As the state of Kansas continues to evolve its approach to addressing COVID-19, Kansas State University is gradually moving towards reopening. 

K-State’s plan for reopening is a phased approach with universitywide criteria that aligns with national, state, local and CDC requirements and guidance. It is designed to maintain and deliver our land-grant mission through teaching, research and extension/outreach, while also preserving the health and safety of K-State’s university community and our host communities.

Individuals must maintain social distancing and proper hygiene such as frequent hand-washing and covering coughs and sneezes. Employees are asked to regularly clean high-touch surfaces, avoid shaking hands and complete safety training. Employees also are encouraged to wear face masks when social distancing is not possible and continue working remotely as much as possible.

View K-State’s full reopening plan 

“I am humbled by your continued resiliency during an unprecedented time in our history,’ President Richard Myers ’65 wrote in a letter to the K-State community. “We have taken extraordinary actions to maintain our mission, such as the transition to remote teaching and student services, all while others work diligently to keep our university operating. We’ve also worked to mitigate the financial effect of the pandemic on our students.’

He added that the university will be facing financial challenges in both the near and mid-term future due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Steps taken by K-State to mitigate the financial impact of the coronavirus include:

• Instituting a universitywide hiring freeze and process for supporting mission critical positions. Any exemptions to this freeze must be approved by the president, provost or appropriate vice president. The hiring freeze will produce an expected $2 million in savings over the next year.
• President, provost, cabinet members and senior administrators are voluntarily taking a 10% reduction in salary for the next fiscal year, which will generate at least $800,000 in savings.
• Implementing targeted emergency furloughs for areas where there is an immediate or imminent lack of funding to continue operations. Human Capital Services is providing updated information about how this will function in conjunction with state and federal aid for employees.
• Read more
  
  

K-State expands licensing agreement for COVID-19 antiviral treatment

Researchers from K-State are doing their part to help discover a treatment for COVID-19 through a second licensing agreement with Cocrystal Pharma.

The new agreement with Cocrystal grants the use of two patented series of protease inhibitors developed by Kyeong-Ok “KC” Chang and Yunjeong Kim, virologists in the K-State College of Veterinary Medicine.

Through the new agreement, Cocrystal Pharma, a clinical-stage biotechnology company, will use the K-State-patented protease inhibitors to further develop a possible treatment of the coronavirus infection that causes COVID-19.

A previous licensing agreement with the company included broad-spectrum antiviral compounds with a focus on norovirus and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, known as MERS. The newly licensed technologies include broad-spectrum antiviral compounds with a specific focus on coronavirus, including SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19. Read more

K-State begins offering COVID-19 testing for university students, employees

K-State also is helping combat the virus by developing important diagnostic tests and offering testing services for the university community.

The university is now able to test K-State students, faculty and staff who need testing either because they are ill and have COVID-19 symptoms or because they have been exposed to someone with the virus. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has asked K-State to ramp up human testing and researchers are increasing their testing capacity. Read more
 

K-State keeping rural, urban Kansans on the forefront of COVID-19 knowledge

K-State is helping families in Kansas by arming them with new research, information, tools and outreach during the COVID-19 pandemic. From health and safety in meatpacking plants to food security and economic and mental health resources, K-State is taking a multifaceted approach to assist Kansans.

“As the land-grant university, it is our mission to support the state and its people not only through education but also research, engagement and service,” said Peter Dorhout, vice president for research. “Agriculture is the largest economic industry in the state, and I am proud of the work our entire university is doing to help all Kansans, but especially those in this vital industry.” Read more
 

Find out more about K-State’s response to COVID-19 in the summer issue of K-Stater magazine, available exclusively for members of the K-State Alumni Association.

Read now

The K-State family has lost one of its most beloved members, longtime supporter and philanthropist Donna L. Vanier. However, she leaves behind a legacy that will continue to impact Wildcats for many generations to come.

Vanier passed away on Saturday, May 23, 2020. She possessed an outlook on life that focused on others and needed to look no further than her own family and community to make a difference.

At K-State, her service and leadership included roles on the KSU Foundation board of directors; the Ahearn Scholarship Board, where she originated the Powercat Auction; and chair of the Beach Museum of Art board of visitors.

Through these acts and countless others, Vanier earned the Kansas State University Medal of Excellence, which recognizes those who have advanced K-State through exceptional service, leadership and philanthropic contributions.

“Donna Vanier exemplified what K-State family is all about,” said K-State President Richard Myers ’65. “She personified our values and set an example of leadership and graciousness that extended to all whose lives she touched. She will be missed, but her legacy of service and kindness to others will be remembered. Donna will live on in our collective memory as a great friend to her state and university.”

Amy Button Renz ’76, ’86, president and CEO of the K-State Alumni Association, echoed Myers’ sentiments.

