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Media Relations
Kansas State University
9 Anderson Hall
Manhattan, KS 66506
785-532-6415
media@k-state.edu

Information provided by K-State Media Relations, K-State's news service, may be reproduced without permission. The marks and names of Kansas State University are protected trademarks and may not be used in any commercial or private endeavor without the approval of the university.

Source: Don Gruenbacher, 785-532-4692, grue@k-state.edu
News release prepared by: Mary Rankin, 785-532-6725, mrankin@k-state.edu

Monday, June 9, 2008

GARMIN SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED TO 16 K-STATE ENGINEERING STUDENTS

Manhattan -- Sixteen top students from Kansas State University's department of electrical and computer engineering have been named 2008 Garmin Scholars.

Funded by the Kao Family Foundation, the Garmin Educational Initiative program, of which K-State is a member, will provide the students with $6,000 per year for premier scholarships in the K-State College of Engineering's department of electrical and computer engineering. In addition, scholarship recipients will be given first consideration for paid internship opportunities at Garmin, including housing and health insurance. In total, the package is estimated to be worth up to $20,000 per year to each recipient.

Min Kao, president and chief executive officer of Garmin International Inc., Olathe, established the program at K-State as part of a $10 million endowment to support engineering in the region. Kao began the initiative in order to recruit and retain stellar students in the fields of electrical and computer engineering. K-State is one of only a handful of universities in the country to receive this distinction.

Recipients of the Garmin Scholarships at K-State must be full-time students majoring in computer engineering or electrical engineering and have completed at least their freshman year. To qualify for an initial annual scholarship award, a student must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.8 or above. The initial recipients who maintain a 3.5 grade point average will continue to receive the scholarship until their graduation.

"We could not be more pleased to be selected for membership in the Garmin Electrical and Computer Engineering Educational Initiative," said Don Gruenbacher, head of K-State's department of electrical and computer engineering. "The ability to award the Garmin Scholarship to deserving students will better enable us to attract promising students to our programs, while also strengthening their undergraduate experience through the Garmin internship and cooperative opportunities."

Renovation of the department of electrical and computer engineering conference room also is slated to be completed this summer through a gift of $60,000 from Garmin. The room, in Rathbone Hall, will be renamed the Garmin Electrical and Computer Engineering Conference Room. Refurbishments will include new paint, light fixtures and carpet; installation of power and data outlets, including a new projector with high-definition display and videoconferencing equipment; and eight new tables and 26 new chairs.

"Garmin has become an outstanding friend and partner to the College of Engineering at Kansas State," said Richard Gallagher, associate dean for academics and administration in the College of Engineering. "We are so appreciative of their generosity, as well their vision and understanding of the type of support necessary to provide educational excellence for the next generation of engineers."

K-State students who are 2008 Garmin Scholars include:

David Ochs, junior in electrical engineering, Bennington; Sarah Kubler, senior in computer engineering, Chanute; Aaron Duerksen, senior in computer engineering, De Soto; Daniel Snell, junior in computer engineering, Ellinwood.

From Greater Kansas City: Nicholas Gay, senior in electrical engineering, Lenexa; Michael Ellis, senior in computer engineering and electrical engineering, Overland Park; and James Groening, senior in computer engineering and electrical engineering, Prairie Village.

Jason Sowers, junior in computer engineering, Goddard; Mark Wallsten, senior in electrical engineering, Hutchinson; Tony Clark, senior in computer engineering, Paola; Derek Woodman, senior in computer engineering, Parsons; Ray Scheufler, sophomore in computer engineering, Sterling; Richard Bell, sophomore in computer engineering, and Alex McKee, senior in electrical engineering, both of Wichita; and Cody Barthuly, junior in electrical engineering, Winfield.

From out of state: Nicholas Rome, junior in electrical engineering, Lone Tree, Colo.

Garmin International Inc. is a worldwide leader in GPS navigation and communication devices.