* William "Bill" Gross, chief flight instructor and professor of aviation at K-State at Salina, has earned Master Certificated Flight Instructor accreditation from the National Association of Flight Instructors. Gross has held the professional accreditation continuously since 2003. He is one of only 15 Kansas aviation educators who has the prestigious designation. According to the National Association of Flight Instructors, the title is awarded only to the top instructors in the nation. In all, K-State at Salina has five faculty members who have earned this top designation. Along with Gross, they are Kurt Barnhart, professor and head of the department of aviation; Bernard King, associate professor of aviation; Troy Brockway, associate professor of aviation; and Eric Shappee, associate professor of aviation. The national accreditation, recognized by the Federal Aviation Administration, is earned through a rigorous process of continuing professional activity and peer review. The accreditation must be renewed biennially and is awarded only to instructors who demonstrate an ongoing commitment to excellence, professional growth and service to the aviation community. October 2007
* Garmin International, based in Olathe, has donated $25,000 in navigational equipment to the avionics certificate program at K-State at Salina. The technology will help students learn about installing and repairing navigational systems in aircraft. The program is led by Raylene Alexander, the first female certified aircraft electronics technician through the National Center for Aircraft Technician Training. Garmin makes navigation and communication devices for automotive, aviation, marine, outdoor recreation and wireless applications. October 2007
* A group of faculty and students from Kansas State University at Salina's department of engineering technology recently won first place for their interdisciplinary project paper at the American Society for Engineering Education's Midwest regional conference, Sept. 19-21, in Wichita. Students and faculty in electronic and computer engineering technology and mechanical engineering technology partnered to write the paper, "Building the Largest Cantenna in Kansas: An Interdisciplinary Collaboration between Engineering Technology Programs." The Cantenna was designed by electronic and computer engineering technology students working under the supervision of Saeed Khan, associate professor of engineering technology. Greg Spaulding, associate professor of engineering technology, led mechanical engineering technology students in building the antenna. October 2007
* A $500,000 donation to K-State at Salina has been turned into an airborne opportunity for K-State at Salina students. The heirs of Charles Stevens, the late owner of Stevens Construction in Salina, gave the money so that K-State at Salina's aviation department could purchase a Schweizer 300CBi helicopter and start a helicopter flight training program. The helicopter purchase will broaden the offerings of K-State at Salina's aviation program. In the last year alone, the department has added a glider to the fleet and started an aviation safety minor. This fall, the department launched a new avionics curriculum. October 2007
* Accidents happen -- and K-State at Salina students are learning why through the school's new aviation safety minor. The minor was developed based on a survey K-State at Salina conducted to see what industry was looking for in a safety program, according to Eric Shappee, associate professor of aviation. provides students with a knowledge of the practices and procedures used in establishing and maintaining an effective safety program and promoting a safety culture. It also teaches them the methods used to gather and analyze facts of accidents and determine probable accident causes. Shappee said the minor, which is open to students in all majors, is one more tool they can use to get a job. October 2007
* Bernard King, associate professor of aviation at K-State at Salina, has earned Master Certificated Flight Instructor accreditation for the fourth time from the National Association of Flight Instructors. King has held the professional accreditation continuously since 2001. He is one of only 14 Kansas aviation educators who has earned the Master Instructor designation -- which is awarded only to the top instructors in the nation, according to the National Association of Flight Instructors. In all, K-State at Salina has five faculty members who have earned this top designation. Along with King, they are Kurt Barnhart, professor and head of the department of aviation; Bill Gross, professor of aviation and chief pilot; Troy Brockway, associate professor of aviation; and Eric Shappee, associate professor of aviation. The national accreditation is recognized by the Federal Aviation Administration and is earned through a rigorous process of continuing professional activity and peer review. The accreditation must be renewed biennially and is awarded only to instructors who demonstrate an ongoing commitment to excellence, professional growth and service to the aviation community. September 2007
* Leslie Hannah, an assistant professor of arts, science and business at K-State at Salina, has been invited to take part in an Oxford University Round Table session on American Indians in literature. Hannah plans to present "The Soul of the Indian: American Indian Theology in Concert and Conflict with Christianity" at the round table, which will be July 22-27 at Oxford's Harris Manchester College. July 2007
* Technical students at Cowley County Community College can now look to the future and see K-State at Salina in their sights. Officials with K-State at Salina and Cowley signed a transfer agreement April 11. It will allow students who start out at Cowley to finish out a bachelor's degree at K-State at Salina. The bachelor's degrees available are in technology management, electronic engineering technology, computer systems technology and mechanical engineering technology. April 2007
* K-State at Salina has created its own channel on YouTube, a free Web site where people can easily upload, view and share videos. Channels are created by YouTube members who publish a series of videos. It all started with two videos produced by Les Hannah, assistant professor of arts, sciences and business at K-State at Salina. Hannah was interested in garnering broader interest for two summer classes he teaches through K-State continuing education. Today, the site features videos about the historic Virgin Atlantic Globalflyer, as well as recent news coverage of events on campus and student-shot podcasts about student clubs and Senior Day. More videos will be added. April 2007
* K-State at Salina's chapter of Students in Free Enterprise has captured its second consecutive regional championship. This year's regional competition was in Dallas, Texas. The K-State at Salina team will now compete in the Students in Free Enterprise USA National Exposition, May 6-8, also in Dallas. The club also won the regional championship in 2006. April 2007
* Two members of K-State at Salina's new chapter of Business Professionals of America have qualified for the national competition by earning honors at a recent regional competition. Robert Graham, freshman in electronic and computer engineering technology, Salina, placed first in the VB.Net programming category and finished in the top 10 in the Financial Math and Analysis and Management/Marketing/Human Resources Concepts categories. Nathan Maresch, senior in electronic and computer engineering technology, Nekoma, earned second place in PC troubleshooting and finishing in the top 10 in the Computer Security, Information Technology Concepts, Management/Marketing/Human Resources, Financial Math and Analysis, and Parliamentary Procedure Concepts categories. The national competition will be in May in New York. March 2007
* Rebecca Armstrong and Raylene Alexander, the only two female aircraft mechanics on Kansas State University at Salina's aviation maintenance faculty, are being recognized for their work. The Association for Women in Aviation Maintenance has named Armstrong the recipient of the Mary Ann Eiff Teacher of the Year Award, and has awarded Alexander two scholarships to help her design new curriculum for K-State at Salina's aviation department. Both will be formally recognized at the Association of Women in Aviation Maintenance Awards Breakfast Feb. 17. The event is part of the conference of Women In Aviation, International in Orlando, Fla., Feb. 15-17. February 2007
* Bill Gross, chief flight instructor at K-State at Salina, has been recognized by the Federal Aviation Administration as the best in Kansas. Gross, a professor of aviation and a professional pilot, was named Certified Flight Instructor of the Year by the FAA's Flight Standards district office in Wichita. The Wichita office is part of a four-state region which has five Flight Standards district offices. Gross, who has been teaching aviation for more than 30 years, was key to getting K-State's aviation program off the ground. He was the first pilot instructor to join the program when K-State and the Kansas College of Technology merged in 1991. He began working for the Kansas College of Technology in 1987. During his tenure, K-State at Salina's professional pilot program has grown from a handful of students to more than 300 students. Today, Gross is in charge of all flight training that goes on at K-State at Salina, as well as its ground school. In addition, as a professional pilot, Gross has trained more than 1,000 students. He is one of four Master Certified Flight Instructors at K-State at Salina. January 2007