Celebrations of faculty, staff and students

From scholarships and awards to research discoveries and creative achievements, K-State's talented faculty, staff and students continue to advance the university's culture of excellence by providing and participating in hands-on, world-class experiences.

Purple Praise highlights notable accomplishments both on and off campus, including awards and honors, fellowships, performances, elections to regional and national boards or committees in professional organizations, conference presentations, and unique learning and engagement opportunities.

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The June 2026 edition of Purple Praise will be published on Friday, June 12. Nominations are due by Wednesday, June 10.

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Student achievements

Alumni Association announces 2026 Homecoming committee

29 K-State students have been selected to serve on the 2026 Homecoming student committee, stewarding K-State Homecoming activities Oct. 11-17. Read more here.

 

Blue Key Senior Honorary selects new members

The Kansas State University chapter of Blue Key Senior Honorary has initiated 16 new members for the 2026-2027 academic year. Read more here.

 

Animal science and industry students attend annual regional meeting

Department of Animal Sciences and Industry students represented K-State at the 2026 Midwest meeting of the American Society of Animal Science, held in Omaha, NE. Read more here.

 

K-State Business Innovation Challenge hosts successful seventh year

Nearly 400 undergraduate students, across over 125 teams, participated in the seventh annual K-State Business Innovation Challenge.

The challenge asks students to reimagine the business strategy of an existing product, service or technology, requiring them to provide an innovative strategic plan built to expand impact and market reach. The top six teams advanced to the final round, where they pitched their plans to an alumni judging panel. Finalists competed for scholarship awards provided by Koch Industries, the challenge's lead sponsor.

 

McCalmon named Kansas Collegiate Media Journalist of the Year

Kansas State Collegian editor-in-chief Meredith McCalmon has been named the 2025-2026 Kansas Collegiate Media Journalist of the Year in the four-year colleges category — an award last earned by a Collegian Media Group student in 2020.

McCalmon was recognized for her reporting, editing and leadership as editor-in-chief of the Collegian. She was one of nearly 50 Collegian Media Group award recipients recognized for their work in reporting, design, photography and multimedia at the Kansas Collegiate Media conference. Read more here.

 

Meat animal evaluation team wins national contest

The Kansas State University meat animal evaluation team was named the 2026 national champion at the National Meat Evaluation Contest in Lubbock, TX. Read more here.

 

Pi Delta Phi inducts new members to French honor society

French Honor Society Pi Delta Phi inducted six new members — Allie Cloyd, Addison Foley, Kiersten Leach, Ara Lofgren, Margaret Masoner, and Hetty Opoku.

Two honorary members, Camille Méritan, teaching assistant professor of French, and Allison Benson, were also inducted. Induction into Pi Delta Phi is the highest academic honor in the field of French.

The ceremony also honored recipients of the Allison Benson Memorial Scholarship, named in memory of Allison Benson, a K-State student who died in 2020 unexpectedly while studying abroad in Aix-en-Provence, France.

This year's scholarship recipients are Alexandra Parcells, anthropology and humanities with a minor in French, and Allie Cloyd, environmental science and French, who will both study abroad during the 2026-27 school year.

 

Sigma Delta Pi inducts new Hispanic honor society members

Sigma Delta Pi, the national collegiate Hispanic honor society, inducted eleven new members: Blake Allen, Alondra Alvarez, Supriya Bolla, Sydney Fetkenhauer, Hudson Hildebrand, Eleanor Martin, Dylan McConnell-Curry, Antonieta Morales-Jaramillo, Annie Moss, Elizabeth Palacios-Esquivel and Ashley Webber.

The recently inducted students, along with current members, are looking forward to their involvement in different activities and events in the fall, such as hosting a poetry contest and setting up an authentic ofrenda to commemorate El Día de los Muertos.

 

Steel Ring Honor Society welcomes 2026 inductees

Twenty-four students from the Carl R. Ice College of Engineering will lead engagement and recognition events and represent the college through leadership and service as new members of the Steel Ring Honor Society. Society membership is based on leadership, academic achievement, service and engagement. Read more here.

