Commerce Bank and WT Kemper Foundation Distinguished Graduate Faculty Award

The Commerce Bank and WT Kemper Foundation Distinguished Graduate Faculty Award honors current members of the graduate faculty who are recognized nationally and internationally for their outstanding scholarly achievements and for their contributions to graduate education at the university. Recipients of the award will receive an honorarium, are recognized during the fall Graduate School commencement ceremony and during a public lecture to the campus community.

Nomination instructions

The nomination process for 2024-2025 is complete. We will accept nominations again in January 2025.

The materials noted below should be submitted through Qualtrics.

Letter of nomination – that
- highlights the major accomplishments of the nominee while a graduate faculty at K-State: nominee’s contributions to graduate education at K-State, scholarly achievements and professional contributions
- describes why the nominee merits the award
- is maximum three-page long
The Nominee’s curriculum vitae
Contact information for five references
- Two references knowledge about the nominee’s contributions to graduate education at K-State. For each reference provide: name, professional title, email address, professional background information and the relationship to the nominee
- Three references knowledgeable about the nominee’s scholarly achievements. These individuals should be national and international leaders in their fields and external to K-State. For each reference provide: name, professional title, email address, professional background information and the relationship to the nominee

Nominees will be considered for three consecutive years and materials may be updated annually, if desired. After a one year hiatus, the individual may be nominated again but a new nomination packet must be submitted.

