06/02/21
K-State Current - June 2, 2021
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 as No. 7 in Top 50 LGBTQ-Friendly Colleges
Kansas State University has been ranked No. 7 in Study.com's Top 50 LGBTQ-Friendly Colleges. The list of colleges was formed using data from leading LGBTQ advocacy groups, reports from students and faculty, and a comprehensive range of LGBTQ-inclusive factors.
The ranking notes K-State's student organizations including the Sexuality and Gender Alliance; Out in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics; and the Gender Collective. K-State also offers the LGBTQ studies program, LGBTQ career services and inclusivity training programs for all faculty and staff.
"It is always an honor to be recognized for our efforts at K-State to create a community that is safe and affirming for our LGBTQ students, faculty, and staff," said Brandon Haddock, LGBT Resource Center coordinator. "Even in the difficult months that we have not been in person with our students, we have continued to make K-State a more affirming community for our LGBTQ students. Our student organizations especially have worked continuously to engage with community in the virtual realm."
Shelly Williams named Morrison family director of Cats' Cupboard
Shelly Williams is the new Morrison family director of Cats’ Cupboard, K-State's food pantry.
Williams is a graduate of Kansas State University with a bachelor's degree in family studies and human services. In 2019, she and her husband co-founded the Manhattan Soup Kitchen, MHKSoup, a local nonprofit agency promoting the sustainability of food and other natural resources to enrich the lives of the public. As the MHKSoup director, Williams led the efforts of her team members and community partners to distribute 80,000 pounds of food to the Manhattan community in 2020. For her work, she was awarded the Rising Star Volunteer Award at this year’s Greater Manhattan Community Foundation annual awards ceremony.
Williams is excited to begin this new journey at Cats’ Cupboard and brings her passion and experience to improve the lives of K-Staters.
Cats’ Cupboard provides access to nutritious food and support through initiatives that promote health, success and well-being. Its vision is to prevent food insecurity from being a barrier to student success. Given that food insecurity is a continuum and needs vary, the pantry provides non-perishable food items and the opportunity for individuals to identify their own needs, from a full week’s groceries all the way down to a quick meal on the go. The pantry also carries hygiene products and toiletries in an effort to help alleviate the additional financial burden related to such basic necessities.
Cats’ Cupboard received funding from Charlie and Debbie Morrison to endow and name the director position.
K-State Faculty Highlights
APDesign's Hernán Gregorio earns honors at International A'Design Award and Competition
Hernán Gregorio, assistant professor and graduate director of industrial design in the interior architecture and industrial design department of the College of Architecture, Planning and Design at Kansas State University, received a Silver A' Design Award at the international design competition A'Design Award and Competition.
A' Design Award and Competition provides recipients with a worldwide platform to highlight their achievements and talents. The motto of the A' Design Awards is "Ars Futura Cultura," i.e., Arts Cultivate the Future, Arts for the Culture of Future. The vision is that the future is shaped by arts, design and technology, thus the need for good design for a better future.
The awarded product is a multifunctional work and desk manager that inspires a more organized, personalized, and productive work experience.
"The idea behind Balance is to use digital interfaces as inspiration to create a new hybrid experience for the user," Gregorio said. "The form and modular qualities of the design evoke the digital touchscreen interfaces we use every day but with a tridimensional layer that creates a tactile and tangible experience. This new approach builds a bridge between the connectivity and structure of the digital environment and the physical experience of product."
The product consists of a canvas and six types of modules — surface, whiteboard, cork, Kanban, time and shelf — that magnetically attach to the canvas. The users can pick and choose the modules and materials that work best for their personality, work style and aesthetic preference at the same time that they can combine them to allow the use of productivity techniques such as Kanban and Pomodoro.
The product is based on research examining people's personalities, workplace environments and workflows, as well as flexibility and work management strategies.
"While we are all trying to find balance in our day to day it is fantastic to see our faculty also pushing this agenda in their own research," said Professor Nathan Howe, head of the interior architecture and industrial design department. "Professor Gregorio's design reflects the type of creativity to innovate that we strive to imbue into our students' design process."
