K-State achievements -- 2006 All-university

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2006 All-university

Kansas State University achievements

2006 All-university

* Johnson County Community College has become the ninth community college in Kansas to sign a 2 + 2 agreement with K-State. The agreement allows Johnson County Community College students to earn an associate of applied science degree in food and beverage management and then transfer the credits to K-State to complete a bachelor's degree in food science and industry. December 2006

* The Alpha Iota chapter of Theta Xi fraternity at K-State has been recognized as an "All True Men" chapter. The designation recognizes the demonstrated commitment of the membership of a local chapter of Theta Xi to live up to the fraternity's core historic values of leadership, brotherhood, scholarship and service. The honor also recognizes the chapter members' commitment to embrace a set of expectations that are beyond those of other chapters. With the designation, the K-State chapter will receive a significantly higher level of support from the fraternity headquarters that will help to promote the personal development of individual members while increasing the strength of the chapter and its recognition as a home for campus leaders. The K-State chapter is the third in Theta Xi to be granted this status. The chapter, chartered in November 1931 is one of the oldest of Theta Xi's 53 chapters nationwide. December 2006

* Four members of K-State's chapter of Alpha Zeta, a professional honor society for students in agriculture, are part of a group of Alpha Zeta members nationwide heading to Louisiana Dec. 17-22 to help farmers, ranchers and rural communities still reeling from hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The students are Lexie Hayes, senior in animal sciences and industry; Scott Dooley, senior in agronomy; Casey Weber, senior in food science and industry; and Larissa Rice, junior in agricultural education. They are part of a 30-member group of Alpha Zeta members who are going to Vermilion Parish in south central Louisiana for the five-day volunteer project. They will be mending fences, rebuilding barns and clearing brush and debris. December 2006

* K-State Provost M. Duane Nellis began his term on the Executive Committee at the recently-concluded National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Universities national meeting Nov. 12-14 in Houston. Nellis was among six new chief academic officers elected to a three year term as a member of the executive committee. The NASULGC Council on Academic Affairs serves as the coordinating body for the provosts/vice presidents of NASULGC universities. November 2006

* Mechanical engineering major Lisa Kitten, Plains, was awarded a 2007 Marshall Scholarship, valued at about $70,000. She is K-State's 12th Marshall scholar, and 11th since 1986. She will use her Marshall to pursue her education in biomedical engineering research. Kitten plans to attend Oxford University to work on improvements to the Oxford meniscal knee. Her career plans are to do research in the biomedical arena, focusing on prosthetics. November 2006

* A record number of students of color, 1,699 to be exact, have enrolled at K-State for fall 2006, up from 1,652 a year ago. Contributing factors in that increase, according to several K-State multicultural students, are the educational opportunities and the cultural opportunities the university offers. November 2006

* K-State received two awards at the 2006 Mid-America and Great Plains joint regional University Continuing Education Association conference in Kansas City, Mo., Oct. 19-21. K-State's Bryan Vandiviere, Web presentation technology coordinator for the Division of Continuing Education's office of mediated education, received the Support Specialist Award for his work in exploring advancements in technology and keeping K-State faculty and program coordinators up-to-date with Web technologies. Axio Learning received the Innovations and Contributions Award for excellence in aiding K-State Online in becoming a viable online distance learning management system. November 2006

* Harald E.L. Prins, a K-State University Distinguished Professor of anthropology, has been selected as the 2006 Kansas Professor of the Year by CASE, the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education. Prins is the ninth K-State faculty member recognized as the state's top professor since CASE began the awards program in 1981. Prins has been recognized at K-State for his outstanding teaching, plus he has published extensively, and made award-winning films. Born and raised in The Netherlands, Prins was trained in anthropology, archaeology and comparative history at various universities in The Netherlands and the United States. A K-State faculty member has been recognized as either the CASE Kansas Professor of the Year or the CASE National Professor of Year in 1985, 1986, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 2000 and 2006. The 1996 award, to K-State's Dean Zollman, professor of physics, was for CASE's National Professor of the Year. Previous Kansas Professor of the Year award winners from K-State include Bryan Schurle, professor of agricultural economics and a university distinguished teaching scholar, 2000; Andrew Barkley, professor of agricultural economics, 1993; Melvin Hunt, professor of meat sciences, 1992; Deborah Canter, professor of dietetics and now head of the department of hotel, restaurant, institution management and dietetics, 1991; Miles McKee, university distinguished professor emeritus of animal sciences, 1990; and Richard Consigli, university distinguished professor emeritus of biology, a silver award winner , a level beyond the state winner, in 1985 and 1986. Zollman won the national Professor of the Year award in 1996. Criteria for the state Professor of the Year honor include extraordinary commitment to teaching demonstrated by excellence in the following areas: scholarly approach to teaching and learning; contributions to undergraduate education in the institution, community and profession; impact on and involvement with undergraduate students; and support from colleagues and current and former students. Novermber 2006

