Call for volunteer judges: Kansas DECA State Career Development Conference 2026

Kansas State University community members are invited to serve as judges for the 2026 Kansas DECA State Career Development Competition on March 1-2. The event will be hosted on campus by K-State and the College of Business Administration, which partners with Kansas DECA to support high school students' professional development and introduce them to college-level opportunities.

As the institutional host, K-State views the conference as a strong recruiting opportunity — welcoming high school students from across Kansas into the Business Building and giving them meaningful exposure to university life. Faculty and staff from any unit are encouraged to participate, as most competitive events focus on public speaking, communication and idea delivery rather than technical business experience.

Through constructive feedback and encouragement, judges help students build confidence, strengthen communication skills and apply values of integrity and community engagement to real-world challenges. Judging typically requires a four- to six-hour commitment, depending on the assigned event area, and includes evaluating projects and role-play scenarios.

By volunteering, K-State faculty and staff contribute to shaping and inspiring future Kansas leaders while representing the university to prospective students. No prior judging experience is required, and all training and guidelines will be provided after registration.

View the roster of competitive events related to DECA and complete the sign-up form online.

For questions or more information, please contact Allan Huang at allanh@k-state.edu.

— Submitted by Allan Huang