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MANHATTAN — A recent analysis by the Wall Street Journal shows Kansas State University is one of the best schools in the nation for improving students’ critical thinking skills.

According to the newspaper’s analysis, Kansas State University is 12th in the nation and first in the Big 12 Conference and in Kansas when it comes to the amount of improvement students make in their ability to think critically, reason, interpret and evaluate between their freshman to senior years.

Strong critical thinking skills are important to employers and highlight the value of a degree from Kansas State University, said Pat Bosco, vice president for student life and dean of students.

“This survey shows how a degree from K-State gives our students an important edge when it comes to landing a job,” Bosco said. “Employers seek graduates who have the strong critical thinking skills that make them ready for the job on day one. These are the skills our students are acquiring through the more than 250 programs and options that K-State offers.”

As the university’s chief academic officer, April Mason, provost and senior vice president, said strengthening students’ abilities to think critically is not just a sign of their academic growth, but also shows institutional effectiveness.

“Developing critical thinkers is part of the university’s 2025 plan to be a Top 50 public university,” Mason said. “Moreover, it is important for determining the effectiveness of student learning and of our teaching. This is an area of great emphasis at K-State and one we will never stop seeking to better.”

This emphasis is highlighted by the university’s Teaching and Learning Center, which declared 2017 as the “Year of Critical Thinking.” The center and university’s Office of Assessment have been offerings workshops and other events throughout the year on ways to improve and better assess critical thinking skills.

For the Wall Street Journal’s analysis, results from the Collegiate Learning Assessment Plus, known as the CLA+, from 2013-2016 were used. This standardized test, administered annually by the Council for Aid to Education, assesses students’ performance in analysis and problem-solving, scientific and quantitative reasoning, critical reading and evaluation, and critiquing an argument, as well as writing mechanics and effectiveness.

Kansas State University no longer administers the CLA+ as it is just one of the many methods available to universities to assess students’ critical thinking development, said Brian Niehoff, associate provost of institutional effectiveness.

“The challenge is that the problems requiring critical thinking differ greatly across disciplines, such as architecture, agriculture, business, engineering, science, art or literature,” Niehoff said. “The internal assessments administered at K-State allow for and measure specific critical thinking skills within each discipline.”

Niehoff said the learning gains as measured by the CLA+ showed an overall correlation with the growth in learning found from the university’s other assessment measures.

“We use the compiled data from all assessment methods to assist our continuous cycle of improving teaching and learning for all students,” he said.

Assessment methods used at the university have been recognized as a national model. The Excellence in Assessment program named Kansas State university as one of 10 exemplary colleges and universities for its commitment to the comprehensive assessment of student learning outcomes. This is the first national designation of its kind and spotlights institutions successfully integrating assessment practices across campus, providing evidence of student learning outcomes, and using assessment results to guide institutional decision-making and improve student performance.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – At today’s hearing of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, Dr. John Floros, Dean and Director of the College of Agriculture and Kansas State University Research and Extension, testified on agriculture research conducted at land-grant institutions.

Agriculture Committee Chairman Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., held the hearing, titled, “Agricultural Research: Perspectives on Past and Future Successes for the 2018 Farm Bill.”

In his testimony, Dr. Floros discussed the challenges and opportunities of agriculture research, including the integral role of land-grant universities, the return on investment of federal funding, methods of reducing food waste, and research contributions to food supply, such as safety, security, quality, and value.

“Dr. Floros is national and international leader in agriculture research,” said Chairman Roberts. “Kansas is lucky to have such a distinguished agricultural scientist blazing the trail in new and innovative agriculture research methods. I thank Dr. Floros for sharing his expertise with the Senate Agriculture Committee as we prepare to write the next Farm Bill.”

Since 2012, Dr. Floros has served as the dean of the College of Agriculture and director of K-State Research and Extension. Under his leadership, K-State established the first ever NSF supported Center on Wheat Genomics, and the College competed and won four new U.S. Agency for International Development Feed-the-Future Innovation Labs on wheat, sorghum and millet, postharvest loss reduction and sustainable intensification of agriculture. Dr. Floros also served as professor and head of the department of food science at Pennsylvania State University and professor at Purdue University. He has worked as an international industry consultant for more than 30 years. Dr. Floros earned a combined bachelor’s/master’s degree in food science and technology from the Agricultural University of Athens, Greece, and a doctorate in food science and technology from the University of Georgia.

Click here to watch Dr. Floros’ testimony. 

Efforts toward revitalizing the local dog park in Junction City’s South Park continue to move forward.

Residents have stepped up to donate their personal funds toward the project. Cheryl Beatty, Assistant City Manager, is among those involved in the effort.

“We already have the fenced off area – it was a ball field at one time, and it’s turned into a dog park,” said Beatty. “So [we] turned it into a ball park, but there’s not a facility there for shade and we want to create some excitement there; we’ve planted a couple trees and we’re replanting the grass with more durable grass so the dogs can’t tear it up as easily.”

City Commissioner Pat Landes brought forth the idea to upgrade the dog park earlier this year. Landes’ ideas included a shelter for dog owners and some type of agility/play area for the dogs.

Donations and private funds are being sought for the project; this will not be funded with taxpayer dollars.