Kansas State University continues to track and evaluate COVID-19 data in our community. Every Wednesday, the university is updating the online dashboard that tracks COVID-19 data in university-connected communities: 

View current update

Lafene Health Center is providing access to symptomatic and asymptomatic COVID-19 testing at no charge to K-State students, faculty and staff. The COVID-19 test must be ordered by a licensed medical provider.

The access to testing is being covered by funding from the Strengthening People and Revitalizing Kansas, or SPARK, program. The no-charge testing is available through the fall semester or until the funds used to support this effort are exhausted. LEARN MORE

The university also has announced that fall commencement for the Manhattan campus will now be held on Friday, Nov. 20; Saturday, Nov. 21; and Sunday, Nov. 22. Ceremonies for the Polytechnic campus will remain on Nov. 20 as previously announced. A schedule of ceremonies is posted on the commencement website.

"The earlier dates for commencement ceremonies are consistent with our efforts to reduce risk for students, their families and their communities by reducing the need for students to travel," Provost Chuck Taber wrote in a letter to the K-State community. "We also recognize that ceremonies hosted on the weekend may make it easier for students and their families to participate."

Missouri students eligible to receive in-state tuition rate for K-State

We’re excited to share the announcement that beginning in fall 2021, new incoming freshmen and transfer students from Missouri may be eligible for in-state tuition at K-State.

The in-state rate is the result of the Missouri Tuition Match Program, which was recently approved by the Kansas Board of Regents.

Under the program, a tuition discount that reduces rates to match Kansas resident tuition rates is available to domestic Missouri residents who will be full-time, first-time freshmen or full-time transfer students at K-State starting in the fall 2021 academic semester. Tuition for these students is reduced from the $841.70 per credit hour to $312.50 per credit hour — a 63% discount, based on rates for the 2020-21 academic year.

Want to learn more?

• Read the full announcement
• Contact your local K-State admissions rep
• Check your student's scholarship/award eligibility
  
  

K-State makes list of top 10 employers in Kansas from Forbes

Forbes partnered with market research company Statista to pinpoint those organizations liked best by employees in their second annual ranking of America’s best employers by state. Kansas State University ranked No. 9 on the list for the state of Kansas. LEARN MORE

Grant supports research to mitigate COVID-19 in meat and poultry processing facilities

A team of K-State researchers is using a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture — and an additional grant from the state of Kansas — to study how to effectively control the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in the nation’s meat and poultry processing facilities.

The study seeks to protect meat plant workers and their surrounding communities from the spread of COVID-19. It involves researchers from K-State’s College of Veterinary Medicine and College of Agriculture.

A key objective of the project will be verifying the effectiveness of many of the approved cleaners and sanitizers for inactivating SARS-CoV-2 during plant processing and sanitation operations.

“Nationally and internationally, many facilities that produce meat and poultry products have been temporarily closed because of COVID-19 outbreaks,” said A. Sally Davis, an assistant professor of experimental pathology in the College of Veterinary Medicine and project director of the K-State grant. “This has put a major strain on food production, limiting the amount of meat and poultry on grocery store shelves and disrupting food and feed supply chains across the globe. Research is necessary to understand why SARS-CoV-2 is such a problem in meat and poultry processing environments and how we can mitigate the problem.” LEARN MORE

K-State arts go virtual

Missing the arts at K-State? While COVID-19 is keeping us from gathering in person, the arts community at the university is still alive and well, and is engaging alumni, friends and students through virtual or socially-distanced programming.

The K-State School of Music, Theatre, and Dance has a number of events, ranging from virtual lectures, an outdoor recital, the Kansas Theatre Works podcast (featuring Shakespeare's Macbeth on Oct. 15), socially-distanced jazz, and much more.

View the schedule

For Kansas State University senior Tim Munson, serving on the K-State Alumni Association’s Student Homecoming Committee this year is a very different experience. 

Due to COVID-19, many traditional K-State Homecoming events are taking a hiatus. Although Munson is sad that students, alumni and friends won’t be able to enjoy some of their favorite in-person activities this year, he says that moving Homecoming to a virtual format Oct. 18-24 is the best and safest option.

“The biggest challenge with planning Homecoming this year is making sure all the students and community members are able to participate safely,” Munson said. “This has meant that all of the events have either had to be cancelled or altered to ensure safety. This is super sad because we are losing some great events, but the Homecoming Committee has been very creative in creating some new ways to still bring Homecoming to a COVID-19 world.”

