Kansas State University

Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art. The mission of the Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art is to enhance the understanding and appreciation of the visual arts among the University's students and faculty, the Manhattan community, and the citizens of the state and region. The Museum acquires, preserves, documents, interprets, and exhibits significant works of art, particularly those that reflect the cultural traditions of mid-America. The Museum's collection and programs augment the University's mission as a public land-grant institution.

Opening its doors on October 13, 1996, and nestled among the trees on the southeast corner of the campus, the Beach Museum of Art is a beautiful example of post-modern architecture and provides a home for approximately 1,500 works of art that the University has collected over the past four decades. More information is available at the Museum Web site: http://www.ksu.edu/bma/

Lectures and seminars. Many lectures and seminars are offered throughout the academic year.

• Landon Lecture Series. Kansas State University maintains one of the most prestigious lecture series in American colleges and universities, the Alfred M. Landon Lecture Series on Public Issues. Inaugurated in 1966 by former K-State President James A. McCain, the series is a tribute to the late Alfred M. Landon, who for many years was the most distinguished political leader in Kansas.

  Alf Landon was sworn in as governor on January 9, 1933, and was the Republican Party nominee for president of the United States in 1936. He delivered the first lecture in the series: "New Challenges in International Relations," on December 13, 1966. On October 12, 1987, Governor Landon died, shortly after his 100th birthday.

  Three to five of the country's leading personalities appear on the Landon Lecture platform each academic year. Speakers who come to Kansas State University to honor Governor Landon with their appearance are drawn from the public arena of world-renowned politicians, journalists, cabinet members, and other prominent figures involved in current public issues. Presidents Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, and Bush have delivered Landon lectures. The lectures are given in the university's McCain Auditorium, and are attended by K-State students, faculty, and alumni, as well as the general public. A press conference is held following each lecture to give news media representatives the opportunity to question the lecturer. After each lecture, the guest is invited to make brief comments at a luncheon with the lecture series patrons.

  Landon lectures are frequently broadcast live by several Kansas television and radio stations, and generally receive nationwide attention.

• The Lou Douglas Lecture Series on Public Issues deals with topics pertaining to human rights, social justice, world peace, and international development.

• Other lectures series include the Dorothy L. Thompson Civil Rights Lecture Series and the Provost's Lectures series.

Additional information is available at http://www.ksu.edu/calendar/lectures.html

McCain Auditorium. McCain Auditorium is the cultural center for performance arts and a host for numerous campus entertainment activities. A variety of performance events and theater productions are held each season and all shows are open to the student population and the general public. For featured events and ticket information visit this Web site at: http://www.ksu.edu/mccain

Speech, Theater and Dance. The Department of Speech Communication, Theatre, and Dance offers study in the liberal arts areas of rhetoric/communication, as well as the performance arts, theatre and dance. Rhetoric, one of the original liberal arts, is concerned with the theory, criticism and practice of communication. The rhetoric/communication program attempts to improve a student's communication skills in developing messages that are clear, coherent, reasoned and fluent. It also develops a student's ability to analyze communication in different social, political and organizational settings. Theatre and Dance, though distinct programs, work together to emphasize the education of students for professional and teaching careers, for avocational experiences, and for the cultural enrichment of the University community through public performance. Information and an events calendar are available at http://www.ksu.edu/sctd/