Board Matters summer 2014

Board

M at t e r s

A newsletter for current and past members of the K-State Alumni Association Board of Directors “Enhancing our Kansas State University family through lifelong involvement” Greetings! As I enter my 38th year with the K-State Alumni Association, I continue to experience great pride and appreciation for our staff, volunteer leaders and members of the K-State family who enthusiastically share a deep passion for this great university that supports us and allows us continued growth and effective outreach. I’m pleased to share that your Alumni Association has retained the No. 1 ranking in the Big 12 for the percentage of graduates who are members for the 18th consecutive year! This is an outstanding accomplishment and would not be possible without

your support. Thanks for all you continue to do.

We hope you enjoy receiving this newsletter, which is sent exclusively to past and current members of the board twice a year.

Please send Lynn Beier, lbeier@k-state.com, your good news to include in future editions, and as always, do not hesitate to let us know whenever we can be of assistance. I look forward to seeing you at an event soon!

Amy Button Renz ’76, ’86 President and CEO

K-STATE ENJOYS SUCCESSFUL, AWARD-FILLED YEAR

SUMMER 2014

Tommy Theis ’13, K-State Communications and Marketing

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Ross Allen, junior in economics and philosophy and a member of Student Alumni Board, has been named a 2014 Harry S. Truman scholar.

Linda Cook ’77, K-State Alumni Association

ver the course of the past year, Kansas State University has experienced great growth and success in programming and outreach. The update below highlights just a few of the accomplishments achieved and changes that will happen in coming months: • Last fall, K-State enrollment reached an all-time high of 24,581.

• A member of the Alumni Association’s Student Alumni Board, Ross Allen, junior in economics and philosophy, was selected to receive a 2014 Harry S. Truman Scholarship.

Max Goering, senior in mathematics, and Christine Spartz, junior in chemistry are the university’s newest Barry M. Goldwater scholars. With 71 Goldwater scholars to date, K-State ranks first among the nation’s 500 state-supported universities for the most Goldwater scholars.

• Following a national search, Darren Dawson, an electrical engineer from Clemson University, was selected as the new dean of the College of Engineering. He began July 1.

• Two new vice presidents were hired. Karen Burg, a highly acclaimed bioengineering expert, is the university’s new vice president for research, and Cheryl Johnson, a highly experienced global human resources expert, was named the university’s first ever vice president for human capital.

• Searches to replace two key university leaders will begin this fall. Ralph Richardson ’69, ’70, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine, and Fred Cholick, president and CEO of the Kansas State University Foundation, have both announced plans to retire in 2015.

• The K-State Salina Flight Team earned the prestigious Loening Trophy, given to the most outstanding all-around aviation program in the country. Members of the Alumni Association board of directors visited the K-State Salina campus during the annual meeting in June.

• With 24 awards, K-State won the 2014 Sweepstakes Award from the Council for Advancement and Support of

Members of the K-State Alumni Association board of directors visit K-State Salina during the annual June board meeting.

Education, or CASE Mid-America District VI, for publications, communications and programs prepared and facilitated by the university, Alumni Association and KSU Foundation. This is the fourth time in the past nine years that K-State has been recognized with this prestigious honor from our professional organization.

• For the seventh time in the past nine years, K-State’s Black Student Union was recognized as the most outstanding council in the Big 12 during the annual meetings in March.

K-State Athletics

Welcomes current board members

Curt Frasier ’73 Board Treasurer Beloit, Kansas Kendal Frazier ’73 Centennial, Colorado Jay Heidrick ’99 Olathe, Kansas Reagan Kays 2014-15 Student Body President Weir, Kansas Bill Muir ’77 Manhattan, Kansas Lori Swart Sporer ’85 Oakley, Kansas Adam Wilkerson 2014-15 Student Alumni Board President Columbia, Missouri Carolyn Wittorff Jackson ’75, ’81 Arlington, Virginia

&Goodbyes past board members

Kent Bradley ’88 Valley Center, Kansas David Brown ’77 Kansas City, Kansas

Charlie Claar Jr. ’74 Past Board Treasurer Garden City, Kansas Mary How Ice ’80, ’88 Westlake, Texas Sam Kellerman ’14 2013-14 SAB President Leawood, Kansas Marcia Dryden Robinson ’81 Manhattan, Kansas Eli Schooley ’14 2013-14 Student Body President Clay Center, Kansas Bill Shaw ’75 Ashland, Kansas [2]

An artist’s rendering shows the new Vanier Football Complex at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.

K-STATE ATHLETICS CONTINUES UPGRADES

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his year revealed a new look to K-State’s athletic landscape with the opening of $125 million in new facilities, including the West Stadium Center at Bill Snyder Family Stadium, the Intercollegiate Rowing Center and Mike Goss Tennis Stadium.