Some of these creative solutions include switching the annual philanthropy 5K to a virtual 5K, benefitting No Stone Unturned Foundation; the release of a special Wildcat Request Live throwback video; a virtual trivia game; and more.

"I have always seen K-State Homecoming as the best way to connect the K-State students with the Manhattan community," Munson said. "I love how we are able to bring alumni, current Wildcats and future Wildcats together. I hope that this is not lost this year. Even though we are not all able to be together in person, I hope everyone will still get excited about cheering on the 'Cats from wherever they are."

GET INVOLVED

Virtual Homecoming isn’t the only way the K-State Alumni Association has been connecting K-Staters online this year. Read on to learn more about our new online programming! 

Our Wildcat Chats program is a series of virtual events (via YouTube Live) allowing K-Staters across the world to connect, ask questions and hear from guest presenters.

Past topics for Wildcat Chats have included student health and well-being; the arts at K-State; K-State football recruiting; and more.

“We’ve had a tremendous response to the Wildcat Chat programming,” said Andrea Bryant Gladin ’02, assistant vice president of alumni programs. “Each event appeals to a different audience, so we’re always looking for ways to reach our diverse alumni audience.”

Gladin sees the Wildcat Chats as an important link between the university and alumni/friends during challenging times.

“While we can’t gather safely in person, it’s still important to bring the K-State community together to learn and connect,” she said. “We want to remain engaged with our alumni and look forward to the day that we can have more in-person events again.”

LEARN MORE

Also, don't forget to join us for this unique online event: Megan Day '98, pittmaster behind professional barbecue team Burnt Finger BBQ, will discuss how she created the business live on the K-State Alumni Association's Instagram Oct. 7 starting at 7 p.m. CDT. Follow us on Instagram. 

Newly launched, K-State Culturally is virtual programming and content centered on celebrating, uplifting and educating the Wildcat community through the lens of communities of color affiliated with K-State.

Discussion topics include protest and advocacy; cultural progress and nostalgia; food; leadership in color; and more.

"Birthed out of the jarring transition to primarily virtual alumni engagement, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the K-State Alumni Association embraces endless opportunity with the creation of K-State Culturally," said Jessica Elmore '06, '15, associate director of diversity programming for the Alumni Association.

To make sure you don't miss out on our K-State Culturally content, be sure to follow the Multicultural Alumni Council on Facebook!

JOIN THE DISCUSSION

How much do you know about K-State? We thought we’d test our alumni and friends and find out!

The K-State Alumni Association has been rolling out virtual trivia competitions with various alumni clubs.

“People seem to enjoy it and since they are all multiple choice questions on a platform that can be joined on a computer, tablet or smart phone, it is pretty easy to get people logged on and involved,” said Alan Fankhauser ’82, assistant director of alumni programs. “Our hope is that updates from our president and CEO, Amy Button Renz ’76, ’86, during the Trivia Happy Hours will keep our alumni engaged and curious about what is going on in Manhattan and interested in staying involved. It also provides a vital opportunity to promote Association membership, the license plate program and many of our other successes that have taken place during the pandemic.”

Be sure to watch for a virtual trivia competition hosted by a club near you! 

FIND ALUMNI CLUBS

They’ve served as Kansas State University Extension agents, a professor and department head, a nurse and assistant director of Lafene Health Center, and more. 

As students, they were members of Spurs (now Silver Key), including the first president; Chimes Junior Honorary (including a chair of Parents Day, the forerunner of Family Day); Mortar Board; and Blue Key (including vice president). They’ve participated in jazz band, the symphony orchestra and symphony band. Two have been K-State football players, including one team captain and All-Big 12 player — now a fifth-year starter for the Chicago Bears in the NFL.

As alumni, family members have included two Alumni Fellows, a K-State Alumni Association board member, KSU Foundation trustee, Ahearn Fund members, Alumni Association life members, college advisory board members and a Friends of the Beach Museum of Art board president. One family member served in the Kansas legislature and on the Kansas Board of Regents.

With such a prestigious K-State legacy, it’s no surprise that the Whitehair family has been selected as K-State’s 2020 Family of the Year.

Sponsored by Chimes Junior Honorary, the annual Family of the Year competition recognizes a family that has shown great dedication to the K-State community and Wildcat family.

"Family members were not just students, but student leaders, throughout their campus years; as alumni, they continue to take pride in their university roots," said Janet Whitehair Cooper ’71. "They are industry and community leaders in many parts of the United States, giving credit to K-State for developing their characters and preparing them for the work world."