Faculty achievements

Francois and Choudhary presented fund's highest honor

Jennifer Francois, program chair and professor in early childhood education, and Sheetal Choudhary, doctoral candidate in prevention science, have been awarded the Janet Sevier Gilbreath Award by the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund, or Health Fund.

Francois and Choudhary, along with Kelly Davydov, an external collaborator, are being honored for their work on a Governor-appointed workgroup focused on childcare assistance in Kansas. The pair collected focus group data to deliver a report supporting recommendations for changes to the childcare assistance system to Governor Kelly. Francois and Choudhary's work led to the discussion of two Senate bills regarding childcare assistance this legislative session.

The award, bestowed by the Health Fund's board of directors, is presented to the grantee from the previous fiscal year who is perceived to have done the most for improving the health of Kansans.

 

Inaugural cohorts of academic advisors complete two training programs

Two cohorts of academic advisors have completed the first of several new training courses, designed to make a more standardized advising experience for all students across the university.

The two courses, under the K-State Academic Advisor Training program, or KAAT, support advisors in developing best practices and thinking critically about the student experience. All new academic advisors are enrolled in ADV102: New KAAT, while continuing advisors are encouraged to complete ADV202: Professional KAAT.

The courses also include a mentoring component, with pairs formed among enrolled advisors in each course. In the first semester, new and continuing advisor pairs are made within the same college; in the second semester, pairings expand to advisors from a different college. In total, 19 new and 13 continuing advisors completed the two courses. These experiences support K-State's goal of offering a consistent advising experience for students, while allowing advisors to learn and grow together.

 

Kincaid awarded Charlie Award for April 2026

The K-State Advisor Forum has awarded the Charlie Award for April 2026 to Margaret Kincaid, advisor and director of the master's in applied biosciences program.

Kincaid was nominated for this award for her work both in and out of the classroom at K-State Olathe, being described as a collaborative mentor willing to meet students where they are, whether academically, professionally or personally. Her advising philosophy is rooted in respect for students' individual circumstances, goals and challenges, and she approaches each advising interaction with empathy, intentionality and a clear commitment to student success.

The K-State Advisor Forum thanks Kincaid for her work and congratulates her on this award. For more information about the Charlie Award or how to nominate someone, please visit the recognition page. The Advisor Forum Committee selects recipients and delivers awards once a month.

 

 

K-State faculty ensemble SYZYGY Trio releases debut album

The SYZYGY Trio, a professional chamber ensemble featuring bassoon, flute, tuba and piano, has released its debut album, "Three Celestial Objects in Perfect Alignment." The trio is comprised of three K-State School of Music, Theatre and Dance faculty: Susan Maxwell, bassoon and flute; Steven Maxwell, tuba; and Amanda Arrington, piano.

The four-work album, made possible by a K-State research grant, reflects SYZYGY's commitment to performing both new music written specifically for their unique combination of instruments and beloved works written for their individual instruments. The album also features a performance of "Windfall," a world-premiere work composed by K-State alumna Grace Baugher Dunlap. In addition to "After Manhattan: Duets for Bassoon and Tuba," by Gwyneth Walker and "Conversations," by Barbara York, rewritten at the request of the Trio for their instrumentation. The album concludes with a reimagining of "Trio in E-flat," by Johannes Brahms, with flute and tuba in place of the traditional violin and horn.

 

Lindshield appointed interim editor in chief of nutrition science journal

The American Society for Nutrition recently announced Brian Lindshield, professor and associate director in K-State’s School of Health Sciences, as interim editor-in-chief of its open-access journal, Current Developments in Nutrition, effective July 1, 2026. From 2017 to 2023, he served as an academic editor for CDN and is a recognized advocate for open-access publishing and open educational resources.

 

Molik receives international research data award

David Molik, department head of Open Publishing Exchange for the K-State Libraries, has received the Mission and Leadership Award from AgBioData, an international organization focused on improving how agricultural and biological research data is shared and managed worldwide.

