Wildcat Dialogues

Fall 2025 updates

Wildcat Dialogues will not take place during the fall 2025 semester to allow the planning committee time to enhance and improve the event and to continue to meet the needs of first-year students at K-State.

First-year students at K-State seeking opportunities to connect with peers through a shared experience should check out these opportunities:

• Better Together: Building Community One Story at a Time

Join us for an engaging discussion where students, staff, and faculty come together to share their favorite moments from our 2025 common read, Together, and explore how we can combat loneliness through meaningful connections.

Whether you're looking to meet new people, deepen existing friendships, or simply engage in thoughtful dialogue about wellness and belonging, this event offers a welcoming environment to connect and learn. Come ready to listen, share, and be part of building the supportive community that makes us all better together.

Learn more about Better Together

• ‘Cats Connect

Participating in a 'Cats Connect group helps you build community, practice active listening, build empathy and understanding for others' stories, and so much more. Grow your perspective and meet new Wildcats for one hour a week, for just six weeks.

Learn more about 'Cats Connect

About Wildcat Dialogues

Join all new and first-year K-State students for a night of meaningful dialogue and building connections. This one-night event happens each fall semester. View photos from the fall 2024 event on Facebook: Event photos and Group selfies.

What participants do

• Learn how to create communities of belonging
• Build cross-cultural relationships through meaningful dialogue
• Engage in active listening, empathy and perspective-taking
• Build your skillset to understand cultural differences and similarities

How you’ll use it later

• Identify tangible action steps you can take to create a community of belonging for all at K-State.
• Recognize the ways in which your cultural and social identities make an impact on how you see and experience the world.
• Recognize the ways in which others’ cultural and social identities differ from your own and how they see and experience the world differently, like you.
• Demonstrate authentic curiosity and empathy when engaging in meaningful dialogues across difference.

What facilitators do

K-State students, faculty and staff are invited to join us as facilitators. Facilitators help the small groups focus on deliberate conversation to build intentional connections for intercultural learning and leadership development. Training is provided and facilitators will get a free Wildcat Dialogues T-shirt.

Highlight Your Experience

As a participant or facilitator, you might be thinking about how to best share this development opportunity in professional environments like LinkedIn or on a resume. Get inspired with our examples and download a free badge.

Questions?

Read the FAQs or email Mariya Vaughan at mbjv@ksu.edu or Tamara Bauer at tamara@ksu.edu.