Kansas State University students know a spot that they love full well, according to the latest educational review publications.

 

The Princeton Review ranked Kansas State University in 13 different categories in the 2017 edition of The Best 381 Colleges. Among the rankings are No. 2 for students love these colleges, No. 3 for best quality of life, No. 4 for best athletic facilities, No. 5 for great town-gown relations, No. 6 for happiest students, No. 7 for students pack the stadiums, No. 15 for best run colleges and No. 18 for best college dorms.

 

“K-State has been recognized among the top 10 in several national rankings for many years,” said Pat Bosco ’71, ’73, vice president for student life and dean of students. “Repeated high rankings in areas like best loved colleges, best quality of life and happiest students demonstrate how K-State’s dedicated faculty, academic advisers and student life professionals have been putting students first for generations.”

 

The Princeton Review, an education services company, surveyed more than 143,000 college students to rank schools in 62 categories. The book identifies the top 20 schools in each category.

 

Kansas State University also is mentioned in “America’s Top Colleges” by Forbes, which names 660 of the nation’s best educational institutions based on postgraduation success, student debt, student satisfaction, graduation rate and academic success.

On gamedays, Wildcat fans gather their friends and family, load up the grill and head to Bill Snyder Family Stadium to celebrate their purple pride and tailgate before the football game. Whether you’re a long-time tailgater or want to try tailgating for the first time, here are @K-State’s top 10 tips for creating a memorable tailgating experience. Go ’Cats!

 

1. Check out our Ultimate Football Guide. Find everything you need for K-State football season with the K-State Alumni Association’s Ultimate Football Guide. View maps and directions, parking information and more. 

 

2. Share your memories. If you take photos at your tailgate and share them on social media, be sure to include #KStateAlumni. Your photo could be featured on one of the K-State Alumni Association’s social media channels.

 

3. Bring some tasty treats. No tailgating experience is complete without some delicious food items to enjoy. Check out the tailgate recipes section on the redesigned K-State Alumni Association website and find recipes for dishes such as bacon-wrapped jalapeno poppers, royal purple punch, Powercat poke cake and more. 

 

4. Celebrate safely. Follow important safety tips to make sure everyone at the stadium has a great time. No objects (tables, grills, etc.) may be placed in or encroach on the Emergency Access Lane, and remember that open wood fires and campfires are prohibited. Coals should be extinguished and disposed of in the red “Hot Coals” barrels.

 

5. Pack plenty of water. Temperatures can still get toasty on gamedays in early fall. Make sure you bring plenty of water to stay hydrated. Even better, freeze the water bottles ahead of time and set them out right before tailgating so the water stays nice and cold as the ice melts.

 

6. Don’t forget the new clear bag policy. To provide a safer environment for the public and expedite guest entry into the stadium, K-State Athletics is implementing a new bag policy this year. Bags should be clear plastic, vinyl or PVC and not exceed 12” x 6” x 12”. You also may bring in one-gallon clear plastic freezer bags or small clutch bags, approximately the size of a hand. Learn more. 

 

7. Decorate your tailgate. You’re wearing your gameday purple — don’t forget to also decorate your tailgate with fun items like a K-State flag, windsock or purple balloons (make sure all items are properly secured). Also learn how you can get an official K-State license plate for your car. 

 

8. Grab some gear. Forget to bring your favorite K-State T-shirt? Officially licensed K-State merchandise is available for purchase on gamedays at the K-State Super Store locations on the east and west sides of the stadium, starting five hours prior to kickoff.

 

9. Take out the trash. Before you head home, make sure to clean up all your trash and collect your recyclable items so the tailgate area is ready to go for next time.

 

10. Hit the road. Want to carry on the tailgating fun at K-State away games? Find information on the Alumni Association’s pregame events throughout the season. 

