I met with 23 of our graduating seniors in seven exit interviews before Thanksgiving. Most of our instructors have enjoyed these students in class over the last few years, so are aware of the hard work and dedication these young men and women have displayed in their times at K-State. I greatly enjoyed the opportunity to meet and get a little better acquainted with our soon-to-be graduates during these short meetings.

Our graduating seniors for the most part are off to jobs, primarily in agribusiness or production agriculture. Perhaps partially due to the healthy farm economy and/or to demographics, five of the graduating students will be returning to either their own or their family’s farming operations. An unusual number (9 of the 23) had no definite jobs lined up after graduation, though I suspect this is a temporary statistical blip.

Feedback on the agricultural economics and agribusiness program was similar to past exit interviews. Students greatly appreciate the time and care they receive from our faculty. Although a few counter examples in other departments were mentioned, our faculty earn praise for being more open to meeting with students outside of class and regular office hours and spending whatever time necessary to work with the students. Feedback was also consistent in response to a question about which courses are perceived as being most valuable to them as they embark on their careers. Generally, those classes and instructors that stress interaction, challenge the students, and provide hands-on analysis are mentioned more often as valuable courses.

Given the media attention to burdensome student loan loads students around the country are facing as they graduate, I asked students this fall to assess their own burdens in paying off their college educations. In no case did a student report that they felt overwhelmed by outstanding debt. As good economists, the students relied upon a mix of resources to keep their college expenses for the most part current during their years at K-State. The students mentioned financial support from parents, from their own jobs, and from the occasional small loan. Several students expressed thanks for the help they received from scholarships funded from the department’s many donors. We hear this appreciation each year at the department’s Scholarship Banquet, but it is wonderful to hear how important these scholarships are to helping our students through their years at Kansas State University.

Hikaru Peterson, our new Undergraduate Program Coordinator, is launching a reception this year from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. on Friday, December 9th, in the Waters Hall conference room (room 342) to allow graduates, both undergraduate and graduate students, and their parents to come by the department and meet with our instructors in an informal setting. We look forward to this chance to meet all of our students and their families.