* Kansas State University's newest building, Pat Roberts Hall, was dedicated Oct. 27, 2006, to recognize the long-time Kansas senator and honor his efforts to protect the nation from agroterrorism. Pat Roberts Hall is home to the Biosecurity Research Institute, which will provide space for research and training in K-State's food safety and security efforts. The $54 million Biosecurity Research Institute is a comprehensive biosafety level 3 facility providing scientists a secure location in which to study pathogens and pests that threaten animal and plant-based agricultural systems, and to develop intervention strategies to minimize impacts on the nation's food supply and economy. The Biosecurity Research Institute is unique among biocontainment research facilities in several important ways, Stack said. Researchers will evaluate actual processing conditions and determine if there are safer methods; they will be able to look at the plant or animal all the way to the product. The institute will be one of only a few labs in the world with such capabilities. October 2006

* K-State students Mary Kate Ludwig and Laura Jones have received Rotary Ambassadorial scholarships. The scholarships award up to $26,000 for a year of study abroad. The Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship Program focuses on humanitarian services, personal diplomacy and academic excellence. Applicants must demonstrate maturity and social skill; service and leadership; proficiency in host country's language; a good rational for study abroad and program options; and have a minimum 3.0 grade point average. October 2006

* Two K-State administrators are among 18 elite educators from across the nation being recognized by the U.S. Department of Defense for providing superior support to ROTC programs at their institutions. K-State's Charles Reagan, associate to the president, and Bob Krause, vice president for institutional advancement, have each received a letter from Donald Rumsfeld, secretary of defense, thanking them for their support of the U.S. Armed Forces through the Army and Air Force ROTC programs at K-State. Reagan and Krause were nominated for the recognition by Col. Thomas "Randy" O'Boyle, commander of Air Force ROTC Detachment 270 and head of the department of aerospace studies. Nominations were solicited earlier this year by the office of the under secretary of defense. O'Boyle said both Krause and Reagan have shown their support for ROTC programs at K-State in a variety of ways that have helped enrollments in both the Air Force and Army ROTC programs grow rapidly. K-State has several distinguished ROTC graduates, including retired Gen. Richard Myers, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Gen. Ron Keyes, commander of the Air Force Combat Command. October 2006

* K-State is renaming its Military Science Building in honor of an alum who has served as the nation's highest ranking military officer. The name change, to Gen. Richard B. Myers Hall, was approved by the Kansas Board of Regents. The building is home to K-State's Army and Air Force ROTC programs. Myers, now retired, joined the Air Force in 1965 through the Air Force ROTC program at K-State, where he also earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. He went on to command various Air Force operations in the United States and abroad, among other leadership positions. His military career reached the pinnacle when he was appointed the 15th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, serving from 2001-2005. Myers Hall is the only building on campus to be built during World War II. Construction started in 1941 and was completed in 1943. October 2006

* This fall, K-State introduced a new master's degree program in children's literature. The university is the first Big 12 school to offer a graduate degree in this field and one of only 10 U.S. universities that offer a master's in English with a concentration in children's literature, said Philip Nel, associate professor of English and director of the new program. Nel said the program was created because of student interest and faculty strengths. K-State is home to many faculty members who specialize in children's literature. In addition, K-State has 5,400 works of children's and young adult literature in the Juvenile Literature Collection and the Special Collections at Hale Library. K-State Special Collections also houses various items by or pertaining to L. Frank Baum, author of the Oz books, and Louisa May Alcott, "Little Women" author. October 2006