The award recognizes Molik's leadership in advancing open science and strengthening collaboration across the agricultural research community. His work connects to ongoing Libraries initiatives, including the Open Publishing Exchange and New Prairie Press, supporting long-term access to research by improving how scholarly information is organized and maintained over time.

Molik was also named a 2026 AgBioData Ambassador Award winner.

 

Smith receives Kansas Broadcast Educator of the Year Award

The Kansas Association of Broadcasters, or KAB, has awarded Andrew Smith, professor and director of news and sports media, the 2026 Dr. Ian Punnet Media Educator Award.

Smith received the award during the 2026 KAB Sports Seminar, held at Arrowhead Stadium. In addition to being a dedicated faculty member and mentor, Smith is the director of Wildcat Electronic Media, the board chairman of the Collegian Media Group and an active member of KAB. Prior to teaching, Smith had a 25-year Emmy-award-winning career in broadcast journalism.

 

Yavuz awarded research fellowship for archival project

Mehmet Yavuz, assistant professor in conflict resolution, has been awarded the Margaret W. Moore and John M. Moore Research Fellowship for his archival research project, "Imagining the Balkans from Afar: Media, Peace Archives, and the Yugoslav Wars."

The fellowship, funded by Swarthmore College, provides a travel stipend and a research stipend for use of resources in the Friends Historical Library, the Swarthmore College Peace Collection, and the Swarthmore College Archives.

Community engagement

Collaborative college event hosts internationally recognized early-childhood expert for Kansas educator training

More than 220 Kansas early childhood and education professionals gathered for a transformative day of learning with Ross Greene, exploring practical strategies to address one of today’s biggest classroom challenges: behavior. Read more here.

 

Division of Biology Konza education program wins state award

The Division of Biology’s Konza Environmental Education Program — which connects K-12 students to the prairie through visits to the Konza Prairie Biological Station, or KPBS — recently won an award for its collaborative environmental science curriculum created with Manhattan High School science teachers.

The program, Tallgrass Prairie Storyline, uses the tallgrass prairie and the long-term ecological research done at the KPBS to encourage student inquiry and discovery.

The unique nine-week curriculum immerses students in the prairie ecosystem with ties to biology, ecology, energy flow, nutrient cycling and more. Several biology faculty members supported the creation and facilitation of the curriculum. Five teachers who helped build the program were presented with the Dave Colburn Green Apple Award from the Kansas Association for Conservation and Environmental Education, which recognizes "engagement in educational experiences that have a positive impact on the environmental sustainability of a school and community."

 

K-State faculty receive federal grant to enhance American history and civics education

Five K-State faculty — Nathaniel Birkhead, Laurie Johnson and John Warner, Department of Political Science; Sean Eddington, A.Q. Miller School of Media and Communication; and Alex McVey, College of Education — have been awarded a $1.8 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Education to pursue a collaborative project focused on improving the quality of instruction in American history and civics.

The project, "Educating for the Republic," is expected to impact over 45,000 Kansas students and aims to encourage patriotism and civic competency through an understanding of America's founding principles, texts and civic practices. Through four-day, immersive seminars balancing theory and practice, Kansas K-12 educators will learn how to improve their pedagogical strategies in history and civics by teaching with founding documents — such as the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution or the Bill of Rights — as primary texts.

Each seminar will serve thirty educators who will receive stipends, housing, meals and book allowances to support their professional development. Teachers will return home with lesson plan packets, book sets and follow-up support from the project team. These direct benefits to educators will translate into more engaging, accurate and participatory civic learning for thousands of students, including those attending rural or under-resourced schools.

 

K-State in Italy hosts regional study abroad meeting in Orvieto

K-State in Italy, in collaboration with the Fondazione per il Centro Studi Città di Orvieto and under the patronage of the Municipality of Orvieto, hosted the North American meeting of the Association of American College and University Programs in Italy at the historic Palazzo del Capitano del Popolo. K-State's study abroad program in Italy will soon celebrate its 20th anniversary, having launched in 2006. Read more here.

