It has been many years since I attended Kansas State University, but the Royal Purple still runs deep. Located, like many land grant colleges, in the middle of the state and well off the beaten path, K-State was established in 1863 as the first institution of higher learning in Kansas. It was designed to serve the agricultural community, promote the sciences and engineering along with military science. It now serves over 20,000 students annually and covers a wide variety of disciplines. If you would be so kind, please let me give you a little tour of my alma mater!

Main Campus

The KSU campus has over 2000 acres of green space dotted with iconic limestone buildings and was named the most beautiful campus in all of Kansas according to Travel and Leisure magazine.

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Many of these older (and some newer) buildings have a timeless beauty. Unfortunately, some campus buildings built during the 1970’s energy crisis were horribly ugly in their quest to be energy efficient.

The most memorable building for me was Nichols Hall, which, during my tenure at K-State, was nothing but a burned out shell. Built in 1911 as a field house, it burned to the ground in 1968 due to an arsonist attack. Along with the sports equipment the marching band’s music was also consumed by the blaze except for one piece of music in the band directors briefcase. This music, The Wabash Cannonball, was the only piece to survive ad was played at the next sporting event. Today, it is still a fan favorite still being played at every KSU game. In 1979, the shell was scheduled to be torn down but the KSU students protested. Not only was the building saved but funds were subsequently allocated to rebuilt it.

While I was taking most of the pictures in this post, I was transported back to my early college days where school was neatly squeezed in between dorm life and the student union.

Student Life

For those of you that were in the Greek system, I am sure it has many enduring qualities; however, I am just too darn independent for my own good. I started my freshman year on the 4th floor of Haymaker Hall. Luckily, the upperclassmen quickly took us newbies under their wing and helped us queue up for football tickets and how to study. Football tickets in the 1980’s were ease to come by as K-State was perennially at the bottom of the Big 8.

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Not much has changed in the intervening years with Haymaker Hall as it is still housing students and the Student Union is providing needed (and sometimes un-needed) distractions. I purchased a few items from the gift store to wear as a badge of honor but, mostly, I quickly found that I wasn’t blending in. Somehow the people around me got much younger. My trip down undergraduate lane soon ended as I headed to the veterinary school.

Veterinary School

K-State’s veterinary school in 2018 ranked the 4th best school in the nation. The veterinary school also played a key role in K-State being selected as the site of the National Bio and Agro-defense Facility. For me, I spent 4 years of my life with a 100 of my fellow colleagues working hard to achieve a veterinary degree. Those 4 years, while stressful, were also enjoyable as we all shared the educational experience together and helped one another.

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Game Day

When I finally returned to KSU to enjoy another football game the whole vibe had changed 180 degrees. No longer was KSU attempting to just “get by”, but was an occasional contenders for the Big 12 championship. Winning allowed KSU to add on to their stadium to the point I hardly recognized it. I have always loved going to college games as there is something unique about the college spirit. However, going to a K-State game is special for me. Hearing the familiar fight songs, seeing the purple and cheering on the home team can’t be beat. Go K-STATE!

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Heading Home

All good things come to a close, so too soon it was time to head home. I am now a proud parent of kids who have their own college memories and football games. Yet, before I head home, I need one more “college fix”. I need to do a Vista run . Unlike some businesses from my time, at KSU this one is going strong.

I hope you enjoyed a quick overview of Kansas State University and if your ever in the middle of Kansas and need something to do other than staring blankly down the I-70 highway, pull off and relax at KSU. It is a whole lot prettier than the interstate and a lot more fun!

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