Another wave of athletic facility upgrades is on the way, including an overhaul of the Vanier Football Complex at the north end of the football stadium, which houses the football team’s offices and training facilities. Construction will begin at the end of the 2014 season and is scheduled to be complete by September 2015. Plans also include the addition of new video boards and sound improvements to the football, basketball and baseball venues.

When you walk into Bramlage Coliseum next season, you will notice the new Panasonic HD center-hung video board, which will have a

display nearly four times larger than the existing video board.

Also in the works are a modern audio sound system, including nearly 100 loudspeakers, and a new LED lighting system, which will reduce electricity usage and cost.

K-State student-athletes also had a strong spring semester in the classroom, as a total of 257 K-State student-athletes were named to the Spring 2014 Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll. The conference recognizes all student-athletes at its member institutions with a 3.0 GPA or higher each semester. K-State, which has ranked No. 1 in the Big 12 in graduation rate for all student-athletes four of the past six years, had another outstanding academic year in 201314, as in addition to those selected for the Commissioner’s Honor Roll, the Wildcats saw 78 student-athletes graduate this academic year.

Thank you for Tradition Founders support!

The Alumni Association staff extends heartfelt and sincere thanks for your generous support of our annual fund, Tradition Founders. Contributions to the fund support our annual operating budget and make it possible for the Association to provide the programming efforts that reach more than 100,000 alumni and friends each year.

We are pleased to share that more than $498,000 was contributed to the 2013-14 campaign, which wrapped up June 30. This is an all-time high for contributions received and includes 131 leadership gifts of $1,000 or more, which qualified for Founders Circle recognition.

To learn more about the fund, or other opportunities to support the continued excellence and growth of our programs, please contact Amy Button Renz, president and CEO, at 800-600-2586 or arenz@k-state.com.

SUMMER 2014

Paul Trantow

Chair’s Corner I was thumbing through my Alumni Association files a couple of weeks ago and came across the appointment announcement for my board class. I knew that I had been on the board for Roger McClellan ’88 five years (four with my class and one as chair-elect), but seeing in print “June 2009” as my start date really hit home. Where has the time gone and why does it feel like just yesterday when I received my new board member pin? I’m going to attempt to explain my thoughts on the answer to that question below.

As I looked through my files, I studied the names of past board members and reflected on the friendships I have made with many of them. I also analyzed the names of the current board members and thought about how close I have become with several of them. What a great group of people!

As you all know, there is no better Alumni Association staff anywhere, starting at the top with Amy and working your way through every position. Therefore, when you combine getting to work in partnership with past and present board members and the Alumni Association staff, you have a magical experience.

I had the pleasure of leading the new board member orientation at our June meeting. I explained to the new class that I would find it shocking that if at the end of their term, they did not find their experience of serving on the Alumni Association board to be the most rewarding, satisfying and fun volunteer experience of their life. That statement begs the same question: Why? The answer to both questions above relates to the people. It is the somewhat unexplainable, pleasing experience created when you combine the passion of past and present board members with the passion of the Alumni Association staff.

Thank you for what you have done and continue to do to foster this magical experience!

Wildcat Proud!

— Roger McClellan ’88

SUMMER 2014

The inaugural Wabash CannonBall Colorado fundraiser took place Jan. 24 and was organized by a committee of dedicated volunteers.

ASSOCIATION LAUNCHES AWARD PROGRAM, GALAS

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he K-State Alumni Association has had a successful year, thanks to K-State alumni, friends and students. Here are a few highlights: • The Alumni Association introduced a new award program this spring that recognizes two graduating students, one undergraduate and one graduate student, who have demonstrated a commitment to community leadership and service. The inaugural Tony Jurich Community Commitment and Leadership Student Awards were presented in April to Kaitlin Long ’14, Leawood, Kansas; Lori Kniffin ’09, ’14, Manhattan, Kansas; and Marcie Lechtenberg ’86, ’12, ’14, Oakland, Nebraska.

• The Association’s Wabash CannonBall gala in Kansas City continues to experience incredible support. Since its inception in 2007, nearly $2 million in scholarship funds has been raised for Kansas City-area students attending K-State. A second Wabash event, Wabash CannonBall Colorado, took place Jan. 24 in Denver and raised $81,000, and a third event will be added in Houston, Texas, in January.

• Members of the Student Alumni Board will present on the new Distinguished Young Alumni Award program at the CASE ASAP Network Convention in St. Louis in August. The program, introduced

by the Alumni Association in 2013, recognizes two K-State graduates younger than 35 who are excelling in their professions and contributing to their communities. The 2014 recipients are Molly Hamm ’10, Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, and Matt Wolters ’03, Atwood, Kansas. Wolters will represent the program and speak at the university’s 2014 convocation.

