SAINTS PERSPECTIVE, SCCC President Brad Bennett
It’s hard to believe, but the unique-to-Seward County Community College celebration of Kansas Day hit its seventh-year mark last Wednesday. Taste of Kansas, our campus and community’s multicultural potluck meal, brought more than 50 kitchen chefs together with 200+ diners for a wonderful time of fellowship.
Along with food from many regions across the U.S., we enjoyed dishes from Mexico, Central America, India, Asia, and Europe. Along with traveling the world via their taste buds, guests had a chance to take a look at the newest mural that was dedicated in Topeka at the statehouse on Kansas Day. The artwork shows a group of 13 Kansas women who worked to improve the state. We also displayed an array of noteworthy Kansans.
The Taste of Kansas meal grew out of the goal of creating opportunities for people to connect. Many organizations try to create this artificially, with team-building exercises, games, and structured mentorship programs. I would never dismiss those efforts as pointless. At the same time, it is common sense to recognize that when it comes to human relationships, the best way to grow them is through shared experiences over time. What better way to make that happen than with a shared meal?
Our state’s birthday provides a great reason to get together with good food. Kansas is truly the heartland of the United States, not the least because it is right in the center. We have an incredibly diverse population and a lot to be proud of.
• Kansas was at the forefront of women’s rights. We supported women voting and made it state law seven years before the nation ratified the 19th amendment.
• Kansas was on the leading edge of Free States as the country inched toward the Civil War. John Brown might have been a wild-haired radical, but he was on the right side of history.
• Kansas has nurtured an amazing range of barrier-breaking individuals who personify our state motto, “To the stars through difficulties.”
Among them are Dwight D. Eisenhower, who masterminded and implemented the Allies’ invasion of Normandy during WWII, before going on to become the 34th U.S. President. Then there’s George Washington Carver, one of the best scientists in our nation’s history: he was born enslaved, and achieved incredible discoveries that help us eat healthier diets and take better care of our land to this day. Artists like poet Langston Hughes, the opera star Samuel Ramey — a Colby native — and more familiar faces like Martina McBride, Annette Bening and Kirstie Alley. Star Kansas athletes (aside from a certain Kansas City Chiefs quarterback) include Barry Sanders, Lynette Woodward, and long-distance running record-breaker Jim Ryun.
I mention these names because they demonstrate to our students — and to us all — that greatness can grow in the most ordinary-seeming places. Just like our campus. It is the small, everyday choices, habits, and connections that often determine how the story ends.
Here at SCCC, we make it our business to create an environment where these positive traits can develop.
While the Taste of Kansas potluck meal might seem like an optional event with little significant impact, we believe it helps build something lasting. Each person who contributed to the meal brought a little bit of their heart, their hands, and their heritage. Each person who sat down to eat gave a portion of their time and attention, sharing themselves with the person seated next to them. Everyone who stopped to look at our poster display, and reflect on the Kansans who made our state better was touched by history, and, we hope, inspired.
As the month of January wraps up, I’m looking forward to what our very own group of young Kansans will achieve in the coming year. At this time in 2026, we will be sitting down to another wonderful spread. Who knows what names and faces might appear on posters that document achievements? And who knows what delicious new foods might show up on the serving tables? We hope you will join us to celebrate achievements and look forward to our future.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR — Brad Bennett is the president of Seward County Community College, where he will present the department with the highest participation rate in the recent Taste of Kansas with a culinary treat of their choice. You can reach him at
