April 2016
President Kirk Schulz to leave Kansas State University Kansas State University President Kirk Schulz, announced on March 25, 2016 he would be leaving K­State to serve
as the next president of Washington State University.
"Noel and I have thoroughly enjoyed our 7 years at Kansas State ­ it has been an exciting time to be a Wildcat and a
part of the K­Sate Family," Schulz said. "Being part of transforming our multiple campuses has been the highlight of
my career in higher education."
Schulz will continue to serve as K­State President through mid­May and transition to Washington State in mid­June. Kansas State University prepares students for careers Kansas State University has a long tradition of preparing students to make important contributions to our communities
and world. A key to educating and training K­State students for global opportunities, dynamic workplaces and future
challenges has always been K­State's family atmosphere, which continues to support student success and career
readiness. Since the elimination of an annual user fee in 2006­2007, career services usage has skyrocketed among K­State
students. During 2014­2015, K­State's Academic and Career Information Center (ACIC) and Career and Employment
Services (CES) had more than 21,000 interactions with students through individual career advising and
presentations. At the same time, K­State hosted 583 unique employers on­campus during which 7,473 students
attended career fairs and 4,663 interviews were conducted for internships and full­time jobs. Given the continuing
demand for K­State graduates, the All­University Career Fair will expand from a two­days to a three­day event during
September 2016. The career readiness of students and strong recruiting interest from industry is part of the reason why 94 percent of
last year's graduating class was employed or enrolled in graduate education within six months of graduation. With an
82 percent response rate, the post­graduation report by Career and Employment Services provides evidence that
shows that the K­State family is preparing students to be valuable employees. The following is a snapshot of that
report. K­State announces three
Landon Lectures in April
Ribbon­cutting ceremony held
for opening of Engineering Hall The editor of a popular political and pop culture
The College of Engineering at Kansas State University
website, a CNN political contributor, a well­known
will officially mark the opening of Engineering Hall with
historian, and the chief scientific officer for one of the
a ribbon­cutting ceremony at 3:00 p.m. today, April 1. major food and beverage companies in the world will
present Landon Lectures in April at Kansas State
The event will take place at the southeast outdoor
University.
plaza area of the Engineering Complex at 17th Street
and College Heights Road in Manhattan, with a
Historian and author H.W. Brands ­ April 7 at 4:30
reception and self­guided tours to follow. The public is
p.m. in McCain Auditorium. Brands writes about
invited to attend.
American history and politics. A best­selling author, his
books include "Traitor to His Class: The Privileged Life
"As the largest engineering program in the state, we
and Radical Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt"
could not be more proud to officially open Engineering
and "The First American," which were both finalists for
Hall, where we will educate the next generation of
the Pulitzer Prize.
engineers," said Darren Dawson, dean of the College
of Engineering. Husband and wife political pundits John Avlon
and Margaret Hoover ­ April 15 at 7:00 p.m. in
Engineering Hall was funded in part by resources from
McCain Auditorium. Avlon is editor­in­chief of the
the state of Kansas through the University Engineering
popular political website The Daily Beast, a senior
Initiative Act. This act passed by the Kansas
columnist for Newsweek and a CNN contributor. He is
Legislature provides $3.5 million annually to the three
an author and former speechwriter for New York City
Engineering colleges at Kansas State University,
Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Hoover, a descendant of former
Wichita State University and University of Kansas.
President Herbert Hoover, is a CNN political
The universities agreed to increase engineering
contributor and author. She is also a veteran of the
graduate in the state by 50% over a 10 year period
George W. Bush administration.
ending in 2021. Kansas State University's College of
Engineering enrollment continues to grow, with top
PepsiCo vice chairman and chief scientific officer,
level students, and we are on track to exceed our
global research and development, Dr. Mehmood
enrollment goal of 3,750 students and graduation goal
Khan ­ April 25 at 10:30 a.m. in McCain Auditorium.
of 587 students by 2021.
Khan oversees PepsiCo's global Performance with
Purpose initiatives to enhance environmental, human
Engineering Hall has created approximately 108,000
and talent sustainability for the company, which has 22
square feet of instructional, research and office space
different brands that generate $1 billion each in
in support of interdisciplinary learning and collaboration
estimated annual sales. in the college. It houses the computing and information
sciences, and electrical and computer engineering.
The Landon Lecture series, named for former Kansas
Governor Alf Landon. The lectures are free to attend. If you would like tickets, please contact the
Governmental Relations Office at 785­532­6227
orkstategr@ksu.edu. Van Ranken, Kennedy elected
new student leaders Kansas State University students have elected
Jessica Van Ranken, junior in political science from
K­State geology team places
third in competition Lindsborg as student body president. Van Ranken's
A team of graduate students from Kansas State
body vice president.
running mate, Trenton Kennedy, junior in
entrepreneurship, Frankfort, will serve as student
University's geology department took third place in the
mid­continent Imperial Barrel competition sponsored
Van Ranken and Kennedy will take office April 7, when
by the American Association of Petroleum Geologists.
they will begin to advocate for the three initiatives of
The association's Imperial Barrel competition is an
their campaign: mental wellness, diversity and political
annual global competition that challenges teams of
advocacy.
students to analyze real­world datasets provided by
industry and produce an evaluation of its hydrocarbon
Van Ranken is a graduate of Smoky Valley High
exploration potential. This year's competition was at
School. She is the daughter of Fred and Alicia Van
Chesapeake Energy's campus in Oklahoma City, OK. Ranken of Lindsborg.
The students are given eight weeks to perform the
Kennedy, a graduate of Frankfort High School, is the
analysis, culminating in a presentation of their
son of Melissa and the late Michael Kennedy.
interpretation to a panel of industry experts. The
DID YOU KNOW?
teams are judged on the technical quality, clarity and
originality of their presentation. K­State Proud, a nationally recognized, student­led
philanthropic campaign at Kansas State University,
The competition is now in its 10th year and this is K­
has raised $1,030,000 to help 520 students with
State's fourth year participating. This third place
Student Opportunity Awards over the past 10 years? showing, against many larger and more established
university programs, reflects the growing success of
the geology program at Kansas State.
Facebook
Twitter
K­State Governmental Relations Staff
Sue Peterson, Director of Governmental Relations
Kristin Holt, Assistant to the Director
Asher Gilliland, Legislative Assistant
Jim Nickolas, Legislative Assistant
Website
Contact Information
Office of Governmental Relations
110 Anderson Hall
Manhattan, KS 66506­0112
785­532­6227
www.ksu.edu/govrelations