 

Building a legacy of purple pride

According to Janet, the Whitehair family members are all descendants of John and Mary Neyer Whitehair, who settled in Dickinson County, Kansas, in 1875 and started their family when K-State was a fledgling land-grant institution. The couple had 12 children, and of those, six sons and two daughters settled in central Kansas as adults and raised their families. 

From those families, the first generation of Whitehair K-Staters showed up in Manhattan in the early 1930s. Family members now span four generations of K-State current students, alumni, former students and future students. More than 75 family members have earned bachelor’s degrees from K-State or Kansas State Polytechnic. Eighteen have earned master’s degrees, four are Doctors of Veterinary Medicine, and one has earned his Ph.D. This doesn't even include the impressive accomplishments of many spouses and in-laws.

Janet said that many family members contributed information during the Family of the Year application process, and they are excited and proud of their family’s accomplishments.

Janet credits past family members for promoting the value of higher education and passing on a family tradition of strong work ethics and faith to younger generations. In 2017, 188 family members gathered in Abilene, Kansas, for the 100th anniversary of the first Whitehair family reunion.

The family also likes to get creative when it comes to sharing their purple pride.

When Cody Whitehair ’14 was a member of the Wildcat football team, discussion at a 2013 family reunion led to purchasing purple jerseys with WHITEHAIR 55 imprinted on them, showing support for Cody and for K-State. 

“Kevin Whitehair ’89, Cody’s dad, ended up ordering 130 jerseys for family and friends,” Janet recalls. “The sales rep at GTM at the time commented, ‘This isn’t a typical family order.’ The response: ‘This isn’t a typical family!’”

To K-State’s 2020 Family of the Year, being a Whitehair and a Wildcat go hand-in-hand.

“The word ‘family’ evokes the emotions of love, loyalty, support and pride,” the family wrote in their application. “The Whitehair family, though large in number, exhibits all of these qualities for each other, as well as for Kansas State University’s family.”

Chimes Junior Honorary is accepting applications for the 2021 K-State Family of the Year. LEARN MORE

Pictured below:
The Hintz siblings (part of the extended Whitehair family) with the 2019 winner of the scholarship established in memory of their parents.

Pictured are Al Hintz ’80, Maureen Hintz Burson ’75, ’82, scholarship winner Hanna Leiker, Jean Hintz Artz ’83, Jim Hintz ’77 and Greg Hintz ’72.

Pictured below:
The Family of the Year goes virtual, with Chimes members interviewing Whitehair family members on Zoom for a video highlighting the 2020 award winners. WATCH NOW 

Top row: Jayden Hanna (Chimes interviewer), Janet Whitehair Cooper ’71, Rita Whitehair Larsen ’69 and Mike Whitehair ’72, ’74

Second row: Mike Ribble ’89, ’92, ’06, Cassidy Finley (Chimes interviewer), Jean Hintz Artz ’83 and Alissa Whitehair Foth ’03

Third row: Trish Lorson Schimming ’74, Mark Whitehair ’89, Kevin Whitehair ’89 and Nolan Foth (current student)

Fourth row: Gabe Whitehair (current student), Christine Lorson Schmidt (former student) and Annette Whitehair Hernandez (executive assistant to the dean/CEO of Kansas State Polytechnic)

Bring a little purple pride to the holiday season this year with the K-State Alumni Association's exclusive 2020 ornament! 

This year's design features the iconic purple K-Block logo inside a festive snow globe. Discounted rate available for K-State Alumni Association members. 

Be sure to watch our holiday ornament page for this item to go on sale in a couple of weeks, and check out some of our past ornament designs that are still available. These ornaments also make great stocking stuffers for your favorite Wildcat!

Not yet a K-State Alumni Association member and want to take advantage of our discounted member rate? JOIN TODAY

Every object in the K-State Alumni Center's memorabilia collection has its own unique story to tell. 

Marching band uniforms bring back memories of watching student musicians perform on the field for game days. Postcards give us a peek at what campus looked like long ago. The pages of Royal Purple yearbooks show that even though the world has changed since the university was founded in 1863, one thing has remained constant at K-State, and that's purple pride. 

The K-State Alumni Association displays some of these items from K-State's past at the Memorabilia Room and Hagans Library in the K-State Alumni Center on the Manhattan campus. Since not everyone is able to frequently return to campus, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, we'd like to bring the Alumni Center's memorabilia collection to you!

Keep scrolling to learn more about some of the items in our collection and how they tie into K-State's history:

Keep exploring