Mini Wheat State Tour
The Hall Center's Mini Wheat State Tour gives faculty and staff a chance to learn about the geography and history of Kansas and the region
2025 Mini Wheat State Tour: Atchison
Many years ago, the KU Chancellor's Office organized an annual "Whirlwind Wheat State Tour," giving new faculty and staff the opportunity to visit the four corners of the state over a weeklong period, facilitating opportunities to learn about (1) the geography and history of the place to which they had moved for work; (2) the communities from which many of their students came; (3) their colleagues in other disciplines across campus; (4) the potential for collaborative research and outreach, both on campus and in the region. The trip also provided folks in other parts of the state a chance to see that KU faculty were real people invested in talking to them, not just a set of elites ensconced in a university on a hill.
The Hall Center for the Humanities recently revitalized the tour, on a smaller scale. In 2023, we journeyed west, to Lucas, Wilson, and Nicodemus, KS. In 2024, we travelled east, to Kansas City, KS and Kansas City, MO. This year, we're heading to Atchison!
Itinerary: Friday, Nov. 7, 2025
- 8:45 AM – Bus leaves from the Hall Center parking lot (900 Sunnyside Avenue, Lawrence)
- 10:00 AM – Arrive at Independence Creek (a Lewis & Clark Historic Site)
- 11:00 AM – Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum
- 12:00 PM – Paolucci's for lunch and conversation with community guests
- 1:30 PM – Wangarĩ Maathai Memorial Statue
- 2:00 PM – St. Benedict's Abbey
- 3:00 PM – Santa Fe Depot & Historical Society
- ~5:00 PM – Depart Atchison
- ~6:00 PM – Arrive back in Lawrence
If you are interested in participating in this year’s event--free to KU faculty & staff, regardless of discipline--please contact us at the Hall Center (hallcenter@ku.edu) by 5pm on Tuesday, October 28 with your name, department/unit, email address, and number of years at KU.
2024: Kansas City
In October 2024, the Hall Center's Mini Wheat State Tour took a group of faculty and staff to Kansas City, KS, Kansas City, MO, and Olathe to tour the area's museums, including the Museum of Deaf History, Arts, and Culture; the Black Archives of Mid-America; the National Museum of Toys and Miniatures; as well as the Mattie Rhodes Arts Center and the Mutual Musicians' Foundation.
Tour Origins
The first Wheat State Tours began in the early 2000s and were designed to take faculty and staff, many new to Kansas, throughout the state to gain a better understanding of where many of their students come from and to learn more about the state they serve. It was in a similar spirit that the Hall Center revived a version of the tour in 2023.