Kansas State University

By Ashley Nietfeld

For many students, the decision to go back to school is a difficult one. Many factors come into play, including time spent away from family, the potential for work conflicts and, perhaps most of all, finances.

Although the majority of students who choose to earn a degree online are older and many earn a steady income, their financial responsibilities are also greater. They may have a mortgage, child care payments or previous student loans. Some students even feel guilty for going back to school, worried about the impact the cost may have on their families. Continue reading “For Alma Mater Fight – Supporting student scholarships at the place we love full well” →

By Hannah Franzen

When Kansas State University Global Campus — then the Division of Continuing Education — was established in 1966, online classes were decades from development. Back when technology took up an entire room and personal computers were barely entering the scene, the technological landscape was changing drastically.

Over the past 50 years, as new technologies have become an integral part of our world, K-State Global Campus has used the changing tools of the times to deliver distance education. Although the way classes are delivered has changed — from face-to-face delivery, to broadcast communications, to the interactive online classroom of today — these technologies connect K-State to students and to each other around the world. Continue reading “Education Evolved – A timeline of distance education delivery technologies” →

By Rosanna Vail

Since its earliest days, professional development at Kansas State University has helped people rise and remain at the top of their fields. Now more than ever, professionals must stay actively engaged to improve skills and connections in an increasingly competitive workforce.

While new face-to-face and online noncredit programs and conferences launch each year through K-State, longstanding programs continue the university’s legacy of keeping professionals informed about emerging topics and skills for their industry. These opportunities — offered at the local, regional, national and international levels — span many disciplines. Continue reading “Professionally Refreshed – How to keep current throughout your career” →

By Anna Shippy

Food, and the study of the science behind it, is a global field. Since the beginning of Kansas State University’s food science graduate program in 1965, students and alumni have been making an impact throughout the food industry — and the world.

From food chemistry, safety and processing, to nutrition, product development and business management, coursework in the program has grown to meet the demands of professionals in one of the world’s largest and most essential industries. Continue reading “50 Years of Food Science – Perspectives on program growth and industry impact” →

By Anna Shippy

For half a century, Kansas State University Global Campus has adapted to meet the educational needs of students. New technologies

and methods of teaching made way for more opportunities to extend K-State to the world. But what’s next in the future of higher education? What lies beyond online learning?

To kick off the K-State Global Campus 50th anniversary celebration, Louis Soares, vice president for the American Council on Education’s Center for Policy and Research Strategy in Washington, D.C., presented a lecture on the future of higher education. In the lecture, Soares advised that universities must adapt to higher education trends to meet student needs.

Continue reading “Future Focused – What to expect from the next 50 years of higher education” →

Kansas State University reaches far across the globe — from its campuses all the way to Cambodia.

Cristina Mansfield ‘04 had already completed a bachelor’s and master’s degree but had unanswered questions for her career in international development. Among her many global experiences, she worked on democracy and governance issues in Cambodia and became interested in where the country should be investing their money, particularly in agriculture.

Mansfield found her answers through K-State’s Master of Agribusiness (MAB) program, which she completed from Cambodia, along with students in several other countries.

Continue reading “Alumni Fellow Assesses Agribusiness Needs in Asia” →

Knowing how to prevent and respond to violence is useful in every aspect of life, from the workplace and community to personal situations.

Kansas State University’s 15-credit undergraduate certificate in nonviolence studies teaches strategies, tactics and tools to help resolve problems without violence.

The program focuses on getting ahead of violence by exploring the conditions that lead up to potentially violent situations and identifying ways people can help change those conditions on both a local and global level.

Natalie Byington ’13 completed the online certificate program and serves as a manager, educating her employees in nonviolence techniques. She says that as a society, we learn that conflict is bad, but the program has taught her that constructive conflict can change the world for the better.

Continue reading “Program Spotlight: Nonviolence Studies” →

Thanks to new partnerships between Kansas State University Global Campus and various colleges and departments, seven new scholarships are available starting this fall for degree-seeking students in the following online program areas:

• College of Agriculture
• College of Arts and Sciences
• College of Business Administration
• College of Education
• College of Engineering
• College of Technology and Aviation
• Department of Human Nutrition

“We are very appreciative that these colleges have joined us in this partnership to provide much needed scholarship support for distance students. This greatly expands the number and amount of available scholarship opportunities and will contribute significantly to student retention and success,” said Dave Stewart, associate dean of K-State Global Campus.

Additionally, the K-State Global Campus Scholarship for Distance Education Students was offered during summer semester for the first time.

How You Can Help
Contribute to a new scholarship fund or find out more ways to give by contacting Tracy Robinson at 785-532-7568 or tracyr@found.ksu.edu.

Five new programs launch through K-State Global Campus

• Nutrition and Health Bachelor’s
• Financial Therapy Graduate Certificate
• Teaching English as a Second Language for Adult Learners Graduate Certificate
• Primary Texts Undergraduate Certificate
• Community-Engaged Leadership Undergraduate Certificate

A national survey through Online College Students 2013: Comprehensive Data on Demands and Preferences* shows that 58 percent of respondents who had completed an online graduate degree received a pay increase. Forty-seven percent of individuals who earned an online graduate degree reported that they received a job promotion.

Out of all respondents of the survey who completed either undergraduate or graduate programs, a total of 44 percent said they improved their employment standing by obtaining a first job, full-time job or new job after completing their online degree.

K-State Global Campus programs include 27 master’s degrees, a doctoral program and 21 graduate certificates online.

*Data from Learning House and Aslanian Market Research, EducationDynamics.