Archive for May 2004

05/13/04 — Harbins give additional $106,000 gift to K-State at Salina

Bill and Jo Harbin, Salina, Kan., already have a familiar name on the campus of K-State at Salina. In 1996, a residence hall was named in their honor upon the creation of a $2 million trust fund at the Kansas State University Foundation. The Harbins have added a new gift of $106,000 to establish the Bill and Jo Harbin Fund for Excellence for the College of Aviation and Technology.

One-half of the Bill and Jo Harbin Fund for Excellence will be used to create scholarships for students enrolled in the College of Technology and Aviation. The other portion of the fund will be applied toward strategically identified needs within the college, which may include equipment, educational supplies, faculty development awards and program enhancement.

Bill Harbin is a 1950 graduate of Kansas State University with a bachelor’s degree in architecture and structural engineering. He is an active leader in the Salina business community, and was president and owner of Harbin Construction Inc. from 1954 to 1994. He has served as a consultant with Harbin Engineering and most recently as vice president of Occupational Performance. Ada Mae (Jo) Johnston Harbin attended KSU in human ecology until their marriage in 1948.

The Harbins are members of Presidents Club, a KSU Foundation leadership organization for friends and alumni of K-State. They are also members of the KSU Foundation Board of Trustees and the Eisenhower Society.

“We love Salina and feel that KSU-Salina is a great asset to Salina’s future economy,” Bill Harbin said. “We are proud to support the Salina campus.”

“Bill and Jo Harbin have been tremendous supporters of K-State at Salina,” said Dennis Kuhlman, dean of the College of Technology and Aviation. “This gift is just another example of their philanthropy and dedication to the education of our nation’s future leaders and to the mission of this college.”

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05/06/04 — K-State Student Union endows general scholarship with $50,000 gift

The K-State Student Union, Manhattan, has made a commitment of $50,000 to the Kansas State University Foundation to establish the K-State Student Union General Scholarship at Kansas State University.

This scholarship is offered to part-time students, thus providing an opportunity for involvement in student activities and making a contribution to campus life. Recipients must be seeking a degree, enroll in six to 11 credit hours and maintain at least a 2.5 grade point average. Funding for the scholarship was generated from a negotiated provision with the K-State Student Union bookstore contractor, University Bookstore Inc. (Varney’s), who has agreed to provide 0.25 percent of sales toward a K-State Student Union general scholarship.

The K-State Student Union (KSSU) is a living room for the campus community and plays an integral role in the educational mission of the university. It provides products and services to build a sense of community, and programs to enhance the quality of life of its students, faculty, staff, alumni and guests, with particular emphasis on students. The Union fosters an environment that promotes respect for all peoples and values diversity, leadership, development and the free exchange of ideas.

“The K-State Student Union supports the principle that learning not only occurs in the classroom but also outside the classroom in organized student activities,” Executive Director Bernard Pitts said. “Unfortunately, many of our students that can only attend college part time due to financial limitations, family commitments, work commitments, etc., are not able to volunteer in our campus student leadership roles. With the KSSU general scholarship, it is hoped it will ease some of the financial pressures or work pressures and permit part-time students to engage and experience the holistic higher education experience by volunteering in student leadership opportunities and participate in campus social, cultural and recreational programs.”

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05/06/04 — Topeka Rose Society establishes KSU scholarship in honor of Johnsons

The Topeka Rose Society and Topeka Rose Foundation, Topeka, Kan., has made a commitment of $16,000 to the Kansas State University Foundation to establish the Fran and Dee Johnson Memorial Scholarship.

The recipients of the scholarship will be students enrolled in the Department of Horticulture, Forestry and Recreational Resources in the College of Agriculture at Kansas State University. Students must express an interest in roses and landscapes and maintain a 2.0 grade point average. Preference will be given to residents of Topeka or Shawnee County, Kansas. Four recipients will be chosen for each of the next four years.

Fran and Dee Johnson were residents of Topeka. The Johnsons loved roses and were heavily involved in the activities the Topeka Rose Society.

“The Johnson’s legacy to our society has allowed us to make this investment in the education of Kansas State University students enrolled in the College of Agriculture,” said Susie Sachs, president of the Topeka Rose Society and Topeka Rose Foundation. “The Topeka Rose Society Foundation’s mission is ‘to educate the public about the uses of roses, appreciation of roses, and the growing and showing of roses.’ We feel this is a perfect fit for the awarding of this scholarship in the Johnson’s name. We wish to offer the scholarship to students in the area of agriculture who have a particular interest in the study of rose horticulture, by assisting them with their educational expenses. By investing in today’s youth, we believe we will create tomorrow’s rosarians.”

“We are extremely pleased that the Topeka Rose Society is committing significant funds to establish the Fran and Dee Johnson Memorial Scholarship,” said Tom Warner, head of the Department of Horticulture, Forestry and Recreational Resources. “In this time of increasing tuition, scholarships generated by this fund will be of a significant assistance to those selected. As a department, we too have an affinity to roses and rose gardens. The first garden created in the new Kansas State University Gardens was our rose garden collection.”

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05/06/04 — KSU Foundation’s Levi selected to Leadership Kansas 2004 Class

Kelly Levi, Topeka, was recently selected as one of 35 individuals to participate in the 2004 class of Leadership Kansas, a nationally recognized program for developing and motivating future leaders for the state. Levi is the associate director of development for the College of Engineering at the KSU Foundation.

Leadership Kansas, an affiliated program of the Kansas Chamber of Commerce and Industry, was established by former Gov. Robert Bennett and former Lt. Gov. Gary Sherrer. The program is entering its 26th year of educating and motivating Kansas leaders from all four corners of the state, remaining committed to its original mission to inspire persons to maintain involvement in the social, business and political fabric of Kansas’s communities.

Each year, 35 people are selected from nearly 400 nominees to participate in the class. Leadership Kansas strives for class membership that reflects geographic, racial, occupational and gender diversity in Kansas. The 2004 class was approved by the Leadership Kansas board of trustees, chaired by Roger Fingland, Manhattan (class of ’97).

“As many of the more than 850 distinguished Leadership Kansas alumni can attest to, graduates of the program leave better educated, energized and equipped to shoulder important leadership responsibilities in their respective communities,” Fingland said.

Class members convene with a variety of recognized experts and participate in three-day learning sessions in six different Kansas communities. This year’s host cities are Garden City, Manhattan, Kansas City, Hutchinson/Wichita, Independence and Topeka. Discussion topics include business, education, agriculture, public policy, societal health and development, economics, and government — chosen to further shape each class member’s personal and professional development.

Past program participants have included former Gov. Bill Graves, Commissioner of Education Andy Tompkins, Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger, Boeing Vice President and General Manager Jeff Turner, and Congressman Jerry Moran.

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