University overview, mission and vision

Overview

Founded in 1863 as the nation's first operational land-grant university, Kansas State University has grown into a comprehensive research university with nearly 20,000 students, more than 1,200 faculty and 2,400 staff. It spans three physical campuses: the main campus in Manhattan; K-State Salina, home to aviation and technology programs; and K-State Olathe, which serves the industry and workforce needs of Greater Kansas City. The university also offers online and distance education programs to students around the world through its Global Campus. With nine colleges and a Graduate School, the university offers more than 400 degrees and options, from bachelor's to doctoral degrees. K-State Research and Extension also serves the citizenry with a presence in every county throughout Kansas and supports research in more than 20 K-State departments. K-State has an annual budget of more than $900 million.

With more than 200,000 living graduates, the K-State Alumni Association has been No. 1 in the Big 12 for more than 25 years, based on the percentage of graduates who are members, and No. 4 among Power Five conferences.

Private giving to the university has surpassed $220 million in the past two fiscal years, and the KSU Foundation has an investment pool and endowment of more than $950 million. The university and foundation recently completed a major fundraising campaign that raised $1.6 billion.

Through the generosity of donors, the KSU Foundation raised $226.4 million in fiscal year 2023, with a three-year fundraising average is $205.6 million. The value of K-State’s long-term investment pool reached $952.3 million as of June 30, 2023. The foundation’s investment performance has consistently outperformed college and university peers in the last many years, ranking #7 among all university and college endowments in 2022.

Mission

The mission of Kansas State University is to foster excellent teaching, research and service that develop a highly skilled and educated citizenry necessary to advancing the well-being of Kansas, the nation and the international community. The university embraces diversity, encourages engagement and is committed to the discovery of knowledge, the education of undergraduate and graduate students, and improvement in the quality of life and standard of living of those we serve.

Next-Gen K-State Strategic Plan

In July 2022, Kansas State University embarked on an ambitious strategic planning process that engaged more than 10,000 members of the K-State community over the course of the year that followed — students, faculty, staff, alumni, friends and community members lent their voices to the planning effort. The process has culminated in the development of our Next-Gen K-State Strategic Plan, which charts our path forward, driven by ambitious goals and a deep connection to our mission and vision. The plan will be officially launched on Sept. 8, 2023, though much foundational work has already begun.