 

Ticket availability for the Missouri State (Sept. 24) and Texas (Oct. 22) games is down to scattered singles and standing room only, while the Kansas game on Nov. 26 is down to fewer than 100 contiguous seats. Wildcat 4 Packs, which include four reserved tickets, are still available for K-State’s other four home games and are only $99 for FAU (Sept. 17), $149 for Texas Tech (Oct. 8) and Kansas (Nov. 26), and $199 for Oklahoma State (Nov. 5). Tickets can be purchased through the K-State Athletic Ticket office online at www.k-statesports.com/tickets, by phone at 1-800-221-CATS or in person at the main ticket office inside Bramlage Coliseum.

Do you have a favorite K-State memory from when you were growing up? Maybe it was wearing purple and cheering on the Wildcats during a football game, sampling your favorite flavor of Call Hall ice cream or getting your picture with Willie, the K-State mascot.

 

Kansas State University alumni and supporters are invited to return to campus and relive those memories this fall during K-State’s 2016 All-University Homecoming week Oct. 16-22. This year’s Homecoming theme is “Growing Up Purple.”

 

“For more than a century, our Wildcat community has celebrated this wonderful tradition,” said Andrea Bryant Gladin ’02, director of alumni programs for the K-State Alumni Association. “We look forward to K-State fans of all ages joining us for a spirit-filled Homecoming week celebrating the K-State family, which spreads across the country and worldwide.”

 

All Homecoming events are open to the public. For the most updated information, visit www.k-state.com/homecoming. Here are some of the highlights planned for Homecoming week (all events and times are subject to change):

 

Sunday, Oct. 16

10 a.m. – Homecoming Philanthropy 5K Run/Walk, K-State Alumni Center. Students, alumni and community members may run or walk through campus in the 14th annual Homecoming 5K Run/Walk, which benefits USO Fort Riley. Register here. 

5:30 p.m. – Crazy Cat Kickoff, Memorial Stadium. This series of comical games is sponsored by the K-State Association of Residence Halls.

8 p.m. – Pant the Chant, Bramlage Coliseum. Homecoming pairings perform original spirit cheers.

 

Tuesday, Oct. 18

10 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Paint the ’Ville, Aggieville. Check out the Aggieville windows being painted by campus organizations and Homecoming pairings.

8 p.m. – Wildcat Request Live, Bramlage Coliseum. This lip sync and dance competition showcases greek Homecoming pairings.

 

Thursday, Oct. 20

6 to 8 p.m. – Children’s Carnival, K-State Student Union. Open to Manhattan and surrounding communities.

 

Friday, Oct. 21

3 to 5:30 p.m. – Trick-or-Treat in Aggieville.

5 p.m. – Homecoming Parade. The parade route begins at Manhattan Town Center and will run along Poyntz Avenue from Third Street to 11th Street, then heads north along 11th until reaching Moro Street before snaking back south along Manhattan Avenue and concluding in City Park.

6:30 p.m. – Homecoming Pep Rally, Larry Norvell Band Shell, City Park (following the parade).

 

Saturday, Oct. 22

K-State vs. Texas Homecoming football game. Time TBD. Visit www.kstatesports.com for updated game times. During halftime the new Student Ambassadors will be announced, and the Homecoming Committee members will be recognized.

A pregame celebration will begin two hours prior to kickoff in Cat Town, which is located on the south side of the west parking lot at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. Menu includes barbecue brisket, pulled pork sandwiches, tossed salad, honey baked beans, potato salad, rolls with butter, cookies and brownies, beer, wine and soft drinks. Cost is $20 per adult and $15 per child (4-17 years old). RSVPs are required by Oct. 14. 

K-State vs. West Virginia volleyball game. Time TBD. Visit www.kstatesports.com for updated game times.

 

Homecoming is a university-wide celebration coordinated by the K-State Alumni Association and sponsored by AT&T.

August was a busy month for the K-State Alumni Association, with events for alumni and friends such as Wabash CannonBall Colorado, and events for students, such as the annual Marching Band appreciation day and Wildcat Welcome Day. Find photos from these events below, and don’t forget to keep an eye on the Alumni Association calendar for upcoming events this month, such as the K-State pep rallies at noon and 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 11, at the 2016 Kansas State Fair in Hutchinson.

