[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 2]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 1581-1582]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


    CONGRATULATING KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY ON ITS 150TH ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. LYNN JENKINS

                               of kansas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, February 15, 2013

  Ms. JENKINS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and congratulate 
Kansas State University, the oldest public university in the state of 
Kansas, on its 150th anniversary. Kansas State University holds a 
special place in my heart as my alma mater, and today, I still proudly 
wear my K-State purple.
  Originally founded as Bluemont Central College in 1858, Kansas State 
University began as an institute of higher education serving 29 
students from working class and farm families in the Kansas Territory. 
In 1863, during the Civil War, Bluemont College became the Kansas State 
Agriculture College, the first land grant university under President 
Lincoln's Morrill Act, and was only the second public institution of 
higher education to admit men and women equally.
  Today, more than 24,000 students from all 50 states and more than 90 
countries around the world study at one of Kansas State's three 
locations: the main campus in Manhattan, better known as the Little 
Apple; the College of Technology and Aviation in Salina; and the new 
state-of-the-art Olathe campus, which is currently preparing graduate 
students in the innovative fields of bioscience and biotechnology.
  Kansas State University is among the top 75 public universities, and 
offers more than 250 undergraduate majors, 65 master's degrees, 45 
doctoral degrees and 22 graduate certificates in multiple disciplines. 
The university ranks first nationally among state universities in 
Rhodes, Marshall, Truman, Goldwater, and Udall scholars with 135 
recipients, and the Kansas State University College of Engineering was 
recently named one of the best undergraduate engineering programs in 
the nation, according to U.S. News and World Report.
  Kansas State has a wonderfully supportive community, better known as 
the K-State family, and it is serious business. Let me give you an 
example. Six years ago, students created the K-State Proud campaign. 
Driven by the idea of how a family takes care of one another, the Proud 
campaign established a culture of philanthropy and to date has raised 
more than half a million dollars to fund 300

[[Page 1582]]

scholarships for students who are struggling financially due to 
challenges from health issues, natural disasters, or family tragedy. 
This is in addition to the $200 million in scholarships, grants, loans 
and work study Kansas State distributes each year.
  With 16 men's and women's athletic programs, more than 475 student 
organizations, and more than 20 club sports, cultivating a positive and 
encouraging sense of student life is a high priority. The Princeton 
Review recently ranked Kansas State as second in the nation for 
excellent campus and community relations and No. 14 for quality of 
life.
  If you ask anyone what they remember most about their time at Kansas 
State University, they will tell you without a doubt, it is the people. 
It is where they met their best friends, their husbands or wives, and 
it is where they hope their children choose to attend.
  Graduates of Kansas State University have gone on to do many great 
things for this country, and I am not only referring to those who 
entered public service as a member of the House, Senate, or even the 
Kansas governor. Notable Kansas State alums include: presidents of 
colleges and universities; chairmen and CEOs of major companies, 
Olympic gold medalists, Emmy Award winners, as well as the creator of 
the snooze alarm, and the inventor of the Space Pen.
  On this historic anniversary, it is my honor to recognize my alma 
mater, Kansas State University, on 150 years of excellence. I can only 
image the remarkable things the future holds for Kansas State and the 
talented individuals it will educate and inspire. Congratulations.

                          ____________________