How do you summarize former K-State football coach Bill Snyder’s career and long-ranging impact on the Wildcat family in just a few words? 

It’s challenging to condense the story of Snyder’s time with the K-State football program, considering the breadth and depth of his legacy. 

When he was hired by K-State back in November 1988, the Wildcat football team had not won a game since October 1986 and had a 299-510 record overall. But where others saw impossibility, Coach Snyder saw the opportunity for what is now known as “the greatest turnaround in college football.”

Over the years, Coach Snyder has contributed to the prestige of the university, and he has also been a loyal friend to the K-State Alumni Association. Whether it’s speaking at bowl pep rallies or promoting Alumni Association membership, Snyder has been a long-time supporter of the Alumni Association’s mission to connect K-Staters.

In recognition of all the ways Coach Snyder has given back to K-State, the Alumni Association presented him with the 2020 Flinchbaugh Family Wildcat Pride Award. The award honors a current or emeritus K-State faculty or staff member for his or her advocacy of alumni relations, with a special emphasis on support and participation in alumni programs that engage members of the Wildcat family.

‘Coach Snyder is responsible for many victories on the field, but he has also benefited the university community off the field,’ said Amy Button Renz ’76, ’86, K-State Alumni Association president and CEO. ‘As head coach, he attended a multitude of events across the state for the annual Catbacker Club tour. These events are jointly hosted by K-State Athletics and the K-State Alumni Association, and although the programmatic focus of the events is K-State sports news and updates, Coach Snyder was always sure to include mention of the Association in his comments. His vocal support to these important crowds helped to solidify the role of the Association to K-Staters.’

Leaving a legacy

Snyder came to K-State after serving as offensive coordinator, quarterback coach and receiver coach at the University of Iowa.

During his tenure as K-State’s coach, Snyder led the Wildcats to 19 of the school’s 21 bowl appearances, won two conference titles, achieved two No. 1 national rankings and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Off the field, his 16 Goals for Success — including principles like commitment, unity and self-discipline — challenged all K-Staters to reach their full potential.

‘I’m so happy and thrilled to follow a legend in Coach Snyder,’ Chris Klieman said after he was announced as the new head coach of K-State football. ‘I’ve followed him from afar, went to his camps while playing in Waterloo, Iowa, and played against his Kansas State team when I was at Northern Iowa. The opportunity to follow in an icon’s footsteps is something I don’t take for granted and don’t take lightly. I know I have huge shoes to fill, and I’m excited to carry on his legacy.’

Snyder’s impact on K-State and college football continues to be recognized by outside organizations. He was recently honored with the annual Bear Bryant Lifetime Achievement Award and will be inducted into the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame.

“In many ways, the Association benefits from the success of K-State football,” Renz said. “As a partner in the K-State pep rallies and the official provider of K-State bowl travel packages, the Association has had the opportunity to interact with thousands of fans each time the football team participated in a bowl. K-State Athletics and Coach Snyder allowed us to expand and grow our reach.”

Learn more about the Flinchbaugh Family Wildcat Pride Award, including winners from prior years.

Editor's note: All In for K-State 2020 has now been postponed. 

Wildcats, get ready — on March 25, 2020, Kansas State University will host its second annual day of giving, All In for K-State. 

Unlike most giving days, All In for K-State focuses on one project, taking it from start to flourish. During this second All In for K-State, all of K-State’s powerful culture of philanthropy will be marshaled to support Textbooks 2.0.

The Textbooks 2.0 initiative addresses affordability of textbooks by providing inexpensive, portable and rich learning resources to K-State students.

Why we’re going all in for Textbooks 2.0

• Textbook costs have increased faster than three times the rate of inflation.
• Undergraduate students spend an average of $1,200 on traditional textbooks per year.
• Textbooks 2.0 has an incredible return on investment: $500,000 in investments over five years has saved K-State students more than $5 million to date.
• Last year, 57 courses switched to Textbooks 2.0, replacing 17,260 traditional textbooks, saving students $1.57 million.
  
