HandsOn Kansas State is a program housed within the Staley School of Leadership that promotes civic learning and leadership through meaningful volunteer and service opportunities between campus and community. HandsOn strives to develop socially-responsible citizens, knowledgeably equipped for active participation. For more information, volunteer opportunities, or questions about mobile food distributions, contact HandsOn Kansas State at handson@k-state.edu.
All Wildcats are invited to the Staley School Block Party outside of the Leadership Studies Building from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 28. This is a free, come-and-go event for students.
Have you heard? By 2030, Kansas State University will provide every degree-seeking student with applied learning experiences before they graduate, fulfilling our commitment to prepare students for life beyond K-State starting early in their college experience. The Staley School of Leadership proudly holds this work. Alongside many other programs and classes University-wide, we have been offering students opportunities to engage with communities locally and globally since our start in 1997!
Get to know all of the ways you can grow your resume, skill-set, and network by adding these experiences to your time at K-State. These opportunities come in all shapes and sizes, so whether you have time for a single event, a weekly meeting, or adding an academic credential to your studies, we can help you excel through one of our unique offerings.
Why drop by?
Hop in to the yourUnforgettable 360 photo booth to make a memory
Discover new ways to meet people on campus
A chance to win prizes
Customize your personal and professional development
Get involved in community
Learn about our travel programs – domestic and international
If you can’t stop by but wanted to learn more, email leadership@ksu.edu and we can connect you with our team. You can also visit www.k-state.edu/leadership to explore all offerings and learn more.
Furniture Amnesty Day will take place Friday, July 26, starting at 8 a.m. in City Park. Furniture Amnesty Day is a community event that gives people the opportunity to donate or pick up used furniture at no cost. In 2023, 355 pieces of furniture were kept from landfills and instead went free to Manhattan homes.
Anyone can participate. There are no income requirements or forms to fill out to select donated items. Registration for furniture shopping begins at City Park starting at 8 a.m. on the day of the event.
Free shopping will be scheduled in 15-minute timeslots from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Participants can return to the park at their scheduled time and take home up to five furniture items at no cost. Items in a set, such as a table and chairs, will only count as one item. No additional paperwork is needed. Furniture will continue to be gathered and dropped off throughout the day, so there will always be a fresh selection of goods.
Assignments to pick furniture will be on a first-come, first-served basis. Any furniture left after 4 p.m. is open to the general public.
Please note: Volunteers can help to load furniture into vehicles, but participants will need to arrange their own method of transport.
Kansas State University lost a tremendous friend and supporter in the passing of Richard Mistler in late May 2024. Rich graduated from K-State in 1962 with a degree in Chemical Engineering. As a student he served as a member of Blue Key Senior Honorary and as President of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity. This was just the beginning of his service and leadership to his beloved alma mater. He served on the KSU Foundation Board of Trustees and provided support to many campus entities, most specifically the K-State Chapter of Blue Key National Honorary and the Staley School of Leadership.
Rich showed his belief in the talents and dedication of college students by funding Blue Key in its transition away from managing homecoming to providing leadership development programming to students across campus beginning in 1991. He remained a steadfast supporter of Blue Key and continued to grow his support not only financially but by spending quality time with the students and modeling to them what it means to give back to their university. Because of Rich and the ongoing support through the Mistler Family Foundation, Blue Key offers a variety of leadership and self-development programs annually, including Quest Freshmen Honorary, Leadership Appreciation, Catalyst Self-Development, College to Career transition programs, the newly established Mistler Fellows Program and many other annual programs. Through his leadership and support, Blue Key members work hard to develop their leadership skills and abilities, but more importantly, he gave them the opportunity to intentionally cultivate the best in others. Continue reading “Remembering Rich Mistler”→
On the evening of April 30, HandsOn Kansas State, a program of the Staley School of Leadership, hosted a celebratory event honoring this academic year’s volunteers from Staley School co-curricular programs. The event marked the culmination of National Volunteer Month, recognizing the dedicated individuals who have contributed their time and efforts to making a positive impact within the Kansas State University campus and the broader Manhattan community.
Campbell McNorton, a student coordinator for HandsOn Kansas State, warmly welcomed attendees, expressing gratitude for their commitment to service. McNorton emphasized the significance of collective action in addressing societal challenges, stating, “When we serve together, we amplify our impact and create something truly transformational.”
Throughout the evening, attendees were treated to highlights of various leadership and service programs facilitated by HandsOn Kansas State and the Staley School over the last year. Attendees reflected on the profound impact of volunteerism and pledged to continue their efforts in building a better, more connected community.