“Donna’s support of so many areas at K-State, including the Alumni Association and Alumni Center, was transformational. She and Jack provided the funding for the bronze Wildcat Statue at the K-State Alumni Center. This statue has quickly become a K-State icon and a visible reminder of the sense of family and support K-Staters have for one another. Her legacy of kindness and generosity will carry on and we are forever grateful to have had her as a member of our K-State family. I know the thoughts and prayers of the Wildcat community are with Jack and the entire Vanier family.”

Read more about Donna Vanier’s impact on her community and K-State.

To lead and inspire lifelong involvement that will benefit Kansas State University and all members of our Wildcat community. 

That's the mission of the K-State Alumni Association — it defines who we are, and inspires everything we do. 

This mission is one that our board of directors members take to heart. This diverse group of alumni help guide the Association and shape our vision as we move forward into the future.

As we thank our 2020 outgoing board members for their time of service, we also welcome a new slate of members who will be joining our board. 

Get to know the five new, incoming members of our board below. They will serve four-year terms through 2024.

Nabeeha Kazi Hutchins ’96, Washington, D.C., will serve as our 2020-21 board chair. Kendal Frazier ’73, Centennial, Colorado, will serve as past-chair, and Candace Hart Duncan ’75, Bethesda, Maryland, will serve as chair-elect.

“This is an extraordinary time, and we have the tremendous opportunity to engage in new and broader ways with our alumni across the United States and around the world,” said Nabeeha Kazi Hutchins, founder and major initiatives adviser for Humanitas Global and the vice president of programs for KaBOOM!. “As board chair, my goals are to catalyze the diverse expertise of my fellow board members, and ensure that the Association’s strategic priorities are effectively and equitably realized, to inspire lifelong alumni involvement for the benefit of Kansas State University and all members of our community.”

View the complete list of K-State Alumni Association board of directors members. 

Nearly 50 years after his time at Kansas State University, Dennis Ruhnke ’20 is finally an official K-State graduate. 

At a special ceremony May 5 in Topeka, Kansas, Gov. Laura Kelly and K-State President Richard Myers ’65 presented a long overdue college degree to Ruhnke, a Troy, Kansas, farmer who recently gained fame for sending an N95 mask to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Ruhnke attended K-State in 1967 until his father died in 1971. He was two credit hours short of his degree but chose to return home to take care of his mother and the family farm. He never finished his degree, which he said was his biggest regret.

Administrators in the College of Agriculture reviewed his transcript and four decades of experience and approved his work for the degree, which would have been awarded in December 1971.

“Along with his fantastic demonstration of kindness and generosity, Mr. Ruhnke’s academic work at K-State in his chosen field of agriculture qualifies him to receive his degree,” Myers said. “Kansas State University is proud to officially recognize Rhunke as an alumnus and valued member of the Wildcat family.”

“Dennis’ donation, at the height of our country’s protective gear shortage, showed us the best in humanity when we needed it the most,” Gov. Kelly added. “I would like to thank Dennis for the example he’s set on how to serve and how to be thoughtful and generous in an extraordinary way.”

Read on for more good news from K-State:

Celebrating graduation virtually

Although the university’s spring commencement ceremonies were postponed due to COVID-19, we are still excited to celebrate the graduation of new K-State alumni.

The university planned a variety of virtual events to recognize the nearly 3,350 spring graduates, who have been invited to participate in commencement ceremonies in December.

Students will receive their diplomas, K-State diploma covers, special commencement program and honor cords — if earned for academic performance — in the mail this summer. Each K-State college and the K-State Alumni Association also will recognize the graduates with their traditional gift of a year’s free membership to the Alumni Association.

The K-State Alumni Association also hosted several virtual events for graduates — including a parade of graduation caps, a singalong of the Alma Mater and a special video commemorating the class of 2020.

Learn more about the university’s virtual graduation events.

‘Victory Garden’ course draws more than 800…and counting

When Rebecca McMahon saw a newspaper article in March indicating that garden stores in Wichita, Kansas, were already selling out of supplies, she had an idea what was going on.

The state’s stay-at-home order, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, was inspiring many homeowners to plant their own garden, she thought.

So McMahon, the horticultural food crops agent for K-State Research and Extension’s Sedgwick County office, quickly made plans to help out. In April, she launched an eight-week online gardening course, titled “Victory Garden 101,” to set up aspiring gardeners for success.

“The topics are geared toward first-time gardeners, or those who have dabbled in the past without a whole lot of success, and at the time were taking advantage of the stay-at-home order to jump back into vegetable gardening,” McMahon said. “But anyone who gardens knows that there is always something more to learn.” Read more

Awards and recognition

While K-State continues its limited operations status in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, K-Staters are still doing great work, making the world around them a better place.

