About the University

At first the university was located on the grounds of the old Bluemont Central College, chartered in 1858, but in 1875 most of the work of the university was moved to the present site.

The 664-acre campus is in northern Manhattan, convenient to both business and residential districts. Under an enactment of the 1991 Kansas Legislature, the Salina campus was established through a merger of the former Kansas College of Technology with the university.

Additional university sites include 18,000 acres in the four branch locations of the Agricultural Experiment Station—Hays, Garden City, Colby, and Parsons—and 8,600 acres in the Konza Research Prairie jointly operated by the AES and the Division of Biology.

One of the six universities governed by the Kansas Board of Regents, Kansas State University continues to fulfill its historic educational mission in teaching, research, and public service.

Mission statement
Kansas State University is a comprehensive, research, land-grant institution first serving students and the people of Kansas, and also the nation and the world.

Since its founding in 1863, the university has evolved into a modern institution of higher education, committed to quality programs, and responsive to a rapidly changing world and the aspirations of an increasingly diverse society. Together with other major comprehensive universities, Kansas State University shares responsibilities for developing human potential, expanding knowledge, enriching cultural expression, and extending its expertise to individuals, business, education, and government. These responsibilities are addressed through an array of undergraduate and graduate degree programs, research and creative activities, and outreach and public service programs. In addition, its land-grant mandate, based on federal and state legislation, establishes a focus to its instructional, research, and extension activities that is unique among the Regents institutions.

Through quality teaching, the university is committed to provide all students with opportunities to develop the knowledge, understanding, and skills characteristic of an educated person. It is also pledged to prepare students for successful employment or advanced studies through a variety of disciplinary and professional degree programs. To meet these intentions, the institution dedicates itself to providing academic and extracurricular learning experiences that promote and value both excellence and cultural diversity. Kansas State University prepares its students to be informed, productive, and responsible citizens who participate actively in advancing cultural, educational, economic, scientific, and sociopolitical undertakings.

Research and other creative endeavors comprise an essential component of Kansas State University's mission. All faculty members contribute to the discovery and dissemination of new knowledge. These efforts, supported by public and private resources, are conducted in an atmosphere of open inquiry and academic freedom. Basic to the pursuit of this mission is the university's commitment to broad-based programs in graduate education at both the master's and doctoral levels.

Kansas State University's mission includes enriching the lives of the citizens of Kansas by extending to them opportunities to engage in life-long learning and to benefit from the results of research. The university addresses this charge through mutually supportive activities on its Manhattan and Salina campuses, research and extension sites at numerous locations, outreach programs offered throughout the state and nation, and international activities.

The mission of Kansas State University is enhanced by symbiotic relationships among the discovery of knowledge, the education of undergraduate and graduate students, and improvement in the quality of life through research applications. Coordinated teaching, research, and extension services help develop the highly skilled and educated work force necessary to the economic well-being of Kansas, the nation, and the international community.

Accreditation
Kansas State University is fully accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (30 N. LaSalle St., Suite 2400, Chicago, IL 60602, 1-800-621-7440).

Faculty
The faculty at Kansas State University are dedicated to excellence in teaching, student advising, research, extension education, scholarly achievement, and creative endeavor.

K-State recognizes superior teaching with annual faculty awards. Citations for the Outstanding Teachers of the Year and for Distinguished Graduate Faculty Members are presented at commencement. The university also honors faculty members who contribute to the expansion of knowledge in their respective fields.

The faculty assume a major responsibility to participate in outreach activities that serve the citizens of the state, and many hold leadership positions in their disciplines and in professional organizations.

Objective of the educational program
The objective of the educational program at Kansas State University is to develop individuals capable of applying enlightened judgment in their professional, personal, and social lives.

To that end the university program is designed:

I. To provide full and efficient counseling and guidance to students at the university. Specifically, this means to:

A. Learn and make known to students all that is possible and useful about their interests, aptitudes, and abilities.

B. Apply that knowledge to the students' choice of courses and curricula as fully as possible without encroaching harmfully on their initiative and feeling of self- responsibility.

C. Provide continuing guidance for students according to their needs.

II. To prepare students for an occupation or a profession which includes an organized body of information and theory so they may realize their creative potential. More specifically this means that students should acquire:

A. The ability to recognize and master fundamental principles in their fields of specialization.

B. The knowledge basic to their special fields of study.

C. The ability to reason critically from facts and recognized assumptions to useful technical conclusions.

D. The basic skills associated with their fields of study.

E. A professional attitude in their chosen work.

III. To provide all students with an opportunity to gain the knowledge and abilities members of a democratic society need, whatever occupation or profession they expect to enter. Specifically, this means that through its program the university undertakes to help the student:

A. Develop communication skills.

B. Develop the ability to apply critical and creative thinking to the solution of theoretical and practical problems.

C. Understand the basic concepts of the natural sciences, the interrelations of the natural and social sciences, and the impact of science on society.

D. Comprehend and evaluate the processes and institutions in society at home and abroad, and develop a dynamic sense of personal responsibility as effective citizens in a democratic society.

E. Develop habits of self-evaluation, responsibility, and enterprise that will increase the effectiveness of the educative process in college, and provide the basis for continued self-improvement.

F. Develop a well-adjusted personality, good character traits, and a sound philosophy of life.

G. Prepare for effective participation in family life.

H. Utilize actively and fully the capacity for aesthetic appreciation and enjoyment.

IV. To stimulate the faculty and students to extend the boundaries of knowledge through critical and creative thinking and experimentation.

V. To provide the facilities for extending education outside the boundaries of the campus to the members of the community that the institution serves.