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Media Relations
Kansas State University
9 Anderson Hall
Manhattan, KS 66506
785-532-6415
media@k-state.edu

Information provided by K-State Media Relations, K-State's news service, may be reproduced without permission. The marks and names of Kansas State University are protected trademarks and may not be used in any commercial or private endeavor without the approval of the university.

Sources: Judith Lynch, 785-532-6492, judylync@k-state.edu
and Jama Akers, 913-940-4176, jakers@kscholars.org

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

K-STATE OPENS CAMPUS TO KAUFFMAN SCHOLARS

MANHATTAN -- This summer, faculty, staff and students at Kansas State University again are welcoming several groups of Kansas City area students in hopes of guiding them toward successful college careers.

Four residential institutes for Kauffman scholars have been taking place at K-State during July; the last one, for students entering their senior year of high school, will run from July 20 to Aug. 3.

"K-State provides an outstanding college residential experience for our scholars," said Stephen Green, president of Kauffman Scholars. "A unique curriculum is designed for each grade level."

The upcoming session for seniors will emphasize mathematics, science and writing skills, according to Judith Lynch, director of K-State's Academic Assistance Center. Scholars will attend mathematics classes, learn debate and library skills, and will research the malaria parasite in mosquitoes. Scholars also will learn about K-State's initiatives in tornado-stricken Greensburg before building their own solar ovens, developing a plan to market them and designing a space where they might be used.

"K-State is fortunate to have so many faculty who understand the importance of the Kauffman program and are committed to providing scholars with a variety of learning experiences," Lynch said. Students learn through activities in the colleges of Agriculture; Architecture, Planning and Design; Arts and Sciences; Business Administration; Education; Engineering; Human Ecology; and Kansas State University at Salina's aviation and technology programs.

Off-campus activities include educational tours of the Sunset Zoo and Konza Prairie Biological Station, an evening at the Kaw Valley Rodeo, and a trip to the Cosmosphere and Space Museum in Hutchinson.

The Kauffman Scholars program begins in middle school with the goal of preparing urban students to become college graduates, and it continues to support them through high school and college. Scholars are divided into classes based on grade, with 200 to 300 scholars in each class. Each scholar has an academic coach and a life skills coach.

During summer, scholars attend a residential institute at a college or university, with the length of the institute increasing as the scholars progress through grade levels.

K-State is in its third year of being host to residential institutes, Lynch said. The scholars stay in a residence hall and participate in full days of programs tailored by each college. Activities include such things as developing a business Web log and creating a YouTube video; exploring Newton's laws; building a motor; and trying their hands at takeoffs and landings in a flight simulator.

"Scholars definitely explore and expand their own interests and abilities," Lynch said. "But we also want to broaden their list of possible future careers by introducing them to new experiences."

Students also get a chance to unwind through activities at the Peters Recreational Complex and the K-State Student Union. K-State students serve as youth leaders, staying with the scholars at the residence hall and accompanying them during campus activities.

The 19-year, $70 million Kauffman Scholars initiative -- the largest and longest commitment in the history of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation – began in 2003. It plans to assist more than 2,300 low-income students in Kansas City, Kan., and Kansas City, Mo. The scholars program grew out of Project Choice, a dropout prevention project that showed a dramatic result: Almost a third of participating high school students went on to complete college degrees.