Here’s a round-up of some of the recent awards and recognition received by K-Staters:

K-State has named two professors as 2020 university distinguished professors, which is a lifetime title that is the highest honor the university bestows on its faculty members. The professors receiving the distinction are Christine Aikens, professor of chemistry, and Thomas Barstow, professor of kinesiology. Read more

The K-State Indigenous Faculty and Staff Alliance has been named a recipient of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine’s 2020 Inspiring Affinity Group Award. INSIGHT Into Diversity is the oldest and largest diversity and inclusion publication and job board in higher education today. 

K-State plant pathologist Barbara Valent has earned membership in the prestigious National Academy of Sciences, becoming the first scientist at K-State to earn the honor for original research conducted while at the university. Read more

According to The Manhattan Mercury, poet and essayist Anne Boyer ’96 is the winner of a Pulitzer Prize for her book The Undying, which shares her story of coping with a cancer diagnosis.

K-State is the Big 12 winner in the Recyclemania 2020 competition. Read more

National scholars:

• Sara Gammon, senior in agricultural economics and global food systems leadership, received a Truman Scholarship. She will receive funding for graduate study related to her career in public service. Read more
• Blaine Fry, junior in physics, received the Goldwater Scholarship. He will receive up to $7,500 annually for college-related expenses. Read more
• Ryan Horn, senior in German, and Natalie Wolf, senior in English and Spanish, have been recognized by the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. The Fulbright programs create international educational exchange opportunities to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. Read more

When John Buckwalter, dean of the College of Health and Human Sciences, first arrived at Kansas State University seven years ago, one of his most important goals was developing some kind of nursing program for the university. 

K-State was the only Kansas Board of Regents school without a nursing program, and there were already students on campus who wanted to pursue a career in nursing. However, their only options were to complete some of their classes at K-State and then transfer to another university, or earn a different degree at K-State and then try to find an accelerated nursing program elsewhere.

Now, K-State has an option for students to graduate as nurses AND Wildcats. K-State and Wichita State University are launching  a dual-degree program that will give students the opportunity to earn both a Bachelor of Science from the College of Health and Human Sciences at K-State and a Bachelor of Science in nursing from the College of Health Professions from Wichita State.

Both degree programs will be held in Manhattan, Kansas. This is the first and only program of its kind in the state.

“We know there’s a demand for nurses in Kansas and around the nation. We know there are students who want this degree program,” Buckwalter said. “There are students that wanted to come to K-State, and now have a viable option. We’ve already gotten a tremendous amount of interest.”

Pursuing a partnership

Buckwalter had explored various ways to potentially bring a nursing program to campus, considering whether K-State should start its own program or pursue a partnership. Wichita State heard K-State was thinking about a nursing program partnership and asked to be considered.  

The new K-State/Wichita State partnership streamlines the process of bringing a nursing program to K-State, allowing K-State to take advantage of Wichita State’s already-approved accreditation.

Students in the five-year dual program will be considered K-State students for the first three years, then WSU students for the final two years. They will graduate with bachelor’s degrees from both institutions at the same time.

Buckwalter noted that regardless of where students are at in the program, they will always be treated like a K-State student, and he’s proud of the fact the graduates will be nurses and K-State alumni when they have completed the program.

“That’s one of the things I was firm on,” he said.

Pathway to progress

To start the program, a student must be admitted to K-State and pursue a degree in Health and Human Sciences. Then, they will be advised on the process to apply for the Wichita State University satellite program, which will seat its first class in fall 2021.

The program already appears to be a hit with prospective students.

“Once the press releases went out, we were getting multiple calls a day,” Buckwalter said. “It sparked a renewed interest in K-State.”

Learn more about the new program and how to apply.

“It aligns very well with the land-grand mission,” Buckwalter said of the program. “It’s another way that you train students in practical skills and can serve the community and have economic impact on the state. I think it’s going to be a great program for K-State.”

I know a spot that I love full well… 

To K-Staters, it’s more than just the phrase that begins the Kansas State University “Alma Mater.” No matter where they’re from or where they go, Wildcats leave a piece of their heart at K-State. It’s a place they think of fondly, reminding them of friends and happy memories on campus.

K-State leaves a special mark on every K-Stater, and you can also leave your mark on K-State with a personalized stone paver at the Alumni Center.

The 12” x 12” pavers surround the K-State Alumni Center on the Manhattan campus and are fully tax-deductible. Pavers may be inscribed with your name or they may be purchased in honor of your child’s or relative’s graduation, as a memorial to a dear friend, or to recognize others.

For Valerie Warren Goodpaster ’65, a stone paver provided a way for her to express her love for her husband, Larry ’65, ’66, and honor their memories at K-State.

“My husband Larry and I have been avid fans of Kansas State University ever since we graduated in 1965,” she said. “Larry was a high school football coach in San Diego for many years, and in that role he recommended players to K-State. Larry passed away last year, and when the opportunity was offered to purchase a paver, I thought that would be a fitting tribute to him. I will continue to be a loyal alumna and carry on the tradition of being a supporter of Kansas State University.”

Learn more about the paver program