KIRK SCHULZ GETTING INPUT FROM K-STATE CONSTITUENTS ON REACHING LOFTY GOALS BY 2025
The more input the better. That's the idea behind K-State President Kirk Schulz's efforts to encourage participation in deciding how to reach major new goals by 2025.
"Provost April Mason and I developed the first goal: for K-State to be a top 50 public research university by 2025," Schulz said. "To achieve this goal, we need everyone's help."
Schulz recently launched a new website, http://www.k-state.edu/2025/, with a video, a timeline and dialog boxes asking for input. It's all designed to develop an effective visionary plan for moving K-State forward.
In his monthly letter to campus Schulz said, "One of my objectives during the summer was to kick off the second phase of the K-State 2025 visionary planning process. This part of the strategic plan involves benchmarking Kansas State University against our peers. For the last several weeks we have been engaging with focus groups to examine where K-State is currently compared with our peers, and to discuss possible next steps to move us toward our goal."
Schulz said one of the keys to any planning process is to involve as wide a set of constituents as possible. That's why the website has three broad questions that focus on K-State's future:
1. At K-State, what do we need to do to become a Top 50 institution?
2. What are the assets in place in order to achieve Top 50 status?
3. What are the barriers to overcome to achieve Top 50 status?
"With everyone working together, I know we can make K-State even better in 15 years than it is today," Schulz said.
To subscribe to Schulz's monthly letters to campus, visit: http://www.k-state.edu/president/subscribe
PASSWORD CHANGE TIMEFRAME BEGINS AUG. 1
Aug. 1-Sept. 8 is the timeframe for all staff and faculty to change their K-State eID passwords for the fall semester.
This mandatory password change occurs each fall and spring, and applies to both individual eIDs and group eIDs. After Sept. 8, those with unchanged passwords will lose access to K-State webmail, iSIS, K-State Online, free laser printing, university computing labs and InfoCommons computers.
An e-mail reminder is typically sent to all webmail accounts notifying users of the password expiration date and the final date for passwords to be changed.
K-State will never ask for your eID password via e-mail. Any message that asks for a password is a phishing scam and should be deleted immediately.
Users wishing to change their password immediately can do so by signing in on the eid.k-state.edu website. Click "Change your eID password or password-reset options" and follow the steps.
Forgotten passwords can be recovered by calling the IT Help Desk at (785) 532-7722. Callers will be asked to verify their identity before staff can set up a temporary password that will allow for sign in.
Every K-State password must be changed -- and cannot be re-used within a two-year period. Long-term use of the same password is a known risk factor. For more password details, including how to choose a good password, visit https://eid.k-state.edu/eProfile/jsp/password/faq.jsp
K-STATE, TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY IN TURKEY TO WORK ON COLLABORATIVE PROJECTS
Faculty from K-State and Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Turkey, will soon have opportunities to work collaboratively. K-State President Kirk Schulz has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Turkish technical university that creates opportunities for cross-cultural research between both institutions.
"Middle East Technical University is recognized as one of the leading universities in Turkey," said R. Michael Philson, associate provost for international programs at K-State. "The agreement will help spread awareness of our quality K-State programs overseas, provide opportunities for direct interactions in person and online between faculty and students from both universities, and help facilitate an increasingly global perspective."
K-State's affiliation with the technical university developed through the psychology departments at both institutions. Clive Fullagar, professor of psychology at K-State, and professors Nebi Sumer and Canan Sumer of Middle East Technical University initiated a proposal for a dual master's degree in psychology. The Sumers first worked with Fullagar as doctoral students at K-State in the early 1990s.
"We already had good relations with the Middle East Technical University psychology department," Fullagar said. Nebi Sumer and Canan Sumer are presently heads of the psychology department and the industrial/organizational psychology program, respectively.
With K-State's existing Web-based master's degree in industrial/organizational psychology attracting students mainly within the United States since its inception in 2000, K-State faculty sought to expand the program overseas through international collaboration.
"We really wanted to establish a cross-cultural sensitivity in industrial/organizational psychology with a country that had a very different cultural profile from the United States," Fullagar said. "The signing with Middle East Technical University will play a very strong role in developing a broad academic exchange with Turkey. The joint degree will lay down a blueprint for similar arrangements with universities in all parts of the world."
