Industry Partners
The College of Human Ecology and many of its centers and institutes have long-standing relationships with businesses and organizations:
- The Sensory Analysis Center, Institute of Environmental Research, and many individual faculty members have research contracts with national and international businesses and organizations to test or develop new products.
- Several of our faculty have been involved in ventures — for instance, NutriJoy, Inc. — that have been fostered through the National Institute for Strategic Technology Acquisition and Commercialization (NISTAC), a not-for-profit, 501(c)3 corporation, organized under the auspices of Kansas State University (K-State) and the State of Kansas via the Kansas Technology Enterprise Corporation (KTEC).
- The Department of Hospitality Management and Dietetics has formal affiliations and agreements with more than 40 leading healthcare and foodservice organizations and an assortment of prestigious hotel and restaurant corporations nationwide. These relationships provide structured internship and practicum experiences for our students and are integral to our accreditation status.
- As part of a project sponsored by a USDA grant received by Drs. Melody LeHew and Deborah Meyer-Brosdahl, Kansas State University and the Department of Apparel, Textiles, and Interior Design will be partnering with AVEDA, an internationally known company in the health and beauty industry.The outcome of this partnership will be a non-profit organization designed to foster partnerships between private industry, public institutions of higher education, and youth that will help create a more sustainable fashion industry. The organization will be called Sustainable TechStyles Outreach and Partnerships (STOP). Benefits to students joining this organization may include: leadership opportunities; participation opportunities in student-led initiatives, projects and other philanthropic activities; participation in industry-sponsored design and marketing competitions; and opportunities for mentoring by key industry leaders.
- Through the KSU Foundation’s Office of Corporate Relations, companies and organizations can build strong relationships with the College, including:
- sponsoring scholarships to strengthen the future workforce
- working with student organizations to provide additional student learning opportunities
- partnering with the K-State Career and Employment Services to recruit and hire employees and interns
- establishing endowed faculty professorships or providing gifts to help attract leading faculty to K-State
- supporting building construction and renovation projects to enhance teaching and research
- providing in-kind gifts to the university to enhance teaching and research
- Through advisory boards in many of our professional programs — Interior Design, Apparel and Textiles, Financial Planning and Hospitality Management and Dietetics — leading professionals help shape our programs, thus providing opportunities to enhance student learning and better prepare graduates for the workforce.
For more information about how your company or organization could partner with a unit within the College of Human Ecology, contact the College of Human Ecology development team at 1-800-432-1578, the dean’s office at (785) 532-5500 or a specific center or institute related to your field.