Purple and white confetti rained down onto the court at Bramlage Coliseum as the K-State men’s basketball team lifted the Big 12 Championship trophy high above their heads, surrounded by cheering fans. 

The Wildcats clinched the Big 12 regular season title on Senior Day, March 9, with a 68-53 win over Oklahoma in front of a sold-out crowd. Understandably, it was an emotional moment for seniors Barry Brown Jr., Kamau Stokes and Dean Wade, who combined to score 45 of those 68 points in their final game at Bramlage.

“It’s bittersweet. We’ve done our time here,” Wade said. “It definitely hit me walking off the floor for the last time. It’s been an unbelievable journey.”

“I think we all saw this day coming,” Brown echoed. “We knew the work we put in year by year, day by day, to get to this point. We knew we were a good team. Maybe we had some tough losses, maybe we had some losses we shouldn’t have had, injuries, but we still knew if we bought in every day, fought every day, played every game hard, like it was our last, that it was just a matter of time for us to get this thing.”

K-State shared the Big 12 Championship title with Texas Tech and entered the Big 12 Tournament the following week as a No. 1 seed. The team lost in the semifinals to Iowa State, who went on to win the tournament.

Sadly, the Wildcats’ journey in the NCAA Tournament came to an end too soon, with a loss in the first round to UC Irvine. And even though the players commented on how much the loss hurt, they’re proud of what they accomplished this season. And the younger players will keep carrying on the legacy left by Brown, Stokes and Wade.

“Their effort, their work ethic…they showed us everything,” sophomore Levi Stockard III said. “They set great examples for us. We just have to follow their steps, carry the load. They showed us how to do it. Now we have to do it.”

Wade sees a promising future ahead for K-State.

“We came from, obviously, being one of the worst teams in the Big 12 to winning the Big 12 this year,” Wade said. “Hopefully it just starts the foundation for K-State basketball. Always work hard and you can do anything. You just have to believe in each other, even through rough times, like we did for a couple years there. Hopefully this foundation for K-State basketball keeps on growing.”

The K-State women’s basketball team made a splash as a No. 5 seed in their first game during the Big 12 Tournament, defeating West Virginia 72-59, before falling to Baylor in the semifinals, 88-60.  

They also made an appearance in the NCAA Tournament this year, but their season was ended by the Michigan Wolverines’ 84-54 win.

Still, the ’Cats were proud that they made it to the tournament this year, and they’re proud of how hard they fought to get there.  

“I think it just put a chip on our shoulders because we knew we wanted to be in that NCAA Tournament last year, and we did not get in. I think it was good playing in the (WNIT), for sure, but it wasn’t where we wanted to be,” said sophomore Rachel Ranke. “We wanted to be in the NCAA Tournament. So, knowing that we’re here now is exciting.”

— Special thanks to K-State Athletics for supplying information for this article.

Bryanna Cook works two part-time jobs and sometimes still doesn’t have enough money for lunch. 

Jean Grumblatt has been on her own since she was 17. 

Johari Snell has to work multiple jobs to pay for rent and food. 

Lolan Henio grew up in poverty. Now, as a student and a parent, he has to pay for school but also make enough money for rent, food and healthcare. 

These Kansas State University students all have a different story to tell, and they have faced different challenges as part of their educational journey. What they have in common is Cats’ Cupboard — K-State’s student food pantry — and the impact this program has made on their lives.

“The ability to go to Cats’ Cupboard, no matter how much you struggle, and to have it as a resource for any student is amazing,” said Snell, sophomore in food science and industry. “This is a really important resource for a lot of students. In order to attend college and be successful, you need something to fuel your brain. Cats’ Cupboard helps with all the different aspects that go into learning.”

On March 27, K-Staters joined together to help this cause. K-State hosted its first annual day of giving, called All In for K-State, which focused on one project: Cats’ Cupboard. Together, 1,436 donors raised $320,560 for the student food pantry.

Cats’ Cupboard addresses food insecurity on campus by providing food, cooking equipment, personal necessities and other forms of assistance for students in need. (Note: Food insecurity is defined by the USDA as a lack of consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy lifestyle.)