Curriculum development for the dual master's degree, including technological connectivity and support, bridging cultural barriers, meshing educational systems and ensuring security and logistics of course delivery, will continue through the summer. The program includes both on-campus and online delivery methods.
INSTRUCTORS: ONLINE GRADE SUBMISSION HANDOUT AVAILABLE
For faculty unfamiliar with how to submit grades online, a PDF handout can be found at http://www.k-state.edu/isishelp/faculty/isisKSOLS10.pdf, which details the process of entering and approving grades in iSIS, as well as how to copy grades from K-State Online into iSIS.
The handout also includes information about the availability of grade rosters, grade submission deadlines and more.
K-STATE LIBRARIES NAMES NEW ASSISTANT DEANS, DEPARTMENT HEADS
Several faculty members from the K-State Libraries have been appointed to leadership positions as part of an internal reorganization process.
Named to assistant dean positions at the libraries' are Mike Haddock and Marcia Stockham.
Haddock will serve as assistant dean of the Research, Education and Engagement Division. Formerly chair of the sciences department, he joined the K-State faculty in 1989 and was promoted to full professor in 2002. He has served as chair of the libraries' faculty and chair of the K-State Faculty Senate Committee on Technology and is currently chair of the K-State Information Resource Management Council.
Stockham will serve as assistant dean of the libraries' Content Management and Scholarly Communications Division. Previously chair of the social sciences, humanities and business department, Stockham joined K-State in 2001 and was promoted to associate professor in 2006.
She has served as chair of the libraries' faculty and as a faculty senator. She also has been president of the Kansas Library Association College and University Libraries Section.
Department heads that will report to Haddock include:
* David Allen, associate professor, who assumes leadership of the university archives and special collections.
* Tara Baillargeon, associate professor, who will lead the faculty and graduate services department.
* Sara K. Kearns, associate professor, heads the undergraduate and community services department.
Department heads reporting to Stockham include:
* Beth Turtle, associate professor, leads the scholarly communications and publications department.
* Michelle Turvey-Welch, associate professor, serves as head of the metadata and preservation department.
"I welcome these individuals to their new leadership roles. Their records of scholarship and service, both on campus and beyond, are impressive. I believe they will be great assets in advancing the creation, sharing and preservation of knowledge at Kansas State University and K-State Libraries," said Lori A. Goetsch, dean of libraries.
More information about the reorganization and a complete organizational chart are available at http://www.lib.k-state.edu/comm/contacts.html.
RURAL GROCERY INITIATIVE EARNS K-STATE CENTER NATIONAL RECOGNITION
The K-State Center for Engagement and Community Development is being honored for its Rural Grocery Initiative with the Outstanding Community Development Program award from the International Community Development Society.
The award recognizes outstanding community development programs that use principles of good practice as adopted by the society. It will be presented at the society's 2010 international meeting, July 25-28, in New Orleans.
"This award is due to the efforts of K-State faculty, extension professionals, nongovernmental organizations and citizen leaders from across the United States to come together to address important rural grocery store challenges and sustainability models," said Dan Kahl, K-State Extension liaison to the Center for Engagement and Community Development.
The Rural Grocery Initiative began in 2007 with a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development.
"The original focus was on Kansas rural grocery stores, but it soon became apparent this was a national issue affecting economic development issues, food access issues and community sustainability issues," said David Procter, director of the Center for Engagement and Community Development. "We found that rural grocery stores are a critical piece of the infrastructure that sustains rural communities."
Significant outcomes from the initiative include six white papers detailing grocery best practices, two rural grocery summits, a virtual grocery store owner forum and the website, http://www.ruralgrocery.org, which serves as a national clearinghouse.
The initiative has also involved K-State faculty research from the departments of horticulture, forestry and recreation resources, agricultural economics, human nutrition, communications and history, as well as the A.Q. Miller School of Journalism and Mass Communications, the College of Human Ecology, and county-based K-State Research and Extension professionals.
