Kansas State University facts for kids
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Former names
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Kansas State Agricultural College (1863–1931) Kansas State College of Agriculture and Applied Science (1931–1959) |
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| Motto | "Rule by Obeying Nature's Laws" |
| Type | Public land-grant research university |
| Established | February 16, 1863 |
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Parent institution
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Kansas Board of Regents |
| Accreditation | HLC |
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Academic affiliations
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| Endowment | $952.28 million (2023) |
| President | Richard Linton |
| Provost | Jesse Perez Mendez |
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Academic staff
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1,404 |
| Students | 19,745 (Fall 2023) |
| Undergraduates | 15,113 (Fall 2023) |
| Location |
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United States
39°11′29″N 96°34′51″W / 39.1914°N 96.5809°W |
| Campus | Small city, 668 acres (2.70 km2) |
| Other campuses | |
| Newspaper | Kansas State Collegian |
| Colors | Royal Purple |
| Nickname | Wildcats |
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Sporting affiliations
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NCAA Division I FBS – Big 12 |
| Mascot | Willie the Wildcat |
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Kansas State University (often called KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a large public university. Its main campus is in Manhattan, Kansas. It was one of the first universities in the United States to be established as a "land-grant" college. This means the government gave land to the state to build a college focused on agriculture and mechanical arts.
K-State opened in 1863 and was the first public college in Kansas. Today, it is known as a top research university. It offers many different study programs through its nine colleges. These include programs in veterinary medicine and aviation. In Fall 2023, nearly 20,000 students attended K-State.
K-State also has other campuses in Salina and Olathe. The Salina campus focuses on aerospace and technology. The Olathe campus is known for its research in areas like animal health and food safety.
Contents
A Look at K-State's History
| How K-State Got Its Name | |
| Years | Name |
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| 1863–1931 | Kansas State Agricultural College |
| 1931–1959 | Kansas State College of Agriculture and Applied Science |
| 1959–present | Kansas State University of Agriculture and Applied Science (Kansas State University in modern naming practice) |
Kansas State University started as the Kansas State Agricultural College. It was founded on February 16, 1863, during the American Civil War. It was the very first land-grant college created under the Morrill Land-Grant Colleges Act. This act helped states create colleges focused on practical subjects like farming and engineering.
K-State is the third-oldest school in the Big 12 Conference. It is also the oldest public college in the state of Kansas. The idea for the school began in 1861 when Kansas became a state. After some debate, the state decided to use the buildings of a private school called Blue Mont Central College in Manhattan. This is how Kansas State University began.
When the college first opened on September 2, 1863, it was special. It was only the second public college in the U.S. to welcome both women and men equally. In its first year, 52 students enrolled, with an equal number of boys and girls. The university moved to its current location in 1875.
In 1873, Kansas State was one of the first colleges to teach home economics. This program helped women learn important skills for managing a home. Over the years, the school's name changed a few times. In 1959, it became Kansas State University to show that it offered many different types of graduate programs.
The Oldest Public University in Kansas
K-State was the first public college founded in Kansas. It started teaching college-level classes in 1863. The University of Kansas, by comparison, opened in 1866. It only offered basic classes until 1869. K-State was set up to teach agriculture, science, military studies, and literature.
Exploring the K-State Campus
The main campus of Kansas State University in Manhattan is about 668 acres (2.7 km²). The campus has a lot of history. It has more buildings built before 1910 than any other campus in Kansas. Holtz Hall, built in 1876, is the oldest stand-alone building. The oldest part of any building is in Seaton Hall, which was built as the Industrial Workshop.
Many buildings on campus are made from native limestone. The most famous building is Anderson Hall. It was built between 1877 and 1885. Anderson Hall is now on the National Register of Historic Places. It has been the university's main office building for over 100 years.
Even with many old buildings, K-State has added lots of new ones since 1986. These include a bigger library, a new art museum, and a plant sciences building. In 2008, a powerful tornado damaged several campus buildings. The campus has also been updated since 2014 to make it more friendly for walking.
What You Can Study at K-State
K-State is known for its strong academic programs. Since 1986, it has had more students win major national scholarships than any other public university. These scholarships include the Rhodes, Marshall, and Truman awards.
Kansas State University has nine colleges. These include colleges for Agriculture, Architecture, Arts and Sciences, Business, Education, Engineering, Health and Human Sciences, Technology and Aviation, and Veterinary Medicine. If you want to continue studying after your first degree, the graduate school offers 65 master's degrees and almost 50 doctoral programs.