Approximately 14 percent of K-State students don’t have enough financial resources to meet their basic needs, and 40 percent of financially-stressed K-State students struggle with food insecurity (25 percent skip meals). About 54 percent of Cats’ Cupboard clients considered leaving college due to financial challenges. (Statistics from financial stress study conducted by the Office of Student Life and Campus Climate Assessment Project.)

Cats’ Cupboard has been stepping in to make sure students have access to the resources they need to remain in college and to thrive in their studies. In its first year, the food pantry logged 4,000 visits from K-State students.

“College is a big commitment. But when you have an empty stomach or you haven’t eaten that day, it’s really hard to be productive,” said Grumblatt, junior in communication studies, minor in leadership studies. “I feel like K-State is now giving back to students, especially students who are in my position who can’t afford groceries all the time. I feel valued and noticed. I feel like Cats’ Cupboard is providing a lot for students who don’t have very much.”

“As a student and a parent, I have a lot of responsibilities at home,” said Henio, sophomore in construction science. “I have to pay for school, but I also have to make money for rent, food and healthcare. My wife works, but we barely make enough to make it. Using Cats’ Cupboard helps eliminate some of the cost.”

K-State thanks everyone who participated in the 2019 All In for K-State day of giving. You are helping to make a difference in the lives of students.

If you would like to support the mission of Cats’ Cupboard but were not able to participate in All In for K-State, it’s not too late! Learn more about how you can contribute to Cats’ Cupboard.

“Cats’ Cupboard really comes back to the K-State family,” said Cook, senior in agricultural communications and journalism. “We’re always helping each other out, from money to something as simple as food.” 

— Special thanks to the KSU Foundation for their assistance with this article.

What does it mean to be a student body leader at Kansas State University? 

Looking at a surface-level definition, it means “to serve as the chief executive of the Student Governing Association.” 

Yet on a deeper level, it involves standing up and serving as a voice for all students, protecting their rights and interests, and making sure every K-Stater is heard. 

It’s a challenge that K-State students Jansen Penny and Ali Karamali are ready to take on as the new student body president-elect and vice president-elect.

“I could not be more excited and eager to serve the student body of Kansas State University over the next year,” said Penny, junior in industrial engineering. “The election and campaign was a 10-month endeavor that we utilized to interact with students, hear their concerns and plan on initiatives that will empower them. The election win was very fulfilling, but now, we are focused on continuing to put our plan into action and jump-start our term in office.”

“The end of elections and winning was a surreal and fulfilling moment,” agreed Karamali, sophomore in chemical engineering. “It was very gratifying seeing so many students vote us into office and put their faith in us. From here it is all about increasing that faith. It is time for us to take the relationships we have made, take the initiatives we have planned, and take control of the roles we are in to do the greatest good for the K-State community.”

Deciding to run

When Penny came to K-State two and a half years ago, he said he could count on one hand how many people he knew within 250 miles.

“I am a farm kid from rural Colorado and there are about eight times more enrolled students than the total population of my hometown, Burlington,” he said.

During his freshman year, he was encouraged by a friend to join the Student Governing Association and eventually chaired the Privilege Fee Committee, a group that allocates $16 million dollars per year.

“I realized that I wanted to serve our student body on a higher level and in every aspect — not just tuition and fees,” he said. “From the rural out-of-state farm kid to the student body president-elect, I’m humbled to be able to serve my fellow students.”

For Karamali, running for office was a chance to give back.

“I was never certain I would be able to go to college,” he said. “Both of my parents are immigrants who never had the opportunity to pursue higher education, so for me it seemed like my life would follow suit of what theirs did. When K-State gave me an opportunity to continue my education, that meant the world to me. It made me realize how much my family, friends and community members had invested into me to allow me the opportunity to do better for myself. When I first stepped foot on K-State, I knew it was my duty to invest in others like so many had invested in me: to pay that investment forward.”
 

Opportunity to lead

When they were running for office, Penny and Karamali said they cultivated a platform that prioritized cost and affordability, food insecurity, and health and wellness.

