1. Kansas State University
  2. »Division of Communications and Marketing
  3. »K-State Today
  4. »Arts and Sciences Faculty Enhancement Program awardees announced

K-State Today

February 27, 2017

Arts and Sciences Faculty Enhancement Program awardees announced

Submitted by Noelle Blood

The College of Arts and Sciences announces the Faculty Enhancement Program Awardees for fiscal year 2018. The purpose of the Faculty Enhancement Program is to increase the numbers and proportion of faculty members engaging in research, scholarship and creative activities, particularly those with the potential for garnering extramural funding and recognition. The program emphasizes enhancing opportunities for faculty in those disciplines that have not historically enjoyed access to substantial start-up or extramural funding opportunities. Total program funding for fiscal year 2018 is $150,000. 

The awardees are Katherine Digby, School of Music, Theatre, and Dance; Ross Milton, economics; Natalie Pennington, communication studies; April Petillo, American ethnic studies; Harlan Weaver, gender, women, and sexuality studies; and Cen Wu, statistics.

Tenure-earning faculty members within three years of hire were eligible to apply for funding for summer salary and research support. Applicants identified a particular project culminating in a work product that would enhance their research capabilities, such as a book or national grant proposal. The funding provided by the program will be complemented by mentoring from a senior colleague at K-State or elsewhere, in addition to group activities among the awardees.

"We recognize that we have a unique opportunity through this program to provide some critical investments to make progress on the college thematic goals of K-State 2025," said Interim Dean Amit Chakrabarti. "Equally as important, we combined the financial investment with a commitment to mentoring junior faculty who are our next generation of educators and who will help us build a Top 50 research university."