11/14/18
K-State Current - November 14, 2018
K-State Current is a weekly news update for the Kansas Board of Regents to apprise the Regents on a few of the many successes and achievements made by K-State faculty, staff and students.
K-State News
Kansas State University is saving energy costs and becoming greener by using one of Kansas' most abundant resources: wind.
A new university agreement with Westar Energy will provide approximately 50 percent of the energy needs for the university's main Manhattan campus from a wind farm in Nemaha County and save the university nearly $200,000 annually.
The agreement is part of Westar Energy's new Renewables Direct program, which provides large customers access to renewable energy at set long-term prices. The program involves the 300-megawatt Soldier Creek Wind Energy Center, which is a wind farm that will be built in Nemaha County and is estimated to be on line in 2020. Kansas State University is one of 14 Kansas organizations that will receive electricity from the wind farm.
"We are excited about this innovative approach to use renewable energy to help Kansas State University become more sustainable and save energy costs," said Cindy Bontrager, the university's vice president for administration and finance. "Sustainability planning is one of the key components of our K-State 2025 plan to become a top 50 public research university by 2025. As a public land-grant university, K-State has a role to address the sustainability challenges of our time and this agreement is a step in the right direction. Our facilities power plant utilities staff actively seeks ways for the university to save costs and I appreciate their initiative and hard work in getting that done."
As part of a 20-year agreement, the wind farm will provide Kansas State University with 14 megawatts of power, which is approximately 50 percent of the current load of the university's Manhattan campus, said Gary Weishaar, university manager of energy and controls. The anticipated savings for the university will be approximately $180,000 to $200,000 annually.
The savings will come from a reduction in the retail energy cost adjustment, also known as fuel factor costs, Weishaar said. Under the Renewables Direct program, the price of electricity provided from Soldier Creek Wind Energy Center will be fixed for 20 years at 1.8 cents per kilowatt-hour and replaces the fuel factor cost, which is currently 2.3 cents per kilowatt-hour. The university's average annual consumption for the Manhattan campus for the last five years has been 113 million kilowatt-hours per year. The university also will receive renewable energy credits associated with the agreement.
"We are constantly evaluating the potential of providing renewable energy for the university," Weishaar said. "We feel this program is a good way to not only positively affect K-State financially, but to also take advantage of one of our most abundant natural resources."
Westar Energy's Renewables Direct program is designed to provide large customers a path toward their sustainability goals with Kansas' abundant, affordable renewable energy. Participating customers are able to claim a portion of the energy generated by the wind farm as their own, retain all of the renewable attributes and lock in a portion of their electricity prices for 20 years. The program is structured to add projects in the future to keep up with the demand for renewable sources.
"We applaud K-State's commitment to sustainable energy solutions," said Chuck Caisley, senior vice president, public affairs and marketing and chief customer officer, Westar Energy. "Renewables Direct provides cost-effective access to Kansas' excellent wind energy resources. We appreciate K-State's role in making the introduction of Westar's new program a success."
Kansas State University awarded prestigious Troops to Teachers grant
Kansas State University's College of Education, in partnership with the Kansas State Department of Education, was recently awarded a $400,000, four-year Troops to Teachers grant to support transitioning service members and veterans interested in becoming teachers.
Troops to Teachers-Kansas is open to veterans and transitioning service members worldwide who wish to return to Kansas to begin their teaching careers. The program offers two distinct online pathways with unique features. The Master of Arts in teaching is a one-year program for degree holders, and the bachelor's degree takes 24 months after completing prerequisite courses. Unique to Kansas State University's Troops to Teachers-Kansas are veteran teaching assistants who will support participants from enrollment to graduation. The veteran teaching assistants are both experienced teachers and veterans who have completed the Troops to Teachers program and understand the special opportunities and challenges of transitioning to the classroom.
"K-State is at the forefront of developing innovative programming for educators, and by tailoring the highly successful Master of Arts in teaching for service members, we can directly address teacher supply throughout Kansas, the Midwest and the country," said Richard B. Myers, Kansas State University president. "Our programs provide a trusted and credentialed path to the classroom, and I believe K-State, with its many military connections and online options, is in the enviable position of being the university of choice for transitioning service members and veterans who want to become teachers."
Thomas Vontz, professor and co-author of the Troops to Teachers-Kansas grant, said the program includes a job placement mentorship, various resources and an online virtual job fair that will connect graduates with underserved school districts in Kansas.
"More than 250 students have enrolled in the Master of Arts in teaching program since its inception in 2016," Vontz said. "Given K-State's longstanding commitment to military-connected education, providing transitioning service members and veterans affordable, convenient, practical pathways to teaching just made good sense. We believe this grant will not only assist veterans but also provide high-quality teachers to Kansas schools."
Learn more about Troops to Teachers-Kansas at global.k-state.edu/troops-to-teachers/.
Kansas State University has been recognized nationally by the White House's Joining Forces initiative, the Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Association of Defense Communities as one of the nation's premier military-inclusive public research universities. Additionally, it has been recognized as both a Carnegie Engaged University and the Association of Public and Land-Grant University Innovation and Economic Prosperity Designated Awardee for its education and outreach programs for military veterans.
Troops to Teachers was established in the early 1990s to support transitioning service members and veterans to pursue careers as K-12 school teachers in public, charter, and Bureau of Indian Affairs schools. The program provides counseling and referral services for participants to help them meet education and licensing requirements to teach and subsequently helps them secure a teaching position. Since 1993, more than 20,000 veterans have successfully transitioned to careers in education.
Kansas State University launches Kansas insurance undergraduate certificate
As part of a statewide initiative to promote careers in the insurance industry among financial planning and business majors, Kansas State University will launch an online Kansas insurance certificate for undergraduates in spring 2019.