 

Kansas State University’s 2016-17 Landon Lecture schedule includes a variety of public figures offering a fresh perspective on timely topics. The upcoming lineup features a CEO of a major technology and global security company; high-profile educational leaders with K-State roots; an inspiring animal behavior scientist; and a talented journalist. All four lectures are free and open to the public. K-State alumni and supporters are encouraged to attend.

 

Sept. 6, 2016

Wes Bush, CEO of Northrop Grumman, kicked off the 2016-17 series on Sept. 6 in McCain Auditorium. Northrop Grumman specializes in innovative systems, products and solutions in autonomous systems, cyber, command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, strike, and logistics and modernization to government and commercial customers.

 

Sept. 26, 2016

Up next is a higher education panel made up of K-State alumni: Lt. Gen. Robert Caslen Jr. ’89, superintendent of West Point Military Academy; David Hall ’72, president of the University of the Virgin Islands; and Bud Peterson ’75, ’77, ’80, president of Georgia Institute of Technology. They will speak at 10:30 a.m. Sept. 26 in Forum Hall in the K-State Student Union. Before taking his current post, Caslen was chief of the Office of Security Cooperation-Iraq. Hall became the fifth president of the University of the Virgin Islands in 2009 and has since worked to raise the image and position of the university, including the addition of new academic programs and the launch of new centers and institutions. Peterson serves on the National Science Board, which oversees the National Science Foundation and advises the president and Congress on national policy related to science and engineering research and education.

 

Nov. 29, 2016

Temple Grandin, author, world-renowned autism spokesperson, consultant to the livestock industry on animal behavior and professor of animal science at Colorado State University, will speak at 10:30 a.m. Nov. 29 in Forum Hall in the K-State Student Union. Grandin, who showed signs of autism at an early age and self-describes her unique thought process as thinking in pictures, is an accomplished livestock equipment designer and a successful animal welfare advocate. She has published several books — including New York Times best-seller Animals in Translation — and given many talks about animal welfare and the autistic brain.

 

April 6, 2017

Martin Baron, executive editor for the Washington Post, will speak at 10:30 a.m. April 6, 2017, in Forum Hall in the K-State Student Union. Since Baron started at the Washington Post in 2013, the paper has earned four Pulitzer Prizes, the most recent one for coverage of police shootings. From 2001-2012, he was an editor of the Boston Globe, where he participated in the paper’s investigation of the Catholic priest scandal that inspired the 2015 movie Spotlight.

 

Learn more about the Landon Lecture program. 

Although they’re not old enough yet to enroll as students at Kansas State University, a group of children got a taste of what life is like at K-State — and a chance to bond with their grandparents at the same time. This summer, 64 children and adults attended the annual Grandparents University, co-sponsored by the College of Education and the K-State Alumni Association.

 

Those attending Grandparents University spent three days on campus learning about K-State’s different academic and athletic programs, as well as participating in fun activities such as a scavenger hunt, bowling, swimming and sampling the delicious ice cream at Call Hall. The event kicked off with residence hall decorating and ended with a brunch at the K-State Alumni Center.

 

Logan Taylor, Wichita, Kansas, attended Grandparents University with Lynda Taylor ’74, Yates Center, Kansas. Logan said his favorite part of the experience was the veterinary medicine tour, since his mother is a veterinarian.

 

“I’m familiar with that stuff — I find it interesting,” he said.

 

For Lynda, Grandparents University was special because it gave them a chance to have fun together and explore K-State.

 

“We just wanted to spend some quality time together,” she said.

 

Grandparents University is open to children ages 8-12; anyone who would like to bring a special child in their life, such as a niece or nephew, grandchild, child or neighbor, is welcome to attend. Watch future issues of @K-State for information on next year’s Grandparents University event, or learn more about the program through the College of Education website. 

