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[an error occurred while processing this directive]Monday, May 12, 2008
MANHATTAN -- Kansas State University President Jon Wefald announced today his plans to retire at the end of the 2008-09 academic year. Wefald has served as the 12th president of K-State since being appointed by the Kansas Board of Regents in July 1986.
Wefald is credited with transforming an institution with declining enrollments, low faculty morale, limited research and graduate programs, and a losing football program into a nationally ranked top 10 land grant university. Because of his leadership, K-State leads among peer institutions with significant research and graduate programs and a highly competitive athletic program in the prestigious Big 12 Conference.
Under Wefald's leadership, K-State has, among many other accomplishments, achieved the following since 1986:
"I have been honored to be the president of Kansas State University for 22 years," Wefald said. "With the successful completion of our Changing Lives Campaign that raised close to $530 million, I feel this is an opportune time to retire and facilitate an orderly change of institutional leadership.
"Ruth Ann and I love K-State, its people and the Manhattan community and will always consider it home. Both our sons have degrees from K-State and live and work in Manhattan, and it is a great place for them to raise their families. We have been blessed to have had the opportunity to work with so many outstanding faculty, staff, students, alumni, regents and friends of the institution over these many years. I wish to publicly thank them for all they have done and will continue to do for K-State — they are the ones who truly make K-State such a great and special university."
Bob Krause, vice president for institutional advancement and director of intercollegiate athletics, longtime friend and colleague of President Wefald, said, "Jon Wefald came to K-State at a time when its definitive history was captured in the book 'Quest for Identity.'
"Jon has answered that quest for all time by building one of the top land-grant universities in America, and I know that K-Staters everywhere will be forever grateful for his passionate, tireless and visionary leadership. He has taught us all to have big dreams, work hard, and never give up... that will be his living legacy."
Upon his retirement, Wefald will be a part-time professor of leadership studies and history.
Before coming to K-State, Wefald served as chancellor of the State University System in Minnesota from 1982-86, a system with seven universities. He was president of Southwest State in Marshall, Minn., from 1977-82; Minnesota's Commissioner of Agriculture from 1971-77, and a member of the faculty at Gustavus Adolphus from 1965-70.
He earned his B.A. from Pacific Lutheran in 1959, his M.A. in history and political science from Washington State University in 1961, and his doctorate in history from the University of Michigan in 1965.