December 5, 2022
Anuja Madan and Kaleen Knopp recognized as professor, professional staff of week
Anuja Madan, associate professor of English, and Kaleen Knopp, English instructor and director of the K-State Salina Writing Center, were recognized as Professor and Professional Staff of the Week at the Dec. 3 men's home basketball game. Faculty Senate, the Office of the President, K-State Athletics and the Division of Communications and Marketing wish to recognize their contributions to K-State.
Madan's research areas include Indian comics and animation, postcolonial children's literature, media and childhoods, and ecocritical approaches to literature. Her articles have appeared in the Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics; Graphic Narratives about South Asia and South Asian America: Aesthetics and Politics; The Routledge Companion to International Children's Literature; Graphic Novels for Children and Young Adults: A Collection of Critical Essays; and B is for Baldwin: An Alphabet Journey Through the Baldwin Library, among other venues.
Madan is part of the English department's children's literature track. She teaches graduate courses such as Multiethnic Young Adult Fiction, Postcolonial Children's and Young Adult Literature, and Critical Approaches to Children's Literature. She is currently working on a book project that investigates postmillennial Indian graphic narratives and animations which draw on Hindu mythology, paying special attention to cross-cultural influences and processes of nation-building within these texts.
She is a recipient of the Davids-Dunham Award from the College of Arts and Sciences. This award celebrates faculty members who through their scholastic efforts support diversity at Kansas State University. The award recognizes Madan's excellence as a teacher and scholar and her support of the mission of K-State and the College of Arts and Sciences to promote diversity through teaching and scholarship.
Thanks to her outstanding work as a professor and tireless dedication to students, Knopp is the recipient of the 2022 Marchbanks Memorial Award for Teaching Excellence at Kansas State University Salina Aerospace and Technology Campus.
With 26 years of college teaching experience, Knopp has worked at K-State since 1996. She began her career as a faculty member on the Manhattan campus and transferred to K-State Salina in 2000, where she has remained. Knopp earned a bachelor's and master's in English from K-State in 1983 and 1995, respectively.
Under Knopp's direction, K-State Salina students have found success at the K-State Salina Writing Center, which is dedicated to mentoring students with their written class assignments, scholarship applications and career documentation to help them succeed in the classroom and beyond.
Mentorship and dedication to students are guiding principles of Knopp's teaching career.
"It is a joy for me to work with students, strengthening their ownership and sense of choice in writing situations," Knopp said. "My students and the K-State Salina Writing Center team of peer tutors collaborate with enthusiasm as we engage individually with students to help their communication skills flourish with one-on-one teaching sessions customized to each student's needs."
Instructors such as Knopp are one of the ways that K-State Salina sets itself apart from other universities. With a low student-to-teacher ratio and hands-on learning style, the campus boasts a truly student-focused education model.
"Kaleen provides a vital role to this campus by preparing many of our students to have excellent communication skills by the time they receive their diploma," said K-State Salina CEO and Dean Alysia Starkey. "Communication skills are often at the top of career competencies for college graduates and career readiness. To be able to think critically, collaborate with others and use fluent communication allows our graduates to help solve problems and become leaders in their industry."