Lippert and Watson reelected as K-State Salina Student Governing Association leaders

Keenan Lippert, left, junior from Sabetha, and Stephen Watson, right, sophomore from Tomball, Texas, will once again serve as K-State Salina SGA president and vice president after being reelected by the student body. | Download this photo.

By Jeremy Bohn

K-State Salina

Kansas State University Salina students have entrusted their Student Governing Association, or SGA, leadership to Keenan Lippert and Stephen Watson for another year.

Lippert, a junior in uncrewed aircraft systems flight and operations from Sabetha, and Watson, a sophomore in aviation maintenance management from Tomball, Texas, have been reelected as the SGA president and vice president, respectively, for the 2025-2026 academic year.

"I'm excited to be able to provide our student body more consistency," Lippert said. "Whenever there is that transition between SGA leadership, there is an adjustment period that takes some time. Now, because we have a year of experience, I think for the next academic year we'll be ready to jump into it and get everything rolling. We've already begun to solidify some important deadlines and feel ahead of where we were at this point last year."

Lippert and Watson both have numerous accomplishments from their SGA leadership during the past year, including a complete revamp of the campus's SGA constitution, which was an intensive process where they were able to better define roles and duties within SGA and find more students to get involved in the student-led organization as senators.

Another accomplishment is the continued success of the campus's Programming Board through SGA, which organizes and plans fun events for the students throughout the school year to get more students involved.

"It's been incredible to see how great the students are on this campus," Watson said. "There's a lot of passion in a lot of different areas. It's so cool to see what each person's passions are and what they want to focus on, so you get to help represent them, help them achieve their goals and help them reach their visions of what they want to see on this campus."

Lippert has been involved in SGA for much of his collegiate career. He started with the organization on a suggestion from a friend who was already participating. In his first year, he was the SGA secretary, where he gained his first leadership experience. When the time came to run for student-body president, Lippert felt he had the knowledge and experience to lead the campus.

Watson has also participated in SGA for much of his time in college. He began as the community service coordinator and then took on a role as a senator before running alongside Lippert as the student-body vice president. Both credit their work in SGA for helping to create new connections and friendships on campus, while also strengthening their overall leadership skills to hopefully utilize them in their professional careers.

While the duo of Lippert and Watson has many projects in the works for the upcoming academic year, they are both urging the students at K-State Salina to come to the weekly SGA meetings to have their voices heard.

"I think there is a really great community on campus, and people know that," Lippert said. "People have their groups of friends, but getting involved only expands that sphere of friendship and experiences. With all the volunteer opportunities offered through SGA, you can learn a lot and gain those valuable experiences that translate to a resume. You can get experiences that help you manage one thing or another in your career. Leadership is a good life skill that you can develop through SGA, and it's a fun thing to do."

K-State Salina's Student Governing Association meets weekly to discuss and address the issues and concerns of the campus. The meetings are open to all students, faculty and staff. The organization is responsible for filling many student leadership roles, including cabinet chairs that focus on different campus initiatives like programming events for students and community service. SGA also nominates students to be senators to provide input and vote on matters of importance. Students from many different backgrounds, perspectives and academic focuses are represented through the campus organization.

Learn more about the student-led organization on the K-State Salina SGA website.

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