Editing Education in Kansas (section)

== Colleges and universities ==
The [[Kansas Board of Regents]] governs or supervises thirty-seven public institutions.  It also authorizes numerous private and out-of-state institutions to operate in the state.  In Fall 2009, the state's six public universities reported a combined enrollment of 93,307 students,<ref name=FallEnrollment>{{cite web | title = Regents Announce 2009 Enrollment | url = http://www.kansasregents.org/download/career/CTE%20Web%20Page/CA1,%20Sherry%20Farris%20and%20Janelle%20Holt/092409%20-%20Press%20Release%20-%20Fall%20Enrollment.pdf | format = English | access-date = 2010-02-15 }}{{dead link|date=September 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> of which more than a quarter were non-resident students and more than a seventh were off-campus enrollments.

Among the state-funded universities, the [[University of Kansas]] (KU) is the largest in terms of enrollment, with 26,826 at its Lawrence campus,{{when|date=October 2021}} KU Edwards Campus in [[Overland Park, Kansas|Overland Park]], and Public Management Center (formerly the Capitol Complex) in [[Topeka, Kansas|Topeka]].  The total university enrollment, which includes [[University of Kansas Medical Center|KU Medical Center]], was 30,004.{{when|date=October 2021}}{{citation needed|date=October 2021}}  About 31% were non-resident students.

[[Kansas State University]] (KSU) has the second largest enrollment, with 23,581 students at its Manhattan and Salina campuses and Veterinary Medical Center.{{when|date=October 2021}}  About 19% were non-resident students.  [[Wichita State University]] (WSU) ranks third largest with 14,823 students; about 14% were non-resident students.  WSU has lost nearly 3,000 students since the school dropped [[college football|football]] following the 1986 season.  [[Fort Hays State University]] (FHSU), [[Pittsburg State University]] (PSU), and [[Emporia State University]] (ESU) are smaller public universities with total enrollments of 11,308, 7277, and 6314, respectively.  FHSU has the fastest growing enrollment in Kansas with most of it coming from non-resident and off-campus enrollment.  The composition of FHSU's enrollment includes 35% non-resident students and 44% off-campus enrollments.  PSU also has almost a quarter of enrollment from non-residents.

For more on the universities and colleges in Kansas, see the [[List of colleges and universities in Kansas|complete list]].

===History===
[[File:KSAC 1904 engineering class.jpg|thumb|Mechanical engineering students at Kansas State in 1904]]
The first colleges in Kansas were chartered by acts of the Kansas Territorial legislature, signed by Territorial Governor [[James W. Denver]], on February 9–12, 1858.<ref name=oldest>{{cite book | title = Private Laws of the Territory of Kansas, 1858 | publisher = S.W. Driggs | year = 1858 | pages = [https://archive.org/details/privatelawsterr00kansgoog/page/n72 71]–91 | url = https://archive.org/details/privatelawsterr00kansgoog | quote = blue mont central college 1858. | author1 = Kansas }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last = Willard | first = Julius | title = Bluemont Central College, The Forerunner of Kansas State College | journal=Kansas Historical Quarterly | date = May 1945 | url = http://www.kshs.org/publicat/khq/1945/45_6_willard.htm | access-date = 2009-06-02}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | title = Kansas' Oldest College Looks to Future | publisher=The Topeka Capitol-Journal | date = May 21, 2006 | url = http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4179/is_20060521/ai_n16453106/ | access-date = 2009-06-02 | first=A. Ryan | last=Jacobson}}</ref>  Among the ten institutes of higher learning chartered at that time, three survive in some form.  Among those chartered on February 9 were [[Highland University]] (precursor to [[Highland Community College (Kansas)|Highland Community College]]) and [[Blue Mont Central College]] (precursor to [[Kansas State University]]).<ref name=oldest/>  [[Baker University]], chartered on February 12, 1858, has been operating continuously since that time and is now recognized as the oldest continuously operating college in Kansas.<ref name=oldest/>

All of the colleges founded in 1858 were private institutions.  The first [[Public university|public]] institute of higher learning in the state was Kansas State University (originally named Kansas State Agricultural College), which was established by the state legislature on February 16, 1863.<ref name=Willard>{{cite book | last = Willard | first = Julius | title = History of Kansas State College of Agriculture and Applied Science | publisher=Kansas State College Press | year = 1940 }}</ref>

The state's universities were among the first [[Public university|public universities]] in the country to be [[Mixed-sex education|coeducational]].  Kansas State became the [[List of mixed-sex colleges and universities in the United States|second]] coeducational public institution of higher education when it opened in 1863; enrollment for the first session was 52 students: 26 men and 26 women.  The University of Kansas was also among the earliest to offer mixed-sex education, in 1869.<ref name=Cyclopedia>{{cite web|title=Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History |url=http://skyways.lib.ks.us/genweb/archives/1912/u/university_of_kansas.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110504195727/http://skyways.lib.ks.us/genweb/archives/1912/u/university_of_kansas.html |archive-date=May 4, 2011 }} (co-ed secondary-level classes began in 1866)</ref> Both KU and Kansas State were also open to students of all races from their inception.