Kansas State University

Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas.

I know a spot that I love full well,
'Tis not in forest nor yet in dell;
Ever it holds me with magic spell,
I think of thee, Alma Mater. ~ H.W. Jones

K-S-U, we'll carry thy banner high.
K-S-U, long, long may thy colors fly.
Loyal to thee, thy children will swell the cry.
Hail, hail, hail, Alma Mater. ~ H.W. Jones

K-State has a long and grand history, written by good and respected presidents: Denison, Anderson, Fairchild, Will, Nichols, Waters, Jardine, Eisenhower, McCain, and Acker. Now, we add the Wefald years and the contributions of a man who, during difficult times, literally grabbed a university by the scruff of its academic and athletic neck and gave it a good shake. They are years of progress and striving for excellence in all areas of the university. They are the renaissance years. ~ Pat Roberts

Quotes

• Manhattan is the home of Kansas State University, with more than 20,000 students from all over the world. Radio commentator Paul Harvey once called the university the "student scholar capital of America." Since 1986, KSU has been number one among the nation's 500 public universities in having students receive nationally prestigious scholarships. Its students have won ninety such scholarships compared with fifty-eight for the second-place public university. KSU's agricultural teaching and research programs are internationally recognized; its student livestock and crop judging teams have won numerous national championships and are consistently among the best in the nation; and in 2002 the university was selected as the site for the Food Safety and Security Research Center to combat bioterrorist threats on our agricultural systems. KSU's speech and debate teams have won several national championships in recent years. The College of Veterinary Science performs more rabies testing than any other lab in the world.
  KSU is the home of Colbert Hills Golf Course. Developed by KSU alum and PGA golfer Jim Colbert, it successfully integrates nature conservation with economic development and university education. In 2002 it was one of only six golf courses in the world that met requirements to be designated an Audobon International Silver Signature Sanctuary.
  • Ted T. Cable & Wayne A. Maley, Driving Across Kansas: A Guide to I-70 (2003), Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, paperback, p. 39-40

• I know a spot that I love full well,
  'Tis not in forest nor yet in dell;
  Ever it holds me with magic spell,
  I think of thee, Alma Mater.
  • H.W. Jones, "Kansas State University Alma Mater", written in 1888 and selected as the official alma mater of K-State in 1903[1].

• K-S-U, we'll carry thy banner high.
  K-S-U, long, long may thy colors fly.
  Loyal to thee, thy children will swell the cry.
  Hail, hail, hail. Alma Mater.
  • H.W. Jones, "Kansas State University Alma Mater", written in 1888 and selected as the official alma mater of K-State in 1903[2].

• When I graduated in 1958, K-State was a good university. By most measures, Kansas State was a good university through the 1960s's, the 1970's, and into the 1980's. Then came Jon Wefald, or, as I have said at numerous K-State pep rallies, "And now, the man who has led us from the valley of despair and defeat to unprecedented pride and victory... Jon 'Moses' Wefald."
  This book is about the Wefald years at K-State, when a very good university aimed high and became an excellent university. During the Wefald years, Kansans have pointed with pride to the greatest turnaround in the history of Division I football, and K-State becoming a football power among the nation's elite. They know that between 1986 and 2000, student enrollment also reversed a serious decline and increased from 14,000 to 22,000. Alumni and visitors to campus see a new library and a new art museum. And there is much more attributable to Jon Wefald's term as president.
  • Pat Roberts, KSU Class of 1958, as quoted by Robert J. Shoop, A University Renaissance: Jon Wefald's Presidency at Kansas State (2001), Manhattan: Ag Press Publishing, hardcover, p. xi

• In assessing the "Wefald Years," one is reluctant to single out accomplishments because in truth, there were many, large and small. (Don't ever tell Jon Wefald something can't be done!) In sum, they illustrate what can be accomplished by creativity, team planning, and- most of all- leadership at the top.
  K-State has a long and grand history, written by good and respected presidents: Denison, Anderson, Fairchild, Will, Nichols, Waters, Jardine, Eisenhower, McCain, and Acker. Now, we add the Wefald years and the contributions of a man who, during difficult times, literally grabbed a university by the scruff of its academic and athletic neck and gave it a good shake. They are years of progress and striving for excellence in all areas of the university. They are the renaissance years.
  • Pat Roberts, KSU Class of 1958, as quoted by Robert J. Shoop, A University Renaissance: Jon Wefald's Presidency at Kansas State (2001), Manhattan: Ag Press Publishing, hardcover, p. xii