Who we are
We live by the purple rule: Family comes first. For K-Staters, that means a firmly held dedication to fostering an inclusive, welcoming atmosphere in which everyone feels supported and empowered to take intellectual risks.
One K-State
- From student to faculty, we are all part of One K-State. Together we work to enrich the lives of Kansans and K-State students everywhere. We are committed to the to the idea that together, we are able to be and do more than we could do alone.
The foundation of all K-State traditions is a solid commitment to putting others first. In 1858, Bluemont Central College, a private institution, opened in Manhattan, Kansas, and it was only a few short years later that Kansas was admitted to the Union. Nearly immediately, efforts began to establish a state university, and Bluemont Central College was converted to the Kansas State Agricultural College in 1863.
The institution that later became known as Kansas State University, or K-State, was the nation's first operational land-grant university. This meant K-State was tasked with teaching agriculture, science, military science and engineering to any interested student, opening up educational access and opportunity to all. Additionally, through a commitment to service, the university has always sought to better the lives of others through research and engagement.
For more than 150 years, we have taken this obligation to heart. Whether it means making a stranger feel welcome on campus, cheering on a teammate or developing a vaccine that saves lives, we are committed to the Wildcat Way.
This is particularly important to us to live these ideals with great care and responsibility, as we recognize that the land that our great university rests upon, appropriated under the 1862 Morrill Act, did not come without a price. The dispossession of Indigenous peoples and nations from their lands is a history undeniably linked to the land-grant heritage — one that compels us every day to live out our mission in a way that builds a better future for all.