A message from the dean and CEO

Tuesday, June 21, 2002

Dear K-State community,

Welcome and hello! First, let me take the opportunity to thank you for the warm welcome to K-State Olathe. As the new dean and CEO of K-State Olathe, hitting the ground running, I have been busy getting acquainted with the staff and faculty and learning more about the great things going on at the campus. Although I am still familiarizing myself with the campus, I would like to share some of my high-level priorities and goals for my first 100 days with our stakeholders at K-State, Johnson County and the KC metro area.

First and foremost, I want to learn about K-State, the Olathe campus and the culture within them. This will involve a lot of listening and learning from folks at the Olathe, Manhattan, Salina and Global campuses as well as our industry and community partners. As someone who enjoys building relationships, I look forward to these conversations.

Using what I've learned, I will start developing a campus strategic plan that aligns with the priorities of K-State and has support of the university leadership. This plan will be our roadmap that informs future actions and activities that advance and ensure the long-term viability of the university, the Olathe campus and, consequently, Greater Kansas City.

I also plan to engage our community partners and identify needs around workforce development, education and research. We’ve seen a big shakeup in the job market and higher education post-2020 due to people's behaviors and needs changing. I anticipate my conversations with stakeholders will shed light on how K-State can better serve this contemporary landscape through new graduate programs, undergraduate degree completion programs, research avenues and entrepreneurial efforts.

I’ve worked at branch campuses my entire career, so I’ve seen the types of challenges that exist both internally within the university structure and externally in the community. However, I also know that the Olathe campus is uniquely situated for success that will be achieved with time, input and creativity from all parties.

Lastly, I want to hear from you. I'll do my best to connect with everyone over these next 100 days, but also feel free to connect with me. My door is always open and I look forward to collaborating.

I’m excited about the future of K-State Olathe and hope you are as well!

— Ben Wolfe, dean and CEO