The College of Technology and Aviation is located at the Salina campus. This campus was once a separate technical institute. It joined Kansas State University in 1991.
Amazing Research at K-State
K-State has a long history of interest in agriculture. This includes studying plants and animals found in the Great Plains. The Kansas State University Gardens on campus are a beautiful place to learn about plants. The Konza Prairie is a special natural grassland preserve near Manhattan. It is used by K-State scientists for research. The university also has several other research farms across the state.
In 2006, K-State opened the Biosecurity Research Institute. This is a very safe place where scientists can study dangerous germs. This research helps protect people and animals from diseases.
K-State's research facilities also include the James R. Macdonald Laboratory. Here, scientists study tiny particles like atoms. Did you know that the excimer laser, which made LASIK eye surgery possible, was developed by K-State researchers?
K-State's Role in Early Radio and TV
Kansas State was a pioneer in early radio and television. The first radio station in Manhattan was K-State's experimental station 9YV. In 1912, it became the first radio station in the U.S. to broadcast a regular weather forecast using morse code. Later, the university got a license for a stronger radio station, KSAC, which began broadcasting in 1924.
K-State also had the first television station in Kansas, W9XAK, starting in 1932. In 1939, this station broadcast a football game between Kansas State and Nebraska. This was only the second college football game ever shown on TV! The station stopped broadcasting in 1939.
K-State Research Exchange
The K-State Research Exchange, or K-REx, is an online library. It stores research papers, theses, and dissertations written by K-State graduate students. This makes their research available for anyone to read online.
Life as a K-State Student
| Race and ethnicity | Total | ||
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| White | 79% |
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| Hispanic | 8% |
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| Other | 5% |
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| Foreign national | 3% |
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| Black | 3% |
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| Asian | 2% |
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| Student Income Levels | |||
| Low-income | 21% |
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| Affluent | 79% |
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K-State has several museums on campus. These include the Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art and the K-State Insect Zoo. The university also hosts many concerts, plays, and dance performances at McCain Auditorium.
Many famous people have visited K-State to give speeches. These include Martin Luther King Jr. and famous writers and thinkers.
Student Housing and Activities
K-State has twelve places for students to live on campus. These include residence halls like Boyd Hall and Goodnow Hall, and apartment-style living at Jardine Apartments. Some halls are just for girls, while others are for both boys and girls.
Students at K-State follow an academic honor code. This means they promise to be honest in their schoolwork. K-State has over 400 student groups, so there's something for everyone!
Student media includes the radio station KSDB-FM "Wildcat 91.9," the TV station KKSU-LD "Channel 8," the student newspaper Kansas State Collegian, and the Royal Purple Yearbook.
The official school song is "Alma Mater." It was written in 1888. Students and alumni sing it at most K-State sports events. "Wildcat Victory" and "Wabash Cannonball" are popular fight songs.
Fraternities and Sororities
K-State has many national and international fraternities and sororities. These are social organizations that students can join.
K-State Sports: Go Wildcats!
K-State's sports teams are called the Wildcats. They compete in NCAA Division I and are part of the Big 12 Conference. The official school color is Royal Purple. You'll see purple everywhere! The athletics logo is a cool stylized Wildcat head called the "Powercat."
K-State has teams for football, basketball, cross country, track, baseball, golf, tennis, rowing, women's soccer, and volleyball. The head football coach is Chris Klieman. The head men's basketball coach is Jerome Tang.
K-State has a proud history in sports. In the past, African-American athletes from Kansas State helped break color barriers in college sports. Harold Robinson was the first African-American athlete in the Big Seven Conference to get a scholarship for football in 1949.
Famous K-State People
Many people who studied or taught at Kansas State have gone on to do amazing things.
Famous Graduates
Since the first class graduated in 1867, many K-State alumni have become very successful. For example, Sam Brownback was the 46th Governor of Kansas. Pat Roberts was a U.S. Senator from Kansas.
K-State graduates have also become leaders in other countries, university presidents, and even been honored in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Some have won Emmy Awards and Olympic gold medals!
Notable Teachers
Early teachers at K-State were experts in agriculture, science, and military studies. For example, famous geologist Benjamin Franklin Mudge taught geology.
K-State teachers have also won important awards. Fred Albert Shannon won a Pulitzer Prize for History in 1929. In 2008, Michael Wesch was named national Professor of the Year. Several K-State teachers have even become university presidents themselves.
Images for kids
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The college in 1878, three years after moving to its current location
See also
In Spanish: Universidad Estatal de Kansas para niños
- International Food Safety Network