Some of their initiatives include lowering the scholarship GPA requirement from 3.5 to 3.0; allowing students to take money off their parking tickets with food donations to Cats’ Cupboard (the on-campus food pantry); establishing an online, instantaneous chat to help connect students to resources on campus; and partnering with Aggieville to promote bystander intervention training to help keep students safe.

“With so much change happening with the Strategic Enrollment Plan and Budget Remodernization, there is so much opportunity to enact change and promote student initiatives,” they said in a joint statement. “One of the greatest challenges continues to be funding. K-State is working hard to advocate for state funding to promote higher education, but it will take effort from everyone to ensure that we have the financial resources to continue our mission. Empowering students to advocate at the state level is important in fulfilling this feat.”

Choosing K-State

Both Penny and Karamali are first-generation students with no original ties to K-State. However, the university now feels like home to them.  

“My two older sisters also chose to attend K-State and that is when I first saw the campus, felt the home-away-from-home atmospheres, and of course a football game at Bill Snyder Family Stadium,” Penny said. “K-State soon shot to the top of my list and I never looked back.”

Karamali said he applied to around 17 schools, but only one in Kansas.

“I was fortunate enough to get into the majority of them, and as I began dwindling down my list of choices, K-State stuck around,” he said. “Originally, I kept it on my list because my mom didn’t want me going to college far away, but at some point, it just felt right. For some reason this university I had never visited, did not know anyone at, had only heard about from my friends, was pulling me to it. I eventually took a leap of faith and chose to come to K-State without ever stepping foot on campus.”

Alumni involvement

While Penny and Karamali’s primary focus is on students, they’re also excited to involve K-State alumni in their mission.

“Each and every one of you have different treasures, talents and testaments that can help empower current students at K-State,” they said to alumni in a joint statement. “Whether it’s donating to needs-based scholarship endowments, attending your local Wabash CannonBall, encouraging your children/nieces/nephews to attend K-State, or just donating $20 for a K-State Proud shirt, YOU can make a difference on campus. Big or small, find the best way for you to give and stay connected to your alma mater. We are all a product of our predecessors at K-State and set the standard for those to come. You all have been phenomenal in your giving and support to us and this wonderful place we all know and love. We are all indebted to your continued support. Thank you.”

Pauline “Polly” Wood Ferrell ’53 and her family have been showing their purple pride for a long time — the family traces their K-State ties all the way back to 1877. Four of Ferrell’s five siblings attended Kansas State University, including four Wood siblings on campus during the same semester.

The K-State Alumni Association asked Ferrell to share her story in honor of National Siblings Day on April 10, highlighting her family’s special K-State legacy and what the university has meant to her family over the years.

“Every generation has had some contact with Kansas State University,” she said. “My heart is purple, and K-State is where I belong.”

The Wood family’s K-State legacy began in 1877 with Ferrell’s great-grandfather, Stephen M. Wood, who served as a regent of what was then known as Kansas State Agricultural College. He promoted the importance of agriculture and encouraged the university to keep its agricultural focus.   

Ferrell’s uncle, Howard B. Wood, attended KSAC from 1910-11 and served during World War I. He was killed in action and recently was recognized as one of the “48 Fallen” — the K-Staters who lost their lives during WWI and are honored by K-State’s WWI Memorial Stadium.

Growing up, Ferrell said that her parents treasured education (her father attended KSAC from 1914-15).

“From the time I could remember, I was going to college — that was not a question,” she said.

Ferrell’s brothers, Howard ’50 and Earl ’50, ’54, came to K-State to study agricultural engineering and animal science/veterinary medicine, respectively. Due to their military service, they ended up graduating in the same year despite their age difference.

Ferrell’s sister Janet attended K-State for several years and eventually graduated from Emporia State University. Her brother Stanley ’51 graduated with a degree in agricultural engineering.

Ferrell herself graduated in 1953 and earned a degree in home economics. During the spring semester of 1950, four of the Wood siblings — Howard, Earl, Stanley and Pauline — were on campus at the same time.

