May 24, 2022
Retirement reception June 7 honors Melinda Sinn
Melinda Sinn, alumni services coordinator for Kansas State University Global Campus, will retire on Friday, June 10. A come-and-go reception in her honor will be from 3:30-5 p.m. Tuesday, June 7, at Call Hall Dairy Bar.
Sinn began work at K-State in 1981 as a program coordinator for the Kansas Regents Network, or TELENET. As TELENET morphed into what is today known as Global Campus, so did Sinn's role in the organization and she rose to become director of marketing. During her tenure, she helped the university reach new markets for its distance education program, first statewide, then nationally and internationally. She oversaw the move from direct mail to print advertising, radio, TV and email, and finally to social media and digital marketing. One of Sinn's most successful marketing campaigns was "Be a Wildcat Wherever You Live," which won numerous national and regional awards. As a result of her efforts, Global Campus saw significant growth in the success of its online programs.
Sinn has been involved with the University Professional and Continuing Education Association, or UPCEA, serving on the Futures and Markets Commission, presenting at regional and national meetings, as well as receiving the Great Plains Regional Support Specialist Award. Under her leadership, the marketing unit received more than 25 UPCEA awards, and Sinn was the recipient of the K-State Presidential Leadership Award. She co-authored "Kansas State University: 2+2 Partnerships with Community Colleges," published in the Association of Continuing Higher Education's review journal. Sinn also served on the All-University Open House committee for 39 years.
Serving as the alumni and external relations coordinator for Global Campus since 2017, Sinn has worked tirelessly to develop strong connections with K-State alumni who completed their degrees online and to build scholarship funds for online students. To further those efforts, she established an endowed scholarship for online students at K-State, the Kenneth and Leah Mae Bever Family Scholarship, in honor of her parents.
She holds bachelor's and master's degrees from K-State and an associate degree from Coffeyville Community College.