PLAUDITS
BRIAN NIEHOFF NAMED ASSOCIATE PROVOST AT K-STATE
Brian Niehoff has been named associate provost at K-State. Niehoff's promotion was announced by April Mason, provost and senior vice president.
Niehoff, who previously served as interim associate provost, oversees the university's offices of planning and analysis, assessment, and summer school. He also chairs K-State's Higher Learning Commission Self-Study Steering Committee.
"Dr. Niehoff brings experience as an administrator and a keen insight into assessment and learning outcomes to his position. I am pleased he is a member of our provost office team," Mason said.
Niehoff joined K-State's College of Business Administration in 1988 as an assistant professor of management, and was promoted to professor in 2002. He served as head of the department of management from 2000 to 2009, before being named interim associate provost.
"In the past year I've had the opportunity to work with excellent leadership, colleagues and staff, and we have provided much assistance and guidance with my learning on university-level issues," Niehoff said. "I am happy that my efforts have been appreciated, and I'm excited to continue this work."
Niehoff has been recognized numerous times for his teaching, research and advising. He has received the Commerce Bank Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award, the Conoco Outstanding Teaching Award and the College of Business Administration's Ralph Reitz Award for Outstanding Teaching, and he is a four-time professor of the semester honoree by K-State graduate students. He also has earned the College of Business Administration's Outstanding Contribution to Research Award, and the Adviser of the Year Award from the office of student activities and services.
Niehoff earned a bachelor's in mathematics from St. Joseph's College in Indiana and a master of business administration and doctorate in organizational behavior from Indiana University.
K-STATE POLICE CAPTAIN JOINS NATIONAL EFFORT TO COMBAT CRIMES OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
Capt. Donald Stubbings of the K-State police department is taking part in a national effort to curb violence against women.
Stubbings is among 24 law enforcement executives from across the country selected to participate in the National Campus Law Enforcement Leadership Institute on Violence Against Women. The four-day institute is in Austin, Texas.
"To be one of the select few nationwide invited to attend the institute is humbling," Stubbings said. "The institute will allow me to enhance an already strong group of investigators at the K-State police department, bring new visions and develop programs that are critical for the safety of our K-State community."
The K-State police department has five officers specially trained as part of the department's Sexual Assault Response Team.
The institute is hosted by the International Association of Chiefs of Police. Its goal is to raise the response to crimes of violence again women higher on law enforcement's agenda. It also advocates for the use of best practices in local police departments.
At the institute, Stubbings and other participants will explore new approaches for investigating domestic and dating violence, sexual assault and stalking. They will learn about assessing agency performance and share challenges and solutions. The institute also will focus on planning and methods for effective resource allocation to help crime victims and hold perpetrators accountable. Participants will work on developing proactive strategies they can use in their own departments.
"The opportunity for Capt. Stubbings to attend such an important institute is immeasurable. The knowledge he will bring back will help us serve victims, enhance policy and bring strong cases to prosecution," said Ronnie Grice, assistant vice president for public safety at K-State.
POPULAR PEER EDUCATION GUIDE BY K-STATE PROFESSOR NOW IN SECOND EDITION
Peer education, using students to assist and provide service to other students, has garnered growing support on college campuses across the nation -- and for good reason.
It may be the connecting point for young students that educators have been seeking, according to a K-State counselor who has co-written a book on the topic.
The second edition of "Students Helping Students: A Guide for Peer Educators on College Campuses," by Fred Newton, professor of counseling and educational psychology at K-State, and Steven C. Ender, president of Grand Rapids Community College in Michigan has been released. It's published by Jossey-Bass.
The book models how young students can influence and educate their peers using many effective methods. Newton said it is vital peer educators receive proficient training so they can be effective educators.
The first edition was released in 2000 and was a best-seller. Since its initial release, Newton and fellow contributors have elevated their understanding of peer educating and included their latest information in the new edition.
Major changes in the book include more graphics, action strategies and real-life illustrations to provide visual aids and active learning, Newton said.
Newton thinks peer education will make large strides in the near future, incorporating technological innovations to enhance the experience and connect with young students.
In addition to "Students Helping Students," Newton has published more than 50 articles and book chapters, and authored or co-authored three books on subjects related to college student personnel services and education.
DAWNE MARTIN NEW ASSISTANT DEAN FOR DIVERSITY AT K-STATE'S COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
Yar M. Ebadi, dean of the College of Business Administration at K-State, has promoted Dawne Martin to assistant dean for diversity.
Martin, an instructor of marketing, previously served as an assistant to Ebadi for diversity.
Martin has been a champion of diversity enhancement since joining K-State in 1998. At the College of Business Administration she has served as chair of the Faculty Diversity Committee and been key in leading the college's efforts to promote a wide range of diversity activities, including the creation of the Multicultural Business Student Association and coordinating its Diversity in Action Forum; creating the college's Diversity Speaker Series; and expanding student learning outcomes to include diversity.
Ebadi said one of his main goals as dean is to keep the enhancement of diversity at the center of all the college does, and that Martin helps make that happen.
"Dr. Martin's efforts have been instrumental in the college's successful integration of multicultural awareness throughout our curriculum and culture as we seek to sustain and promote the development of our students as global citizens," Ebadi said. "We strive to encourage leaders among our faculty, staff and student body who value the strength of multiple worldviews, experiences and opinions, and who are prepared to conduct business in a manner that reflects the expansive diversity of our culture and the global business community.
"Thanks in great part to Dr. Martin's efforts, 9.6 percent of the college's student body are students from underrepresented groups," he said.
"At the College of Business Administration we understand the inherent strength in promoting our diversity at all levels, and the benefit that diversity provides our students in preparing them to succeed in today's diverse global business environment," Martin said.
To help ensure the academic success of students, Martin is active in mentoring, recruiting and other efforts to retain multicultural students. She has co-organized the Kauffman Scholars Summer Residential Institute at K-State, played a key role in restructuring the Koch College for a Day Recruitment Program, and helped secure a grant to support the MAPS Project Impact Summer Bridge Program, sponsored by ConocoPhillips and Cargill Inc. The program is for incoming K-State freshman.
WRIGHT CHOSEN AS NEW FELLOW OF WESTERN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION
Thomas A. Wright, K-State's Jon Wefald Leadership Chair in Business Administration, has been named a Fellow by the Western Psychological Association.
To become a Fellow, individuals must make outstanding contributions to the field of psychology, and their work must have national impact on the field of psychology.
In addition to the Western Psychological Association, Wright is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology and the Association for Psychological Science.
He is the first K-State scholar to achieve Fellow status in each of these four prestigious professional organizations, an honor achieved by fewer than 15 scholars worldwide.
"I am so pleased to be recognized by election to Fellow status in the Western Psychological Association" Wright said. "One necessary way for K-State to achieve the goal of a top 50 national academic ranking is to attract and retain scholars who are widely recognized by their peers. I am very proud to bring this positive recognition to K-State."
Wright is a professor of organizational behavior and is director of the College of Business Administration's Center for Character-based Leadership.
He is best known for his work on the role of employee psychological well-being in job performance and topics involving character and character-based leadership. He has been published in many of the leading business and social science journals and has been widely cited by print, radio and television outlets, including Time magazine, the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, USA Today, New York Daily News, Science Daily, Science Week and many others. He also has served as associate editor for two leading management journals, the Journal of Management and the Journal of Organizational Behavior.
Wright will be formally recognized in spring 2011 at the association's 91st annual convention in Los Angeles, Calif.