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
Arinaitwe and Popoola selected for national mentoring program
Brian Arinaitwe and Victoria Popoola, doctoral students in the Department of Economics, were selected to participate in the National Bureau of Economic Research, or NBER, Mentoring Program on Aging and Health Economics Research.
The full-day event covered a variety of highly relevant topics in health and aging research; Arinaitwe and Popoola also attended talks the following day at NBER's Emerging Challenges in Long-term Care and Caregiving and Health Care Administration and Fraud conferences.
Brooks, Ofori-Bah win McKelvie public service scholarship
Josie Brooks '25, and Emmanuel K.A. Ofori-Bah were awarded the McKelvie scholarship, a prestigious award for students at Midwest institutions who demonstrate strong expertise in and commitment to public service and leadership.
Brooks, graduate research assistant for leadership and service programs in the Staley School of Leadership, is currently pursuing a master's degree in public administration. Josie earned her bachelor's degree at K-State, during which she served as president of the Panhellenic Council and was heavily involved in Student Foundation and Student Alumni Board.
Ofori-Bah, graduate teaching assistant in the Department of Political Science, is a doctoral candidate in security studies and international relations. In addition to teaching multiple political science courses, he is heavily involved in public service initiatives, including work with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the U.S. Agency for International Development and the U.S. Department of State.
Brooks and Ofori-Bah join a list of K-State students who have been awarded McKelvie scholarships, building a tradition of continued commitment to leadership and public service. Connect with Scholar Development and Undergraduate Research to learn more.
Morton awarded Mortar Board leadership scholarship
Teaghan Morton, graduate student in athletic training, was presented with the Michael E. Brown Alpha Tau Omega Mortar Board Leadership Scholarship at the Mortar Board Honor Society retreat.
The scholarship, established in 2009, honors Michael Brown, a former Mortar Board advisor and treasurer of the Alpha Tau Omega Students' Aid Endowment Fund. The yearly award is given to one Mortar Board member who has substantially contributed to the quality of student life at the university, demonstrated outstanding leadership in Mortar Board, excelled academically and is judged to have brilliant character.
Morton was an active member of Mortar Board as a junior and led the chapter as president during her senior year in 2025-26, contributing to an outstanding culture focused on leadership, scholarship, and service to the university community and beyond.
Porter selected for NASPA cohort
Jacob Porter, doctoral student in the Department of Philosophy and coordinator for recognized student organizations for the K-State Student Union, has been selected for the seventh cohort of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators, or NASPA, Region IV-West SERVE Academy.
Faculty achievements
Bashford receives Kansas Farm Bureau advocacy award
Crystal Bashford — K-State Extension 4-H, youth development and family consumer sciences specialist in Morton County — was one of two 2026 recipients of the Kansas Farm Bureau's Rural Minds Matter Advocate of the Year award. The award honors Kansans who demonstrate outstanding leadership, compassion and commitment to improving mental health awareness and support in rural communities.
Bashford cofounded and coordinates the Morton County Community Coalition, which works to promote mental health literacy and support. The coalition has established three 988 crisis support buildings, each with its own direct phone lines and opioid overdose treatment. Each crisis support building also has a "blessing cabinet," where community members can donate or take free non-perishable food and hygiene items.
Britton receives national fraternity alumni award
Logan Britton, associate professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics, received the Grand President's Award from Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity. Britton is an alumnus of K-State and the university's Alpha Zeta Chapter of Alpha Gamma Rho.
Presented annually to fraternity members age 40 or younger, the national award recognizes outstanding professional achievements and contributions to agriculture, their communities and the fraternity. Britton was one of four alumni members to receive the award.
Clark published in History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences
Colby Clark, visiting assistant professor in the Department of Philosophy, published "Topographical Constraints, Ecological Units, and System Memory" in History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences. The article investigates the causal role of topographical constraints in the formation of ecological units. Colby posits a method to define ecological units, which he calls the topographical-ecological unit delimitation, or TEUD. The TEUD is shown to facilitate explanations of system memory as the concept appears in resilience scholarship.
College of Engineering faculty and staff receive annual awards
The Carl R. Ice College of Engineering presented its annual awards to faculty and staff at its fall convocation on Sept. 16. The awards are designed to commend the dedication of the college's faculty and staff in support of its teaching, research, service and outreach programs.
Featherstone receives prestigious fellowship
Allen Featherstone — department head and university distinguished professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics — has been named an Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, or AAEA, fellow.
The AAEA fellow designation is the highest and most prestigious honor given by the association, recognizing individuals whose careers have advanced the profession through excellence in research, teaching, leadership and service.
Featherstone joins an impressive group of agricultural economists as only the second K-State faculty member to receive the award, following Tim Schroeder.
Hadley named chair-elect for national Extension governing body
Gregg Hadley — assistant vice president and director for Extension — was named chair-elect of the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities' Extension Committee on Organization and Policy, a role he credits to the extension work being done throughout Kansas.
Maglione publishes work on Italian emigrants and concerts at Ellis Island Immigration Station
Dorothy Glick Maglione, assistant professor of musicology in the School of Music, Theatre and Dance, published "Welcome to America: Italian Emigrants and Concerts at Ellis Island" in the latest issue of Chronica Mundi.
Maglione's research explores the experiences of detained women and provides a musicological analysis of concerts held at the Ellis Island Immigration Station, which operated from 1892 to 1954.
Using a case-study approach, Maglione examines the experiences of Italian women through the story of Clara Jacobo, a leading Italian soprano with the Boston Civic Opera Company, who was detained at the Ellis Island Immigration Station in September 1925.