“Our generation of six siblings all graduated with at least a Bachelor of Science degree, no small feat for a family whose only income was the family farm of 800 acres,” Ferrell said. “All of us knew the value our parents placed on a college education.”

She met her husband, John Ferrell ’55, at K-State, and after college she became a county Extension home economist. Tragically, her husband passed away at a young age. The loss was difficult for the family, but Ferrell preserved. She spent 20 years teaching at Marion High School, supporting her children, and then eventually returned to her first love, Extension work.

She served as the Northwest Kansas Extension home economist, supervising 21 counties.

“That was my favorite job of all my career,” she said.

The family’s K-State legacy continues, as Ferrell’s daughter, Molly Ferrell Smith ’82, graduated with a degree in exercise science and recreational management.

Ferrell still treasurers her memories from her time at K-State, particularly her experiences at Clovia 4-H House. She and her friends from Clovia still meet together once a year.

More Wildcat siblings

Thanks to these K-Staters, who also submitted their family stories and photos for National Siblings Day:

Maura Schmidling
“My brother Connor Schmidling and I grew up in Leavenworth, Kansas, with our parents Anne and Craig (also K-State alumni). Our mom played golf at K-State and got a business degree in 1986. Our dad also went to K-State where he got his degree in industrial engineering in the fall of 1987.

“There is no other way to describe our childhood other than bleeding purple. From the time we could walk, we went to every football game and cheered on the ’Cats. We’d pre-party at the old Rusty’s where Connor and I would play pool and darts while our parents hung out with their friends. Every time we drove by Lawrence, my dad would say “Hey do you smell that?” and we’d reply without fail “Ew, stinky Jayhawk!” Honestly, we still play that game when we drive through Lawrence.

“When it was time to decide on college, neither of us visited or applied anywhere else. It was already in our blood. We were Wildcats. While at K-State we were both Greek and involved in our houses, intramurals, and were frequent visitors at the Ville.

“My brother and I are best friends and I’m so grateful for our time at K-State. I think it brought us closer together than ever. We’ve been through it all, but one thing has held constant: our love of the Kansas State Wildcats. We are both season football and season basketball ticket holders and still make the drive to Manhattan every chance we get.”

Sharilyn Smith Gardner
“My brother, Eric Smith, and myself attended Kansas State and lived in Goodnow Hall. He graduated in May 1993 with a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering and in May 1996 with a Master of Business Administration with a management concentration. I graduated in 1997 with a Bachelor of Science in journalism and mass communications, radio-tv emphasis, and an outside concentration in psychology. We loved being at Kansas State!”



The Stueve family
“We are the Stueve family originally from Abilene, Kansas. My three sisters and our mother all attended K-State. In fact, our mother was in school at the same time as the three oldest sisters. This picture is from a basketball game we attended as part of our sister reunion in February 2018.”

Clockwise from bottom left: Betty Schwoebel-Mills ’76 (Arlington, Virginia); Bonnie Kurka ’76 (Tulsa, Oklahoma); Susan Lunas ’74 (Eugene, Oregon); Nadine Stueve ’74, ’80 (Wamego, Kansas); and Nancy Dekat, former student (Belvue, Kansas).

Kelsey Wolf
“My brother, Brock Wolf, and I both attended K-State. I graduated in May 2015 with a Bachelor of Science degree in mass communications, and he recently graduated in December 2018 with a Bachelor of Science degree in physical sciences. Our parents attended and graduated from K-State (that’s where they met!) so we have been bleeding purple since the very beginning.

“While I’m three years older than my brother, we did overlap at K-State for a year — I was a senior when he came in as a freshman. We’ve always been close, but having him in college for a year really strengthened our relationship and brought us even closer.

“We were (and still are) each other’s biggest fans. I was a K-State cheerleader all four years and he was my biggest supporter. And although Brock is younger, I have always looked up to him as a role model. Together, we experienced so many milestones and K-State traditions.

“Not only is K-State an important part of our family, but our whole family is part of the larger K-State family — and for that, I am truly grateful.” 

