K-State's Presidential Awards recognize excellence in teaching, advising and administrative leadership

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Sources: Caroline Delandre, 785-537-3066, cde4433@k-state.edu; Kyoko Mizuno, 785-532-1921, suesue@k-state.edu; Angelia Perry, 785-532-5480,
angelia@k-state.edu; Lakshmi Reddi, 785-532-1586, reddi@k-state.edu;
Susan Jackson Rodgers, 785-532-2183, suejack@k-state.edu; and
Donita Whitney-Bammerlin, 785-532-4362, donitab@k-state.edu
News release prepared by: Andy Badeker, 785-532-6415, abadeker@k-state.edu

Monday, April 23, 2007

K-STATE'S PRESIDENTIAL AWARDS RECOGNIZE EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING, ADVISING AND ADMINISTRATIVE LEADERSHIP

MANHATTAN -- Six Presidential Awards are being presented to honor outstanding teaching, advising and administrative skills at Kansas State University.

The awards, which consist of a $2,500 honorarium and plaque, are sponsored by the K-State president's office and Curtin Property Co., a real estate development firm with offices in Manhattan and Kansas City. The awards are coordinated through the Kansas State University Foundation.

Receiving the Presidential Awards for Teaching Excellence are Caroline Delandre, a graduate teaching assistant in biology; Kyoko Mizuno, an instructor in modern languages; Susan Jackson Rodgers, an assistant professor in English; and Donita Whitney-Bammerlin, academic program coordinator and instructor of management.

The Presidential Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Advising recipient is Angelia Perry in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Lakshmi Reddi, a professor of civil engineering, is receiving the Presidential Award for Outstanding Department Head.

"The Curtin Property Company, our related business entities of Westchester Park and Georgetown Apartment Homes, and our associates are pleased to join with the K-State president's office in recognizing and rewarding these highly talented faculty members," said Chris Curtin, company president. "Their commitment to the pursuit of excellence is noteworthy and inspirational. As teachers, advisers, or department heads, each has made significant contributions to the education of undergraduates at Kansas State University."

"These Presidential Award honorees demonstrate the talent and dedication that make K-State such a great place to study and to teach," said Jon Wefald, K-State president. "We appreciate that Chris Curtin and the Curtin Property Company continue to help the university reward these faculty members for their hard work."

* Delandre, a doctoral candidate in biology, has taught the lab portion of general microbiology since 2003. "My main goal is to create an enjoyable learning environment for the students and myself," she said. "I start by asking myself one simple question: Why should the students care about this subject?" She mixes lecture, personal anecdotes and pertinent examples from the news to help her students understand course material and see how it can be applied to everyday life. Delandre draws pictures, distributes handouts, sends e-mails and invents activities that help students retain information. As a result, her students have generated scores higher than many of the other lab sections. Delandre earned her bachelor's degree in cellular biology and physiology at the University of Rennes, France.

* Mizuno joined the department of modern languages in 1992 as the university's first and only Japanese instructor. Since then, Mizuno has built the Japanese language program from the ground up. The personal attention she gives students is derived from a Japanese phrase: "Every meeting is to be cherished for it only occurs once in a lifetime." Whether for help with a study abroad essay or preparation for Japanese speech competitions, her students know that Mizuno is always willing to help. Every year, Mizuno also coordinates the Central Kansas Japanese Festival at K-State. Through its yearlong preparation, her students apply their language knowledge to daily interaction with Japanese. After earning her bachelor's degree with a focus in cultural anthropology at Tezukayama University in Japan, Mizuno completed her master's degree in English and applied linguistics at Iowa State University.

* Rodgers, who has been in the department of English since 1992, teaches courses in creative writing and literature. "Helping students discover why a story by Anton Chekhov or Alice Munro or James Baldwin is a brilliant piece of art, and why art matters -- that's thrilling and fulfilling work," she said. As a widely published fiction writer, she brings a wealth of creative knowledge to the writing classroom. "Everyone has a meaningful story to tell, and everyone has a voice with which to tell it. My role is to lead students to the page, where they can discover more fully who they are and what they care about." Students perceive Rodgers as rigorous and demanding, but they also view her as a compassionate ally on their path to becoming better writers. Rodgers earned a bachelor's degree in English from Bowdoin College and a master's in English from K-State. She also has a master of fine arts in creative writing from Bennington College.

* Whitney-Bammerlin teaches courses that include organizational behavior, entrepreneurship and the management of diverse workplaces. "We have to teach to the whole person," Whitney-Bammerlin said. "Unless students know that we value them as people, not just numbers, they'll treat the material as just another number, and go only for an A." She has been an educator at all levels, preschool through adults, and has taught in a one-room country school. She currently serves on several national committees dealing with agriculture, youth, environment and health. Whitney-Bammerlin holds bachelor's degrees in horticulture and elementary education, a master's in educational administration, and a Ph.D. in adult and continuing education, all earned at K-State.

* Perry is an adviser in interdisciplinary humanities and open option. Of her 400 students, many have no idea what academic career they should pursue. When advisees walk through her door, they find someone who treats them with respect and reassures them that they will find their niche at K-State. Students describe her as someone who goes "beyond what is expected." Perry said she uses "narrative advising": By focusing on positive scholastic achievements in a student's past, she uncovers direction and motivation for that student's future. "It has been tremendously rewarding throughout the years to assist students in walking through the many doors of opportunity available at K-State," Perry said. She began her advising career at K-State in 1999 after completing bachelor's and master's degrees in English from K-State.

* Reddi has been with K-State's civil engineering department since 1992 and has been department head since 2000. "My leadership philosophy is to be inclusive and draw out the strengths of all of our department's constituents," Reddi said. "It is important to me that every constituent feels valuable and takes ownership of the department's successes. Attracting funds from outside sources and managing budget are important aspects; however, I regard human resources as far more important." Reddi earned his bachelor's in civil engineering from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University in Andhra Pradesh, India. His master's and his Ph.D. are from Ohio State University.