KSU’s Agriculture and Veterinary Colleges Get High Rankings

(Left to right) Bob Petersen, AgBizKC Executive Director, Dustin Johansen, AgBizKC Chair, Dr. Ben Wolfe, K-State Olathe, Ron Seeber, AgBizKC Vice Chair, Dr. Bonnie Rush, KSU-college of Veterinary Medicine, and Dr. Ernie Minton, KSU-College of Agriculture

The Deans of Kansas State University’s Colleges of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine had plenty to boast about at the Council’s October luncheon meeting, annually hosted by K-State Olathe. They were introduced by Dr. Ben Wolfe, Olathe campus Dean & CEO, who pointed out that K-State has a strong reputation in the field of animal science. “We’re ranked 10th in the country and 14th in the world, according to EduRank.org.”

Dr. Ernie Minton, the Ag dean, provided an update on the Ag Innovation Initiative. With a price tag of $208 million, it is the largest single infrastructure undertaking in the history of the university. It signals the beginning of a food, agriculture and natural resources infrastructure overhaul in Manhattan and throughout the state. “The project will set a new bar for multidisciplinary research and innovation,” said Dr. Minton, “and continue to elevate K-State’s status among ag schools in the U.S.”

Dr. Bonnie Rush, dean of the veterinary college since 2019, has spearheaded efforts to develop existing and new programs, to accelerate student growth and improve research, teaching and extension curricula and services. The college has three academic departments, two service units — the Veterinary Health Center and Kansas State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory — and is home to a number of prestigious research centers and units, including the Center of Excellence for Emerging and Zoonotic Animal Diseases, Beef Cattle Institute, Center of Excellence for Vector-Borne Diseases and the U.S.-China Center for Animal Health. The college's professional degree program provides broad training opportunities across a comprehensive range of companion and exotic animals, and livestock species.

Dr. Rush’s efforts have been rewarded. Kansas State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine consistently ranks in the Top Ten Listings of veterinary schools. College.US.com and U.S. News & World Report are among outlets publishing such data. As part of the presentation, Dr. Rush described a unique scholarship program for talented veterinary students who intend to enter rural practice. The scholarship pays in-state tuition for approximately seven veterinary students who commit to practicing at a rural mixed-animal hospital for four years.

Dr. Rush was also proud to announce that the College of Veterinary Medicine had recently awarded its first honorary doctorate in veterinary medicine to Temple Grandin, Ph.D.