Archive for March 2004

BNSF pledges $250,000 to Kansas State University program to train international grain export buyers

KSU entomologist receives E. Walter Morrison Award

New York alumnus pledges $100,000 for fellowship, scholarships and support funds

California couple creates debate scholarship at KSU

Riley County donors help K-State Telefund top $1.36 million in 25th year

Kristin Schmidt Van Scoy to present KSU Student Foundation Legacy Lecture

03/30/04 - BNSF pledges $250,000 to Kansas State University program to train international grain export buyers

Kansas State University (K-State) and the nation’s leading grain-hauling railroad today announced a long-term partnership to help educate international grain buyers from around the world about the role rail transportation plays in moving large volumes of U.S. grain for export.

The educational partnership involves significant contributions from both the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Foundation and The Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Company (BNSF). The BNSF Foundation has agreed to contribute $250,000.00 over a five-year period for construction of a transportation exhibit at the new International Grains Program (IGP) Executive Conference Center now being constructed at Kansas State. Participating executives of BNSF railroad will deliver the rail transportation portion of the program’s short courses for international grain buyers.

For more than a century, BNSF and its predecessor railroads have played important roles serving agriculture throughout the Great Plains by transporting crops to market. Matthew K. Rose, chairman, president and chief executive officer of BNSF, said this investment of funds and people is a continuation of that historic partnership. “We have long recognized that the more successful we help our customers become, the more successful our railroad will be,” Rose said. “That’s why this investment makes so much sense for us. Kansas State has established itself as a global leader in training international grain export buyers, and this program is helping to attract those buyers to the farmers, elevators and grain export marketers we serve.”

IGP is regarded as a national program receiving support funding from U.S. Wheat Associates, American Soybean Association and U.S. Grains Council; from state wheat associations in Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas; and from some of the nation’s leading grain export marketers.

“Construction of the new IGP Conference Center represents the culmination of 25 years of dedicated service to grain producers and overseas commodity marketing organizations in providing technical support to enhance market development,” said Brendan Donnelly, head of the Department of Grain Science and Industry at K-State. “The new center will be a showcase for agriculture and an upscale technical training facility. It will allow IGP to host international guests in an environment that reflects well on Kansas, Kansas State University and Great Plains grain producers.”

Kansas grain producers are in strong support of BNSF’s partnership with K-State. in this effort. David Frey, administrator of the Kansas Wheat Commission said, “The IGP facility on the Kansas State University campus is a natural site to showcase the critical role that BNSF and the rail industry play in our process of marketing grain internationally. BNSF handled record volumes of grain with the huge 2003 harvest. The U.S. grain industry, especially in the interior of the country, is dependent on the efficiency of rail transport, and BNSF makes U.S. grain attractive to overseas buyers.”

The new IGP Executive Conference Center, which will serve as the host facility for the export grain buyer short courses, is scheduled to be dedicated on May 1, 2004. The 20,000-square-foot facility will house world-class meeting and instructional facilities, including a grain grading laboratory, a tiered auditorium-style classroom, dining and lounge areas, office work space for the visiting participants and the rail transportation education exhibit.

The BNSF Foundation is the principal philanthropic organization for the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation.

BNSF’s subsidiary, The Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Company, operates one of the largest railroad networks in North America, with about 32,500 route miles covering 28 states and two Canadian provinces. The railway is among the world’s top transporters of intermodal traffic, moves more grain than any other American railroad, transports the components of many of the products we depend on daily, and hauls enough coal to generate about ten percent of the electricity produced in the United States. BNSF is an industry leader in Web-enabling a variety of customer transactions at www.bnsf.com.

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03/26/04 - KSU entomologist receives E. Walter Morrison Award

Student Foundation’s Sonder Smith presents
E. Walter Morrison Award to C. Michael Smith, Ph.D.

C. Michael Smith, Manhattan, Kan., was recently named the 2004 recipient of the E. Walter Morrison Award. The award provides $1,000 to a member of the KSU campus community (student, faculty, staff, alumni, etc.) who, through his or her contributions to the university, best exemplifies the integrity and perseverance of E. Walter Morrison.

