History
Based on the philosophy that everyone can learn and everyone can teach, UFM provides opportunities for lifelong learning and personal development. Instructors represent all areas of the campus and community and have ranged in age from 6, sharing knowledge about rabbit care, to 98, teaching a class on healthy living. Topics include arts and hobbies, cooking, languages, martial arts, aquatics, career and computer skills, recreation and fitness, health and wellness and youth. Over 10,000 people participate in UFM programs and activities each year.
Our History Then & Now
UFM Community Learning Center is a non-profit campus and community education program serving Kansas State University, the Manhattan area and communities across Kansas. UFM was started in the late 1960’s by a group of KSU students and faculty as a way to bridge communication between the campus community and the Manhattan community. The first catalog of classes was published in January, 1968. That semester seven classes were offered with 150 people participating. The goal at that time was to provide opportunities for students and faculty to interact more easily with the community and to serve a variety of people in the community.
UFM was created as part of a national movement on college campuses called the “Free University” movement. This movement was based on the idea that people could learn from one another without the hindrance of traditional school settings. The programs were free of academic credentials and credits. The concept was that anyone could learn and anyone could teach. This idea became so popular that the movement quickly moved from the alternative, underground movement of the 1960’s to an acceptance of adult and leisure learning that continues today. UFM is considered to be the oldest continuously operating free university still in existence in the United States, and here it is in Manhattan, Kansas.
The original name of the organization was University for Man. In the early 1990’s it was changed to University for Mankind. In 1999, the words were eliminated, but the well-known initials UFM were retained and additional explanatory words, Community Learning Center were added. The official name is now, UFM Community Learning Center.
UFM is best known for its catalog of noncredit and credit classes offered each semester. But, UFM offers much more than that. UFM has been involved in the creation of numerous programs and services in the Manhattan area. UFM collaborates with other groups in the community to address unmet needs in the area. Currently UFM sponsors a teen mentoring program, the oldest community garden in Kansas, programming for older adults and an enrichment program for special needs adults and coordinates a social justice lecture series.
Our Mission
Based on the philosophy that everyone can learn and everyone can teach, UFM provides opportunities for lifelong learning and personal development. UFM serves as a forum for the exchange of ideas and as a catalyst for new programs and services that enhance the quality of life for all.
Our Vision
Connecting people and ideas for unlimited learning.
A Few Fun Facts
Over the past 50 years…
1960s
1968 – “Man in the Year 2000”— Seven courses offered as UFM’s first catalog of classes. The office was located at 1901 Anderson until 1971
1970s
1971 – Location move to 615 Fairchild Terrace
1972 – Pottery and photography cooperative is started
– People’s Grocery Cooperative started
1974 – Manhattan Community Gardens started
1975 – UFM moves to 1221 Thurston on a lease arrangement
1978 – Appropriate Technology Program is established in separate division of UFM, growing from a single class in 1971
1979 – Community Resource Act approved by Kansas Legislature
– First Grassroots Community Education Award
– Two year project begins to extend UFM model to five other states
1980s
1980 – First Lou Douglas Lecture
– Solar Addition constructed
1981 – Rural Action Agenda Project
– UFM Woodshop Cooperative opened
1982 – Purchase of 1221 Thurston
1984 – Home Owners Maintenance and Energy Program started
1986 – Manhattan Community Gardens wins national award as best Community Gardens
– H.O.M.E WORK ’86 organized as home improvement workday
1988 – Kansas Politics and Aging
1989 – Kansas Literacy Conference
– Homeless Literacy Conference
1990s
1990 – Manhattan Community Gardens wins “America the Beautiful” Award
– Memory Lane Bike Tour held
1991 – UFM took the Community Enrichment Program from KSU Division of Continuing Education
– Began PTCED
1993 – UFM awarded Outstanding Program Award by National Community Education Association
1994 – Collaborative SHARE Youth Development Project funded by the Association for Community Based Education
1996 – Community Gardens awarded International Peace Pole
– Lost funding for Homeless Literacy Project
1997 – Secondary School Mentoring Program funded by City of Manhattan and YES Fund
– SHARE governance returned to Flint Hills Breadbasket
2000s
2001 – UFM received Mayor’s Sustainability Award
2002 – Paid off loan and KSU Foundation on January 15, 2002; new loan with Kansas State Bank
– Became Representative Payee for Social Security Disability clients
2004 – Paid off mortgage on 1221 Thurston on April 30, 2004
2005 – Named Provider of the Year by American Red Cross
2006 – Garden recognized as the oldest Community Gardens in Kansas by American Garden Association
– Howie’s bought West Garden. Plots were reorganized in the winter months
2007 – Recipient of the Caroline F. Peine Foundation Grant to renovate the Solar Addition
2008 – Added Photovoltaic cell array—first small organization in Kansas to be on the grid.
