March 18, 2024
Learn about the successful community visits to Reno County and Seward County
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A Reno County event highlighted the Garden for Good at the Hutchinson Correctional Facility and the impact of the K-State Research and Extension Master Gardener program in the facility. Watch a Kansas Department of Corrections video about the event. |
More than 515 community members engaged with Kansas State University during the recent community visits to the Reno County and Seward County regions.
The visits were the last of the presidential regional community visits, which have involved two years of engaging with people and communities across all 105 counties of Kansas.
President Richard Linton and several Connected 'Cats students led the K-State team of faculty, staff and extension professionals who visited the Hutchinson and Liberal regions from March 5-7. The visits included community conversations and events to highlight university partnerships and K-State Research and Extension relationships.
The three-day community visit series started in Reno County with an economic development session with StartUp Hutch, the Kansas Leadership Center and other organizations in the Reno County region.
Other events highlighted the Garden for Good at the Hutchinson Correctional Facility and the impact of the K-State Research and Extension Master Gardener program in the facility. Watch a Kansas Department of Corrections video about the event.
While in Seward County, the K-State team participated in a facilitated conversation with community stakeholders on ways higher education institutions could create an ecosystem of support. Other Seward County events included a session at Seward County Community College to honor the late Frances Brown and a session that included a local food systems community roundtable.
Both counties included community open forums where Connected 'Cats told their K-State stories with their hometown communities.
The Connected 'Cats students for the Reno County portion of the visit included Kyser Meininger, senior in biology, Hutchinson, and Taylor Hedrick, senior in animal sciences and industry, Pretty Prairie.
The Connected 'Cats students for the Seward County portion of the visit included Brady Kappelmann, sophomore in marketing, and Bryan Symons, senior in secondary education, both from Liberal.
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At every community visit, Connected 'Cats choose educators from their hometown high schools to recognize for their inspiration and positive influence. Clockwise from top left: Kyser Meininger and Judy Goetz, English teacher at Hutchinson High School; Taylor Hedrick and Jon Johnson, social studies teacher at Pretty Prairie High School; Bryan Symons and Heather Watt, environmental science teacher at Liberal High School; and Brady Kappelmann and Tasha Ebeling, instructional coach at Liberal High School. |
University recognizes Kansas educators with Connected 'Cats Spirit of K-State awards
K-State continued recognizing local educators with the Connected 'Cats Spirit of K-State award. At every community visit, the Connected 'Cats choose educators from their hometown high schools to recognize for their inspiration and positive influence in helping the Connected 'Cats get to where they are today.
Educators who receive Spirit of K-State awards are recognized in a surprise ceremony at the high school, and they are given a certificate for a $1,000 scholarship to give to a current high school student who plans to attend K-State.
In Reno County, Hedrick chose to recognize Jon Johnson, social studies teacher at Pretty Prairie High School, and Meininger recognized Judy Goetz, English teacher at Hutchinson High School.
At Liberal High School in Seward County, Kappelmann chose to recognize Tasha Ebeling, instructional coach, and Symons recognized Heather Watt, environmental science teacher.
About the community visit initiative
The K-State community visit initiative focused on the people of Kansas and their communities. K-State has visited multiple communities throughout the state to listen to and learn from the Kansans who live there. See all the locations where K-State has visited.
Watch a video that showcases K-State's engagement in Kansas communities.
A communications toolkit is available to help K-Staters share a consistent message about the university's relationships, partnerships and contributions throughout the state of Kansas. The toolkit offers a pathway for any university unit to plug in to the initiative and help share stories of engagement across the state.
Access the communications toolkit on the community visit website. Please be prepared to enter your K-State eID and password to access the information.
The community visits are an important part of the K-State 105 initiative, which is Kansas State University's answer to the call for a comprehensive economic growth and advancement solution for Kansas. The initiative leverages the statewide K-State Research and Extension network to deliver the full breadth of the university's collective knowledge and solution-driven innovation to every Kansan, right where they live and work. Additionally, K-State 105 forges the connections and partnerships that create access to additional expertise within other state institutions and agencies, nonprofits and corporations — all part of an effort to build additional capacities and strengths in each of the 105 counties in the state.