K-State achievements--2005 All-university

Kansas State University achievements

2005 All-university

* It wasn't the biggest story of the year. But Kansas State University distinguished professor of physics Talat Rahman's work on "walking molecules" was big: So big that has been named by the American Institute of Physics as one of the Top 25 Physics stories for 2005. December 2005

* Lafene Health Center, K-State's student health care facility, has earned continued accreditation from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. The center has been continuously accredited since 1968. Lafene is only one of three university student health centers in the Big 12 Conference and only one of 24 in the nation that receives this prestigious award, according to Lannie Zweimiller, director of the health care center. The commission is a professional healthcare accrediting body which accredits most hospitals and other healthcare organizations in the United States. December 2005

* Patrice Holderbach, senior in print journalism and international studies, is K-State's 10th Marshall Scholarship recipient. The scholarship has an estimated value of around $70,000 and provides full funding to support two years of study at any university in the United Kingdom. Holderbach is considering attending Oxford University or the University of Sussex with her Marshall Scholarship. Her ambition is to be a journalist who specializes in covering international events dealing with ethnic conflicts. K-State ranks third in Marshall Scholarship winners among the nation's 500 public universities. November 2005

* Federal scholarship money distributed to the K-State Army ROTC program has tripled since 2000. The Army scholarship program totaled $120,862.93 at K-State in 2000. This year it is projected to be $366,618.87. The increased scholarship funding can be attributed to the increase in Army ROTC student enrollment at K-State, said Lt. Col. Arthur DeGroat, professor and head of the department of military science. November 2005

* Engineering technology programs offered at Kansas State University at Salina were reaccredited by the Technology Accreditation Commission of ABET, the recognized U.S. accrediting body of college and university programs in applied science, computing, engineering and technology. The programs receiving accreditation are construction engineering technology, electronic and computer engineering technology and mechanical engineering technology. The accreditation report indicates that K-State offers high quality educational programs from qualified faculty members who teach in well-equipped classrooms and laboratories." October 2005

* K-State set another research-funding record. For fiscal year 2005, the university received $110,859,813 in funding for research and creative activities. The record amount represents a $10 million increase over fiscal year 2004 totals, and is one of the largest one-year advances in K-State history. The fiscal year, that ended June 30, continued the boom in the university's research funding, which has escalated from $95.8 million in fiscal year 2003 and $100.8 million in fiscal year 2004. The university's total research/scholarly activity base grand total for fiscal year 2005 reached $198,657,911. This includes appropriated funds and funds donated to the Kansas State University Foundation that are transferred to the university in support of research and scholarly activity. October 2005

* K-State was recognized by its peers as one of the best institutions for recruiting and retaining entry-level housing and dining workers. A visiting researcher said characteristics like personal touches and a caring environment set K-State apart. Researchers visited K-State and four other top schools to learn what practices made those institutions successful with recruitment and retention. September 2005

* K-State's bachelor of architecture program has received the maximum reaccredidation of six years by the National Architecture Accrediting Board. The reaccreditations was recommended by a five-member team which examined the program's curriculum, inspected its facilities and interviewed students, faculty and administrators. September 2005

* K-State is home to a collection of papers from the famed 20th-century food writer Clementine Paddleford, a 1921 K-State graduate. Housed in the special collections at Hale Library, the papers include correspondence, photographs, columns and recopies from Paddleford's career, which had her writing for the New York Herald Tribune and Gourmet magazine among other publications. In 1953, Time magazine called her the "best-known food editor in the United States." September 2005

* A new interactive kiosk now stands as a memorial to K-State's precursor, Bluemont Central College. The kiosk is located on the college's original site near College Avenue and Claflin Road. The kiosk features a photo of the original college and its founders. The memorial also includes the stone marker, erected in 1926, to commemorate the original site of Bluemont Central College and K-State. September 2005