Rios-Ramirez honored with September 2026 Charlie Award
The K-State Advisor Forum has awarded the Charlie Award for September 2026 to Melitza Rios-Ramirez, academic advisor for the College of Arts and Sciences. Rios-Ramirez was nominated in recognition of her contributions to academic advising, her involvement in the Division of Biology, and her leadership through her advising roles with the Multicultural Biology Club and Biology Ambassadors.
"Melitza is an outstanding advisor and colleague and exemplifies K-State standards of excellence through her commitment to continued improvement, service orientation and teamwork," said Eve McCulloch, director of undergraduate studies for the Division of Biology.
"Melitza demonstrates dedication to mentoring newer advisors by freely sharing her knowledge and resources, providing constructive feedback, listening genuinely and creating an environment in which they feel valued and supported in their work," said Lindsey Thiele, fellow biology advisor. "Through her mentorship, Melitza strengthens not only the individual but also the university as a whole."
The K-State Advisor Forum thanks Rios-Ramirez 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.
Community engagement
Academic advisors showcase expertise and leadership at state and national conferences
Through their continued involvement in state and national professional organizations and conferences, K‑State academic advisors are helping to advance the profession while bringing new knowledge and practices back to the university, strengthening student support.
The Kansas Academic Advising Network, or KAAN, held its annual meeting and conference on Friday, Sept. 25, at Pittsburg State University. K-State was well represented, with 27 professional academic advisors attending the conference and five advisors presenting on topics related to student success and effective advising practices. K-State advisors also received several honors and leadership opportunities through KAAN, including Chrissie Patry, who was awarded Best of KAAN for her presentation. Crystal Strauss was elected to the KAAN steering committee as the 2026-28 communications chair, and Reid Carlson was elected to serve as the 2027-28 KAAN treasurer.
K-State advisors also represented the university at the NACADA annual conference on Oct. 4-7 in Oklahoma City. In addition to numerous K-State attendees, several university advisors shared their expertise through conference presentations.
KAAN presentations
- Robert Pettay, "Advising and the Self-Fulfilling Prophecy"
- Melissa Rohrer, "Coming Out as Affirming Advisors: Advising LGBTQA+ Students in Troubled Times"
- Crystal Strauss, "Automating Appointment Notes with Microsoft Forms"
- Chrissie Patry, "Thriving in Advising: Supporting Students While Sustaining Ourselves"
- Brandi Smith and Monshonda Booker, "From Access to Success: How TRIO Supports First-Generation and Limited-Income Students"
NACADA presentations
- Heather Cunningham, "Embedded Coaching as a Strategic Advising Partnership Model: Redesigning Support Within Academic Colleges"
- Angelique Courbou & Kathy Lillich, "Connecting Across Roles: How Faculty and Professional Advisors Unite to Support Student Success"
- Jared Meitler, "First Line of Defense: Practical Strategies for Trauma-Informed Advising"
- Robert Pettay, "See the Possible: Using Motivational Interviewing to Move to Change"
Goins performs at new Wichita jazz venue
Wayne Goins, University Distinguished Professor of music and director of the jazz studies program, recently performed at Walker's @ Works in Wichita.
History faculty, students host military symposium
K-State undergraduate students, graduate students and faculty were joined by over 100 world-renowned historians, academics and military professionals from across the world for the third annual Flint Hills Military History Symposium on September 25-27.
Hosted by the Department of History and in partnership with the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, the symposium welcomed participants to events on K-State's campus, in the Manhattan community and at the presidential library.
Attendees participated in a variety of activities, including: a tour of the library's research facilities and special collections, behind-the-scenes tours of the Eisenhower museum, a lunch and reception hosted by the Eisenhower Foundation, expert-led research panels, and social events such as the Historic Aggieville Pub Crawl and Wabash Cannon Bowl Symposium Pizza Reception. Participants also had a valuable opportunity to speak with publishing professionals during the Publishers Expo session about publication opportunities for military history research.
During the events, guests heard from speakers from the U.S. Air Force Academy, the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College and the University of Texas, along with independent researchers. The keynote address was given by John Curatola, senior historian at the National WWII Museum.
Volunteer and graduate student symposium committee: September Gering; Simon Hall; Rob Koontz; Damon Penner; Rich Myrick; Jeffrey Nelson; Janet Nichols; Andrew Orr, history department head and director of the Institute for Military History; Charles Sexton; Melody Sexton and Charles Zambito.
Special thanks to the College of Arts and Sciences and Department of History for their cooperation and participation, and JP's Catering and Wabash Cannon Bowl for their generous sponsorships.
Morris to perform original works at Carnegie Hall
Alyssa Morris, associate professor of oboe, will perform originally composed works at Carnegie Hall on October 14. The concert, "The Works of Alyssa Morris," will feature five new compositions for oboe and chamber ensemble. Morris will perform oboe and English horn, and will be joined by collaborating musicians Glenn Harman, piano; Kevin Nordstrom, viola; Chris Nilo, oboe; and Eric Tyler Barga, bassoon.
Oweidat participates in New America's Future Security Forum
Nadia Oweidat, associate professor in the Department of History, served as a panelist at New America's twelfth annual Future Security Forum: 25 Years After September 11, Lessons From America's Post-9/11 Wars.
Oweidat spoke on the panel, "What Is the State of the Jihadist Movement?," positioning her alongside other leading scholars, practitioners, and analysts to address national security topics through the lenses of war and terrorism.