Outside there was still snow on the ground. Football season was still many months away. For many fans, it was too early to start thinking about tailgates and gamedays. 

But for the Kansas State University football team, wintertime was still “go time.” Wildcat student-athletes have already been working hard, lifting weights and participating in training exercises.

In other words, when K-State opens their 2019 season Aug. 31 against Nicholls, the ’Cats are going to be ready. Or, as Coach Klieman would say, they’ll be prepared to “win the dang day.”

This year, instead of a traditional spring football game, K-State will use its final spring workout to hold a spring showcase interactive practice at 1 p.m. Saturday, April 13. Fans can watch drills, hear from the new coaching staff and take part in events on the concourse of Bill Snyder Family Stadium.

The 2019 K-State Football Spring Showcase will feature live on-field commentary of practice by head coach Chris Klieman and other assistants before a brief scrimmage concludes the day. Fans also will be treated to various interactive displays and games along the concourse.

You can purchase tickets for this event for $5 online, by phone at 800-221-CATS or at the main ticket office inside Bramlage Coliseum. Fans who purchased or renewed their season tickets by April 1 received two free mobile general admission tickets. Tickets also will be on sale at the West Stadium Center box office on April 13.

In the meantime, Klieman has already been interacting with fans. In February, he visited four cities in 40 hours — Garden City, Kansas; Dallas, Texas; Wichita, Kansas; and Overland Park, Kansas. And during his short time in Manhattan, he has seen plenty of the K-State family spirit on display. It is a tremendous asset when it comes to recruiting and building a team.

“I’ve not been here very long, but whether I’m on campus or off campus, people have been overwhelmingly supportive of myself and the staff, and that is what you are trying to sell,” he said during his signing day press conference. “When we take a family to a restaurant or we are on campus or wherever we may be, how much they are welcomed, those people see it. The families see it. That’s Kansas State, that’s Wildcat football and that’s what I’m excited about. And now you put on top of that the relationships our staff have with these young men and are developing, and I think you have a home run.”

The K-State Alumni Association also thanks Coach Klieman for his support at some of our recent events, including Wabash CannonBall Kansas City. He also spoke to K-State Alumni Association board members during a board meeting (pictured at left). 

Follow K-State football on Twitter to stay-up-to-date on the team this season.

Alumni Association football ticket discount

Single game football tickets will go on sale later this year, starting June 5-9 online exclusively for Ahearn Fund members; and June 10 on sale to the general public.

K-State Athletics is offering a discount exclusively for Alumni Association members this year. Mark your calendar for this discount, available in June:

$55 discounted tickets to the Homecoming game against Oklahoma on Oct. 26, while supplies last.

(Note: Fans will need to be members of both the Alumni Association and the Ahearn Fund to order the discounted tickets June 5-9.)

Learn more about HOW TO BECOME A MEMBER of the K-State Alumni Association. BENEFITS INCLUDE the award-winning K-Stater magazine, annual wall calendar, nationwide Wildcat Discounts program and more!

Maddy Mash and Tel Wittmer’s journey as K-State Student Ambassadors began on the football field during halftime at the Homecoming game last fall, when they heard the announcement that they’d been elected to serve as the 2019 ambassadors. 

This summer, that journey will take them on the road as they meet with K-State alumni, friends and prospective students during the annual Alumni Club tour, hosted by the K-State Alumni Association.

If you’ve never been to an Alumni Club event, it’s a great opportunity to connect with other K-Staters from your area, hear updates about the university, and also support the next generation of students through scholarships. Plus, Mash and Wittmer can’t wait to meet you!

“For those of us who have attended K-State, we know that this little spot in the Flint Hills is a very special place unlike any other,” Wittmer said. “I would encourage everyone to be a part of an opportunity to learn about what’s currently going on at K-State and how students like myself at this great institution are growing and developing in their education.”

“K-State is going through an amazing period of growth currently, and the university is constantly bettering itself to offer the best experience possible for its students,” Mash added. “Attending these events allows alumni to keep up to date with all of the new developments and learn about different ways they can be more involved as alumni to give back to continue this exciting progress.”

