Released: February 10, 2003

Applications for KARL Open Through April 15

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Officials of the Kansas Agriculture and Rural Leadership program have announced that applications close April 15 for those interested in participating in the 2003-2005 class.

The two-year program – which includes state, national and international tours – begins in August.

Eligibility is based on leadership experience and a devotion to the future of Kansas agriculture and Kansas’ rural communities, according to program director Jack Lindquist.

"While KARL maintains a strong preference for production agriculture candidates, we have expanded our candidate pool to include the larger picture of the industry," Lindquist said.

"Agriculture is broadly defined to include the producer, farmer, rancher, as well as those in processing, shipping and marketing and sales," he added. "It also includes professionals from education, law, finance, and government whose work is dedicated primarily to servicing agriculture and/or the rural community. Individuals from other fields such as environment, research, labor and public relations, who can demonstrate strong connections to agriculture, are invited to apply."

Applicants must complete a profile form that will be reviewed by KARL’s board of directors. An on-line application is available at http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/karl, or interested persons may request an application by calling the KARL office at 785-532-6300.

Lindquist said applicants will undergo a screening process to identify up to 45 candidates, who will then be invited for personal interviews in May. Thirty new class members will be named in June.

This will be the seventh KARL class since its inception in 1990. The tuition fee for participants is $1,250 per year, or a total of $2,500. KARL donors pay for the remainder of the $11,000 cost per person.

According to Lindquist, seminars and tours are "generally balanced during production agriculture’s ‘off-season’, from November through March." Monthly in-state seminars typically are held over a 48-hour period.

For more information, including how to donate to KARL, interested persons may contact the program’s main office on the Kansas State University campus, 785-532-6300.

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K-State Research and Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the well-being of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county Extension offices, experiment fields, area Extension offices and regional research centers statewide. Its headquarters is on the K-State campus, Manhattan.

Story by:
Pat Melgares, News Coordinator
pmelgare@oznet.ksu.edu
K-State Research& Extension News