Awards and scholarships

College of Veterinary Medicine honors staff awardees

The College of Veterinary Medicine staff council held its annual staff luncheon, presenting awards to staff who exemplify the college's mission and priorities. Awardees were nominated by colleagues and selected by the council and are: Emily Conner and Jocelyn Plein, High Five Award; Plern Kongsamut and Erin Spohn, Culture, Collegiality and Compassion Award; and Trisha Adams, Andrea Dixon, Michaela Freeman, Lesa Reves, Morgan Reves and Kayla Riekenberg, Commitment to Excellence Award.

 

Department of Anthropology hosts annual awards ceremony, welcomes alumnus speaker

The Department of Anthropology hosted its annual award ceremony, highlighting student research, study abroad experiences, and anthropological storytelling from across the discipline.

Students presented projects spanning a wide range of topics, highlighting the creativity, intellectual curiosity and human-centered inquiry that define anthropology at K-State. K-State alumnus Jourdan Thomas, '16, also spoke at the ceremony, sharing with students his journey from student to career and insights on storytelling, fieldwork, environmental change and the power of anthropology to help us understand a rapidly transforming world.

 

Division of Academic Success and Student Affairs announces Extraordinary Student awardees

The Division of Academic Success and Student Affairs' Extraordinary Student Award recognizes students who have achieved academic success while overcoming significant obstacles during their time at K-State. Awardees receive a $500 scholarship and a commemorative plaque at a celebratory reception.

The 2026 awardees are Reshma Antony, doctoral student in Agronomy; Miracle Freelon, senior in Personal Financial Planning; Buddy Singer, junior in Human Development and Family Science; Marvin Williams, senior in Kinesiology; and Roshanak Zolqadri, doctoral student in Grain Science.

 

Entomology students honored with awards and scholarships

The Department of Entomology recognizes and congratulates the following students on receiving awards and scholarships for their academic excellence and dedication to the field.

Jacqueline Abarca Duran, doctoral student, Lambley Family Scholarship and Integrated Molecular Entomology Core Travel Award; Festus Ajibefun, doctoral student, Roger C. Smith Award and Integrated Molecular Entomology Core Travel Award; Abhinash Boddepalli, masters student, Roger C. Smith Award; Rupinder Singh, doctoral student, John C. and Mary Beth Reese Scholarship; Kokou Selom Amego, doctoral student, John C. and Mary Beth Reese Scholarship; David Martell, masters student, John C. and Mary Beth Reese Scholarship; Joshua Jackson, doctoral student, Joe E. Pankaskie Scholarship; Joana Schroeder de Souza, doctoral student, Reginald H. Painter Memorial Scholarship; Emily Sur, doctoral student, Sonny and Gita Ramaswamy Scholarship; Rachel Johnson, doctoral student: Integrated Molecular Entomology Core Travel Award; and Jack McCornack, undergraduate student, Integrated Molecular Entomology Core Travel Award.

 

Gamma Sigma Delta recognizes K-State students and faculty at annual spring reception

The Eta Chapter of Gamma Sigma Delta, or GSD, at Kansas State University highlighted excellence across the university's agricultural and applied sciences communities during its annual spring reception.

Among the evening's highlights were the recognition of four undergraduates, honored for their research posters submitted to the GSD undergraduate research showcase; three graduate students, honored for their work in teaching and research; and five faculty, honored for their work embodying the land-grant pillars of research, teaching and service.

 

Graduate Students Recognized for Research Excellence at KGRAD

Curiosity, experimentation and discovery took center stage at this year's K-State Graduate Research, Arts and Discovery, or K-GRAD, Forum. Held as part of One K-State Research Week, the event held in the K-State Student Union spotlighted the depth and impact of graduate research happening at K-State.

Organized by the K-State Graduate School and Graduate Student Council, the forum featured 79 master's and doctoral students sharing their work with both the university community and the public. On April 21, 49 students delivered oral presentations, followed by 30 students presenting posters on April 22.

A panel of university faculty, staff and doctoral alumni served as judges, evaluating presentations based on students' communication of their research. Ten students were recognized for their exceptional work, each receiving a $500 scholarship from the Graduate School and their names inscribed on perpetual plaques to be displayed in their department until next year's forum. Three students received honorable mentions and a $100 scholarship from the Office of the Vice President for Research.

