Teaching & Learning Center

Wakonse Fellows Program

The 34th Annual Conference on College Teaching will take place May 23 - 28, 2024 at Camp Miniwance on Lake Michigan; the Application deadline to the K-State Office of the Provost is April 1, 2024.

Purpose

Wakonse is an organization of individuals dedicated to promoting and sharing with colleagues the excitement and satisfaction of teaching in higher education. The Wakonse Fellowship brings together faculty, teaching and learning professionals from postsecondary institutions who recognize and are devoted to the inspirational aspect of the teaching and learning process.

Upon nomination, the provost's office will provide $500 per person to defray the registration fee ($1,000). Travel, meal, and additional expenses will be the responsibility of selected faculty. Nominated faculty members are encouraged to seek funds from their colleges and departments to support their attendance. Click here to see a list of K-State Wakonse Fellows from past years.

Guidelines

The nomination packet should contain the following items:

The application deadline to the Office of the Provost is April 1, 2024.

  • Nominee’s personal information: Name, degrees, academic appointment (Assistant Professor, etc), academic unit (College, Department), campus address, e-mail address, phone number.

  • Nomination letter in which the nominator states why the nominee is a good candidate for this faculty development opportunity in teaching.

  • A statement (one page or less) by the nominee that provides the reasons he/she wishes to attend the Wakonse Conference.

  • List of meritorious achievements or awards received by the nominee in the past 5 years.

  • A brief description of a topic or topics (< 100 words for each topic) that the nominee is willing to present or share at the conference. Presentations by Wakonse Fellows include Teaching Workshops (presentations to < 40 attendees) or presenting or leading Concurrent Sessions involving 5-20 attendees. Topics range from specific teaching methods, to methods of assessing student performance, to faculty development issues, to attempts to have a balanced life in academia.
Wakonse Fellowship Program Evaluation Criteria

Selection criteria will include the following.

  • Nominee’s potential or established abilities to:
    • Represent and promote excellence in teaching at Kansas State University.
    • Promote faculty development when he/she returns to K-State.
  • Nominee helps represent the diversity of the University’s disciplines and academic ranks; i.e., junior to senior faculty members from different departments/colleges.
Deadline

All application materials should be sent electronically in .pdf format to provounivawards@ksu.edu. The application deadline to the Office of the Provost is April 1, 2024.