Nominations open for the 2026-2027 Commerce Bank Presidential Awards for Student Belonging

For nearly forty years, Kansas State University has honored those who encourage a sense of belonging on campus, enhancing the Wildcat experience as a place where all students feel welcomed.

Since 1978, the Commerce Bank Presidential Faculty/Staff Award for Distinguished Services to Belonging has honored outstanding individual contributions to the development of quality education for students.

"Creating a campus culture that celebrates students for their unique identities is one way that K-State lives up to its next-generation land-grant university mission," said Mirta Chavez, assistant vice president for student belonging. "These awards are a long-standing tradition of recognizing the people who advance that culture universitywide."

Nominations for the 2026-2027 Commerce Bank Presidential Awards for Student Belonging are now open.

Two awards are available: one for faculty and staff, and one for students. Awards are based on any contributions completed prior to June 30, 2026. Nominees will be honored at a reception during the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Observance Week in January 2027.

The nomination deadline is 5:00 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 30. View complete nomination instructions and download the nomination applications at k-state.edu/belonging.

— Submitted by Morgan Greene