K-State Current
K-State Current - July 20, 2022
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 accreditation continued, confirming university strengths, quality
Kansas State University's accreditation has been renewed for the next decade by the Higher Learning Commission, or HLC, which has notified the university that it has met all criteria for continued accreditation.
K-State has now been continuously accredited since 1916. The renewal comes after the commission completed a comprehensive accreditation review of the university, which culminated with a campus visit by a seven-member peer review team in April.
"The feedback from the HLC peer review team is a great testimony to confirm the strengths and quality of K-State’s faculty and staff, and the education programs and services the university offers to our students," said Chuck Taber, K-State provost and executive vice president. "Building on the foundation and success of K-State 2025 and with multiple initiatives launched/planned right before and after the arrival of President Linton, including the forthcoming new round of strategic planning activities, K-State is taking solid strides to become a more student success-centered and eminent land-grant research university."
Highlights from the HLC peer reviewers include:
• K-State lives out its land-grant mission and is fully committed to serving the public good.
• K-State offers many opportunities that recognize and value diversity.
• K-State is focused on the success of students, especially undergraduates, as an important way of fulfilling its mission.
• K-State supports creative development of new ideas and courses that represent the changing world.
• Research is a strength for K-State, with growth in recent years and considerable investments in physical and administrative infrastructure.
• K-State presented an impressive level of mutual regard, trust and communication among shared governance groups and administration.
• K-State mounted an effective response to the COVID pandemic, demonstrating its resilience and ability to take on challenges and opportunities.
"I want to express my sincere gratitude to everyone who helped and supported preparation for the accreditation review," Taber said.
K-State's next comprehensive accreditation review will be in 2032, with a fourth-year remote review by the HLC set for 2026.
K-State College of Veterinary Medicine hosts veterinary educators conference
From June 28-30, the College of Veterinary Medicine hosted 153 registrants for the Veterinary Educator Collaborative.
The biennial conference is a component of the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges and fosters faculty development and promotes best practices among veterinary educators. The association represents the global academic veterinary medical community and includes members from more 50 schools in the U.S., Canada and abroad.
"We were very pleased to showcase our facilities while interacting with colleagues from schools across the U.S. and some who traveled internationally," said James Roush, associate dean of academic programs and student success.
Roush led a planning team that included veterinary staff/event coordinators Sarah Keatley, Tony Ballard and Taylor Richter. The Veterinary Educator Collaborative featured 57 separate workshops and seminars provided and 24 posters.
"Supporting veterinary educators is more critical than ever and the AAVMC welcomed the opportunity to sponsor the recent Veterinary Educator Collaborative hosted by Kansas State University," said Caroline Cantner, director for professional development with the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges. "Originally scheduled for June 2020, the Veterinary Educator Collaborative provided a valuable space for members of the veterinary academic community to come together after an extraordinarily challenging two years. We are grateful for the collaboration with Kansas State University and for everyone who contributed to and participated in the event."
The keynote address, "Competency-Based Medical Education at the University of Kansas," was presented by Giulia Bonaminio, senior associate dean for medical education, and Mark Meyer, senior associate dean for student affairs, both with the University of Kansas Medical Center.
"As veterinary educators, we have much in common with our colleagues in human medicine, so it's valuable to have an opportunity to compare and contrast current educational strategies," Roush said.
K-State Salina selected as new home for community mural
K-State Salina is the new home for the mural "Birds of a Feather" by the artist Scribe. The artwork was donated by Salina Arts & Humanities in a community partnership.
Kansas State University Salina Aerospace and Technology Campus has been selected to be the new home for a mural that the entire Salina community can enjoy.
Salina Arts & Humanities loans out city-owned art to spaces where the community can enjoy them and K-State Salina has been selected to be the new home of the "Birds of a Feather" mural. It depicts a joyful hummingbird drinking nectar from a flower with vibrant colors accompanying the image to illustrate the beauty of nature.
"We are honored and delighted to be picked as the home of this beautiful mural," said K-State CEO and Dean Alysia Starkey. "With how impactful the arts are in Salina, it is important that our campus showcases itself as a valued community partner. Salina is our home and we deeply appreciate the connection between our campus and this community for generations to come."
Artist Scribe made "Birds of a Feather" in 2021. The 12-foot-by-8-foot mural is composed of three framed plywood sheets. It was a part of the 2021 Smoky Hill River Festival in Salina, where artists from around the country showcase their artwork to festival attendees. The piece was then acquired through the city of Salina Public Art Collection, with K-State Salina ultimately selected as its permanent home.
The purpose of the program is so Salina Arts & Humanities can create partnerships with entities around the Salina area and loan out art to spaces where the community can enjoy them.
"This community mural is a perfect fit for the K-State Salina campus," said Salina Arts & Humanities Executive Director Brad Anderson. "The Aerospace and Technology Campus is creatively engaged with the community, which is reflected in the theme of the public mural on their walls."
"Birds of a Feather" can be seen on campus at the K-State Salina Student Life Center. This artwork joins the distinctive "Purple K" sculpture that is between the College Center and Schilling Residence Hall.
Emergent Method to support comprehensive strategic planning effort
As announced by President Linton in May, the university will begin a yearlong comprehensive strategic planning initiative at the beginning of the fall semester. A request for proposal was issued in May for consulting services to assist with this expansive effort to chart K-State's future as a next-generation land-grant university serving Kansas and beyond. Emergent Method has been selected as the university's consulting partner to undertake this work, providing stakeholder engagement and outreach, strategic planning, research and analysis, project management and facilitation, organizational design, and strategic communication support services.
The university's planning initiative includes several key components to be supported by our consulting partners.
- Broad engagement with faculty, staff, students, alumni, donors, athletics and industry, governmental, and international partners exploring how to be most impactful and successful as a next-generation land-grant university. This engagement will inform the development of a new strategic plan.
- A new strategic plan that affirms our core values, mission and vision and aligns clear programmatic priorities and performance outcomes that will shape our work for the next seven to 10 years.
- New communication and branding strategies that can be embraced across and at all levels of the university and our affiliated organizations, connecting our core values, collective vision and strategic direction with the unique K-State experience.
- Identification of strategic and efficient structures, best practices, fiscal and investment strategies and new resource opportunities that will support realizing our vision and support our programmatic priorities.
More details will be shared in the coming weeks as work begins to design a transparent, inclusive strategic planning process.