The Staley School of Leadership has long employed students to assist with cocurricular activities at Kansas State University, offering paid positions that provide numerous benefits, including the opportunity for students to apply what they are learning in class to real-world challenges. These applied learning experiences offer invaluable opportunities for on-the-job learning, professional development, and gaining experience in project management, interpersonal skills, and more. As part of K-State’s Next-Gen strategic plan, every degree-seeking student will complete an applied learning experience before graduation. While service and working with various demographics are typical examples, Staley School opportunities are tailored to students’ academic and post-college goals.
Students on the Staley School student public relations (PR) team contribute to developing communications and marketing content, spanning graphic design, photography, videography, and event management, playing a vital role in programmatic success and community outreach efforts.
A video project completed this semester (seen below) by PR team members Camila Gonzalez and Meghan Ariagno focused on students’ community engagement work for the course, LEAD 212: Introduction to Leadership Concepts. Coordinating and conducting interviews, developing the storyline, editing the video and writing and recording the voice-over are examples of the “learn-by-doing” approach that has been integral to the Staley School of Leadership since its beginnings in 1997.
Gonzalez, a senior in fashion studies with a minor in leadership studies, has been on the team for three years. Though her work focuses on social media coordination and scheduling, expanding her work to video production, interviews, and other digital content has given her the chance to broaden her skillset.
“Reflecting on my time at the Staley School of Leadership, I see significant professional growth, thanks to our wonderful team and supportive faculty. Collaborating with the team throughout projects and storytelling opportunities, I’m grateful for the opportunities that pushed me to evolve and grow skills in my role,” said Gonzalez. “As I move forward, I carry with me the valuable professional insights and remain committed to the school’s mission.”
Ariagno is a junior studying business administration andhas been a photographer on the team for two years. She also opted to try a few things outside of her typical portraits and candid photos by assisting with event planning at the school, and working with a few video projects, including this one.
“Working with the Staley School has been incredible. They’ve provided me with numerous opportunities to grow professionally, learn new skills, and experience interdisciplinary collaboration. With every project, I’ve gained valuable insights, contributing to my development as a better team member and student,” said Ariagno.
Opportunities to try new skills and potentially find new favorite hobbies or even professional pathways are among the many benefits to applied learning experiences. It also gives students a real-world application of a skillset that can impact students, communities, organizations and beyond.
To learn more about the K-State Next-Gen strategic plan, visit their website. To learn more about opportunities to participate in programs or to find paid student opportunities, visit the Staley School of Leadership website at www.k-state.edu/leadership.
One of the primary components that distinguishes service and volunteerism from service-learning (also known as community-engaged learning) is critical reflection. Intentionally designed reflection that evokes critical thinking about the service (or other applied or engaged experience) can help learners avoid thinking simplistically and reinforcing stereotypes, and can help them learn about course content and how they learn. During a food distribution event I (Lori) participated in, my students noticed a participant selectively choosing items from the line and leaving some behind. Initially, my students assumed that the person didn’t need as much food since they declined certain items. However, through a group critical reflection session after the event, we reflected together. The students explored alternative interpretations; such as the person trying to avoid wasting food or simply having personal food preferences or food allergies. This reflective process fostered empathy and strengthened the connection between my students and the individuals receiving the food assistance.
In this latest entry of the What is Service-Learning? blog series, we discuss the opportunities provided by critical reflection to enhance learning. We describe a popular, research-grounded model of critical reflection that can be applied in any curricular or co-curricular context and across disciplines to guide and structure reflection in service-learning (or any other experiential learning process). Lastly, we share important considerations for designing critical reflection to make visible some of the various approaches to designing reflection.
What is critical reflection?
One of the founders of experiential learning, John Dewey, emphasized that while experience provides a foundation for learning, it is actually making meaning of (reflecting on) the experience that generates learning, not the experience itself. When we think about integrating service-learning into a course, then, it is not sufficient to simply incorporate service experiences and assume students will learn from them. It is essential to thoughtfully design critical reflection that is woven through these experiences, both so that meaningful learning occurs and so that the full range of relationships and outcomes deepen over time. Specifically, it’s important to use reflection to connect service experiences to the various learning goals. Those goals might include academic learning goals (e.g., course concepts, disciplinary perspectives), civic learning goals (e.g., power, systems), personal growth goals (e.g., communication, values) generally associated with service-learning (See the What is Service-Learning blog in this series). Continue reading “Designing critical reflection for service-learning”→
The Staley School of Leadership invites the campus community to Celebrating Service and Leadership, an annual awards event. Students, community members and groups will be recognized for their efforts in service, leadership and more.
The event will take place at 4 p.m. Sunday, April 21. Registration is requested by Friday, April 19.