Award recipients

Faculty Name	Department	Year
Sherry Haar	Fashion Studies	2024-25
Bala Natarajan	Electrical and Computer Engineering	2024-25
Jeffrey Pickering	Political Science	2023-24
Yong-Cheng Shi	Grain Science and Industry	2023-24
Yoonseong Park	Entomology	2022-23
Hans Coetzee	Anatomy and Physiology	2022-23
Caterina Scoglio	Electrical and Computer Engineering	2021-22
Barbara Valent	Plant Pathology	2021-22
Tom Phillips	Entomology	2020-21
Donghai Wang	Biological and Agricultural Engineering	2020-21
Robert Goodband	Animal Sciences and Industry	2019-20
Michael Kanost	Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics	2019-20
Kimberly Kirkpatrick	Psychological Sciences	2018-19
T.G. Nagaraja	Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology	2018-19
Frederick Burrack	Music	2017-18
Christine Aikens	Chemistry	2017-18
Timothy Keane	Landscape Architecture	2016-17
Zongzhu Lin	Mathematics	2016-17
Mary Rezac	Chemical Engineering	2015-16
P.V. Vara Prasad	Agronomy	2015-16
Uwe Thumm	Physics	2014-15
Kun Yan Zhu	Entomology	2014-15
Daniel Higgins	Chemistry	2013-14
Bhadriraju Subramanyam	Grain Science and Industry	2013-14
Bharat Ratra	Physics	2012-13
Raymond R. Rowland	Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology	2012-13
Z.J. Pei	Industrial & Manufacturing Systems Engineering	2011-12
Phil Nel	English	2011-12
Sue J. Brown	Biology	2010-11
Frank F. White	Plant Pathology	2010-11
Amit Chakrabarti	Physics	2009-10
Chuck Rice	Agronomy	2009-10
Elizabeth Dodd	English	2008-09
Walter Dodds	Biology	2008-09
Delores J. Feld Takemoto	Biochemistry	2007-08
James H. Edgar	Chemical Engineering	2007-08
Subbarat Muthukrishnan	Biochemistry	2006-07
Philine Wangemann	Anatomy and Physiology	2006-07
Allen M. Featherstone	Agricultural Economics	2005-06
Edgar Chambers IV	Human Nutrition	2005-06
Dallas Johnson	Statistics	2004-05
Duy Hua	Chemistry	2004-05
Dale Herspring	Political Science	2003-04
David Norman	Agricultural Economics	2003-04
Larry E. Erickson	Chemical Engineering	2002-03
James Shanteau	Psychology	2002-03
Scot H. Hulbert	Plant Pathology	2001-02
Joseph Vincent Ortiz	Chemistry	2001-02
George Keiser	English	2000-01
Paul Seib	Grain Science and Industry	2000-01
Marsha Frey	History	1999-00
Eric Maatta	Chemistry	1999-00
Larry Takemoto	Biology	1998-99
Frank Blecha	Anatomy and Physiology	1997-98
Talat Rahman	Physics	1997-98
Rollin Sears	Agronomy	1997-98
Alexander G. Ramm	Mathematics	1996-97
Christopher M. Sorensen	Physics	1996-97
Gary W. Conrad	Biology	1995-96
Jan E. Leach	Plant Pathology	1995-96
E. Wayne Nafziger	Economics	1995-96
Thomas E. Roche	Biochemistry	1994-95
Theodore L. Hopkins	Entomology	1994-95
John J. Iandolo	Pathology and Microbiology	1993-94
Robin E. Denell	Biology	1993-94
Donald J. Mrozek	History	1993-94
C. Lewis Cocke	Physics	1992-93
Jane A. Westfall	Anatomy and Physiology	1992-93
Albert N. Hamscher	History	1991-92
Kenneth J. Klabunde	Chemistry	1991-92
Brian S. Spooner	Biology	1990-91
Benjamin R. Tilghman	Philosophy	1990-91
Patricia J. O'Brien	Sociology, Anthropology & Social Work	1989-90
Bikram S. Gill	Plant Pathology	1989-90
Margo Kren	Art	1988-89
Gerald R. Reeck	Biochemistry	1988-89
Cornelia Butler Flora	Sociology	1987-88
Richard N. McDonald	Chemistry	1987-88
Terry C. Johnson	Biology	1986-87
Michael W. Suleiman	Political Science	1986-87
Horst Leipold	Pathology	1985-86
Jonathan Holden	English	1985-86
Patrick Richard	Physics	1984-85
Burton I. Kaufman	History	1984-85
William Fateley	Chemistry	1983-84
Nasir Ahmed	Electrical Engineering	1982-83
Roger Fedde	Anatomy and Physiology	1981-82
James F. Shepard	Plant Pathology	1980-81
Donald W. Setser	Chemistry	1979-80
Elmer G. Heyne	Agronomy	1978-79
Frederick W. Oehme	Surgery and Medicine	1977-78
Dudley Williams	Physics	1976-77
Richard Consigli	Biology	1975-76
Stanley E. Leland	Veterinary Pathology	1974-75
Ivan D. Teare	Agronomy	1973-74
L. T. Fan	Chemical Engineering	1972-73
Angelo C. Garzio	Art	1971-72
Robin Higham	History	1970-71
Clifton E. Meloan	Chemistry	1969-70
R. Kenneth Burkhard	Biochemistry	1968-69
John A. Johnson	Grain Science and Industry	1967-68
Brewster Rogerson	English	1966-67
V. D. Foltz	Bacteriology	1965-66
Roy Langford	Psychology	1964-65
Erle E. Bartley	Dairy and Poultry Science	1963-64
Robert Katz	Physics	1962-63
A. M. Guhl	Zoology	1961-62
H. Henley Haymaker	Botany	1961-62
Holly C. Fryer	Statistics	1960-61
Kling L. Anderson	Agronomy	1960-61
Fred L. Parrish	History	1959-60
Francis D. Farrell	President Emeritus	1959-60
Leon R. Quinlan	Landscape Architecture	1958-59
Charles M. Correll	History	1958-59
Arthur D. Weber	College of Agriculture	1957-58
Howard T. Hill	Speech	1957-58
Alvin B. Cardwell	Physics	1956-57
Charles H. Scholer	Applied Mechanics	1956-57
Hilmer H. Laude	Agronomy	1955-56
John F. Helm	Architecture and Applied Arts	1955-56