* Scientists at K-State have established the Midwest Institute for Comparative Stem Cell Biology to expand research using stem cells. This new institute is in a strategic position to form collaborative relationships with other institutions, and will facilitate the type and amounts of comparative stem cell research that can be undertaken. The new institute is a cooperative effort between the Colleges of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine and the research vice provost. K-State is a national leader in research using stem cells from the umbilical cord matrix of humans and several animal species. August 2005

* K-State alumni again have demonstrated why they are regarded to be among the most loyal graduates in the nation with the recent release of information ranking K-State No. 1 in the Big 12 Conference for the percentage of graduates who are members of their respective alumni associations. Compiled for the 2004-05 academic year, this marks the ninth consecutive year K-State has finished in the top position among Big 12 institutions. K-State’s percentage of graduates who were Alumni Association members during the last year, 28.13 percent, was the highest ever for the Association and more than three percentage points greater than the second and third place Big 12 universities. The rankings were compiled with information submitted by each university. August 2005

* For the first time in 25 years, each of K-State's 11 Greek sorority chapters invited the maximum number of women they could to join their houses. In addition, all of the sororities are now at or above their recommended chapter size of 115 members. K-State is one of the few schools in the Midwest to adopt a new recruitment approach that emphasizes a more personal touch to the recruitment process and gives potential recruits more choices. August 2005

* K-State is listed among the nation's top colleges in Princeton Review's "Best 361 Colleges" and is listed as one of the "Best in the West" regional rankings. A survey by Princeton Review asked 110,000 students at 361 top colleges to rate their schools and report on their campus experiences. "All of the schools in this book are academically outstanding," said Princeton Review's Robert Franek. "But no school is best for all students. That's why our book has 62 different ranking lists and campus feedback about the schools not reported elsewhere. We hope it will help college applicants and their parents decide which college is best for them." August 2005

* K-State and Colby Community College have a new affiliate site partnership, bringing residents of the northwestern part of Kansas opportunities to continue their education without moving from the area. Elements of the K-State at Colby affiliation will be dual enrollment and joint advisement for students attending Colby Community College; distance education degree programs and courses; the use of library resources for K-State distance learning programs; articulation agreements between programs and K-State courses and professional development opportunities for Northwest Kansas. August 2005

*K-State has received an award from the Environmental Systems Research Institute for excellence in the use of Geographic Information Systems technology. K-State faculty were on hand to receive the Special Achievement in GIS Award for accomplishments in geographic research and education at the recent Environmental Systems Research Institute International User Conference in San Diego, Calif. Geographic Information Systems is a technology that manages, analyzes and disseminates geographic data and knowledge. Information gained through the system can be expressed through maps, data sets and models. K-State was one of 88 organizations from the United States and 146 from around the world to receive a special achievement recognition at the conference. This is the equivalent of about one award for every 10,000 organizations using Geographic Information Systems. August 2005

* K-State and two partners -- the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory and Yinnel Tech Inc., of South Bend, Ind. -- have won a 2005 R&D 100 Award for developing a highly efficient, low-cost radiation detector. The detector can be used for homeland security applications, nuclear medical imaging, environmental monitoring and cleanup, galactic events studies, and nuclear-weapons safeguards.

K-State nuclear engineer Douglas McGregor designed the radiation detector, and Brookhaven Lab researchers built the prototype using the semiconductor alloy, a polymer, and metal rings. The small, portable detector, which measures about one-half inch long by one-quarter inch wide, detects both X-rays and gamma rays with high resolution, and it can identify the specific source of radiation. Unlike most detectors of its type, which have to be chilled, this novel detector can be used at room temperature. Also, its performance is highly reliable with minimal maintenance.

