K-State Current - November 11, 2015
K-State Current is a weekly news update for the Kansas Board of Regents in an effort to apprise the Regents on a few of the many successes and achievements made by K-State faculty, staff and students.
K-State News
Kansas State University's College of Education is getting national attention for doing what it does best: preparing educators, both
current and future.
The college is featured in Newsweek magazine's list of 2015's great teaching schools. The magazine cites the college's national award-winning programs; centers that address
many of the key topics in education, such as diversity and professional development;
and its innovative initiatives to advance teaching and education, including original
documentaries that can be used as classroom resources and programs to assist early-career
teachers.
The Newsweek article highlights a tradition of national recognition for the college
— including 12 major awards since 2012 — and shows why the college produces more teachers
annually than any other program in Kansas, according to Debbie Mercer, dean of the college.
"The College of Education at Kansas State University is having an impact on the field
of education around the nation and the world," Mercer said. "Whether it is through
research, textbooks — one was recently translated into Chinese — or through the college's
online offerings of graduate programs, the fact is people from all walks of life are
seeking us out to start their careers and advance them."
From bachelor's to doctoral degrees, the college's comprehensive programs prepare
future educators for the classroom and help current educators to advance in their
careers, garnering national recognition along the way. Some recent honors:
• The 2015 Best Practice Award in Support of Global and International Teacher Education
from the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education.
• The 2014 Lt. Gen. (Ret.) H.G. "Pete" Taylor Partnership of Excellence Award for
Higher Education.
• The 2014 Outstanding Service to Underserved Populations Award from the Association
for Continuing Higher Education for Go Teacher, a language training program for Ecuadorian
teachers.
• The 2012 Distinguished Elementary Education Program in Teacher Education Award from
the Association of Teacher Educators.
In addition, the college's graduate programs are consistently ranked in the top 100
by U.S. News and World Report, and its faculty have earned many national and campus
honors — including Mercer, who was recognized recently as one of the top 30 education
deans in the nation by Mometrix. More information on the college's many honors is
available at http://coe.k-state.edu/news/honors.html.
Since its founding 50 years ago, the college also has been active in addressing many
key issues in education, including diversity. The Midwest Equity Assistance Center, housed at the college, has secured more than $30 million to support schools in a
four-state region on equity issues. The college's Center for Intercultural and Multilingual Advocacy also has received more than $30 million since its launch and has served as a professional
development model for more than 10,000 English as a second language teachers throughout
the Midwest since 1998.
The college also leads in educational innovation through such programs as its iPad
initiative for faculty and students; providing monetary support for faculty who create
digital resources to replace costly textbooks; and Ed Cats, which provides support
for teachers early in their careers.
Another innovative offering by the college are documentaries available to all educators
— many with lesson plans — that explore important issues in education. One of the
college's documentaries, "A Walk in My Shoes: First-Generation College Students," drew praise from first lady Michelle Obama, a first-generation student herself.
Kansas State University in Manhattan has been designated the first bicycle friendly
university in Kansas by the League of American Bicyclists.
The university has received the bicycle organization's Bronze-Level Bicycle Friendly
University award. In all, the league awarded or renewed bicycle friendly status to
49 universities in 31 states this year, bringing the total of designated bicycle friendly
universities and colleges to 127 in the nation.
The Bicycle Friendly University program recognizes institutions of higher education
for promoting and providing a more bikable campus for students, staff and visitors.
The program provides the road map and technical assistance to create great campuses
for cycling.
"Being designated as a bike friendly campus is something to be proud of," said Derek
Jackson, director of Kansas State University's Housing and Dining Services. "Students
and staff are biking more and more for both transportation needs as well as for recreational
wellness. Having infrastructure that supports biking is important to our campus and
community."
Kansas State University encourages bicycling as an easy option for transportation
and continues to improve the bicycle friendly nature of campus as called for in the
university's 2025 strategic plan.
According to Mark Taussig, associate director for campus planning who will serve
as the university's contact for the Bicycle Friendly University program, some of the
steps the university has taken to be more bike friendly include developing master
plan guidelines and standards for pedestrians and bicyclists; improving lighting,
especially at intersections and crosswalks; adding appropriate pavement markings at
crosswalks, on streets and on sidewalks; creating 3.3 miles of shared pedestrian/bicycling
paths around the campus on Kimball, Denison, North Manhattan and College avenues;
adding bike lanes and bike routes on city streets, including on North Manhattan and
Denison avenues; and adding hundreds of new bike parking spaces on campus.
Increased awareness and enforcement of pedestrian and bicycle regulations have been
priorities, as well as realigning some key intersections for improved safety, Taussig
said. In addition, the university is taking out streets and replacing them with wide
walkways, or malls, for pedestrians and bicyclists. One of the malls was built this
year on a quarter-mile section of 17th Street on campus, with another mall planned
in 2016 that will cover mile on Mid-Campus Drive.
Doug May, transportation planning intern for the Flint Hills Metropolitan Planning Organization and master's student in regional and community planning, spent several months collecting data and preparing the application for the Bicycle Friendly University designation.
"Using the knowledge and skills I learned in the planning program at K-State, and
through my internship with the Flint Hills Metropolitan Planning Organization, I was
able to prepare the comprehensive Bicycle Friendly University application," May said.
"I'm looking forward to the future of K-State as it continues to grow and move even
more toward a bicycle- and pedestrian-friendly environment."
With the designation, the university will have access to a variety of free tools
and technical assistance from the League of American Bicyclists to become even more
bicycle friendly.
To learn more about the multimodal efforts underway at Kansas State University, the
surrounding community or in the region, contact the Flint Hills Metropolitan Planning
Organization at FHMPO@FlintHillsRegion.org or 855- 785-3472. To learn more about the Bicycle Friendly University program, visit
bikeleague.org/BFA.