• Student Alumni Board received four awards at the 2014 CASE ASAP District VI conference: Outstanding Internal Program: SAB New Member Training; Outstanding External Program: Distinguished Young Alumni Award; Member of the Year: former SAB President Samantha Kellerman ’14, Leawood, Kansas; and Adviser of the Year: former Alumni Association associate director of student programs Megan Sherlock Brooker ’06, Olathe, Kansas.

dates

to note

Sept. 7: K-State Day at the Kansas State Fair Oct. 19-25: Homecoming Week (K-State Coast to Coast) Oct: 24: Alumni Board Homecoming Parade Watch Party in Aggieville Oct. 25: Annual Homecoming Pregame at Cat Town Oct. 25: Annual Alumni Donor Reception

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MY TIME AS AN ALUMNI ASSOCIATION INTERN

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rowing up in Lansing, Kansas, I was ready to take on the world, with Kansas being the last place I saw myself. I grew up the child of two West Point grads, so I decided to follow in my family’s footsteps and committed to Creighton University on Katelyn Griffen K-State senior a Nursing Army ROTC scholarship.

Freshman year flew by, but it still didn’t feel like the right fit. Finally, after three schools, four majors and seven transcripts later, I found my home. On Jan. 22, 2013, I walked into my first class at Kansas State University, and 75 minutes later, I walked out with lifelong friends.

Maybe it’s just the hospitality side of people in the College of Human Ecology, but that first day eliminated all doubts I had about if I was in the right place or not.

I am on track for a December graduation with a bachelor’s degree in hotel and restaurant management with an emphasis in event planning. I have enjoyed the privilege of working as a student assistant and gained so much experience from two entities at K-State. In September, I started working for Ahearn Fund Athletic Hospitality with K-State Athletics and shared in an exciting football season in the new West Stadium Center. An opportunity to continue to work in the department with planning and implementation of events hosted in our athletic facilities, along with providing hospitality services for basketball and baseball events followed.

I then decided to learn a different side of K-State, so I accepted an internship position with the Alumni Association. After only a few weeks, I learned more than I thought possible while helping plan the Alumni Association summer board meeting. Working with Lynn Beier, I was afforded the opportunity to assist with all aspects of the planning and implementing process, which made me realize that there are so many small details that go into a successful event. It was a privilege to host and interact with the board members while they were here, and I’m so grateful for all the people I have met throughout my experience at K-State and the opportunities I have been given to truly learn from the best of the best!

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Kudos & Congrats Audrey Mross ’80, Dallas, Texas, was recently named one of the Top Lawyers in Dallas by D magazine.

Lee Borck ’70, Manhattan, Kansas, was recognized as Kansas Stockman of the Year by K-State’s Livestock and Meat Industry Council.

Debb Hollis Avery ’96 and her husband, James, welcomed daughter Hollis Ann, born Nov. 20, 2013, in Plano, Texas.

Haley Urkevich ’05, Brooklyn, New York, is the associate general counsel for ION Media Networks in New York.

Dr. Jamie Ball ’10 is a physician/general surgery resident at the Wichita Center for Graduate Medical Education.

Aaron Otto ’98 and Amy Button Renz ’76, ’86 were both honored by the K-State Office of Greek Affairs. Aaron was recognized as the Chapter Advisor of the Year for his work with Delta Chi fraternity, and Amy as Faculty Advisor of the Year for her service to Alpha Xi Delta sorority.

Lydia Peele Kinkade ’09 is director of innovation at iiM LLC in Overland Park, Kansas.

Tracey Mann ’00 and Audrey Mann, Salina, Kansas, announce the birth of their second child, son David Austin, born Sept. 15, 2013.

Kelsie Ball Salazar ’11, Lenexa, Kansas, is a registered nurse at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, Kansas.

Ian Bautista ’94, ’97 has been named president and chief community development officer for Comunidad in Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin.

In Memoriam It is with deep sadness that we share the news of the recent passing of these valued members of our K-State family: Paul E. Jones ’57, Lyons, Kansas, died Sept. 12, 2013. He was the retired co-owner of the Lyons Daily News and served as mayor of Lyons in 1985. Paul was a member of the Alumni Association board of directors from 1987 to 1990. Survivors include his wife, Judith, and three daughters.

John R. Graham ’67, Manhattan, Kansas, died Dec. 20, 2013. John served as CEO and executive vice president of Kansas Farm Bureau for 20 years, later owned Graham Capital Management Inc., and also was a professor of finance and associate dean in K-State’s College of Business Administration. He was a former treasurer of the Alumni Association board of directors. John is survived by his wife, Mary Lee Barley Graham ’68, and two sons.

Dr. Jerald A. “Jerry” Doornbos ’60, ’62, Scott City, Kansas, died Jan. 7, 2014. Jerry was a veterinarian, stockman and farmer. His volunteer efforts were instrumental to club efforts in Scott City, where he chaired the annual Scott City Fry for more than 40 years. Jerry served on the Alumni Association board of directors from 1987 to 1990. Survivors include a daughter and a son.

Please email items you would like to share in Board Matters to Lynn Beier at lbeier@k-state.com.