Mash and Wittmer said their presentation will focus on what it’s like to be a student at K-State today and also highlight what it means to be a Wildcat and a member of the K-State family.

It’s important to show that the K-State experience is not just about education inside the classroom, but also about empowering students to develop the communication and leadership skills they need to succeed in their careers, Mash said.  

Wittmer said he had an opportunity to shadow last year’s Student Ambassadors at their final Alumni Club event, and he is excited that now it’s his turn to be an ambassador for the university.

Mash said up until this point, she and Wittmer have mainly worked with prospective students, so they are eager to start connecting with alumni.

“Being a first-generation K-Stater, I always love hearing all of the different K-State experiences alumni have had over the years,” Mash said. “I am so grateful for all the experiences I have had thus far serving as an ambassador. Attending the Wabash CannonBall in Kansas City and seeing so much purple pride in one room is a memory and feeling I will never forget. I am so filled with gratitude that I have the opportunity and platform to spread that same purple pride to past, present and future K-Staters.”

“I am just very thankful for the experiences I have had over the last few months in this role,” Wittmer agreed. “I have immensely enjoyed being able to share all the great opportunities K-State has for prospective students to take advantage of in their futures. Especially at recruitment events, I love being able to give part of my time to these young people and expose them to the history of our great university — a history that is rooted in giving opportunity and education to all individuals from all backgrounds.”

Look for a K-State Alumni Club in your area, and watch our calendar page for upcoming Alumni Club events.

Mark your calendar: Catbacker Club tour

In addition to the Alumni Club tour, be sure to watch for upcoming events as part of the Catbacker Club tour.

Catbacker Clubs are co-sponsored by K-State Athletics and the K-State Alumni Association and help increase awareness of and support for K-State Athletics programs. K-State fans are invited to interact with their favorite coaches, student-athletes and, of course, Willie the Wildcat.

Find out if the tour is coming to a CITY NEAR YOU. 

The sound of voices chattered throughout Forum Hall moments after keynote speaker Raymond Dempsey Jr. ’90 asked the prospective students, “What is the most important thing you can have as a leader?” 

As the noise increased, one answer caught Dempsey’s attention and the room got quiet. It was a simple, one-word answer — followers. Dempsey called the student to the stage and asked him to explain his answer.

“My answer was followers because in order to be a leader you have to have someone following you,” the prospective student said.

Then, Dempsey explained to the group of high school students why he thought this particular answer was of relevance. He said being a leader is often seen as a title or a role within a company, but that leadership is much more than that. It’s engaging in community organizations, getting to know people at a personal level and communicating and cultivating a shared vision.

Dempsey received a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from K-State and an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management in Evanston, Illinois. He is the chief diversity officer for BP America and president of the BP Foundation. He also is a former K-State Alumni Fellow.

During his discussion with the students, he expressed how he chose to attend K-State, which was a predominantly white institution, when he had the opportunity to attend a historically black college or university.

“What attracts me to K-State is that real sense of community, that feeling that the K-State family is a real thing,” he said. “I chose to come here because I got a lot of scholarship offers, I even had an offer to go to school at Princeton, which a lot of people would have said was a great choice. The combination of the financial support and the community added more to me and I don’t regret it. It served me really well.”

Reporting directly to the BP America chairman and president, Dempsey now leads a broad portfolio including national strategic relationships and initiatives, supplier diversity, workforce diversity and philanthropy.

Dempsey was named by Savoy Magazine as one of the “Most Influential Blacks in Corporate America” in 2016 and in 2018. He was also named a 2012 “Game Changer” by Politic365, and received the 2013 “Best of Black Business” Award for Visionary Leadership in Energy from the American Academy of Business and Commerce.

Among his other topics in the discussion was cell phones and digital communication. The use of digital communication in a leadership position is crucial to how leaders communicate with their team.

