Vacation offers fresh perspective

Taking a few days for myself was nice to do and I appreciate my co-workers for allowing me to have that time April 3 to 8.

Since Jan. 1, most weeks in Dodge City have been cold and while April ought to be the time for warmer weather and shots of rain, Mother Nature seemed to be stuck in a first quarter holding pattern.  Most of the days featured brisk north winds, except on April 5 when Mother Nature put a pause in the week’s pattern and delivered a beautiful day. April 6 though showed a return to a regular cold pattern.

It was on April 6, I was able to take a quick tour of the campus of Kansas State University and continued to be amazed by all the changes there and to the city of Manhattan, Kansas. I can recall as one of the last of the baby boomers the concerns voiced by the university and community officials who feared a contraction in enrollment as the farm crisis had taken its toll in most rural towns. At the same time the Cold War was beginning to thaw, which meant fewer troops would be based at nearby Fort Riley.

Like agricultural markets—when you think you have it figured out—there are other factors that come along to offer a surprise.

Beginning with the hiring of Jon Wefald as president in 1986 a renaissance started that made K-State attractive to urban students and the president believed strongly in marketing and included the commitment to football coach Bill Snyder in 1989. As its football fortunes improved and so did enrollment.

Growth comes at a price. The university’s limestone buildings remain a fixture and good land use has kept it from looking overcrowded although it is starting to look tight. Aggieville—once the home of mostly taverns and related eateries—looks cosmopolitan and as does its downtown, which in in the late 1980s appeared stagnant.

What is ahead? The cost of tuition, like many universities in the heartland, has appeared to hit a peak and some parents are taking a look at the opportunities offered at community colleges in which some preparatory credits can be taken at a much lower cost. Some parents and students are exploring trade schools to improve employment opportunities.

In austere times, much like the 1980s, some improvements have had to be deferred. That will come at a cost and yet is a necessary decision to be made when taxpayers are not inclined to approve of large tax hikes.

K-State has been blessed with visionary presidents that followed Wefald—including Kirk Schulz (now at Washington State University) and current president Richard Myers  (who was once the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the Iraq War).

My guess is the investment the university has made to keep moving ahead will work out just fine.

Like agricultural producers, staying positive and on target will reward the universities that have good stewards in place.