K-STATE CONSTITUTION WORKSHOP IN TOPEKA FOR SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHERS RUNS THIS WEEK
A workshop on the U.S. Constitution through K-State's Division of Continuing Education began Sunday.
The workshop, entitled "Perspectives on the Constitution: A We the People Workshop for Teachers of Social Studies," is being offered in Topeka free of charge to elementary, middle and high school social studies teachers in Kansas, Nebraska and Oklahoma.
"The workshop gives teachers a chance to revisit important political ideas that have influenced our country since its founding," said Thomas Vontz, associate professor and director of the Center for Social Studies Education at K-State.
The workshop focuses on the fundamentals that built the U.S. Participants also will learn about the origins, development and contemporary application of constitutional ideas.
"These 'We the People' workshops are offered throughout the country and have been ongoing since 1995. Teachers leave the workshop with a renewed sense of purpose and with practical resources they can use to teach about the Constitution," Vontz said.
Featured presenters include Vontz; John J. Patrick, professor emeritus at Indiana University; and Matthew Gutwein, professor of constitutional law at Indiana University.
Teachers attending the workshop can elect to earn up to three graduate credit hours through the K-State Division of Continuing Education.
It is sponsored by the Center for Civic Education, K-State Center for Social Studies Education, Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site and Brown v. Board of Education Foundation.
More information can be found at http://www.dce.k-state.edu/conf/civil-rights/ or by calling the K-State Division of Continuing Education conference registration office at 785-532-5569 or 1-800-432-8222.
The workshop will continue until Thursday.
K-STATE ADMINISTRATION AND FINANCE PROMOTES THREE
Bruce Shubert, vice president for administration and finance, is promoting three staff members and eliminating one unfilled position.
The promotions include Gary Leitnaker, to associate vice president for human resources and parking services; Cindy Bontrager, to assistant vice president for budget planning; and Fran Willbrant, to assistant vice president for financial services.
The promotions follow Shubert's decision to eliminate the position of associate vice president for administration and finance and to assign many of its responsibilities to Leitnaker, Bontrager and Willbrant. Shubert served in the job from 2003-2008; it has been vacant since his promotion to vice president in January 2009.
"K-State is fortunate to have dedicated and capable people in these key roles. As a result, we're able to organize efficiently and continue to provide quality service," Shubert said.
Leitnaker previously served as assistant vice president of K-State's Division of Human Resources. Prior to joining K-State in 1994 he was director of labor relations for the Kansas Department of Administration. He has been in the human resources/personnel field since 1974. Leitnaker earned a bachelor's and a master's in business administration from Emporia State University.
Bontrager has been director of the university's budget office since 2003. The office prepares all of the university's external budget requests, as well as the operating budgets for all of K-State's budgetary units. Bontrager previously served as director of finance for the Kansas Board of Regents from 1998 to 2003 and as assistant director of the K-State budget office from 1989 to 1998. She earned bachelor's degrees in business management and political science from K-State and a master of business administration from the University of Kansas.
Willbrant has served as university controller since 2007. She joined K-State in 1993 as assistant controller and was promoted to associate controller in 1996. Willbrant's office provides fiscal services to the university, and coordinates with external agencies to ensure all funds to K-State are properly received, spent and reported in accordance with university, Board of Regents, state and federal requirements. Willbrant earned a bachelor's in accounting from the University of South Florida.
INFORMATION REGARDING DEPARTMENTS USING THE LED MESSAGE BOARD
Questions have been asked by faculty and staff within various departments about the availability and posting procedures for the LED message board south of the parking garage. In short, departments can use the message board for a fee.
The K-State Message Board's procedures and policies -- which includes information about the cost, message requirements, scheduling procedures and other details -- can be viewed at http://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/messagebd.html
Departments interested in scheduling a message can e-mail message@k-state.edu.
The board is owned by a consortium of six K-State entities who have first priority on scheduling. The consortium is the K-State Student Union, Beach Art Museum, McCain Auditorium, KSU Foundation, K-State Alumni Association and Division of Student Life. The university can use the message board exclusively for emergency situations and notifications.
A news release about the K-State Message Board and some of its history can be viewed at http://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/jun10/messageboard61110.html