For over a century, The Kansas State Collegian has highlighted student voices, showcasing campus life and documenting K-State history. From its start in the 1890s at The Student Herald, to its place today as a nationally-recognized paper, The Collegian is shaped by generations of student journalists and defining moments.
Tim Schrag, senior editor for K-Stater magazine, served as The Collegian’s editor-in-chief in 2010 and 2011.
“Some things don’t change, right?” Schrag said. “You’ve got a group of people that want to tell stories and want to have fun and spend a lot of time together in the evenings.”
Though more innovative forms of journalism have stepped into the spotlight since 2010, Schrag said he still keeps up with The Collegian.
“It’s written by students, for students, and you have the ability to say things that not everybody else does.”
As The Collegian celebrates its 130th anniversary, let’s take a look at some moments that defined us over the decades.
1896- The first edition of K-State’s student newspaper was published, making it the oldest student newspaper in Kansas. At that time, the publication was called The Student Herald and printed daily.
1914 – The newspaper adopted the name we still use today: The Kansas State Collegian.
1944 – To reduce printing costs amidst World War II, The Student Herald moved from a daily print to a weekly print schedule. The paper was printed using a press on campus, and students had to enter each letter into a slide by hand.
Today, the campus printing press can still be found on display in Kedzie Hall.
1946 – The paper stopped using the campus press and started printing at The Mercury-Chronicle.
1949 – A newer, more advanced printing press was installed in the basement of Kedzie Hall, so The Student Herald was able to return to printing on campus. The paper went back to printing daily.
1966 – The Collegian received a press that could print color, and printed its first edition with color for the University Edition, a 176-page tabloid that was mailed to incoming students.
1972 – The Collegian newsroom received its first computerized equipment when former director of Student Publications Bill Brown asked the board to purchase two Hendrix computers.
1992 – The Student Senate provided roughly $500,000 for the purchase of Macintosh equipment, which made the process of creating a newspaper much more efficient.
1994 – The Collegian published its first ever online edition and continued to publish daily on the web.
1995 – The Electronic Collegian took first place in the Associated Collegiate Press’ “Best of the Nest” competition in Washington, D.C.
1999 – The Collegian began printing on the Salina Journal’s presses, allowing them to print in four colors, five days a week.
2012 – The Collegian rebranded while adopting WordPress as its online publishing platform. Until this point, the paper’s parent company was Student Publications, Inc. The rebrand changed this company to the Collegian Media Group, encompassing the newspaper as well as The Royal Purple Yearbook (Manhappenin’ Magazine was instated in 2016). CMG also introduced a new logo for The Collegian.
2024 – K-State was the victim of a cyberattack that disrupted network systems. As a result, The Collegian lost its website and the digital copies of all articles that had been published up to that point. The paper started a new website with a more updated and user-friendly design.
2026 – The Collegian places as a Top 10 media outlet for the Associated Collegiate Press Clips and Clicks contest. Also, The Collegian took third place for best newspaper nationally at the College Media Association awards in New York City.
Coming up
CMG will honor the inaugural class of the CMG Hall of Fame at the K-State Student Union on May 1. Five honorees will be recognized during the yearly CMG staff banquet, marking the first entries into the CMG Hall of Fame.
To nominate a former CMG staffer for future Hall of Fame entries, visit The Collegian’s website.
