07/24/19
K-State Current - July 24, 2019
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
K-State ranks among nation's top financial literacy programs
Kansas State University has been ranked No. 25 on LendEDU's list of top 50 financial literacy programs at colleges and universities across the United States.
The website's rankings were decided by factors such as the number of workshops and resources available; access to one-on-one financial consultation; and incentivizing programs available.
K-State was noted for its personal and online financial counseling services, which include Powercat Financial. The peer-to-peer program offers free counseling to students on budgeting, saving, credit, student loan repayment and transitioning to work via individual financial counseling, financial presentations to student groups and educational programming on financial topics.
"K-State is proud to be included in the growing number of universities who understand the importance of supporting students with resources to assist them in their successful transition to financial independence," said Jodi Kaus, director of Powercat Financial. "It is wonderful to be recognized for our 10 years of success with Powercat Financial and its assortment of helpful financial services."
In addition to financial counseling, CashCourse is offered free of charge to all students. The College of Health and Human Sciences offers Money 101 and Introduction to Personal Financial Planning, which are courses that teach students about personal finance.
High schoolers solidify decision to become teachers at College of Education academy
David L. Griffin, assistant dean emeritus of the Kansas State University College of Education, presents to Kansas Advanced Teacher Academy attendees.
A program offered by the Kansas State University College of Education is helping high school students from across Kansas prepare for careers as teachers.
The Kansas Advanced Teacher Academy started as a pilot program in 2018 and this year attracted 25 students in grades 10-12 to Kansas State University's Manhattan campus in June for a six-day immersion program. The academy is designed to foster professional growth in high school students planning to pursue a bachelor's degree in education. The program included sessions with educators, observing current Kansas State University education majors as teachers in hands-on classes as part of the College of Education's Summer STEM Institute, and recreational activities to build comradery.
The College of Education is the largest producer of teachers in Kansas.
"The Kansas Advanced Teacher Academy is the College of Education's concerted effort to bring quality career exploration to any student in Kansas who is interested in teaching," said Todd Goodson, professor and chair of the college's curriculum and instruction department. "We believe that by reaching out to our neighbors, as well as to those in distant corners of the state, that we can be an ally in helping each community meet its need for highly prepared professional educators."
Kansas needs more teachers. In 2018, the Kansas State Department of Education reported more than 600 vacant positions at Kansas schools, mostly in rural and urban areas of the state. That's why the majority of academy participants were from Kansas City and Liberal, participating through the College of Education's K-STEP Up grant, which funds a pathway for teaching for underserved and place-bound students. The academy also attracted students from Abilene and Dodge City, as well as from St. Louis and Belgium.
"The real heart of the program was the intense curriculum being delivered by seasoned professionals who challenged academy attendees to never give up on their students and to search for novel ways to keep their students engaged," said James Alberto, academy program coordinator and an instructor of curriculum and instruction at Kansas State University.
Alberto said the College of Education's deep bench of professional educators with decades of classroom experience shared their unique perspectives, experiences and wisdom with attendees. These educators included David L. Griffin, College of Education assistant dean emeritus; and curriculum and instruction faculty members Brad Burenheide, associate professor; Socorro Herrera, professor; Sherri Martinie, associate professor; and Vicki Sherbert, assistant professor. The students also met with Debbie Mercer, dean of the College of Education; Roger Schieferecke, assistant dean; and several other faculty and staff members throughout the college.
Byron Lewis, a Kansas State University senior in elementary education from Topeka, served as program leader/activities coordinator, and Zach Cooper, agriculture education teacher at Abilene High School, served as assistant program leader.
Their advice and teachings were well-received by academy participants.
"I've always known that I wanted to be a teacher, but now I can't wait to have my own classroom and my own students," said Audrey Phelps, an academy participant from Dodge City. "Dr. David Griffin's whole presentation stuck out to me. Everything he said would help us become the teacher we want to be. He said, 'Those who didn't learn today will learn tomorrow, depending on you' and 'any teacher who chooses to make a difference will make one.'
"I've thought about those two quotes every day because it's a lot of pressure to have a classroom full of students," said Phelps, a senior at Dodge City High School. "If they fail, then you fail. But the Kansas Advanced Teacher Academy helped me realize that there are many ways to teach one concept, and that you're not alone through the teaching career."
Rosa Cano, who attends Sumner Academy in Kansas City, said, like Phelps, the academy cemented her decision to become an educator.