* A collaboration with Sandia National Laboratories is allowing K-State students and faculty to shape the next generation of flight computers for rockets and re-entry vehicles, as well creating future engineers with knowledge of systems not encountered in most engineering schools. The K-State electrical and computer engineering department is in its fourth year of working with Sandia in the ongoing development of a new type of flight computer. The basis for the computer was designed more than two years ago at K-State by two then-graduate students who now work for Sandia. A first version of the flight computer performed a simulated flight test this spring. Faculty and students are continuing to develop the flight computer through both research and work in the classroom. September 2006

* Russian historians often have underplayed the role of the military, and military historians often have ignored Russia altogether. But a new book by a K-State's David Stone, associate professor of history, sets out to change that. Stone said he was inspired to write "A Military History of Russia: From Ivan the Terrible to the War in Chechnya" because previous accounts of Russia's military history have not tied together the Russian empire, the Soviet Union and today's post-communist Russia. Moreover, the story needs updating and Russia's military history is relevant now. Stone also said there's been a considerable amount of research done since the fall of the Soviet Union because scholars have better access to sources. The book was published in August by Praeger Security International. September 2006

* Rosemary Talab, professor of secondary education at K-State, has been awarded a Fulbright Scholar grant to lecture at the Higher Colleges of Technology in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, during the spring 2007 semester. Talab also will do professional development on e-learning initiatives while in the Middle Eastern country. She is one of around 800 U.S. faculty and professionals who will travel abroad to some 150 countries for the 2006-2007 academic year through the Fulbright Scholar Program. August 2006

* For the second year in a row, K-State's entering freshman class will have the most recipients of the Robert J. Dole Public Service Scholarship. The $1,000 scholarships, funded by a congressional grant in honor of the former Kansas senator, are awarded to 40 students each year. The scholarships are distributed equally among the state's four congressional districts. According to the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics at the University of Kansas, which annually announces winners of the scholarships, recipients have all demonstrated involvement in volunteer community and public service. They also are 2006 graduates of an accredited high school in Kansas, have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 and will be enrolled full time this fall at K-State, KU, Emporia State University, Fort Hays State University, Pittsburg State University, Washburn University or Wichita State University. This year's freshman class at K-State has 17 of the 40 recipients. In the inaugural year of the scholarship, 2005-2006, 15 K-State freshmen earned the award. August 2006

* K-State now houses a soldier's collection correspondence, images and memorabilia from the early days of the Iraq War. Lonnie Maynard, Independence, Mo., donated letters written to family, maps, hundreds of photographs and Iraqi military uniform items like shoes and helmets to the Richard L. D. and Marjorie J. Morse special collections department at Hale Library. August 2006

* K-State is among the top five public universities in the nation for its distance degree program, which has won seven national awards for quality in the past five years. K-State has won awards from the American Distance Education Consortium, the University Continuing Education Association and the National University Telecommunications Network. K-State is third in the nation among state schools in the number of degree programs offered via distance learning. August 2006

* An educational Web site for K-State's Konza Prairie Biological Station is being recognized for living up to its billing of being educational. The Konza Environmental Education Program Web site has earned an Award of Excellence from StudySphere, an education portal on the Internet that provides free access to a wide variety of research-quality, child-safe Web sites that are organized for education online anywhere, including home and school. StudySphere can be used as an online educational resource for students, teachers and parents. The Web site is a way for everyone to find out what the prairie is like. The site takes visitors on scientific adventures where they can find out about the animals, reptiles and insects that live on the prairie. They also can learn about prairie fires, research projects and other activities at the Konza. The Web site even provides resources for teachers and activities for children. August 2006