Smith has taught in the Department of Entomology since 1990. As department head from 1990-1996, he transformed the department into one of the nation’s rising stars of entomological programs, and was described as a visionary who is “far ahead of the pack.” Smith established the Plant Resistance to Insects Laboratory in 1997. Recognized as an international authority, he has numerous publications to his credit and was a Fulbright Scholar to the Czech Republic in 2002. A native American Cherokee, Smith is committed to supporting diversity at K-State, active in family, church and community activities, and passionately supports the arts.

“Dr. Smith’s research and teaching endeavors in the area of plant resistance, particularly to explain the underlying mechanisms and to identify markers, help not only efforts at K-State, but also in the broader context of developing benign ways of dealing with insect pests,” said Sonny Ramaswamy, head of the Department of Entomology.

The E. Walter Morrison Award honors Morrison’s dedication to his church, community and the milling industry. Morrison created the Morrison Milling Company in 1936 and spent more than 25 years of his career in Kansas. He died in 1994. His son, E. Walter Morrison Jr., graduated from Kansas State Agricultural College in 1942 with a bachelor’s degree in milling science and management.

“I am very humbled to receive the Morrison award,” C. Michael Smith said. “K-State support has facilitated several of my professional accomplishments recognized by the award and for this support I am most thankful. E. Walter Morrison was a true member of the K-State family, which I have learned is a very, very special family of alumni, students, staff and faculty. My sincere thanks to the KSU Student Foundation for this recognition.”

The E. Walter Morrison Award is administered by the KSU Student Foundation, a student organization affiliated with the KSU Foundation. The student foundation acts as a link between the KSU Foundation and the K-State student body to encourage charitable giving to the university after graduation.

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03/18/04 - New York alumnus pledges $100,000 for fellowship, scholarships and support funds

Jeff Gates has made a commitment of $100,000 to the Kansas State University Foundation to fund the Gates Capital Management Faculty Fellowship and Gates Capital Management Scholarship program. This commitment will also provide support funds for an annual Student Finance Association trip to New York, the College of Business Administration's Dean's Excellence Fund, Finance Advisory Board, and help establish a GLBT Leadership Development Fund for KSUs gay students’ association. Gates Capital Management has previously made more than $50,000 in gifts to support K-State’s College of Business Administration.

The Gates Capital Management Faculty Fellowship provides a salary supplement to a faculty member in the Department of Finance in the College of Business Administration, with preference given to an instructor of the Security and Portfolio Analysis class. The Gates Capital Management Scholarship will be awarded annually to six KSU seniors majoring in finance who each maintain at least a 3.75 grade point average. One of these scholarships is to be awarded to a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity.

Gates is a native of Derby, Kan., the son of Duane and Darlene Gates. He is a 1984 graduate of Kansas State University with a bachelor’s degree in finance. While at KSU, he was a member of Student Senate, Mortar Board, Phi Kappa Phi business honorary and Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. In 1988, Gates earned an MBA at the Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. He is president of Gates Capital Management in New York City, an investment management firm that serves high net worth individuals and institutional investors. Gates is a member of the KSU Foundation Board of Trustees, KSU Foundation’s Presidents Club, and Finance Advisory Board. Gates is also a member of the Board of Direct Effect, an organization that raises money for AIDS research at The Rockefeller University, New York. Gates resides in New York City with his life partner, Mike Moran, and their two-year-old son.

“Mike and I are pleased to support Kansas State’s efforts to attract high quality faculty, to help students who demonstrate superior academic achievement, to encourage students to look beyond immediate geographic opportunities, and to promote diversity programs that enrich the campus experience,” Gates said.

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03/18/04 - California couple creates debate scholarship at KSU

Don and Linda Dressler, Irvine, Calif., have made a commitment of $50,000 to the Kansas State University Foundation to establish the Donald and Linda Dressler Debate Scholarship at Kansas State University.

The recipient of the scholarship will be a student who is actively participating in the Kansas State University debate program and is enrolled at K-State.

Don Dressler is a native of Lyons, Kan., and a 1966 graduate of Kansas State University with a bachelor’s degree in political science. While in college, he was a member of student government, the debate team and Phi Kappa Tau fraternity. Linda (Miller) Dressler is originally from Roeland Park, Kan. She attended K-State from 1964 to 1967, served on the Board of Student Publications and was a member of Kappa Delta sorority.

