K-State Wrapped 2025
Our top stories from 2025
K-State is dedicated to growing learners ready to hit the ground running as they start careers, extending our service to all 105 Kansas counties and doing good in Kansas and the world. Here are just a few of the ways K-State students, faculty, and staff rose to meet these challenges in 2025.
January 2025
- K-State opens innovation hub to advance research and economic development – Kansas State University recently unveiled a new collaborative office space that will catalyze research commercialization, industry partnerships and economic growth.
- How K-State facilities moved a mountain after historic snowfall – After historic snowfall blanketed campus earlier in January, K-State facilities workers sprang into action to clear campus ahead of the spring semester.
February 2025
- Kansas Health Foundation, K-State team up to reduce hunger in Kansas – Twenty extension units in Kansas have received mini-grants from the Kansas Health Foundation to implement programs that combat food insecurity in the state.
K-State Salina now offers a one-of-a-kind bachelor's degree in immersive systems design that allows students to revolutionize how we experience the world around us and learn how to use data to simulate real-world environments. - Proactive, not reactive: How K-State supports its students — before they need to ask – To create the next generation of qualified professionals, K-State is meeting today’s needs for student success with proactive student support services and outreach.
- New K-State Salina immersive systems design degree to feature projects with entertainment leader – K-State Salina is ushering in a new cutting-edge bachelor's degree program in immersive systems design, where students will work side-by-side with professionals from Pure Imagination Labs.
- Learning applied: Recent K-State graduates in demand – The numbers speak for themselves, 96% of recent K-State graduates report they are employed or furthering their education after graduation. This level of success is positive for students and means K-State is a robust, in-demand talent pipeline for Kansas businesses and the Midwest region.
March 2025
- K-State, Kansas Forest Service facility to support state's rural fire and agricultural education initiatives –
K-State and the Kansas Forest Service are building a $5 million shared facility to support Kansas firefighters and academic and regional workforce development programs. - Kansas Water Institute: When Wildcats come together, water research is better – The Kansas Water Institute brings individuals together from across campus to create innovative solutions to the largest challenges facing Kansans.
April 2025
- K-State lab to continue advancing world's top crops – Kansas State University's Climate Resilient Cereals Innovation Lab continues work after federal funding resumed earlier this month.
- 'It takes a village': K-State helps rural Kansas community meet all generations' needs – K-State case study explores social, academic, and life benefits of rural Logan's community center combining a care facility and elementary school.
- K-State Olathe center addresses advanced manufacturing workforce needs – Kansas City’s manufacturing industry is booming, and K-State Olathe is meeting that need with the Advanced Manufacturing and Bulk Solids Technology Center.
May 2025
- Protecting the plains: Inside the K-State lab safeguarding America’s food – The Great Plains Diagnostic Network, directed by K-State plant pathologist Jim Stack, enhances agricultural biosecurity by detecting potential disease outbreaks or bioterrorist threats.
- Military Friendly School: K-State’s military-supportive environment helps soldiers thrive – Staff Sgt. Hannah Brouwer wanted to continue her education while serving on active duty. Her search for flexibility led her to K-State, which was recently recognized as a Top Ten Military Friendly School and a Top Ten Military Spouse Friendly School.
- K-State honors faculty with university distinguished professor title – Three K-State professors have been presented with the lifetime honor for their contributions to research, teaching and leadership. The title of university distinguished professor is the highest faculty title given by the university.
June 2025
- Creating a process to guarantee honey is pure — bee-yond a doubt – Under a new industry partnership, K-State is creating buzz as the institution to ‘bee’ at for honey production research and engagement.
- K-State graduate programs earn national recognition – K-State's graduate programs in biological and agricultural engineering, education, computer science, public administration, and communication sciences and disorders have earned national acclaim in the 2025 U.S. News & World Report Best Graduate Schools rankings.
July 2025
- K-State research takes flight to combat woody encroachment with precision mapping – K-State researchers are employing aerial data in their mission to understand and manage the rapid spread of woody plants across the Great Plains.
- Immersive Kansas conference supports rural entrepreneurs – Through the Connecting Entrepreneurial Communities conference, K-State and partners have built an immersive experience to support entrepreneurship in rural Kansas. Communities should apply by Aug. 31 to host the 2027 conference.
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Forbes ranks K-State No. 3 among America's Best Employers for Women – K-State's commitment to being a top employer in Kansas and higher education was recognized in the national spotlight on July 30 when Forbes ranked the university No. 3 on its list of America's Best Employers for Women.
August 2025
- K-State research and radon programs support safer radiation practices – K-State is supporting safer radiation and radon practices through research about radiation protection and resources and education about radon mitigation through the university's radon programs.
- Investing in Kansas' first line of defense against animal disease – The Kansas Veterinary Diagnostic Lab drives $2.5 billion in economic value for the state and is set to grow with a new $128 million facility on the north end of K-State's Manhattan campus.
- K-State builds veterinary medicine partnership in Ireland – K-State, Iowa State and University College Dublin are building veterinary medicine partnerships and creating academic and research collaborations among the three organizations. The three universities signed a Memorandum of Cooperation and Understanding on Aug. 22 at the One Health Ag Tech Summit in Ireland.
September 2025
- All Things Kansas is one-stop shop for community insights – All Things Kansas, an online data dashboard platform developed by Kansas State University, is helping residents, business owners and local leaders across the state make more informed decisions — faster.
- K-State research swats back at mosquito-borne virus threatening the pork industry – K-State researchers and collaborators are creating a buzz in the world of mosquito-borne virus research with a new study on Japanese encephalitis virus.
- K-State sets campus transformation in motion – Following nearly two years of planning and study, K-State's bold Campus Master Plan has received the green light to move forward. The plan is an ambitious and visionary view of how the Manhattan, Salina and Olathe campuses will physically evolve to meet the university's needs during the next 10-15 years.
October 2025
- Water, waste and wicked problem: How K-State research helps protect and save the Ogallala Aquifer – Prathap Parameswaran is leading a multi-university research partnership to scale up circular waste-recovery technology that converts animal waste into water, energy and valuable resources—helping High Plains communities protect the Ogallala Aquifer.
- Companionship for 'Cats – The K-State campus is bustling with Wildcats, but the newest face among the crowd is a dog named Oakley. The three-year-old golden retriever is a therapy dog, and he's on campus to provide companionship and comfort to students, faculty and staff.
November 2025
- Research and the State reaches new heights – With record-breaking participation and vibrant energy, this year’s Research and the State brought together 99 graduate students from eight colleges to showcase the impact of their work. Beyond posters and presentations, the event celebrated growth, collaboration and the power of research to shape Kansas communities.
- How K-State helped Brunealla Ishimwe discover her purpose in community planning – A high school presentation about K-State's College of Architecture, Planning & Design first sparked Brunealla Ishimwe’s interest in architecture. What she found at K-State was even more meaningful — a community that helped her discover her voice, her confidence and her purpose in regional and community planning.
- Creating impactful experiences overseas – In the heart of Orvieto, Italy, a group of 40 K-State students embarked on a transformative four-week journey through the lens of Italian fashion. At the helm was Kelsie Doty, a professor whose passion for mentorship and experiential learning shaped both the curriculum and the personal and professional growth of every student involved.
December 2025
- Meeting the moment – K-State is turning possibility into progress, using its TRIGA Mark II reactor to grow tomorrow’s nuclear workforce and drive discoveries that safeguard our energy future.
- Boyd Hall renovation creates modern honors community for K-State – After a top-to-bottom renovation, K-State's Boyd Hall reopens this month with bigger lounges, private bathrooms and a new focus as the home of the rapidly growing University Honors Program.
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