Students who complete the certificate will be well-prepared for a career in the insurance industry, familiar with the intricacies of health, life, property and casualty insurance structures, annuities and insurance-related employee benefits.
"The insurance industry as a whole is seeking qualified applicants to replace long-standing employees expected to retire in the coming years," said Martin Seay, associate professor and director of the university's Institute of Personal Financial Planning. "Students completing this program will have a leg up on the competition for those jobs."
The certificate can be earned as a stand-alone credential for those who already possess a bachelor's degree, or can serve as a direct path to the university's online bachelor's degree in personal financial planning. Kansas State University is a leader in personal financial planning education, with a longstanding tradition of achievement and degree offerings ranging from undergraduate to doctoral studies, all offered online.
The certificate program meets all of the requirements set forth by the Kansas Insurance Education Foundation, which has encouraged universities across Kansas to develop pathways for graduates to enter the insurance industry. The partnership also includes more than 15 companies with a national presence who are seeking out these graduates.
K-State Faculty Highlight
Lynn Ewanow to be honored as 2018 International Educator of the Year
Lynn Ewanow, associate professor and associate dean, director of environmental design studies program and director of international programs in the College of Architecture, Planning & Design, will be honored as the 2018 International Educator of the Year.
Presented by the Office of International Programs, the International Educator of the Year award annually honors an individual's sustained commitment to advancing international education at K-State.
"Lynn has served as the spearhead of our international study abroad opportunities for our students," said Tim de Noble, professor and dean of the College of Architecture, Planning and Design.
"I was asked to direct the APDesign Italian Studies Program in the fall of 2002," Ewanow said. "My first visit to Orvieto was in January 2005. I went with the intention of exploring the possibility of establishing and furthering the APDesign Italian Studies Program in a second location in Italy."
Since the inception of the APDesign Italian studies program in 1991, APDesign has sent more than 1,000 students to Italy for a semesterlong academic program and 431 students have studied in Orvieto.
"In over 10 years of collaboration I have directly experienced Lynn's passion and enthusiasm in communicating the importance of international education and creating thriving learning communities," said Serena Croce, Orvieto program director, K-State Italy.
"What an exciting honor for Lynn to be nominated by her colleagues. Lynn has an outstanding contribution to K-State internationalization plan and her award is well deserved," said Marcellus Caldas, assistant provost of international faculty collaboration and educational programs for the Office of International Programs.
"Her leadership in elevating the relationship with The Centro Studdi in Orvieto has led to this region becoming our university's No. 1 travel destination for Education Abroad and faculty-led programs," said Grant Chapman, associate provost for international programs.
"The overarching intention of Kansas State University in Italy is to build the foundation for our students to become globally competent citizens who are interested in, and capable of, thinking about and working toward greater international cooperation and collaboration," Ewanow said. "I am very excited that Kansas State University took the necessary steps in 2015 to establish a legally recognized international presence in Italy in 2016. This office provides an amazing opportunity for our students and faculty, not just in APDesign, but from across the campus to engage with a vibrant community."
Ewanow received her master’s degree in landscape architecture from the State University of New York College of Environmental Design and a Bachelor of Psychology and a Bachelor of Arts from Keuka College. Ewanow also completed the management development program at Harvard University.
As associate dean, Ewanow is responsible for student academic services, the environmental design studies program which is the first year of the five-year master’s program for architecture, interior architecture and product design, landscape architecture, and regional community planning and all aspects of the college’s Italian studies program as well as other international programs. She has also served as special assistant to the university provost. Ewanow was elected to the national Landscape Architecture Accreditation Board in 2017 and serves as one of three educators on the twelve-member board. Beginning in the spring of 2019 she will serve as the board's secretary.
Join Ewanow as she is recognized at the 2018 International Education Awards Ceremony and reception at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 15, in the Regnier Forum and atrium.
"This ceremony offers the community the chance to celebrate and thank her for what she has done for the internationalization of our university," Chapman said.
K-State Student News
Architecture student presents research findings at international symposiums
Alexandra Mesias, a junior in the Master of Architecture program in the College of Architecture, Planning & Design and member of K-State's Developing Scholars Program, presented her research findings at two international symposiums this year.
The culmination of two and a half years of work, Mesias' presentations discuss the effect of maturity and confidence on reaching a creative frame of mind. By using biofeedback technology, Mesias collected real-time responses of undergraduate versus graduate architecture students. Her research has the potential to yield insight into how technology affects the creative process.
The only undergraduate student among graduate students, doctors and postdoctoral researchers, Mesias presented at the 2018 International Association of Empirical Aesthetics Conference held in Toronto Aug. 30-Sept. 2 and the 2018 Academy for Neuroscience for Architecture Conference held at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California, Sept. 20-22.
"Though it was her first conference presentation, Alexandra's talk at IAEA sounded seasoned and professional,” said Hanna Negami of the Urban Realities Laboratory in Waterloo, Ontario. "I think it's so great for an undergrad to have the opportunity to not only conduct exciting research but to share it with audiences of both architects and scientists at reputable interdisciplinary conferences."
Her work, "Assessing Architecture Students' In The Moment Creativity," was developed and co-authored with David Thompson, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, and Bob Condia, member of the American Institute of Architecture, architect, professor of architecture.
"What is remarkable about Alexandra is her persistence and dedication to this work which begun as a Developing Scholars Program project," Condia said. "She has become skillful with our biological sensory apparatus and with the help of Dr. Thompson, learning the ways of statistical analysis. Her work continues in our lab with additional subjects and deeper analysis of the data, both biological responses and analog surveys."