Peer Institutions

The process that informed the development of this strategic plan was designed to be heavily informed by data, analysis and broad engagement with the K-State community – informed and guided by an advisory committee comprising students, faculty, staff, administrators, governance council leaders, and alumni dedicated to envisioning the future of K-State.

Through this process, university leaders and the strategic planning advisory committee utilized a comparison set of peer institutions and specific criteria to allow for comparative analysis and benchmarking of institutional performance. Additionally, these same leaders utilized a set of aspirational institutions based on similar criteria to inform future growth and performance targets.

The analysis was informed by current national data from the U.S. Department of Education's Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), National Science Foundation data on research expenditures, and other publicly available institutional or aggregate datasets. It included considering key institutional factors connected to the K-State operating environment and appropriate benchmarks, such as K-State's Carnegie R1 research classification and status as a land-grant institution, which carries unique programmatic offerings like K-State Extension and faculty with Extension appointments and influences other institutional outputs. It also involved reviewing other institutions that may carry similar designations but offer programs or infrastructure that significantly alters their respective outputs in areas such as research expenditures or student enrollment (i.e., universities with a medical or law school).

As K-State moves forward in implementing this plan, the university will submit these peer and aspirational institutions to the Kansas Board of Regents for approval as the formal comparison set for institutional benchmarking – establishing the market and criteria upon which K-State should be compared today, as well as the targets it should pursue and be measured against as the university implements its strategic plan through 2030.