Provost reports progress on proposed AAS in food and feed manufacturing; articulation talks with 'Cali' college ongoing

Provost Mendez updated the Board of Regents’ Budget and Academic Services Committee on a proposed AAS in food and feed manufacturing, saying campus faculty have reviewed certificate coursework and that most milling courses appear likely to apply to the proposed degree.

“Students who have completed the Cali certificates can apply for 30 hours from the Cali toward the proposed Kansas State AAS,” Mendez said, adding that some courses could count as required courses or technical electives. He also said the schedule of course offerings will not support a true one-plus-one sequencing where students complete a certificate in one year and a degree in the second year.

Mendez said the universities have requested a meeting with Cali College leadership and an adjunct milling instructor — identified as a Kansas State alumnus — to develop an articulation agreement. "We have not received a response, but we understand that they are in transition at the BPAA position," he said, and added that the goal is to have a signed articulation agreement within the next few weeks.

Committee members described the report as a positive update but did not take formal action. The committee acknowledged ongoing collaboration between Kansas State and the community college system; Mendez said students could also take online courses in both programs concurrently.

No votes or formal approvals on the proposed AAS were recorded in the committee discussion; the item was provided as an informational update to the committee and will be available for broader board consideration as appropriate.

The committee thanked academic-affairs staff for the work on the articulation effort and on related collaborations across institutions.

The update did not include a signed agreement or a final program schedule; those remain contingent on continued campus-level negotiations and a response from the Cali College leadership team.