* Elizabeth Unger, K-State vice provost of academic services and technology and dean of continuing education, has received the Excellence in Leadership Award from Colleague to Colleague, a professional association of faculty, staff and administrators from institutions in Kansas and Missouri. The award was presented at the annual Summer Institute on Distance Learning and Instructional Technology conference. The award is given annually for outstanding efforts in support of instructional technology. Under Unger's leadership, K-State has been recognized as one of the most "wired" universities, continually increasing its ranking in Yahoo! Magazine's list of the "Top 100 Wired Universities in the Nation." She also has led K-State's efforts to design, equip and operate more than 40 high-tech classrooms, lecture halls and laboratories on campus; the creation of K-State's Information Technology Assistance Center; and the creation of K-State Online, which serves K-State faculty and students. Also under Unger's leadership, the number of courses and degree programs offered through distance education, as well as the number of distance education students, has increased. August 2006

* A high-tech classroom at K-State's Educational Communications Center in Dole Hall was used as a site for Freedom Calls, a program that connects troops serving overseas with family at home using videoconferencing technology. K-State coordinated 30-minute video conferences between a battalion in Iraq and their families at Fort Riley. August 2006

* K-State's Aimee Norris, a junior in creative writing and art with a minor in Japanese, has received a Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship. Worth up to $5,000 to study abroad, Norris will use the scholarship to study the Japanese language and culture at Kansai Gaidai University in Hirakata City, Japan. The congressionally funded scholarship is administered by the Institute of International Education and was established by the International Academic Opportunity Act of 2000. August 2006

* K-State's recruitment and admissions Web site is among the best in the nation. According to the Admissions Marketing Report, the national newspaper of admissions marketing, K-State is among the 237 colleges and universities worthy of the gold award in the Admissions Advertising Awards. K-State's http://consider.k-state.edu/ was top in the Internet/Web site category among colleges with 20,000 or more students. July 2006

* A K-State student has received a national scholarship intended to develop future scientists in fields vital to homeland security through the Homeland Security Scholars and Fellows Program. The scholarship pays full tuition and fees, a $1,000 monthly stipend for nine months during the school year and $500 weekly for an internship next summer. Zachary P. Maier, Ottawa, has been awarded a Homeland Security Scholarship from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Maier will be a junior this fall in computer engineering and psychology. He is the fifth K-State student since 2003 awarded security-related scholarships for research or further study by the Department of Homeland Security. May 2006

* Four K-State students have won Fulbright Scholarships to study in Japan, Mexico and Hungary in fall 2006. The four winners are David Thompson, Amity Thompson, Lynn Brickley and Elizabeth Greig. David and Amity Thompson, who are married, will study in Japan, Lynn Brickley will study in Hungary and Elizabeth Greig will be in Mexico. Selection is based on academic or professional record, language preparation, feasibility of the proposed study/research/teaching assistantship project, personal qualifications and some preference factors established by the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board and the Fulbright Commissions/Foundations. May 2006

* A book by a K-State history professor was recognized with the Jefferson Davis Award for distinguished book length narrative history from the Museum of the Confederacy. Charles W. Sanders Jr., wrote "While in the Hands of the Enemy: Military Prisons of the Civil War," published by the Louisiana State University Press in 2005. The Museum of the Confederacy's annual book awards competition recognizes outstanding historical research and writing on the period of the Confederate States of America. Each winner is presented with a framed certificate bearing a red wax impression from the original Great Seal of the Confederacy. The judges chose Sanders' book from among 35 nominations after narrowing the field to five finalists. April 2006

* K-State's Division of Continuing Education has received two awards from the University Continuing Education Association for some of the division's marketing publications. Both awards were for components of the "Be a Wildcat Wherever You Live" campaign. The campaign features K-State's mascot, Willie the Wildcat, at noted locations across Kansas. Willie represents students living and working in communities across the state who take distance education courses through K-State. The 2006 "Be a Wildcat Wherever You Live" Calendar received a Gold Award, while a brochure promoting distance education master's programs to K-State agricultural alumni earned a Bronze Award. April 2006

