Purple Praise: August 2025
Kudos and celebrations of student, faculty and staff achievements
K-State’s talented students, faculty and staff are frequently recognized for their exceptional scholarship, teaching and research or creative inquiry. Let’s celebrate their accomplishments.
Kudos highlight notable professional and student achievements from outside the university, such as awards and honors; fellowships; performances; elections to regional and national boards or committees in professional organizations; and conference presentations. Self-nominations are accepted.
Submit by Sept. 10 for the next feature.
Student success
Mortar Board receives Gold Torch and Project Excellence Awards
The XIX Chapter of Mortar Board received two awards for their dedication to scholarship, leadership and service on campus during the 2024-25 school year.
They received the Gold Torch Award, which highlights chapters that excel in representing Mortar Board and the honor society's ideals. The chapter met national standards in promoting scholarship, leadership, and service through volunteering efforts on campus and in the Manhattan community.
The chapter also received a Project Excellence Award for its tabling events that increased chapter visibility during Mortar Board Week. The dessert and recruiting event served to promote visibility of the honor society on campus, as well as advertise available scholarships to K-State students.
Faculty and staff achievements
Farhan Sadique honored with Distinguished Dissertation Award
Farhan Sadique, assistant professor in adult learning and leadership, has been recognized as the 2025 recipient of the Distinguished Dissertation Award from the International Society of Performance Improvement for his work, "Exploration of Salesperson Competencies to Increase Customer Engagement in Home Improvement Retail Organizations in the USA." The Distinguished Dissertation Award promotes excellence in research that focuses on performance improvement technology.
K-State Extension agriculture agents recognized by national association
The K-State Extension agriculture agents for north central and northwest Kansas were honored by the National Association of County Agricultural Agents, or NACAA, Search for Excellence, Crop Production Award at the 2025 Annual Meeting and Professional Development Conference in Montana. The purpose of the award is to recognize NACAA members who have developed and carried out an outstanding crop educational program. Recipients of the awards are among the top extension staff in the Cooperative Extension Service in developing a comprehensive crop production educational program.
Erick DeWolf earns NC- APS Distinguished Service Award 
Erick DeWolf, professor in plant pathology, was awarded the Distinguished Service Award by the North Central Division of the American Phytopathological Society, or APS, at the June meeting at South Dakota State University. This prestigious award recognizes his significant contributions to plant disease epidemiology, particularly his work on Fusarium head blight, or FHB, of wheat.
DeWolf is nationally recognized for leading a multi-state effort with the USDA-US Wheat and Barley Scab Initiative and the USDA Predictive Model Initiative to develop predictive tools for FHB epidemics. His team has created web-based risk maps that are utilized by wheat and barley producers in 30 U.S. states. Surveys indicate that the FHB Alert System, which provides these tools, delivers an estimated value of over $56 million annually to producers and advisors.
Rubin publishes book on ethical issues in academic advising
Lisa Rubin, professor in the Department of Special Education, Counseling, & Student Affairs, published a new book, "Ethical Issues in Academic Advising," in partnership with NACADA: The Global Community for Academic Advising and Routledge. The daily decisions of academic advisors are rooted in ethical issues that impact students, faculty, other advisors and the greater institution at large. Rubin's book defines ethics, explains why it is important, and outlines how to make ethical decisions in an academic advising context. Reflection questions and case studies, written by 11 Kansas State University Leadership in Academic Advising doctoral students and graduates, engage readers through real-world application and help make sense of new approaches and ways of thinking to support students.
Hinman publishes review in international journal
Dan Hinman's review of the album "Danish Trombone Heritage" was published in the International Trombone Association Journal. This is Hinman's second published review as a contributing author. The ITA Journal is circulated to trombone players around the world.
Amy Hageman recognized by American Accounting Association
Amy Hageman, KPMG Ralph Crouch Professor of accounting in the College of Business Administration, received the Distinguished Service Award from the American Accounting Association Public Interest Section. Hageman was honored for more than 10 years of service to the section, including roles as senior editor and associate editor of the Accounting and the Public Interest Journal and a two-year term as chair of the Public Interest Section.
Wang elected ASABE fellow
Donghai Wang, professor of biological and agricultural engineering, has been elected a fellow of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, joining nine others nationwide in the organization's 2025 class of fellows.
Wang has been at K-State since 2001 with research focusing on bioconversion of renewable materials into biofuels, chemicals and biomaterials, bringing in more than $28 million worth of research grant funding as a principal investigator or co-principal investigator during his career.
Fellows are the highest honor bestowed by ASABE, recognizing members whose careers have been marked by extraordinary accomplishments and contributions to the field of agricultural, food or biological systems engineering. Additionally, fellows must have a minimum of 20 years of engineering practice or teaching and 20 years as a member of the organization.
Send us your kudos!
Do you have a current K-State student, staff or faculty member you'd like to highlight? Submit their information by Wednesday, Aug. 6, for consideration to include in next month's edition of Purple Praise.
Read past editions in the Purple Praise archives.