Recognizing excellence
Kansas Board of Regents honors four K-Staters for their outstanding contributions
Three faculty and one staff member at Kansas State University were recently recognized for their outstanding contributions to teaching, student success and service to the university.
The Kansas Board of Regents honored the Faculty and Staff of the Year awardees at its Sept. 17 meeting. Nominees were selected by the faculty and staff senates at the state universities and awarded by the Regents. The universities could nominate a tenured, tenure-track and non-tenure track faculty member, and one staff member.
K-State’s Faculty of the Year awardees are Chad Bailey, instructor of electronic and computer engineering at K-State Salina, non-tenure track; Logan Britton, associate professor of agricultural economics, tenure-track; and Gabe Kerr, professor of math, tenured.
Richard Becker, director of infrastructure security architecture in the Division of Information Technology, is the recipient of the Kansas Board of Regents Staff of the Year Award for K-State.
“The Regents are excited to recognize the many accomplishments of the outstanding faculty and staff nominated in 2025,” said Blake Benson, Kansas Board of Regents chair. "Faculty help students develop lifelong skills and conduct research that drives innovation and economic growth. Staff provide leadership, support, and operational excellence at our state universities. I’m thrilled that the Board has introduced a Staff of the Year award for the first time this year."
Read more about each awardee below.
Chad Bailey
Chad Bailey.
Bailey excels in teaching, research and student mentorship. He plays a key role in developing K-State’s Robotics and Autonomous Systems program, focused on agricultural innovation, and recently earned a patent. Bailey actively mentors students and leads K-12 summer programs to promote youth technical education. His dedication to student success and service to K-State and the broader community reflects his commitment to growth and innovation.
“It’s an honor to receive the Faculty of the Year Award,” Bailey said. “It’s gratifying to be nominated and selected by my peers. We have an incredible team of faculty and staff on the Salina campus, and I'm grateful to represent the great things going on here.”
Having graduated from the Salina campus and spending 14 years in manufacturing and product development, Bailey values the opportunity to bring his expertise into the classroom.
“I enjoy the hands-on lab environment over lecture because this is where theory meets practical application in everyday engineering,” he said. “It’s these activities and applied learning experiences where students get that connection with the course content.”
Logan Britton
Logan Britton.
Britton is recognized for his excellence in teaching, research and service work. He teaches five courses in agricultural finance, agribusiness logistics, contemporary issues in global food systems and computer decision tools. In the classroom, he incorporates experiential learning using tools such as Microsoft Excel, Power BI and AnyLogistix.
His efforts have been recognized with the 2024 SAEA Emerging Scholar Award in Teaching and the 2023 USDA Early Career Award for Excellence in College and University Teaching. His research focuses on consumer demand and agricultural supply chain issues, resulting in in multiple peer-reviewed publications and more than $2 million in collaborative funding. Britton also contributes to departmental, college, university, and professional committees and co-organizes workshops on pedagogy and AI.
He serves as an academic advisor to undergraduate students and mentors doctoral students as instructors. As a K-State graduate and now faculty member, he tries to offer students the same support and encouragement that he received.
“This award reflects the people and places that have shaped my path, and I carry a strong sense of responsibility to keep paying that forward,” Britton said. “I am thankful to the Kansas Board of Regents for recognizing faculty through this program, and I am humbled that colleagues saw value in what I do.”
When preparing courses, Britton emphasizes real-world application and aims to teach in a way that is both structured and purposeful.
“I rely on experiential learning and practical tools, whether it is computer software, simulations, and case studies, to help students engage with complex decisions in a hands-on way,” Britton said. “I want them to walk away with not just a better understanding of the material, but also the confidence to use what they’ve learned.”
Gabe Kerr
Gabe Kerr.
Kerr is recognized for his efforts to support mathematical literacy and advancement for students at K-State. For the last two years, he has worked extensively with the Kansas Board of Regents, the Division of Academic Affairs and Innovation, the Division of Academic Success and Student Affairs, Enrollment Management, the Registrar's Office, the Arts and Sciences Dean's Office and colleagues in the math department to initiate and implement the Math Pathways program, which launched in fall 2025. The program helps students effectively navigate the mathematics curriculum.
Kerr joined K-State in 2013 and has balanced active research with significant contributions to teaching and service. His development of new enrollment metrics and tools, including ALEKS, streamlined course registration for incoming engineering students, preventing enrollment issues for hundreds of students.
Kerr’s teaching aims to engage students in the material through interaction and establishing a back-and-forth dialog and guiding them through problems.
“One of my favorite parts of working with students comes when I see them acquire skills that they initially felt were inaccessible; and when they then take those skills to the next level, get invited to workshops, research conferences, or get an internship,” Kerr said. “I feel a deep sense of purpose in having aided them in their well-earned accomplishments.”
Richard Becker
Richard Becker.
Becker is the driving force behind K-State’s cybersecurity transformation. In the wake of last January’s cyber incident, Becker led a bold initiative to block all inbound internet traffic to campus endpoints.
At the Biosecurity Research Institute, he tailored this effort to fortify the border firewall, dedicating nights, weekends, and much of his summer to the project. His swift, seamless execution minimized disruption while maximizing protection. Becker’s work has significantly reduced our cyber risk and set a universitywide standard for security.
“I appreciate the Kansas Board of Regents recognizing the contributions of faculty and staff across the state in support of our institutional missions and am honored to be able to represent K-State in this capacity,” Becker said. “I am proud to be part of the K-State family, am grateful for the colleagues I have the privilege to work with, and am humbled by those who nominated and selected me for this award.”