Kansas State University, Public research university in Manhattan, United States
Kansas State University is a public research institution in Manhattan that spans 270 hectares and features buildings made from local limestone. The campus divides into nine colleges that house lecture halls, research labs, and a university library with more than two million volumes.
The institution opened in September 1863 as Kansas State Agricultural College with 52 students after its founding in February that year. It was the first land-grant university in the United States to actually begin classes under the Morrill Act.
The university takes its nickname from Wildcat Creek, a stream that once reminded European settlers of a wild cat. Students gather at Bosco Plaza, a central square with a fountain, where friends meet during warm spring afternoons.
Most public areas of the campus remain open to visitors, though individual buildings may require guest passes. Parking spreads across the grounds, with some zones reserved for guests during daytime hours.
At the Konza Prairie Biological Station, a university research site south of Manhattan, bison graze across more than 3,400 hectares of grassland. The station uses controlled burns to maintain the original prairie as it existed before settlement.
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