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K-State First

Category: Spring 2018

Letter from the Director

Posted on by Mariya

Gregory Eiselein

Ten years ago this summer, a small group of K-State faculty and student life professionals were putting together the final plan for a First-Year Seminar program. That pilot study which ran in the fall of 2008 with a little over 200 students developed into what became K-State First in the fall of 2010 and now serves over 2,000 students, in addition to supporting our university-wide common reading program known as KSBN and advocating for exciting educational opportunities for all first-year students. Continue reading “Letter from the Director” →

Highlights from the 37th Annual First-Year Experience Conference

Posted on by Mariya

In February of this year, eight faculty and staff members from K-State attended the 37th Annual First-Year Experience Conference in San Antonio, Texas. Those who attended were the K-State First team members, Gregory Eiselein, Mandi McKinley, Mariya Vaughan, and Brent Weaver, and our colleagues, Dr. Stephanie Bannister, Tara Coleman, Dr. Emily Lehning, and RJ Youngblood. We learned a lot from other higher learning institutions and also presented our own work to emphasize how K-State continues to be a leader in first-year experience programming. Continue reading “Highlights from the 37th Annual First-Year Experience Conference” →

First-Year Student Advocate and 2017 KSBN Award Winners

Posted on by Mariya

K-State First and the K-State Book Network presented four winners for our 2017 First-Year Student Advocate and KSBN Awards on March 9, 2018, at The Table at JP’s Bar and Grill. The event was hosted by our Housing and Dining partners, and included a brief ceremony to celebrate the success of these amazing students and faculty members. Continue reading “First-Year Student Advocate and 2017 KSBN Award Winners” →

KSBN Faculty Thinks “Outside The Box” to merge First-Year Students with a Dance Performance

Posted on by Mariya

Julie L. Pentz

Common reading programs, like the K-State Book Network, are popular in many first-year experience programs and one of the core components of K-State First. The activities used to explore the chosen text provide opportunities for cross-disciplinary learning that promote meaningful interactions and an exchange of ideas. Dance Professor and K-State First instructor, Julie L. Pentz, encouraged this very thing for our 2017-2018 common book, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon. Pentz partnered reading the book with a choreographic dance in her first year K-State Culture seminar course. This was a new opportunity for all involved, as most of her students had little to no dance experiences when they entered into this course. Continue reading “KSBN Faculty Thinks “Outside The Box” to merge First-Year Students with a Dance Performance” →

Going Beyond My First-Year Experience with K-State First

Posted on by Mariya

Reagan Swank

As a first-generation student I remember coming into college having no clue how my college experience was going to take off. One of the best decisions that I made as a first-year student was enrolling in the Strengths CAT Community. This class impacted my first-year college experience tremendously. I had class with an experienced teacher that challenged my way of leadership and critical thinking skills. My CAT Community helped me with my transition into college. On top of all of this my class organized a Christmas holiday gathering for the Ogden community near Manhattan. This is an impoverished community that my CAT Community was able to assist first hand and make a difference in. We impacted many of the families in the community. Continue reading “Going Beyond My First-Year Experience with K-State First” →

K-State First and #KSUnite

Posted on by Mariya

K-State First is dedicated to creating a space where all of our colleagues and students are valued and celebrated. We believe this is an essential component for an effective learning environment. This also allows us the chance to demonstrate to our students the value and importance of diverse perspectives to prepare them for the world outside of the university. Continue reading “K-State First and #KSUnite” →