  

How your gift will help students focus and succeed

• Providing open access teaching materials for a minimal fee alleviates concerns of affordability and increases equity in access.
• The digital nature of Textbooks 2.0 allows for learning resources to be accessed across devices and literally takes a load off students’ backs.
• Textbooks 2.0 can offer richer and more interactive content than traditional textbooks.
• Faculty can tailor content to their class, rather than picking pieces that fit from multiple sources, requiring multiple traditional textbooks.
  
  

Support the Textbooks 2.0 initiative on March 25 during All In for K-State.

What event draws 20,000 people to the K-State campus every year for a carnival of exhibits, entertainment, food and fun? 

That’s right, it’s time for K-State’s annual All-University Open House — the biggest and best party on campus!

This year’s theme is “Game On,” and all K-Staters are invited. Whether you’re an alumni or friend, current or prospective student, Open House is a great opportunity to level up your K-State experience and check out all the exciting new programs going on at the university.

Here are our five reasons to attend this year’s Open House: 

1. Three locations to celebrate 🎉

There are so many fun things to do at K-State’s Open House that we couldn’t fit it all on one campus! Choose the event and location that works best for you:

Polytechnic Campus (Salina)
Saturday, March 28, 2020
8 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Manhattan Campus
Saturday, April 18, 2020
9 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Olathe Campus
Saturday, April 18, 2020
9 a.m. - 1 p.m.

2. It’s free! 👍

K-State’s Open House is free to all, and no reservations are required.

3. Learn something new 📚

Did you know that K-State has 250+ majors and options, and 500+ campus clubs? Learn more about all the great experiences happening in K-State’s nine colleges: arts and sciences; engineering; business administration; education; agriculture; health and human sciences; architecture, planning and design; veterinary medicine; and technology and aviation (at Kansas State Polytechnic).

4. Try a tasty treat 🍪

No party is complete without food! During your time on campus, you can stop by the pancake feed in 1023 Seaton Hall — an Open House tradition! — from 7 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. There will also be homemade baked goods at 204 Shellenberger Hall, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Learn more about all the great food options at Open House.

5. Live entertainment 🎵

Before you leave Open House, don’t forget to check out some of the live entertainment. Treat your ears to campus singing sensation In-A-Chord, which will perform on Bosco Student Plaza at 10:30 a.m. Or watch the K-State Marching Band and Drumline demonstrate their true K-State passion at 2:30 p.m., also on Bosco Student Plaza. View a full list of Open House entertainment.

Learn more about all the great activities at K-State Open House 2020.

For K-State students, the dining centers on campus are more than just places to grab a quick meal between classes. 

While of course the dining centers are useful for that (sometimes you’ve got a busy schedule and you really do have to eat and run!), they are also important gathering places. Students can meet with friends to talk, laugh and study while enjoying a meal.

This fall, K-State will unveil a renovation project at Derby Dining Center, transforming the space into an even greater resource for students.

“Housing and Dining Services has always been proud of their reputation for food quality and variety and their ‘we are here to make students successful’ philosophy,” said Mary Molt ’95, associate director, K-State Housing and Dining Services. “A refresh of a nearly 60-year-old facility will better meet the ambiance or environmental expectations of today’s students.”      

Project timeline

In order to accommodate the timeline the contractor needs to complete renovations, Derby Dining Center will close for the spring semester following spring break. The last meal served in Derby will be dinner Friday, March 6.

Molt said Derby Dining Center will reopen in August, with full use of the renovated space by early October.

What’s changing

Students will enter the dining center in one location, an upgrade that provides a more convenient approach for students.

“The renovation will make it easier for students to navigate through the many food options yet dine together with their friends,” Molt said. “In this updated design, students will easily see the different serving areas and be able to select quickly the cuisine of their choice.”

Anytime dining

The serving areas are all new, allowing food to be prepared and served in sight of the customer. The new design provides opportunities for customization and just-in-time service, minimizing leftovers and enhancing quality.

The new design also supports anytime dining. Throughout the day students can come and go as they wish to eat a meal, study, snack or relax with friends. Dining tables that support community building for both small and large groups of students are included in the plan. 

“The design is intended to strengthen the home away from home atmosphere that has always been a hallmark of our housing program,” Molt said.

