and has created a map of the mall parking lot to help you find your way to the fun. Don’t forget to bring a folding lawn chair or blanket to watch the eclipse, and be sure to wear your K-State purple!

 

“The opportunity to experience this natural phenomenon with K-Staters will be a special moment for all of us,” said Jessica Elmore ’06, ’15, associate director of diversity programs, who is coordinating the watch party. “I look forward to such a special event.”

 

Download the K-State Alumni Link for Life mobile app for updates. View a list of other events K-State is planning to coincide with the solar eclipse.

Do you know a family who shows off their purple pride year-round, has a history of Kansas State University graduates, and is dedicated to the university and each other?

 

The Chimes Junior Honorary encourages you to nominate families for K-State’s “Family of the Year” award, which recognizes families who have demonstrated their commitment to the K-State community and who carry on the Wildcat legacy.

 

Selected by a committee, the winning family will be recognized as the 2017 K-State Family of the Year during halftime of the home football game Oct. 14 against TCU. The family will also attend a special brunch before the game.  

 

The university’s Family of the Year is selected based on three criteria: how the family is affiliated with the university; the way they show their loyalty and pride in K-State; and what role family plays in their lives. The tradition traces back at least as far as the 1960s.

 

The Spare family was named K-State’s 2016 Family of the Year. With a combined 139 years of attendance at K-State, they have been involved in academics, campus activities, athletics and overseas learning.

 

The deadline to submit an application for 2017 is Sept. 20. Learn more about the Family of the Year program, and meet previous winners.

Kansas State University alumni and friends are invited to attend Fort Riley’s Victory Fest, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the “Big Red One” First Infantry Division. 2017 also marks 100 years since the United States entered World War I.

 

The music festival Aug. 19 takes place at Marshall Army Airfield, Fort Riley, and will feature the Eli Young Band, the All-American Rejects, the Charlie Daniels Band and Lit, with other activities to include fireworks, an auto show, the USO Show Troupe and more. The event is presented by the U.S. Army MWR, in partnership with Junction City, Kansas State University and the City of Manhattan.

 

Tickets for the music festival start at $25. The event is open to the general public; photo ID required. Learn more at VictoryFest2017.com.

 

According to Fort Riley’s official website, the First Infantry Division’s history began in 1917 during WWI, when Gen. John “Blackjack” Pershing arrived in France with the First American Expeditionary Force. The “Fighting First” led the way for American troops in WWI. Names like Cantigny, Soissons, St. Mihiel and the Argonne Forest tell the story of the courage of the soldiers in the First Infantry Division, now wearing the famous “Big Red One” patch on their left shoulder. K-State student Willis E. Comfort 1914 was one of the founding members of the First Infantry Division and was later killed in action.

 

Earlier this year, the K-State Alumni Association helped to host a formal dedication ceremony for K-State’s World War I Memorial Stadium. The stadium was constructed in memory of the 48 fallen K-Staters who gave their lives in WWI. The dedication featured the Fort Riley Color Guard and First Infantry Division Band, commemorating K-State’s long history of partnership with Fort Riley.

 

Kansas State University will host the Petfood R&D Showcase, “Going with the Grain,” with the help of K-State students. This multi-day event will take place Oct. 10-12, on K-State’s main campus in Manhattan, Kansas.

 

Petfood R&D Showcase, “Going with the Grain,” is designed to give attendees valuable insights on market trend shifts in uses of whole and specialty grains in pet food. K-State alumni and friends are welcomed and encouraged to attend for a day or the entire event.

 

On the first full day of the event, Oct. 11, K-State faculty will present leading research on the emerging science behind the use of these grains in pet food and how they impact processing, nutrition and the health of companion animals. Oct. 12 will feature interactive labs to provide attendees with the chance to see the research learned the day prior come to life. Three evening receptions and an optional dine-around event at local Manhattan restaurants also are incorporated into the agenda, providing an ideal setting for students and pet food professionals to network.

 

Student volunteers are essential in ensuring the event’s success before, during and after the showcase. In addition to assisting with the setup of the event, students play a key role in assisting with the interactive labs that will be led by top pet food industry suppliers.

 

Throughout the showcase, pet food industry members will be able to schedule job or internship interviews with students. Students have the option to put their knowledge and skills on display for future potential employers through a research poster presentation session, which will take place during the Tuesday evening reception.

 

“The student presentations gave me some real-life ideas. I asked a student to send me the research afterwards and he did! I’m now using a new product in my foods,” said an attendee of the 2016 Pet Food Experience’s student poster session, which was held at K-State in conjunction with Petfood Industry’s Petfood Innovation Workshop.

 

The Petfood R&D Showcase is hosted by the Kansas State Pet Food Program team, along with the K-State Institute for Commercialization, and utilizes student volunteers as well as facilities within the community. View an outline of the program schedule.

 

The K-State Institute for Commercialization is dedicated to the start-up and expansion of technology-based, high-growth enterprises and enabling the commercialization of university and under-utilized corporate intellectual property. The organization provides opportunity assessment; strategic partnership design; technology acquisition, management and licensing; business development; and technology transfer support activities for entrepreneurs to commercialize intellectual property emanating from basic research at K-State and other intellectual property portfolios.

 

The Pet Food Program at K-State was started in 2012 and has established degree programs, short courses and research concerning pet food and nutrition.

 

Petfood R&D Showcase is a Petfood Forum Event, and is hosted by Petfood Industry magazine in collaboration with K-State. Petfood Industry and Petfood Forum are both owned by WATT Global Media, a content company founded in 1917 that provides exceptional business content and solutions to the agribusiness industry. As an industry innovator, WATT Global Media has connected buyers and sellers in the poultry, pig, animal feed and pet food industries through its media channels for 100 years.

 

For details on the Petfood R&D Showcase, go to: www.PetfoodForumEvents.com/Petfood-Research-Showcase. Early bird registration is now open, providing attendees with the opportunity to save $240 when they register before Sept. 10.

What’s more Kansas than grain?

 

In 2012, Rich Porter ’72, ’04 contacted the KSU Foundation with an idea to creatively give back to Kansas State University and fuel research by gifting grain. As a two-time K-State graduate (chemical engineering, 1972; Master of Agribusiness, 2004) and a long-time university supporter, Porter had learned from friends and accountants how gifts of grain maximize donations and reduce producer taxes.

 

Read more

 

Connecting the K-State family

Kansas State University has found the key to helping incoming students succeed — engagement.

 

K-State First, the university’s enhanced college experience program for first-year students, engages and supports new students in many ways: mentors, a common book read by all incoming students, first-year seminars and Connecting Across Topics (CAT) Communities.

 

“Having smaller class sizes helps with the transition from high school to college,” said theater major Emma Galitzer, who participated in two first-year seminar classes her first semester. “The material is harder and there are higher expectations, but since the class is smaller, it’s a lot easier to get the help you need.”

 

Philanthropy helped launch K-State First and philanthropy will enable it to grow and benefit even more students.

 

Read more