"I learned that students may not always have a trusting adult in their life and that's what makes teachers superheroes," Cano said. "This idea inspired me to be a teacher. At the Kansas Advanced Teacher Academy, we talked a lot about the roles of teachers in a student's life and developing skills for them that lie beyond the classroom.
"One specific lecture, we spoke about the administrative side of education and what stood out to me the most was I learned that I want to create change and affect the lives of students positively not only in, but outside of the classroom as well," Cano said. "I thank the Kansas Advanced Teaching Academy for broadening my horizons and perspective in the field of education."
More information about the Kansas Advanced Teacher Academy is available at coe.k-state.edu/future/kata/index.html. More information about the K-STEP Up program is available at coe.k-state.edu/k-step-up/index.html.
K-State Faculty Highlights
Katie Olsen accepted as Kopenhaver fellow
Katie Olsen, teaching assistant professor in the A.Q. Miller School of Journalism and Mass Communications, has been named a 2019 Kopenhaver Center fellow of the Lillian Lodge Kopenhaver Center for the Advancement of Women in Communication.
Olsen will be recognized at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication national conference in Toronto in August.
The Kopenhaver Center's mission is to empower women professionals and academics in all the fields of communication, in an effort to develop visionaries and leaders who can make a difference in their communities and their profession. The center was established in 2012 by dean emeritus and professor Lillian Lodge Kopenhaver as a pioneering site for the advancement of women in the field of communication.
Olsen will attend the Kopenhaver Center's Women Faculty Moving Forward Workshop as part of the 2019 Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication Conference. The workshop is designed to help women faculty members move forward in their careers through mentoring, networking, and preparation for tenure, promotion and administration, or other leadership positions.
Olsen has been teaching advertising courses in K-State's A.Q Miller School of Journalism and Mass Communications since 2010. She had previously worked as a marketing account manager and strategist in the Kansas City area. She received her Bachelor of Journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia, her Master of Business Administration from Rockhurst University and a doctorate from Kansas State University.
Olsen's research centers around the gender gap among women employed in the advertising industry. Currently, only 11% of creative directors in advertising agencies are female, even though women influence more than 80% of consumer spending. Olsen's research seeks to understand more about the qualities of women who achieve leadership in the industry, what the industry can do to support gender equality, and how the current gender gap in the advertising field impacts our culture.
Greg Aldrich receives Corbin Award in Companion Animal Biology
Greg Aldrich, research associate professor, has received the 2019 Corbin Award in Companion Animal Biology from the American Society of Animal Science for excellence in research and teaching in companion animal biology. He received the award — sponsored by Mars Petcare — during the Companion Animal Nutrition Session, at the 2019 ASAS-CSAS Annual Meeting on Thursday, July 10, in Austin, Texas.
Aldrich received his doctorate in animal nutrition from the University of Illinois in 1995 and joined the Iams Company. He has held positions at Kemin Industries and Menu Foods. In 2003, he started Pet Food & Ingredient Technology Inc., which has provided support to more than 175 pet food, ingredient, and equipment companies. He writes a monthly column in Petfood Industry magazine with more than 165 articles.
Since joining the university in 2012, Aldrich has taught courses in Pet Food Processing, Companion Animal Nutrition, and the Graduate Student Seminar. His research focuses on the effect processing has on safety, nutrition, and shelf-life of modern pet foods. He has published 14 peer-reviewed manuscripts, one book chapter, and 63 abstracts, and presented at 83 conferences and industry events during his time at K-State. He continues to provide technical support to the industry, serves on numerous corporate boards, and provides commentary on issues of industry importance.
K-State Student News
Architectural engineering student awarded top scholarship
Owen Lutz, Kansas State University sophomore in architectural engineering, Garnett, was named recipient of the 2019-2020 Freshman Engineering Scholarship at the ASHRAE annual conference June 22-26 in Kansas City, Missouri.
The one-year, $5,000 scholarship is available annually to an engineering or pre-engineering student entering his or her sophomore year of college and pursuing a Bachelor of Science in engineering.
Lutz has served as the ASHRAE freshman representative for the Kansas State University chapter of ASHRAE this past year and has been elected to serve as the activities chair for 2019-2020. He also volunteered to be the student consultant to ASHRAE's society-level student activities committee at the annual conference.
His sponsoring faculty member through the university student chapter of ASHRAE is Julia Keen, professor and Bob and Betty Tointon engineering chair in the GE Johnson Department of Architectural Engineering and Construction Science in the Carl R. Ice College of Engineering.
Founded in 1894, ASHRAE is a global leader in the advancement of human well-being through sustainable technology for the built environment.