Purple Praise
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.
Student achievements
More than 118 K-State students receive Wabash CannonBall Kansas City Scholarships
The K-State Alumni Association has awarded 118 scholarships to Kansas State University students for the 2026-27 academic year through the Wabash CannonBall Kansas City program. Since its founding in 2007, the annual gala has awarded more than 1,300 scholarships totaling more than $3.2 million to Kansas City-area students and established a nearly $5 million scholarship endowment to support future Wildcats. This year's recipients include 55 incoming freshmen and 63 returning students. Read more to view the full list of scholarship recipients.
Legacy 'Cats awarded scholarships
150 incoming 2026-27 freshman and transfer students were awarded the K-State Alumni Association's Legacy Scholarship. The $2,000 award is given to children or grandchildren of K-State alumni. Read more here.
Phelps selected for prestigious Department of Energy assistantship
Graduate research assistant Zane Phelps was selected for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science Graduate Student Research program. Phelps was one of only 79 doctoral students chosen nationwide in the program's highly competitive application cycle. Read more here.
Oklahoman K-State students win license-plate design scholarship
Four incoming K-State students have been awarded the K-State Alumni Association's Oklahoma K-State License Plate Scholarship. The $2,000 awards, given to both incoming freshmen and transfer students, are funded through the K-State License Plate Program. Read more here.
Six out-of-state students receive Wabash CannonBall Colorado Scholarships
The K-State Alumni Association has awarded six scholarships to Kansas State University out-of-state students from Colorado through the Wabash CannonBall gala and annual alumni golf tournament. Each recipient will receive a $5,000 renewable scholarship for the upcoming academic year. Read more to view the full list of scholarship recipients.
Faculty achievements
Ashabranner, Britton named 2026 Young Leaders in Agribusiness
Garret Ashabranner, program manager for K-State Olathe's Scientific Review of Ingredient Submissions program, and Logan Britton, associate professor of agricultural economics, have been named as two of the Agricultural Business Council of Kansas City's 2026 Young Leaders in Agribusiness — a program recognizing emerging professionals making significant contributions to their organizations and the agriculture industry while demonstrating strong leadership potential and commitment to advancing the field.
Ashabranner leads the scientific review process for animal food ingredient definition submissions, serving as the primary liaison between K-State Olathe and the Association of American Feed Control Officials. He also works with subject matter experts to oversee the evaluation of new ingredients used in livestock and pet foods.
Since joining K-State in 2020, Britton has taught more than 1,100 undergraduate and 50 graduate students pursuing careers in agribusiness, agricultural finance, logistics and supply chain management. His applied research focuses on consumer behavior, food and agricultural supply chains, and emerging technologies, and he has secured nearly $4 million in funded projects.
Ashabranner, Britton and the other honorees will be recognized July 16 at the council's summer social in Kansas City.
Goodband honored for research and mentorship excellence
Robert Goodband received the John B. Swisher Leadership Award at the 2026 World Pork Expo, recognizing lifelong leadership, groundbreaking research and extraordinary contributions to the swine industry.
Over a remarkable 37-year career at K-State, Goodband shaped pork production through nutrition research, feed ingredient evaluation, feed processing and production management — work that continues to influence producers and industry leaders around the world.
Personal financial planning program named national award finalist
The College of Health and Human Sciences' personal financial planning program has been named a finalist for the 2026 Wealth Management Industry Award in the Best CFP educational program category. The program was nominated for its financial therapy graduate certificate, which provides financial planners with tools to better understand the factors influencing financial decisions. Read more here.
Smith elected as MO-KAN-NE Kansas representative
Brandi Smith, academic services coordinator for TRIO Upward Bound, was elected as the Kansas State representative for the Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska — or MO-KAN-NE — chapter of the Educational Opportunity Association. MO-KAN-NE is dedicated to increasing accessibility to higher education and success in postsecondary education. In her role, Smith will collaborate with colleagues from across the region to support and advocate for students, especially those who are first-generation.
TRIO Upward Bound is housed on the Salina campus and supports the academic and personal success of area high school students. As the academic services coordinator, Smith helps students discover pathways to higher education and long-term success.
Sheryl Peters honored with July 2026 Charlie Award
The K-State Advisor Forum has awarded the Charlie Award for July 2026 to Sheryl Peters, academic advisor for the College of Architecture, Planning & Design. Peters was nominated in recognition of her contributions to academic advising and student success in her role working with students in both the Master of Interior Architecture and Master of Industrial Design programs.
"Working with Sheryl across our graduate programs, I have seen firsthand how she brings clarity to complex curricular pathways while always centering student success," said Nathan Howe, interior architecture and industrial design department head. "She is an essential partner to our faculty and a consistent advocate for our students."
The K-State Advisor Forum thanks Peters 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.
