Kansas State University

Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Studies quarterly update

Submitted by Steven Dandaneau

Dear colleagues,

This is the first regular quarterly update from the Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Studies.

New personnel:

• We welcomed Alexandra Boyd, senior administrative assistant, in February. Boyd supports all units that report to the Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Studies, but she provides direct administrative assistance for K-State First, the Honor and Integrity System and the Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Inquiry, which includes the Developing Scholars Program.
• We welcomed Stephanie Woods, senior administrative assistant, in August. Woods supports the University Honors Program, which is directed by Justin Kastner, with Jim Hohenbary, associate director; Office of Nationally Competitive Scholarships, of which Hohenbary is director; and Pre-Law Advising, with Daralyn Gordon Arata, advisor. All of these offices are in the new collaborative suite in 215 Fairchild Hall.
• K-State First, directed by Greg Eiselein, welcomed Kylie Kinley, learning assistant coordinator, and Mariya Vaughan, assistant coordinator, this summer, as well as Mandi McKinley, staff assistant. They serve K-State First's universitywide network of faculty, staff and students.
• The Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Inquiry, under the direction of Anita Cortez, welcomed new part-time staff this summer, including April Bojorquez, program coordinator; Alyssa Jackson, graduate assistant; and Kynsey Creel, graduate assistant. They join Tess Hobson, graduate assistant, and Tanya Gonzalez, English department, who serves as the Developing Scholars Program’s seminar instructor, to form the Office of Research and Creative Inquiry's core team.

New committees:

• A new universitywide committee has been formed to oversee and assess the development of K-State 8: General Education. Members of the K-State 8 Faculty Council are: Lynn Ewanow, College of Architecture, Planning & Design; Brian Kovar, College of Business Administration; Shawna Jordan, College of Human Ecology; Olga Lease, College of Engineering; David Nichols, College of Agriculture; Sherri Martinie, College of Education; Alison Wheatley, College of Arts & Sciences; and Richard Zajac, College of Technology and Aviation, K-State Salina.
• K-State has created a universitywide advisory committee to address issues in undergraduate education. The inaugural members of the new Undergraduate Programs Council are: Louise Benjamin, College of Arts & Sciences; Don Boggs, College of Agriculture; Gary Clark, College of Engineering; Lynn Ewanow, College of Architecture, Planning & Design; Bronwyn Fees, College of Human Ecology; David Griffin, College of Education; Mike Haddock, K-State Libraries; Stacy Kovar, College of Business Administration; Jason Maseberg-Tomlinson, Global Campus; and Alysia Starkey,College of Technology and Aviation, K-State Salina.
• The Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Inquiry has formed an advisory committee with the following members: Rosemary Boggs, Global Campus; Jason Coleman, K-State Libraries; Anita Cortez, Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Inquiry; Steve Dandaneau, Office of Undergraduate Studies), Kurt Gartner, for creative arts; Kathleen Greene, student life; Nathan Howe, College of Architecture, Planning & Design; Beth Montelone, College of Arts & Sciences; John Morris, College of Business Administration; Briana Nelson Goff, College of Human Ecology; Annelise Nguyen, College of Veterinary Medicine; Andrea Sexten, College of Agriculture; John Schlup, College of Engineering; and Sally Yahnke, College of Education.
• The members of the University Advising Committee's standing Pre-Health Subcommittee are: Kent Kerby, chair; Sherryl Allen; Rebecca Bohner; Jennifer Bormann; John Buckwalter; David Cassiday; Christopher Culbertson; Steve Dandaneau; Peter Dorhout; Katharine Grunewald; Shawna Jordan; Kerri Keller; Brian Lindshield; Timothy Musch; Robert Pettay; Molly Sanderson; Alison Wheatley; Quantrell Willis; and Gayla Adams-Wright.

New initiatives:

• K-State received three seed grants from the Suder Foundation to support an experimental living-learning community, extension of StrengthsQuest and professional development programming, all focusing on first-generation student issues. Thanks to Derek Jackson, Stephanie Bannister, Mike Finnegan and Carla Jones for helping to secure these grants, and thanks to K-State First, University Advising Committee, School of Leadership Studies and Housing and Dining Services for leading the various implementation efforts.
• The Honor and Integrity System, led by Steve Starrett, director, and Camilla Roberts, associate director, is pursuing a plan to increase the number of Honor Council volunteers who investigate alleged Honor Code violations and for new educational outreach efforts.
• K-State has received a second gift from alumni Edward and Chris Null to support University Honors and School of Leadership Studies’ student attendance at McCain Auditorium events. We thank the Nulls for their generous support of this growing Cultural Passport program.
• In collaboration with Housing and Dining Services, and funded in part by Housing and Dining Services and the Office of the Provost, K-State First has prepared a strategy to significantly expand residential CAT Communities for the benefit of first-year students.
• Diana Blake and her colleagues in the Information Systems Office, in consultation with faculty and staff advisors universitywide, have made available the first stage of an enhanced KSU Advisor Center.
• Michelle Haupt and colleagues in the Academic Career Information Center have significantly strengthened the center's website, which includes universitywide curriculum guides and other helpful tools.

Kudos:

• Many thanks to the President’s Cabinet, Council of Deans, Access Center, Athletics, K-State Alumni Association, Division of Communications and Marketing, Division of Student Life and Mortar Board for their respective support of the 2014 New Student Convocation. Thanks, too, to those who served on the program: President Schulz; Provost Mason; the Faculty Brass Quintet — Craig Parker, Becki Walenz, Jacqueline Fassler-Kerstetter, Paul Hunt and Steven Maxwell; Greg Eiselein; Katelyn Noll; Le’Andre Carthen; Anallely Dominguez; Molly Hamm; Matt Wolters; and Ali Malekzadeh. And very special thanks to Steven Smethers, Anne Rubash, Jim Muller and the wonderful team assembled at Bramlage Coliseum, Natalie Beharry, Stephanie Bannister, Nick Landers and all the resident assistants who led their residents to participation in the 2014 New Student Convocation.
• Pre-Law Advising will host the biggest K-State Law Fair yet on Sept. 5 in the K-State Alumni Center ballroom, with representatives from more than 60 law schools wooing prospective K-State students. This follows another great year where K-State students won admission to many of the nation’s top law schools — such as Chicago, UVA, Notre Dame, Vanderbilt and Tulane — as well as received highly competitive merit scholarship offers, including from KU Law School and Washburn Law School.
• Thanks to the National Academic Advising Association, or NACADA, and especially executive director Charlie Nutt for support of and for their participation in the work of the University Advising Committee.

Sincerely,

Steven P. Dandaneau, Ph.D.

Vice Provost for Undergraduate Studies