"I am honored to receive this award and I hope it inspires others to achieve a more balanced relationship between work and life, as well as reconsider our interaction with analog and digital interfaces," Gregorio said.
Gregorio is an industrial designer from Argentina. His design interests cover a wide range of fields, including furniture, smart devices, user experience, product semantics, design theory and design education. His current research focus is on industrial design, product semantics, entrepreneurship and education.
The A'Design Award and Competition Furniture Design Award is open to entries of products and projects including but not limited to furniture designs, household furniture, houseware, furniture accessories, interior objects and decorative items, white goods, home textiles, lighting as well as their marketing and communication.
Global Campus leader wins national UPCEA Emerging Professional award
After winning the regional award of the same name, Katie Linder, Global Campus associate dean, has been selected to receive the 2021 University and Professional Continuing Education Association Adelle F. Robertson Emerging Professional Continuing Educator award.
This national award is designed to recognize the scholarship, leadership and contributions to the profession of a person who has entered the field of online education in the last five to 10 years.
Linder was nominated for the award for her efforts in guiding the program development team at Global Campus as well as supporting university efforts to move to remote teaching and learning. Linder has also provided innovative leadership at two previous institutions prior to her arrival at K-State in February 2020.
"Katie's scholarship and service contributions to the online learning field have been transformative," said Karen Pedersen, dean of Global Campus. "She is a collaborative problem-solver, a strategic thinker and an incredible connector of people and ideas. Since coming to K-State, she has earned both Project Management Professional and Disciplined Agile Scrum Master certifications from the Project Management Institute. She is very deserving of this national association award."
Linder's leadership at Global Campus includes setting strategy and overseeing the day-to-day operations of the program development, marketing, recruitment and student success units.
This year's UPCEA annual conference was conducted virtually April 7-9. The association exists to provide support to its members through professional networking opportunities, best-practice insights and publications.
K-State Student News
K-State radio station Wildcat 91.9 honored with two national Telly Awards
In keeping with the multiplatform educational goals of the A.Q. Miller School of Journalism and Mass Communications, radio station Wildcat 91.9 KSDB-FM took home two bronze Telly Awards at the 42nd Annual Telly Awards in New York City on May 24. The Telly Awards annually showcases the best work created within television and across video, and for all-size digital screens, by some of the most respected advertising agencies, networks, television stations, production companies, and publishers from all 50 states and five countries.
Because it produces much of its own video content, Wildcat 91.9 — the oldest, continuously running college FM radio station in the United States — won bronze statuettes in the categories of "Local TV Campaign: Not-for Profit" and in "Local TV Campaign: Promotional" for a series of humorous commercials promoting Wildcat 91.9, online listening, and the Wildcat 91.9 App.
Due to COVID social distance restrictions, the videos were recorded in front of Dole Hall's green screens and edited on JMC Apple workstations. The DIY aesthetic was designed by producer/writer/director Ian Punnett, who is a JMC professor of practice and the chief operator/faculty advisor for Wildcat 91.9. Other winners in these national categories included Univision, Cox Media, and various small-to-medium size network television affiliates.
"Of the more than 12,000 entries for this year’s Telly Awards, Wildcat 91.9 was the only radio station in the country to be awarded a Telly for its in-house digital production — and a college, new alternative and hip-hop music station at that. But this is what we do," Punnett explained.
"Really, this is a huge deal," said Andrew Smith, K-State multimedia news director. "I hope others realize its importance. This shows the tremendously well-rounded media education and opportunity provided by the A.Q. Miller School and Kansas State University."
The Telly awards come two months after Wildcat 91.9 also was honored for its video work at the 2021 BEA Festival of Arts in Las Vegas. Punnett used the same team for each project: Andrea and Rachel Browne as talent — class of 2020 — and former JMC adjunct instructor Avery Osen as assistant director/editor.
The Telly Award-winning videos can be viewed at wildcat919.com/TVspots.