A FAMILY REUNION: SCHULZ LOOKS AT PAST YEAR'S SUCCESS, HAS EYE ON 2025 IN STATE OF THE UNIVERSITY ADDRESS
K-State President Kirk Schulz's 2010 State of the University address was all about the family.
Schulz's address, given Friday, Sept. 24, in the Alumni Center Ballroom, concentrated first on the many accomplishments by K-State students, faculty and staff over the past year.
Schulz introduced several of the newest K-State family members and announced K-State's 2010 record enrollment numbers. He also discussed several K-State successes, including seven patents to date in 2010 and $147.7 million in grants and contracts -- nearly $20 million more than last year.
"We're taking some of that blue sky research, and we're translating it into technologies and things that make not only Kansas a better place, but the country and the world as well," Schulz said.
Then the focus was on the future. Schulz said he'd spent the past year reaching out to K-Staters about their visions for K-State over the next 15 years.
"We've already set one aggressive goal: to become a top-50 research university," Schulz said in his video presentation. "K-State already has a great start with the National Bio and Agro-defense Facility, which will bring new jobs and investments to the Manhattan community. We've also attracted the Arthropod-Borne Animal Disease Research Unit, another federal lab to study arthropod-borne diseases, and K-State was awarded a Department of Homeland Security Center of Excellence to study animal diseases.
"As we work together to achieve this vision, many of our faculty and students continue to excel."
After a year of discussion to determine where K-State is and what is needed to accomplish the 2025 vision, "now we're on to the fun part," Schulz said. "Over the next several months, we'll dream big and figure out where we want to go."
Schulz said the timeline going forward is:
* Develop major themes (October 2010)
* Establish goals and objectives (November/December 2010)
* Overall plan draft (January 2011)
* Revision and feedback (February/March 2011)
* Final plan roll out and publicity (April 2011)
After his speech, Schulz answered questions from the packed ballroom about admission standards, faculty salaries, being a veteran-friendly university and construction and renovation on the Manhattan campus.
Schulz will give a State of the University address at K-State Salina at 9 a.m. Monday, Oct. 11, in the College Center Conference Room.
The entire speech can be seen at http://www.k-state.edu/facsen/sou/2010.html.