* Laura Wood, Lewis, a K-State senior in political science and philosophy, has been named a Phi Kappa Phi Graduate Fellowship winner for 2006. This year fellowships of $5,000 were awarded to 60 of the nation's top college seniors to support their graduate study. Wood was a 2005 Truman scholarship finalist. Wood worked as an intern in summer 2005 for Environmental Defense, promoting the use of sustainable energy in Kansas. She has also worked in the United States Congress as an intern for Rep. Dennis Moore. She spent the fall 2005 semester studying abroad in the Czech Republic, and she studied in China during summer 2004. She is a K-State Kassebaum and Leadership scholarship recipient. She has served as a student senator, on the Student Government Association's Government Relations Committee and as secretary/treasurer of K-State's Young Democrats chapter. She is a member of Mortar Board and Phi Kappa Phi. The K-State Phi Kappa Phi honor society has an impressive record in this competition. Since 1986, K-State has had 19 winners, a total matched only by Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah. Other top-ranking schools are the University of Maryland, University of Southern California, Montana State University, the University of Illinois and Purdue. April 2006

* K-State's Army ROTC program is the best in the West. The K-State program received the 2006 Outstanding Army ROTC Unit Award for the U.S. Army Cadet Command's Western Region. That means K-State's Army ROTC unit is the best of the 140 Army ROTC programs in the Western Region and ranks among the top in the United States. A winner also is selected for the Eastern Region. The Outstanding Army ROTC Unit Awardis sponsored by the Order of the Founders and Patriots of America. The criteria for the award include the number and quality of commissioned officer graduates; military retention rates; results of a comprehensive inspection of the department; number of scholarship awards and use; and cadet success rates at national leadership summer camps. April 2006

* K-State is in the top 4 percent of schools in the nation for research activity. According to the latest rankings of America's colleges and universities by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, K-State now ranks in the top tier of the three subcategories for the 278 doctorate-granting institutions evaluated in the Carnegie Foundation's study. April 2006

* Three K-State students have won $5,000 Morris K. Udall Scholarships and two students have received $350 honorable mention scholarships.The winners are Matt Woerman, senior in mechanical engineering and natural resources/environmental sciences from Topeka, Matthew King, senior in political science and natural resources/environmental sciences from Wichita, and Adrienne Stolwyk, senior in architecture from Liberty, Mo. Receiving honorable mention scholarships are Sally Maddock, fifth-year architecture and natural resources/environmental sciences from Lakewood, Colo., and Mark Ruzicka, senior in landscape architecture and natural resources/environmental sciences from Springfield, Mo. K-State is tied for third among public colleges and universities and tied for fifth among all universities in all-time Udall scholarship competition. K-State is one of only five schools with three or more winners this year. K-State, Cornell, Ohio State and Yale all had three winners, Stanford had four. April 2006

* Curtis L. Kastner, professor of animal sciences and director of the Food Science Institute at K-State, was recognized Monday, April 10, with a 2006 Faculty Service Award from the University Continuing Education Association for his use of technology in the delivery of information and courses to professionals in the food industry. Kastner has been involved in continuing education activities at K-State for 25 years. He teaches distance education classes and serves as the administrative liaison with the Division of Continuing Education for the Food Science Institute, developing long-term strategic goals to leverage expanded educational opportunities in the food science field at both the credit and non-credit level. April 2006

* K-State is listed among the nation's top colleges in Princeton Review's "Americaís Best Value Colleges. " Based on data The Princeton Review obtained from administrators at 646 colleges and surveys it conducted of students attending them, the new 2007 edition recommends 150 colleges offering excellent academics, generous financial aid packages and relatively low costs. March 2006

* Allen Featherstone, professor of agricultural economics and director of the distance education master's in agribusiness program at K-State, has been recognized with a 2006 Excellence in Teaching Award from the University Continuing Education Association. The award is for outstanding teaching, course development, mentoring of students and service to continuing education. March 2006

* K-State is creating a Center for Engagement and Community Development to promote engagement on and off campus in teaching, research and outreach, and to apply K-State's expertise in issues of community development across Kansas. K-State has adopted the definition of engagement as redesigning teaching, research, extension and service functions to become more involved with the community outside the university. The center will provide incentive grants for faculty to build and foster a better understanding of engagement across campus through conferences, workshops, seminars and training. The center is the result of reorganizing the former Kansas Center for Rural Initiatives. The new center will have a full-time director who will report to the provost. K-State Research and Extension is a partner in the effort. March 2006