“We are very proud of Kansas State and its debate program,” Don Dressler said. “Informed discussion of public issues is vital to our democratic institutions, and we are pleased to support students in this program.”

“We are very obliged to John and Linda Dressler for providing this scholarship support,” said Susan Stanfield, director of the KSU debate program. “Scholarships are critical for recruiting the best students to Kansas State University. This scholarship is very meaningful because it comes from an alum of the program. This provides a nice bridge between past and future debaters and helps to demonstrate the community of Kansas State debate.”

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03/17/04 - Riley County donors help K-State Telefund top $1.36 million in 25th year

Kansas State University alumni and friends from Riley County helped the world's largest all-volunteer telephone campaign for higher education mark its 25th anniversary by raising more than $1.36 million.

During 23 calling sessions in January and February, 1,596 student callers received 20,217 pledges worth $1,361,657 to provide scholarships and educational benefits in the nine academic colleges.

Dubbed “The Original Lord of the R-R-Rings,” Telefund 2004 received 1090 pledges worth $ 86,783 from Riley County. Telefund received gifts from all 105 Kansas counties, all 50 states plus Canada and Puerto Rico. In Kansas, the totals were 10,245 pledges worth $625,422.

The volunteer format of K-State’s Telefund is unique among collegiate telephone campaigns. A combination of enthusiastic students, dedicated alumni and extraordinary business support allows Telefund to thrive. The Telefund pledge total first passed $1 million in 1998. Since 1980, Telefund has received 413,881 pledges worth $18,447,454 and involved more than 20,000 volunteer student callers.

The ceremonial conclusion of Telefund 2004 is the Kellogg’s Grand Prize Bash on April 2 when seven randomly selected student callers will be honored. The top two Grand Prizes are a new Nissan Xterra, provided by the Wichita Area Big Wheels, and the $1,000 MASTER Teacher/DeBruyn Family Scholarship.

K-State is a perennial Big 12 Conference leader based on percentage of alumni supporting their alma mater, and Telefund, which annually generates more than 20,000 gifts, is a major factor. Most colleges and universities employ telephone campaigns, but most depend upon paid callers, automated dialing systems and a year-round format. Despite its low-tech, seemingly antiquated format, Telefund remains one of the nation's leading campaigns based on dollars pledged and donors involved.

All Kansas county totals

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03/04/04 - Kristin Schmidt Van Scoy to present KSU Student Foundation Legacy Lecture

The public is invited to attend the Legacy Lecture, sponsored by the Kansas State University Student Foundation, at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 9, in the Little Theatre at the K-State Student Union.

Kristin Schmidt Van Scoy, Cincinnati, will present the lecture. Van Scoy, a native of Prairie Village, Kan., graduated from Kansas State University 1993 with a bachelor’s degree in human ecology and mass communications. She earned a master’s of business administration from University of Virginia, Charlottesville, in 1998.

Van Scoy is a brand manager in Procter & Gamble’s Global Marketing group, where her role includes leadership of key P&G marketing workflow and knowledge management programs. Specifically, Van Scoy manages VideoNet, P&G’s online database of 45,000 commercials used by marketers and advertising agencies for commercial development and research purposes.

Van Scoy joined Procter & Gamble in 1997 as a summer intern on the Downy brand and worked on the brand’s liquid fabric softener business until 1999. In July 1999, Van Scoy began leading the North American launch of Downy Wrinkle Releaser. Her marketing skills earned a Silver Anvil Award — the highest honor awarded by the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) — for the Most Distinguished PR Campaign and a Golden SABRE — awarded by the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) — for Superior Achievement in Branding and Recognition. She was promoted to her current position in July 2001.

After graduating from K-State, Van Scoy was employed as a development and special events representative for Give Kids The World, a nonprofit organization and resort providing Disney vacations for terminally ill children and their families. In 1995, she worked as a sales representative for BellSouth, Richmond, Va. Van Scoy is married to Greg Van Scoy and has a daughter, Ellison.

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