Kansas State University’s College of Education has invited nationally known education policy expert Kern Alexander to speak on campus this fall as part of the Distinguished Educational Research Lecture Series.

 

The annual lecture series brings outstanding education research scholars to K-State to meet with faculty and students and to speak about their research. K-State alumni and supporters are welcome to attend. This year’s speaker is an Excellence Professor for the College of Education, University of Illinois, Urbana/Champaign, where he teaches courses in school law, higher education law, school finance and higher education finance. He will present “The Rise and Decline of the Public School Ideal in America: Politics, Law and Finance” at 9:15 a.m. Sept. 29 in Forum Hall at the K-State Student Union. A question and answer session will follow at 10:30 a.m. in the Flint Hills Room. 

 

“Dr. Alexander is one of the world’s leading experts on P-12 education finance and the law of funding fairness,” said David C. Thompson, K-State College of Education professor and chair of the department of educational leadership. “His address, along with opportunity for a panel of Kansas school superintendents to engage him in Q&A, will greatly enhance insights into Kansas’ current bitter struggles between plaintiff school districts and the defendant state and should help every observer get a fresh and unbiased view of what’s really happening in Kansas today.”

 

Prior to coming to the University of Illinois, Alexander served as professor of educational administration at the University of Florida for two decades, University Distinguished Professor at Virginia Tech for six years, and later he held the Robinson Eminent Scholar’s Chair at the University of North Florida, Jacksonville. He also served as president of Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, and president of Murray State University, where he retains the title of President Emeritus. He is the author, coauthor or editor of 30 books.

 

Thompson said Alexander will cover how school funding has developed in the United States and how Kansas historically and presently fares against these national trends and practices. Alexander has testified as an expert witness in numerous school finance court cases throughout the nation and has been instrumental in advising courts in such landmark decisions as Rose v Council for Better Education, a court case that helped set adequacy and equity funding standards in numerous states, including Kansas. 

 

Learn more about Alexander and the Distinguished Educational Research Lecture Series. 

We are looking for your help! Assistant professors Sarah Riforgiate and Natalie Pennington ’10 at Kansas State University in the Department of Communication Studies are conducting research and are hoping alumni and friends (not current students) might consider taking their survey.

 

This research study is being conducted to better understand how communication on Facebook relates to work/life experiences. You will be asked to respond to questions about your perceptions of work and life experiences and to download a small sample of posts from your Facebook account. All information will remain anonymous. The survey should take approximately 15 to 20 minutes to complete. If you have questions you can email Natalie or Sarah (natpen@ksu.edu or sriforgi@ksu.edu). Thank you for your time and consideration!

 

Here’s a link to the survey: https://kstate.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3sXuPGFJVoVfQ7b

 

Kansas State University alumni and friends give $150.6 million for fiscal year 2016

 

Philanthropic gifts and commitments by alumni, friends, parents, faculty, students and corporate partners of Kansas State University totaled $150.6 million in the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2016.

 

This level of philanthropic support marks the third most successful year in charitable giving in the more than 70-year history of the Kansas State University Foundation, and the fifth consecutive year fundraising has topped $100 million. The conclusion of fiscal year 2016 marked $882 million in total multiyear gifts and commitments toward the $1 billion goal for K-State’s Innovation and Inspiration Campaign.

 

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K-State alumnus takes a comprehensive approach to philanthropy at K-State

 

For Kansas State University graduate and retired Brig. Gen. Bruce Adams ’69, ’70, the ROTC program was a key ingredient in his decision to give back to the university.

 

“I wouldn’t be where I am today if it hadn’t been for Kansas State University and the Army ROTC program,” Adams said. “It allowed me the opportunity to do things I would have never done in my life.”

 

Since making his first gift to the university decades ago, Bruce and his wife, Jan, have continued to make a lasting impact in various ways across the K-State campus. They have created a scholarship for the Army ROTC program, a scholarship for business students and a scholarship for agriculture students in remembrance of Adams’ father.

 

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