* The third annual Spotlight on Intellectual Property at K-State will honor two teams of K-State researchers who were awarded patents in 2005. Kenneth Klabunde, university distinguished professor of chemistry, and Aleksandr Bedilo, a former postdoctoral research associate of Klabunde's were issued a patent for carbon-coated metal oxide nanoparticles. A patent for methods of treating cataracts and diabetic retinopathy with tricyclic pyrones was issued to Duy Hua, professor of chemistry; Dolores Takemoto, professor of biochemistry; Alan Brightman, now professor emeritus of clinical sciences; and Bradley Fenwick, a former K-State professor of diagnostic medicine and pathobiology. March 2006

* The academic advising graduate certificate program has received the 2006 Exceptional Credit Program Award from the Association of Continuing Higher Education Region VIII. The award is given each year to a program that shows originality and innovation and has measurements of results. Region VIII of the association includes Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota, as well as Manitoba, Ontario and Saskatchewan in Canada. The College of Education, in cooperation with the National Academic Advising Association, developed the academic advising graduate certificate program for delivery through K-State's Division of Continuing Education. The program has five graduate-level courses that are offered online. It provides an opportunity for faculty, full-time academic advisers and administrators to gain an understanding of the issues and skills needed to deliver effective academic advising at the postsecondary level. March 2006

* K-State is among the top 94 of all public and private colleges and universities in the nation. According to the latest classification of universities and colleges by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, K-State now ranks in the top tier in the category "research universities -- very high research activity." The classification means K-State is now among the top 4 percent of institutions of higher education in the United States. March 2006

* K-State senior Kourtney Bettinger, Beloit, is K-State's latest winner of a $30,000 Harry S. Truman scholarship. K-State is first in the nation among public universities in producing Truman scholars -- 29 and one alternate since the first awards were made in 1977. Bettinger is a senior in pre-medicine and Spanish, with secondary majors in international studies and Latin American studies. K-State leads the nation's 500 four-year public universities with the most Truman scholars. The University of Michigan, University of Virginia and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill follow K-State. In addition to the $30,000 for graduate study, scholars also receive priority admission and supplemental financial aid at some premier graduate institutions, leadership training, career and graduate school counseling, and special internship opportunities within the federal government. Recipients must be U.S. citizens, have outstanding leadership potential and communication skills, be in the top quarter of their class, and be committed to careers in government or the not-for-profit sector. March 2006

* Austin Community College, Austin, Texas, has become the fifth school -- and the first outside of the state of Kansas -- to sign a 2+2 agreement with Kansas State University. The agreement is specifically for nontraditional, place-bound learners and allows students from the community college to earn an associate of science degree in business administration, and then transfer those credits to K-State toward the completion of a bachelor of science in general business offered through distance education. March 2006

* Graduates face a promising future when they walk away from K-State with a bachelor's degree in hand. According to the university's Post-Graduation Bachelor Degree Statistics and Experiential Learning Statistics for the 2004-2005 academic year, prepared by career and employment services, more than 90 percent of recent bachelor's degree graduates surveyed are employed or are continuing their education through graduate school or some other program. More than half of K-State bachelor's degree graduates surveyed who went to work took jobs in Kansas. About 20 percent of the graduates in the survey are continuing their education in graduate school, professional school or other programs. The survey was conducted under performance indicator guidelines set by the Kansas Board of Regents. Postgraduate data was collected on 77 percent of K-State graduates who received bachelor's degrees in academic year 2004-2005. February 2006

* K-State won the Sweepstakes Award and 22 other honors in the Council for Advancement and Support of Education's District VI 2006 awards competition. The Sweepstakes Award is for being the top finisher among institutions with more than 15,000 students in the eight-state District VI, which includes Kansas, Colorado, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming. It was the first time K-State has claimed the top honor in the competition. Entries were submitted from K-State at Salina, K-State Alumni Association and K-State's university publications and media relations and marketing. February 2006

* The Beta Psi chapter of Gamma Theta Upsilon, in the K-State department of geography, was named the 2005 Gamma Theta Upsilon Chapter of the Year. Gamma Theta Upsilon is an international geographic honor society for graduate students. The award is given to chapters that exemplify active participation at their university. The K-State chapter actively organizes and sponsors activities that fulfill the society's mission to advance geographic knowledge and increase public awareness about geography. K-State also received this award in 2000. January 2006