“The way we communicate relies a lot on these devices,” he said. “But I want you to think about it — if this was a really important message you needed to send someone and you typed it up in a text or an email, and you send it to somebody else. Will that person at the other end hear the message you intended to send? Will they know exactly what you mean? If you’re going to cultivate followership you have to be aware that your responsibility for that message doesn’t end when it leaves you. Your responsibility is to make sure that the message you intended to send is received at the other end exactly the way you meant it.”

Dempsey said he remains committed to supporting young black men and women in their journey to become educated, explaining that college was not easy for him at first, but he focused on himself and it got better.

“I got to the end of my first semester at K-State, and I got C’s. And it scared me because I never had a C in high school, I had been a pretty good student. And I’ll tell you that it made me think maybe I made the wrong choice, maybe engineering wasn’t for me, maybe K-State wasn’t for me,” he said. “I did a study skills course. And the next semester, I got straight A’s, and then straight A’s for most of the rest of my time here at K-State. And actually at the end of my time at K-State, I was named the top black engineering student.”

“I wish you luck at Kansas State, or anywhere else that you go,” he told the students. “If you can’t understand your homework assignments, nobody else is going to pay that much attention either and you’re going to find yourself in the same boat I was. But the second moral of that story is that if you [find] yourself in a hole, go find somebody who will help you and they will, and actually you can recover — you can get out of that hole and find yourself in a place of great success.”

— Reporting by Maria Childs ’14, K-State Alumni Association 

Do you know a young Wildcat fan who loves K-State and would like to take a sneak peek at life on campus? 

Why not invite them to Kansas State University’s annual Grandparents University? GPU is a special summer camp that allows alumni and a special child — grandchild, niece, nephew, neighbor or other — to experience college life together. 

This year’s event is July 28-30, and is sponsored by the College of Education and the K-State Alumni Association. The experience includes hands-on learning opportunities; staying in one of the university residence hall suites; and plenty of fun activities like bowling, swimming and, of course, Call Hall ice cream.

The event is open to children ages 8-12. Learn more about Grandparents University — we hope to see you there!

Alan ’69 and Jan Levin of Tucson, Arizona, have invested in the naming of the Alan Levin Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering in the Carl R. Ice College of Engineering at Kansas State University. 

This investment will empower the department to recruit and retain top faculty, support deserving students and provide flexible funding for department leaders to take advantage of emerging opportunities.

“The College of Engineering at Kansas State University looked beyond my academic record and saw the possibility in me,” Alan said. “My time in mechanical engineering classes and the well-rounded curriculum gave me the ability to take advantage of opportunities and the tools to excel. I knew K-State would use our investment to better the education and lives of engineering students. In addition to helping the college continue to grow and impact students’ lives, this gift, which includes scholarship support, will enable the college to provide additional resources to students who could benefit from the same opportunities I did.”

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Geology alumni honor former professor with scholarship

Sambhudas Chaudhuri, or “Sam” to his students, is believed to have taught more than 15,000 students in his 51 years of teaching, mentoring and performing award-winning research in geochemistry at Kansas State University.

When the Geology Advisory Council learned of the K-State Family Scholarship Program, Chaudhuri’s dedication was the inspiration for them to create the award in his name.

“Dr. Chaudhuri is one of the great professors that have left an amazing legacy in the department,” Geology Advisory Council member Troy Johnson said. “We’d like to thank him for his half-century of service to the university and contributions to geoscience.”

The Dr. Sam Chaudhuri – Mary Vanier Family Scholarship award was created by 14 Geology Advisory Council members: Troy ’01 and Amy ’01 Johnson, John ’72, ’74 and Jennifer Miesse, Derek ’10, ’12 and Ashley ’09 Ohl, Raymond Eastwood ’62, ’65, Paul ’74 and Bonita Gerlach, Tom ’67, ’69 and Patricia Hansen, Doug ’85 and Beth ’84 Helmke, and Richard Robinson ’83.

“This was a gracious matching opportunity from Ms. Vanier that the council and our alumni couldn’t pass up,” Johnson said. “We’re thankful for everyone that stepped up at a moment’s notice to create this scholarship that will immediately impact students studying geosciences.”

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