Kansas State University

Kansas State University (sometimes referred to as K-State) is an institution of higher learning located in Manhattan, Kansas.

History

Kansas State University was founded February 16, 1863, as a land-grant institution under the Morrill Act. It was initially located on the grounds of the old Bluemont Central College. The university moved to its present site in 1875. This campus site erected a large, all-purpose building with a tall spire in 1877. For most of the 20th century and today the building houses administrative offices and has been called Anderson Hall. Originally, this institution was named Kansas State Agricultural College, but was changed to Kansas State College in 1927. In 1955, after years of student and faculty pleas, the name was changed to Kansas State University, to reflect its growing number of graduate programs. K-State was a strong research intensive land grant university from 1950 to 1975. During these years Dr James McCain servered as President of the university. Buildings, residence halls and a student union were added to the campus in the 1950s. Students excelled throughout the 1960s, though there were demonstrations against the war, which was typical of the time. Enrollment was relatively high through most of the 1970s. Unfortunately, the university took a downward spiral begining around 1976 and lasting until 1986, when enrollment decreased to 15,500 and faculty often resigned. In 1986, Jon Wefald became president of Kansas State University. Wefald took a very proactive, productive and personal approach to his position and the university turned around and has thrived under his leadership. He also introduced an innovative student recruitment office and lured students from all of Kansas, the United States and Canada. He also expaned the international student program.

Academics

Kansas State has an enrollment of approximately 19,000 undergraduate and 3,000 graduate students. The university has 60 academic departments in nine colleges: Agriculture; Architecture, Planning, and Design; Arts and Sciences; Business Administration; Education; Engineering; Human Ecology; Technology and Aviation; and Veterinary Medicine. The A.Q. Miller School of Journalism and Mass Communication is located within the college of arts and sciences and the graduate school offers nearly 100 master programs and nearly 50 doctorate programs.

In 1991, the former Kansas Technical Institute in Salina, Kansas was merged with Kansas State University by an act of the Kansas legislature. The College of Technology and Aviation is now located at the Salina campus.

Since 1986, Kansas State has added over 2 million square feet (186,000 m²) of buildings, including a new library, art museum and plant sciences building. Enrollment has generally been between 21,000 and 24,000 since 1988. Solid, progressive research is conducted in agronomy, biosciences, electrical engineering, food science and the social sciences. K-State has a strong endowment program and has established alumni associations nationwide. KSU leads the nation in most number of Rhodes, Marshall, Goldwater, Truman and Udall Scholarship winners. Students won more Goldwater and Truman Scholarships, and Phi Kappa Phi Fellowships than any other public university in the nation. KSU is known for its distinguished lecture series: Landon Lecture, Lou Douglas Lecture, Huck Boyd Lecture and Dorothy Thompson Civil Rights series.

Athletics

Kansas State's sports teams are called the Wildcats and their colors are royal purple and white, though silver and grey can be substituted. They participate in the NCAA's Division 1A and in the Big XII Conference. Sports divisions include football, men's basketball, women's basketball, cross country and track, baseball, golf, tennis, rowing, equestrian and volleyball.

Football

The football team was historically one of the worst in NCAA history until 1989, when the athletic department hired Bill Snyder as head coach. Snyder instilled faith and self-esteem in the remaining players, recruited heavily and expanded exercise facilities and equipment. After four seasons, he achieved three winning seasons and, in 1993 the team competed in and won their first bowl game. Success continued over the next decade. Also, when the new coaching staff took over, new helmets were designed, resembling the Dallas Cowboys, and featured a stylized wildcat called the "powercat". The emblem became so popular that by the late 1990s it had replaced "Willie Wildcat", a cartoonish character designed by art department students in the late 1950's.