* K-State alum Kara Belew, Wichita, was awarded a $24,000 stipend for two full years of graduate study from the James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation. Belew was one of 47 individuals nationally awarded a fellowship in competition with applicants from each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories. She currently teaches at Campus High School in Wichita. With the fellowship, Belew will continue to teach while she completes her master's degree at Emporia State University. January 2006

* K-State has signed partnership agreements with a technical society and an industry to help meet real-world educational needs. The College of Engineering has signed an agreement with the 350,000-member American Society of Mechanical Engineers to be the credit provider for its undergraduate college credit program, made available worldwide to the organization's members as distance education courses. In a second, separate agreement, K-State is working in cooperation with The Boeing Company to co-create a plan that is piloting the first round of American Society of Mechanical Engineers/K-State credit courses offered to meet the needs of continuing education for practicing professionals. Tom Roberts, assistant dean for recruitment and leadership development for the College of Engineering, said the agreeements provide a creative and innovative horizontal alignment of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Boeing, the College of Engineering and K-State's Division of Continuing Education to provide for engineering professional development needs on a worldwide basis. January 2006

* Both K-State's bachelor of interior architecture and interior design programs rank fourth, its bachelor of architecture and bachelor of landscape architecture programs rank fifth, and its master of landscape architecture program ranks sixth in a 2006 nationwide survey of leading firms across the United States by Design Intelligence and the Design Futures Council in conjunction with the Almanac of Architecture and Design. Six schools in the Big 12 Conference have top-ranked programs in the areas that were surveyed, but only K-State has five that ranked in the top 10. January 2006

* Kansas State University President Jon Wefald's can-do administration has been described as one that reaches for the stars, promotes teamwork and empowers people to get better every day. He was recognized for his achievements and was named the 2006 Chief Executive Leader of the Year by the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education -- CASE -- District VI Jan. 23 at the organization's regional conference in St. Louis. The award recognizes the leadership of a chief executive officer in higher education who demonstrates the ability to create a vision and inspire others. The recipient also establishes a positive image for the institution; increases the institution's stature in the community; encourages innovation and risk taking among employees as well as actively supports advancement. January 2006

* K-State gives the state of Kansas excellent value for its investment. In a presentation to the Kansas Board of Regents, President Jon Wefald said K-State produces about $3 billion in economic benefit for the state each year. This year, K-State will leverage its $171 million State General Fund appropriation into $678 million in direct expenditures. In 1987, K-State's research funding was $18 million, compared with $111 million in external research funding today. Most comes from outside the state, and most is spent in Kansas.

* K-State researchers are responsible for developing nearly 80 percent of the wheat varieties grown by Kansas' farmers and have been instrumental in such advances as steam pasteurization of meat carcasses in packing plants and vacuum packaging of retail meat cuts.

* K-State is now the leading American university in food safety research and training. K-State is the hub for two new entities that are part of the nation's developing network of first detectors and first responders to biological threats: the Great Plains Diagnostic Network and the National Agricultural Biosecurity Center. The diagnostic capability enables us to quickly identify organisms that could devastate the nation's food supply and undermine international trade. The National Agricultural Biosecurity Center helps us train state and county emergency personnel to contain the spread of emerging plant and animal diseases.

* Research conducted in the soon-to-be-completed $53.4 million Biosecurity Research Institute will examine pathways by which pathogens can spread and the issues related to animal carcass disposal after a potentially catastrophic event. This new Food Safety and Security Building will be one of a kind in the world today and is a building that is vital to America's national security interests. Russia has selected our animal health program to be the new animal surveillance arm for its whole country. The European Economic Union and NATO have selected our plant diagnostic program to be the plant surveillance arm for those European countries in the European Economic Union and NATO. Our plant diagnostic program is being considered to be the plant disease surveillance arm for China.

* K-State is one of the most efficient universities in the nation, spending only 4 cents of every dollar on administrative costs. Some schools spend more than 15 percent to 20 percent. We have increased student numbers from about 14,500 to 23,000 in the past 20 years. At the same time, our teaching loads are exceptionally high for a comprehensive research university: we are serving 8,000 more students with 18 fewer faculty than in 1986.

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