Kansas State University

In February of this year, fourteen faculty and staff members from K-State attended the 36th Annual First-Year Experience Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. Three of our core K-State First team members, Gregory Eiselein, Mandi McKinley, and Mariya Vaughan, attended pre-conference workshops as well. We continued to build our knowledge on best-practices from various 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 36th Annual First-Year Experience Conference” →

Hey Wildcats! I love looking back and seeing how KSBN has grown and changed from when we started in 2010 with “The Hunger Games”.

2017 is the year of “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time”.  The book tells the story of a quirky young man who sets out to discover who killed his neighbor’s dog and along the way discovers more than he ever expected. Continue reading “K-State Book Network in 2016 and 2017” →

K-State First strives to help first year students have a smooth and successful transition into college. Gaining support both in and out of the classroom is key to a successful first year for many students. While the transition to college can generally be challenging for first year students being a first generation college student can add a whole new level of challenges. Continue reading “K-State First Helps First Generation Students Succeed” →

This past year has been very productive for the K-State First Student Advisory Council. We have continued to be successful in recruiting students through speaking with them at booths and following up with them through email and letter writing. We started a new event event called Cookies and Cocoa, which was very successful. We even had a little fun during the year, including our winter holiday party and our new member meeting at Varsity Donuts. Continue reading “Student Advisory Council (SAC): A Year in Review” →

From some of my earliest memories, I’ve been shaped by stories. Whether I was being read to in family members’ laps or entering a new world through a TV or movie screen, the characters, places, and themes guided me through my childhood and gave me an escape from the routines of my every day life.

When I was growing up, these stories had a singular, introspective nature. It was only when I got older that I began to understand the connections and lessons that they truly gave me, and this realization took on a new dimension when I came to K-State. Continue reading “What Being a Residential Learning Assistant Means to Me” →

Welcome to the inaugural issue of our K-State First newsletter!

K-State First is the university’s first-year experience program. Our mission is to help new students with the transition from high school to college-level learning and college life.

Our four core programs—First-Year Seminars, CAT Communities, KSBN (our common reading program), and Guide to Personal Success (or GPS, a one-one-mentoring program)—provide students with the opportunity to build the foundation for an engaged and successful college career. In everything we do, we are committed to academic excellence, community, diversity, and the empowerment of students, and we believe strongly that a great college experience begins with a great first year. Continue reading “Letter from the Director” →