PLAUDITS
KANSAS SUPREME COURT NAMES SPIKES TO THE STATE'S CONTINUING LEGAL EDUCATION COMMISSION
The Kansas Supreme Court has appointed K-State's W. Franklin Spikes to the Kansas Continuing Legal Education Commission.
Spikes, a professor of educational leadership and director of K-State's doctoral program in adult and continuing education, is the only non-attorney to serve on the commission since it was created 25 years ago. He will serve a three-year term, with a second three-year term possible.
The nine-member commission was formed by the state Supreme Court to monitor and regulate continuing education for practicing attorneys in Kansas. The state requires that attorneys take 12 hours of continuing legal education a year. Nearly 10,000 attorneys did so in 2009.
The Kansas Continuing Legal Education Commission reviews and approves the various entities and programs offering continuing education for attorneys, considering both how closely related the training programs are to the practice of law in Kansas and how these initiatives can improve the work of participating attorneys. The commission also reviews individual requests by attorneys to count various other training programs toward their continuing education credit.
"In the broadest sense, the commission is ultimately charged with protecting the public welfare through their work by monitoring how the ongoing education of attorneys is delivered in the state," Spikes said.
Spikes is an expert in the field of adult and continuing education who has more than 30 years of experience in both the academic and corporate settings. He said there are a myriad of issues facing the commission, including the legitimacy of distance education programs.
In a rural state like Kansas, there may be small law practices with limited resources for which distance education would be a plus. But monitoring the quality of that training can be an issue, Spikes said.
The commission also is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the statewide rules and regulations that form the basis for continuing legal education. Spikes also will serve on the statewide task force charged with the reviewing the regulations.
Spikes has a doctorate in adult and continuing education from Northern Illinois University. His teaching and research interests are related to workplace learning, training and development, and educational program planning and administration.
He also is the author of numerous works in the field of adult and continuing education. He was president of K-State's Faculty Senate from 2007-2008 and has served on the board of directors and as president of the American Association for Adult and Continuing Education. He is a past Fellow of the American Council of Education and the Project for the Study of Adult Learning. He also is a member of the first group inducted into the International Adult Education Hall of Fame.
SCHARMANN HONORED BY THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR RESEARCH IN SCIENCE TEACHING
Lawrence C. Scharmann, head of K-State's department of secondary education, has won the 2009/10 NARST Paper Award for "Evolution and Personal Religious Belief: Christian Biology-Related Majors' Search for Reconciliation at a Christian University." He wrote the paper with two colleagues.
NARST is the National Association for Research in Science Teaching, an international organization of professionals committed to the improvement of science teaching and learning through research.
This honor indicates that the paper received the highest ratings from colleagues in the selection committee from among all papers nominated for the award and presented at the 2009 NARST international annual meeting.
HENDRIX NAMED ADVISER OF THE YEAR
Scott Hendrix, K-State instructor of finance, has been named Adviser of the Year by K-State's office of student activities and services.
The office sponsors the award to honor an individual who has made a commitment to a student organization and its goals by challenging, motivating and supporting students in the group.
Hendrix advises the Student Finance Association in K-State's College of Business Administration. Letters nominating Hendrix for the award noted his dedication to the organization and willingness to spend extra time organizing activities and trips to ensure students develop the skills needed to be successful. Students who nominated Hendrix for this honor also attributed the association's invitation to meet last year with Warren Buffet to their adviser's hard work.
The K-State Student Finance Association is a student-run organization for finance majors, but is open to any K-State students with an interest in the financial industry.