Faculty Highlights
Harlow named Kansas higher education's art educator of the year
Trina Harlow, College of Education art education instructor, was named the 2015 Kansas Art Education Association Higher Education Educator of the Year.
Harlow was presented with the award last month at the association's 2015 fall conference at Pittsburg State University. She was selected for the honor based on her service to the organization, the Texas Art Education Association and the National Art Education Association. Additionally, she was chosen because of her work with globally inspired art, tradigital art, and for her service of excellence in promoting and advocating for art education in Kansas, the United States, and internationally.
"This award is very special to me as it represents my life's work and all the educators, artists, art enthusiasts and students who have been part of my life's canvas," Harlow said. "I firmly believe in the power of art education in the lives of our students."
Harlow taught school short-term in Uganda, Ecuador, and Switzerland and participated in a research project in Cuban fine arts schools. She was a 2014 Fund for Teachers fellow and completed her fellowship in Istanbul, Turkey. She was the Prosper, Texas, ISD District Teacher of the year and founded the Worldwide Color Wheel Project. She was called "a pioneer in video digital media" by Skype in the Classroom, and works continuously to further the scope and reach of art education in the classroom and communities. Her latest project, The Great Teacher Project, uses art education to promote the positive aspects and influences of being an educator.
An avid supporter of the International Folk Art Market in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Harlow is involved in leadership capacities with the Market and works tirelessly to promote the well-being of people around the world in developed and developing countries whose lives are changed by their art making. She started the Aprendiendo del Arte lecture and workshop series at Kansas State University. Her newest interests are refugee art and art in Kansas rural schools. Now in her second year at the College of Education as the art education instructor and program coordinator, she has been a practicing K-12 art educator for more than two decades.
Harlow received a bachelor's degree from Kansas State University and a master's degree in art education from Boston University. Her research interests are globalization, tradigital art, folk and refugee art.
K-State Student Achievements
Kansas State University anthropology student finalist for Rhodes, Marshall national scholarships
An active traveler and scholar of humanity, Jordan Thomas, Kansas State University
senior in anthropology, Atchison, will interview as a finalist for two national scholarship competitions, Rhodes and
Marshall.
Rhodes scholarships are awarded to 32 students from the United States each year and
provide full funding for one or two years of study at Oxford University in England.
Marshall scholarships are awarded to as many as 40 students each year and provide
full funding for one or two years of study in the United Kingdom. Finalists for each
of the scholarships will interview in mid-November. While each award has a distinct
vision, both competitions seek students who demonstrate outstanding academic achievement,
commitment to others and leadership potential.
Thomas has traveled extensively and experienced many cultures as part of his anthropological
study and research. During summer 2015, he lived in Taos, New Mexico, to research
the correlation between traditional agriculture and youth participation in language
and ritual with Taos' Pueblo community. In spring 2015, he lived in Kansas City to
assist residents with the development of an urban farm, and he bicycled and hitchhiked
his way from Kansas to Colombia in 2014.
Thomas lived as a full-time resident in a retirement home to study the culture and
customs of its residents during the spring 2014 semester and co-produced the video
"To Live in this World" about the experience. He later presented the video at an international film festival
in Paris, France. He also researched the correlation between social cohesion and labor
productivity on a fruit farm in Costa Rica during summer 2013. In addition, Thomas
assisted with a political campaign for the Kansas House of Representatives in fall
2012.
At Kansas State University, he is the vice president for Wildcats for International
Development, has served as secretary of Anthropology Club, is a member of Phi Beta
Kappa honor society and Theta Xi fraternity, and is a past member of the Student Governing
Association's Student Review Board.
Thomas' many honors and awards include a research and travel grant from the university's
Office of Undergraduate Research & Creative Inquiry, Central States Anthropological
Society Research Travel Award, Edward Allen McCoy Jr. Memorial Scholarship, Study
Abroad Scholarship, Adventurous Anthropology Award and a Transfer Achievement Award.
The son of Ryan Thomas, Atchison, and Susan Biggs Thomas, Overland Park, he is a 2011 graduate of Maur Hill — Mount Academy in Atchison.
Civil engineering student to intern with UN World Food Program
What began from watching a segment on "60 Minutes" with his dad, followed by a website visit and application process, has now led Ramin Rostampour, K-State junior in civil engineering, to an internship opportunity with the U.N. World Food Program.
Rostampour will depart for Rome, Italy, headquarters for the World Food Program, Nov. 27 and begin a three-month assignment on Dec. 1. With potential for the term to be extended to six months, he has worked out details to finish his studies for this semester, and next semester will be enrolled in a co-op to maintain good standing with the university.
"I will be working with the World Food Program engineering team whose main responsibilities are to design and manage the building of infrastructure that will make distribution of food possible to many communities in need," he said. "Oftentimes, there is a need for a road, bridge or runway where it previously has not existed.
"As an intern, much of my responsibilities will be project management, including contracts, basic design, reports and research. I was also told I will most likely travel to a lot of the communities in need we’ll be serving."
The World Food Program is the world's largest humanitarian agency, fighting hunger worldwide. Interns accepted for the program’s engineering team are under general supervision of the chief engineer for all project matters, and all tasks performed will be under direct supervision of a professionally accredited staff project engineer.
Requirements of intern applicants include being currently enrolled or having recently graduated with a university degree in civil/structural engineering, having completed at least two years of undergraduate study, having attended courses in the last 12 months, written and oral proficiency in English, and knowledge of various software programs.
"I have always been passionate about helping people, ever since I got my first taste of community service in the Boy Scouts," Rostampour said. "I chose to major in civil engineering because I saw the greatest need for civil engineers, and therefore, the most opportunity to help people."