 

 

Herbel Family School of Accountancy awards over $600,000 in scholarships

The K-State Herbel Family School of Accountancy hosted its 2026 Scholarship and Awards Gala, awarding over $600,000 in scholarships to more than 200 students for the 2026-27 academic year.

In addition to celebrating current students, the scholarship gala recognized more than 30 incoming high school freshmen joining the Herbel Fellows program under Pillar One of the Herbel Family School of Accountancy.

Finally, Charlie Cole was inducted into the K-State Accounting Hall of Fame. Cole has an impressive career spanning over 50 years, including serving as an insurance partner at BDO, LLP. Cole and his wife, Jan, were co-lead donors to the Gillmore-Cole Families Strategic Accounting Research Center, a key initiative and pillar of the school.

 

K-State First celebrates annual award winners

Each year, K-State First aims to create an outstanding student experience for first-year Wildcats through programming centered on community-building and connection.

In gratitude to the faculty, staff and students who invest in the program's mission, K-State First has bestowed the following awards: First-Year Advocate, K-State First Book, K-State First Bosco Family Scholarship and K-State First Special Recognition Career Achievement. Read more here.

 

K-State Libraries honors undergraduate researchers

The Kirmser Undergraduate Research Award honors undergraduate students at Kansas State University whose research is strengthened by the resources and support of K-State Libraries.

Students across four research categories — continued research, group project, freshman and non-freshman — were recognized for their outstanding work, with awards honoring projects in fields ranging from architecture and political science to baking science and education. Read more here.

 

Seven Division of Biology undergraduates receive Most Promising Student Award

Seven students from biology, microbiology, and fisheries, wildlife, conservation and environmental biology have been selected to receive the Division of Biology's 2025-2026 Most Promising Student Award.

Division faculty sponsor the Most Promising Student Award to recognize students who have demonstrated excellence and enthusiasm in their academic and extracurricular pursuits. Students must be sophomores or juniors in a division program and receive a faculty nomination to qualify, and winners are selected based on a myriad of academic and leadership criteria.

Recipients are: Katherine Boston, Olathe, biology; Antionette Dadzie, Bogoso, Ghana, biology; Moussa Gacko, Dakar, Senegal, biology; Ben Lawrence, Andover, medical biochemistry and medical microbiology; Allison Ricker, Ellinwood, fisheries, wildlife, conservation and environmental biology; Saiph Sorell, Boyds, MD, fisheries, wildlife, conservation and environmental biology; and Roslynn Strong, Kansas City, MO, fisheries, wildlife, conservation and environmental biology.

 

Speck awarded Division of Biology's highest honor

Samuel Speck, a senior in the fisheries, wildlife, conservation and environmental biology program, has been awarded the H.H. Haymaker Award for Excellence — the highest honor bestowed by the Division of Biology.

In addition to his outstanding academic strengths, Speck is actively engaged in research, dedicating himself to the study of parasite diversity in mammals, their complex biology and the ways in which ecological change may influence zoonotic disease risk within wildlife communities. Speck's research contributions have earned him co-authorship on two publications in high-impact journals, and he is currently preparing two additional manuscripts as first author.

In total, Speck’s accomplishments have been recognized with 14 honors, awards and grants. Most recently, he was awarded the K-State Alumni Association’s Anderson Senior Award for Outstanding Academics, given to a senior who has excelled in their field of study.

Speck was a practicum teaching assistant for a mammalogy course and undergraduate research mentor, and is the founder and former president of the carcass club. He is noted for his intelligence, strong commitment to research and teaching, and exceptional determination and perseverance and is described as a gifted parasitologist with a comprehensive skill set for exploring parasite biodiversity, a high praise for an undergraduate student. Speck plans to attend graduate school to pursue a doctoral degree to continue his cross-disciplinary research spanning mammalian evolution, host-parasite co-evolution, community ecology and the eco-evolutionary dynamics of emerging disease.