Wider variety of choices

Instead of traditional straight-line cafeteria service, students will be able to go directly to a food service station of their choice. Options will include Asian, Southwest, classics, pizza and pasta, deli, grill, salad and soup, sweets and ice cream.

Equipment enhancements will expand menu options and improve food production efficiency. Examples of equipment enhancements include commercial woks; stone baking in a Woodstone oven designed for pizza; crepe baking equipment; rotisserie oven; deli sandwich toasting ovens; and a sushi station. 

An allergen-friendly space — with separate equipment, dishware, refrigerator and freezer — is part of the new design and will support students with a need for avoiding foods that make them ill. The registered dietitians who work closely with students are very excited about this new feature. 

Learn more about the project.

What is a “Wabash CannonBall”? 

If you’re a K-Stater, you’re probably already familiar with the song Wabash Cannonball — and the dance that accompanies it — from K-State game days. 

The name of the K-State Alumni Association’s Wabash CannonBall galas draws inspiration from that beloved K-State tradition. The black tie event — hosted in Kansas City; Colorado; and Houston, Texas — offers an elegant evening of dining, dancing and cocktails. It's a chance for K-Staters to connect, and also to raise scholarship money for students to attend K-State.

The K-State Alumni Association recently hosted two of these events to kick off 2020. The annual Houston event took place Jan. 17 at The Houstonian Hotel, Club and Spa, and the Kansas City event took place Feb. 28 at the Overland Park Convention Center.

View highlights from these two events in our photo gallery below:

🎉 Wabash CannonBall Houston 🎉

Thank you to all of our generous 2020 Wabash CannonBall Houston sponsors, who made this event possible. View a full list of the 2020 sponsors.

Photos: Alexander's Fine Portrait Design

 

🎉 Wabash CannonBall Kansas City 🎉

Thank you to all of our generous 2020 Wabash CannonBall Kansas City sponsors, who made this event possible. View a full list of the 2020 sponsors.

Photos: David Mayes Photography 

Cy ’64 and Carmen Elting are people who take learning very seriously. Cy earned his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Kansas State University before earning his MBA at Purdue University. After working as a chemical engineer, he joined the Peace Corps and moved to Peru to help support small business development. There, he met a friend who invited Cy to meet his family in Barcelona. It was because of this invitation that Cy met Carmen.

Carmen grew up in the Catalan region of Spain. While taking an English class to develop her work at the Barcelona stock exchange, she met Cy. Still an enthusiastic learner, Carmen has continued to take classes at Washburn University near their Topeka, Kansas, home, such as Mayan-South American studies, French, history, fine arts and American history.

Education is something Cy and Carmen want to help others experience so they created planned gifts to support the K-State Departments of Chemical Engineering and Modern Languages.

“We did not have children and I began thinking, ‘Where are we going to leave what we have?’” Cy said. “I decided to leave something to K-State.” Read more

Sparking change in unexpected avenues

K-State is known for its research and allowing students to be a part of something bigger than just a college assignment, working on projects with real-life application. This is where Tom Phillips (pictured on the left) and the Department of Entomology combine the world’s need for more research and the love that K-State students have for it.

Phillips, Donald Wilbur Endowed Professor for Stored Product Protection, focuses on creating and enhancing alternative control measures and integrated pest management. This practice has become more important following the EPA banning of methyl bromide fumigation. The basics of his research revolve around stored-product protection.

Stored-product protection can be hard to understand but encompasses many aspects of the agricultural industry, such as pest management and quality assurance for stored grains, value-added grain products, and many other non-perishable food products that become at risk after harvest and processing.

Phillips teaches a class in stored-product protection, and offers outreach and training programs to the grain, food processing and pest control industries. He also manages a research program with students and young scientists investigating improved fumigation, new fumigants, alternative food-safe pesticides, and new and improved methods for integrated pest management of stored products.

But none of this would be possible without the help of the Donald A. Wilbur Endowed Professorship. “It is more than just an endowed professorship in just an academic context. The impact is tangible to the real world, as well as to academia,” Phillips said.

The Wilbur professorship provides critical financial support for teaching and research in the field of post-harvest food and feed safety and protection. Because of the support, Phillips is able to provide partial support toward a graduate student stipend, tuition, travel and research supplies based on the endowment. Read more