Brundage is first Kansan to earn Strategic Enrollment Management Endorsement from AACRAO
Kelley Brundage, university registrar, has earned the Strategic Enrollment Management, or SEM, Endorsement from the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admission Officers, or AACRAO. Only 109 people worldwide have earned this distinction, and Brundage is the first person from Kansas to do so. The endorsement recognizes enrollment professionals who have developed advanced expertise in strategic enrollment management to address the evolving challenges facing higher education.
In announcing this achievement, AACRAO noted, “Kelley Brundage, Ed.D., is a dynamic higher education leader who has spent more than two decades turning complex academic systems into student-centered powerhouses…. Equal parts strategist, problem-solver, and relationship-builder, she thrives in the spaces where innovation meets institutional tradition.”
AACRAO represents more than 18,000 higher education professionals from approximately 2,300 institutions in more than 40 countries and provides professional development, standards and resources for admissions, enrollment management, records and student services.
Kelsy Sproul Selected for the 2026 CoBank National Partnership in Agricultural Literacy Award
The National Agriculture in the Classroom Organization, or NAITCO, has selected Kelsy Sproul, a graduate teaching assistant in K-State's Department of Curriculum and Instruction, as the recipient of its 2026 CoBank Partnership in Agricultural Literacy, or PAL, Award.
Sproul earned the honor for her partnership with the Kansas Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom, where she integrated agriculture into kindergarten reading and writing lessons to boost student engagement and literacy. Building on that work, she developed a yearlong kindergarten curriculum that uses the National Agricultural Literacy Outcomes as the foundation for core learning. Read more about Sproul's award and innovative approach to agricultural literacy.
Shawna Jordan receives service award from National Athletic Trainers’ Association
Shawna Jordan, associate dean for student success in the School of Health Sciences, was named a winner of the 2026 Athletic Trainer Service Award at the 77th National Athletic Trainers’ Association, or NATA, Clinical Symposia. The award recognizes NATA members for their commitment to leadership, volunteer service, advocacy and professional activities at the local and state levels.
Jordan was recognized for her ongoing work to update Kansas’ State Practice Act, which has helped modernize support for certified athletic trainers and their work across the state. She also served as K-State’s inaugural athletic training program director for 13 years and is a member of the Kansas Athletic Training Society Hall of Fame. Read more about Jordan's national recognition and contributions to athletic training.
English department honors faculty, students with awards
The Department of English in the College of Arts and Sciences recognized undergraduate and graduate students with nearly $30,000 in scholarships and awards during its annual awards celebration. A complete list of student recipients is available on the department's annual awards blog.
The department also honored two faculty members for excellence. Krista Danielson, instructor in English, received the department's Excellence Award for Term Instructors for her outstanding teaching in professional, technical and creative writing. Her teaching emphasizes relationships, reflection and care, and she has created a classroom environment that encourages collaboration and minimizes distractions. One student praised Danielson's "unbridled enthusiasm," saying it was the first time an instructor had told them they were "thrilled to read something of mine."
Wendy Matlock, professor of English, received the 2026-2028 Donnelly Faculty Award in English, which recognizes outstanding contributions to teaching, research and service. The award honors the legacy of Michael Donnelly, professor emeritus, and provides professional development support over a two-year period. Students described Matlock's classes as both "meaningful and joyful," with one crediting her for helping them "fall in love with reading books all over again." In addition to her excellence in teaching and advising, Matlock is recognized for her scholarship on medieval literature and modern medievalisms.
Learn more about the student award recipients, Krista Danielson's Excellence Award for Term Instructors, Wendy Matlock's Donnelly Faculty Award and the English department.
Caragea appointed Peggy and Gary Edwards Chair in Engineering
Doina Caragea, professor of computer science, was honored with a five-year appointment as the Peggy and Gary Edwards Chair in Engineering.
The endowed chair, established by the Edwardses — Gary, civil engineering, and Peggy, English, both 1963 graduates of K-State — supplements salaries and research budgets to recruit and retain high-achieving faculty in the Carl R. Ice College of Engineering. The appointment designates Caragea as a highly regarded K-State educator and researcher within the college.
Caragea has expertise in machine learning and data mining, with applications to data-intensive problems in recommender systems, text analytics, security informatics and bioinformatics. In recent years, she has focused on semi-supervised and domain adaptation algorithms, under the assumption that labeled data for a domain of interest is limited, if available at all.
Park named Patrick Wilburn keystone research scholar
Won Min Park, associate professor in the Tim Taylor Department of Chemical Engineering, was honored with a five-year appointment as a Patrick Wilburn Keystone Research Scholar. The appointment designates Park as a highly regarded K-State educator and researcher within the Carl R. Ice College of Engineering and carries additional annual funding to support scholarly work.