– Celebrated UFM’s 40th Anniversary
2009 – Recipient of the Caroline F. Peine Foundation Grant as collaboration to create a Learning Garden at Northview Elementary School
– Peace Pole was located in UFM yard as a gift from the K-State Campaign for Nonviolence
2010+
2010 – Discontinued Social Security Representative Payee Services
– UFM was recognized by Students for Environmental Action for efforts in sustainability and volunteer efforts at the K-State Volunteer Center annual recognition celebration.
– UFM began coordinating the Osher Institute in collaboration with K-State Division of Continuing Education and the University of Kansas.
2011 – Began KONZA Internet Radio project as an MP3 download service. This project was suspended in 2013 due to lack of funding and community support.
2012 – Collins Lane Garden began. Howie’s bought the remaining North Garden.
– Project EXCELL (Extending College Education for Lifelong Learning) came under UFM umbrella
2013 – UFM’s Teen Mentoring Program receives the Regional Association of Continuing Higher Education (ACHE) Outstanding Noncredit Program Award.
– UFM received a Caroline F. Peine Foundation Grant to complete facility upgrades including repair of the basement leak, repairing the front porch and installing new windows throughout the building.
2015 – UFM’s Teen Mentoring program receives the National Association of Continuing Higher Education (ACHE) Outstanding Noncredit Program Award. – CRA funding discontinued.
2016 – UFM receives the Greater Manhattan Community Foundation Nonprofit Service Award
– UFM/Project EXCELL received the National Association of Continuing Higher Education (ACHE) award for Underserved Populations.
2017 – UFM upgraded the classroom technology, adding internet accessibility to the televisions in all four rooms. Ordered new staff office furniture for all staff.
– UFM received the Community Engagement Award from the Central Region UPCEA. Kayla Savage, UFM Education Coordinator, receives the Outstanding Online Student Award from the same organization.
2018 – UFM Community Learning Center celebrates its 50th anniversary.
2019 – October 23, Linda Teener, UFM Director, was recognized for her years of service to the State of Kansas. She received her 40-year pin from Governor Laura Kelly at the Statehouse.
2020+
2020 – UFM pivots to offer all classes online at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March, continuing to provide learning opportunities for the community during a time of social distancing.
– With support from the Caroline F. Peine Foundation, UFM launches the GRO Neighborhood Gardening Project, creating five neighborhood garden plots. GRO provides consultation, supplies, and tools to help participants build skills, grow food, and foster supportive community connections around local food production.
2021 – UFM serves as the fiscal agent for the Martin Luther King Coordinating Committee, which organizes community events honoring Dr. King, including a speaker event, prayer breakfast, and MLK Week of Service. The committee also led the successful effort to rename 17th Street to Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.
2022 – After 32 years of service, UFM Director Linda Teener retires. Aliah Mestrovich Seay becomes UFM’s fifth Director in May.
– English as a Second Language classes were added to meet a need for local non-English speakers to learn practical ways to communicate with schools, medical providers, businesses, and others in the community.
2023 – UFM Community Learning Center, in partnership with Manhattan Housing Authority, receives a $1.5 million U.S. Department of Labor YouthBuild grant—the only award in Kansas. The three-year initiative supports education and pre-apprenticeship training for youth ages 16–24, helping them gain skills in construction and other high-demand industries while building affordable housing for local families.
– UFM piloted a K-6 tutoring program in the spring of 2023, which served underrepresented, underserved, ethnically and linguistically diverse youth and youth from the free and reduced lunch program.
2024 – Manhattan Community Gardens celebrate 50 years.
– UFM partners with Wildcat 91.9 to launch the Little Apple Locals podcast, created and hosted by Jake Huber and Dawson Wagner, to spotlight Manhattan’s community stories and local connections.
– UFM and VA Eastern Kansas Whole Health begin planning a new Veteran Wellness Program to create accessible, community-based opportunities for veterans.
2025 – The Little Apple Locals podcast receives 2nd place for College Audio – Station Podcast from the Kansas Association of Broadcasters.
– UFM launches the Veteran Wellness Program, offering scholarships for veterans to participate in non-alcohol or tobacco-related enrichment classes. In its first semester, 30 veterans enrolled across six classes, marking a strong start to this community-focused initiative.