R&D Magazine gives R&D 100 Awards annually to the top 100 technological achievements of the year. Typically, these are innovations that transform basic science into useful products. The awards will be presented in Chicago Oct. 20. July 2005

* K-State's highest honor, the Medal of Excellence, is being presented to Fred L. Merrill, chairman of Cereal Food Processors Inc., at the Graduate School commencement ceremony. The medal is in recognition of Merrill's outstanding career in the milling industry, his service to mankind and his community and for his tireless efforts and support of his alma mater. Merrill is a 1949 graduate of K-State with a bachelor's in grain science. May 2005

* Armed with a laptop computer and their knowledge of financial planning, K-State's financial planning team beat out all other teams in the nation at the American Express Collegiate Financial Planning Competition, April 13-16, in Minneapolis. This marks the third time K-State has won the national championship -- which brings $10,000 in scholarship money to the university. This is the sixth year in a row K-State has made it to the finals.

More than 40 teams entered the competition, but only eight were chosen to compete in the finals. K-State's financial planning team includes Ramona Arnold and Chris Gasken, both of Junction City, and Marc Shaffer, Topeka. The students are all seniors in family studies and human services and have been working together since November to prepare for the competition. At the finals, the team gave a 20-minute client presentation to a panel of industry experts based on a 100-page, comprehensive financial plan they had previously submitted for a fictitious family. Although the team members each get an individual prize of $750, the team spent an estimated 120 hours preparing for the competition. April 2005

* K-State will begin the 10-year redevelopment of its Jardine housing complex in summer 2005. The project, to exceed $100 million, will offer K-State students a mix of housing options in a community-like setting. The new complex will include apartments, green spaces, onsite parking and a town center with retail opportunities, an academic resource center and community services offices beneath residential spaces. The town square will be available for use by organizations and affiliates of the university.

No tax dollars are being used for the redevelopment project. Primary funding will come from bonds issued by the Kansas Development Finance Authority and private contributions. K-State housing and dining services receives no funding from state, city, local or university sources. April 2005

* Muscle & Fitness magazine has ranked K-State on its list of Top 20 Fittest Colleges for 2005.

The list is included in the March issue of the magazine. Schools were ranked according to six criteria: number of recreation facilities, weight room hours, number of sports clubs, health-related majors, intramural sport opportunities and fitness classes offered.

K-State came in 13th out of 20 colleges and universities. Other Big 12 schools making the cut include Iowa State University, the University of Texas and Texas A&M. March 2005

* K-State's master's program in adult education at Fort Leavenworth has met all expected standards and earned three commendations, according to a voluntary review conducted on behalf of the U.S. Department of Defense. The review, called a Military Installation Voluntary Education Review, was conducted in fall 2004 by the American Council on Education for the Defense Department. The review also gave K-State three commendations for exceeding standards for quality of faculty, advising and library resources.

The College of Education, through K-State's Division of Continuing Education, has been offering the adult education master's degree program at Fort Leavenworth since 1992. In 2001 a new cohort program was designed to assist students attending the Command and General Staff College in completing master's degree during the nine months they spend at the college.

The Fort Leavenworth program is equivalent to the master of adult education program offered at any of K-State's off-campus sites, Polson said. The majority of classes are taught by full-time K-State faculty, and most are taught on the post in classroom settings. February 2005

* Kansas State University President Jon Wefald has been lobbying for several years to have a movie made on the history of Negro Leagues Baseball. Dick Robertson, president of Warner Bros. domestic television distribution, said the Hollywood motion picture company plans to honor the legacy of black baseball players with a television miniseries right after the 2006 World Series that chronicles the history of the Negro Leagues. January 2005

* Most students who leave K-State with bachelor's degrees are successfully moving on in their professional endeavors, according to a report by K-State's career and employment services. The report, Post-Graduation Statistics 2003-04, is based on responses to surveys taken by 80 percent of K-State's 3,503 bachelor's degree recipients who graduated during the 2003-04 academic year. Of the 2,785 graduates surveyed, 69 percent reported they were employed, while 21 percent said they were enrolled in a graduate/professional school or other education program. Only 8 percent of the students participating in the survey said they were still seeking employment within the first six months of graduation, while 3 percent of the graduates said they were involved in other non-career activities. Most of the employed graduates, or 60 percent, accepted positions in Kansas, according to the report. January 2005