Saturday, April 11 marked K-State’s annual Open House celebration to give past, present and future Wildcats an opportunity to explore the more than 250 majors and programs offered by the university, as well as its 475-plus student organizations and extracurricular activities.
Since its beginning in 1969, Open House has brought thousands of people to campus each year, thanks to the students, faculty and staff who invest hours planning and executing the event. Vice President of Student Life and Dean of Students Pat Bosco said it’s a “great tradition” for the K-State family.
“Now, we’re attracting 20 thousand visitors to the campus,” said Bosco of the event’s growth.
He added that one of his favorite aspects is witnessing the generations of K-State students attending together. “[There are] families and alumni coming back and celebrating the breadth and scope of our academic programs and the quality of our student life,” he noted.
Open House is a student-led initiative, with more than 2,000 current K-Staters dedicating their academic year to organizing activities and attractions that take place throughout the day. Kyle Pelton, a senior in accounting, served as this year’s Student Coordinator for all participating departments.
“I’m kind of heading up the Core Committee,” said Pelton of his duties. “The Core Committee is a group of nine different students that works with all the different colleges and departments across campus to coordinate all the activities for the day of open house.”
He told KMAN he was pleased with this year’s turnout, adding that it’s a great opportunity to introduce potential students to K-State.
“I think it’s important for not only the Manhattan community to kind of see everything that goes on at the university, but it’s also a great time for prospective students to come up and see if K-State is where they fit in and where they belong.”
Pelton also expressed his gratitude to the student volunteers who made the day possible by donating their time to head-up booths and information centers throughout the day. Freshman Chloe Nelson was one of those students.
Nelson, who serves as an ambassador for the Staley School of Leadership Studies, spent her afternoon in the Leadership Studies Building giving tours and answering questions about the program.
“I love talking to prospective students and their families about what it’s like to be a student, my day-to-day life here, and how Leadership Studies or any of the other programs I’m involved in can enhance your college experience,” said Nelson.
She also provided those interested with information on maintaining a healthy lifestyle at the university by balancing school work, social life and extracurricular activities. Overall however, Nelson said the most important part of Open House was to welcome everyone into the Wildcat family.
“I think just being super smiley and showing everybody your K-State pride really is the first thing to do,” she said. “Just to really make people want to come back to K-State.”
