Kansas State University - Royal Purple Yearbook (Manhattan, KS)

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At the 65th-annual Southwestern Bell Cotton Bowl Classic pep rally at Fair Park in Dallas, President Jon Wefald thanks K- State fans for making the trip to support the team. The Wildcats beat the University of Tennessee 35-21. Since his arrival at K-State Wefald has supported the team. Wefald made a strong verbal committment to head coach Bill Snyder and the program, Snyder said in the 1989 Royal Purple. (Photo by Matt Stamey) During the Art of Rowing brunch Sept. 24 at the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City, Mo., Ruth Ann Wefald shields herself from the drizzling rain. The event raised funds to build a club house for the women ' s rowing team. Ruth Ann, having been an intercolle- giate rower at Smith ' s College, started the committee. it came to my attention that the boat house they currently use had no sanitary facilities: she said. (Photo by Kelly Glasscock) 27 STUDENT LIFE

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confined dame .4 Ruth Ann also helped by recruiting for the university. Wefald said Ruth Ann sat next to the president of a Nigerian flour mill on a plane and used the 65-minute flight to talk him into sending his son to school at K-Srate. In January, the student arrived in Manhattan, and Ruth Ann met him at the airport. He stayed with the Wefalds for the weekend until he was settled into a residence hall. Bringing students to K-State has been important to Wefald since the beginning. In his inaugural address in 1986, Wefald outlined goals that, at the time, seemed impossible to reach. There was a real expectation to turn around the enrollment, said Robert Krause, vice president for institutional advancement. I don ' t think there were two people across the state of Kansas who thought we could increase the numbers. ' Wefald said he did not let the pessimism upset his goals, instead he focused on what was obtainable. When 1 arrived, the attitude was one of demoralization, ' Wefald said. They felt like the problems were so out of control that they could not be solved. For example, when I arrived, the new library was scheduled to be completed in 2010 but we finished it in 1998. During Wefald ' s tenure at K-State, he and Ruth Ann worked together to improve the institution. Through the president ' s efforts, enrollment did reach an all-time high. Wefald also created and improved athletic programs across campus. Scholastic advances in the last 14 years ensured K-State ' s position as one of the top universities in the country. The administration ' s organization helped the president succeed, Krause said. But Ruth Ann said the success was the result of more than just organized structure. He loves K-State, and he loves to win, Ruth Ann said. That gives him the drive to create an institution that is on top. Wefald said he believed K-State ' s success took team effort. The vice presidents and deans are great leaders, and the student senate as well, President Wefald said. Great leaders give us the opportunity to compete as a top university even though we are under-funded. Krause agreed. President Wefald ' s policy is that you And solutions and are proactive, Krause said. With three vice presidents, our individual responsibilities are very well-defined. We are all on one team, though. After so many years of working together there are a lot of side conversations we don ' t have to have. You know each other ' s strengths and weaknesses. There is a trust factor and an understanding that we have the same goals. UNSEEN

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••:•‘ •, y • y Inc.‘ r( dd., • Concentrating and lying low, Lessa North, sophomore in engineering, focuses on the enemy during a ROTC dnll for a class. There are four stations and students cycle through the stations and practice different drills to prepare for combat (Photo by Karen Mikols) Practicing for a competition, Matthew HowelL freshman in open-option, pulls himself across a rope bridge. A team is supposed to assemble and get three members across in a timed competition. The team completed its task in 2:05 minutes. (Photo by Karen Mikols) In a test for speed and skill. Michael Smith, junior in secondary education, and James Gains, sophomore in history, assist another ROTC cadet down from the rope bridge drill. (Photo by Karen Mikols) UNSEEN •••