K-State Alumni Association to launch rural opportunities network platform using AI
Using cutting edge artificial intelligence technology the K-State Alumni Association aims to attract Wildcat talent to rural areas across Kansas. This two-year $420,000 initiative, funded in part by the Patterson Family Foundation, will build a networking platform to connect Kansas State University alumni and students to rural communities for job opportunities across a variety of fields and professions.
The platform will use emerging AI technology to identify rural jobs and economic opportunities throughout the state of Kansas and match them with qualified individuals from the Alumni Association’s network of more than 360,000 K-Staters.
“As part of the K-State Alumni Association’s mission to reach, connect and serve the K-State community, we are honored to receive this grant funding from the Patterson Family Foundation to utilize the latest AI technology to connect rural Kansas populations with our alumni and students to rejuvenate our state,” said Adam Walker, president and CEO of the Alumni Association.
Walker said the platform is designed to use the Association’s network and contacts to match ideal K-Staters who may have an interest in these careers and economic opportunities with specific jobs and locations.
Areas of focus for the project include, but are not limited to, healthcare, education, childcare, housing and other professional and recreational services.
By connecting students with learning internships and job opportunities, this initiative will not only support the state of Kansas but also advance the university’s Next-Gen K-State strategic plan goal of applied learning outcomes for all students.
This initiative also aids K-State's land-grant mission and it will contribute to the community health and well being for the state, Walker said, by reconnecting K-State’s alumni base with these rural communities and thus reinvesting in the state.
“It is in the best interest of the state of Kansas and K-State long-term that these rural communities grow and thrive,” he said. “To do so requires families to repatriate these areas and attract a talented workforce. These professions and services are vital to build, retain and regenerate lower populated or remote regions.”
Walker said the need for this service comes directly from the Association’s members who have long asked for more networking and career opportunity programming. In addition to this service, the Alumni Association will host events across the state to build more connections and promote the service.
“This project funded by the Patterson Family Foundation will be a vital solution to help us answer that need,” Walker said.