Contact: Shanna Williams,

The Kellogg Company, Battle Creek, Mich., has made a gift of $40,500 to both the College of Human Ecology and the College of Agriculture at Kansas State University. The total gift of $81,000 will be used to establish the Kellogg Company Endowed Scholarship in Sensory Analysis and the Kellogg Company Endowed Scholarship in Agriculture.

The Kellogg Company Endowed Scholarship in Sensory Analysis will be awarded to a graduate student studying sensory analysis in the College of Human Ecology, with a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA, demonstrated leadership abilities and involvement in extracurricular activities. The Kellogg Company Endowed Scholarship in Agriculture will go to a full-time undergraduate or graduate student enrolled in the Food Science and Industry program or the Department of Grain Science and Industry in the College of Agriculture who possesses leadership skills, participates in extracurricular activities, and has a 3.0 cumulative grade point average in a food-related field. In both instances, the scholarship will be used to benefit students who exhibit financial need and a passion for food.

The Kellogg Company was founded in Battle Creek, Mich., in 1906. They employ approximately 32,000 people, and Kellogg products are sold in more than 180 countries worldwide. The company’s dedication to health, nutrition and quality has led to its establishment as the world’s leading producer of cereal and convenience foods.

This link between food science and health, nutrition and quality was a driving force behind the Kellogg Company’s motivation to become involved at K-State.

“One of Kellogg’s core values is to ‘Create the future.’ Enabling students to become better food scientists and sensory scientists through these scholarships is a demonstration of Kellogg’s commitment to achieving that goal,” said Ray Thackery, principal food technologist, Kellogg Company. “Our hope is that they help to inspire students to strive to create a future that will benefit themselves as well as further the advancement of food science and sensory science.”

“The Sensory Analysis Center has had an excellent relationship with the Kellogg Company for many years. We are honored that the Kellogg Company, one of the world’s leaders in food research and manufacturing, has established a scholarship to support sensory analysis students,” said Virginia Moxley, dean of the College of Human Ecology.”

“The scholarship established by the Kellogg Company not only supports our current students in food science or grain science and industry programs, but helps us build relationships with a world-renowned food manufacturing and research company, providing our graduates with opportunities for years to come,” said Curtis Kastner, professor and director of the Food Science Institute in the College of Agriculture.

Philanthropic contributions to K-State are coordinated by the Kansas State University Foundation. The foundation manages fundraising efforts with alumni, friends, corporations and foundations to secure private support for the university.

Contact: Katie Niederee,

The K-State Proud Campaign is back in its fourth year of students helping students.

The campaign is the first-ever all-university student campaign at K-State and is guided by the leadership of Student Foundation, in addition to three co-chairs, an advisory board of K-State students, and an honorary co-chair.

K-State Proud is designed for students to take part in their own philanthropic efforts in order to help their fellow students, and allows students to show their pride through philanthropy. All student campaign donations establish K-State Proud Student Opportunity Awards for fellow K-State students, and this year’s goal is $115,000.

Co-chairs for the 2010 campaign are: Anna Zeiger, junior in nutritional sciences, Overland Park; Reed Pankratz, junior in marketing and public relations, Hutchinson, and Robert Swift, senior in political science, Lindsborg.

K-State Proud Advisory Board members include:

Kyle Reynolds, Andover; Anna Govert, Cunningham; and Katie Niederee, Great Bend.

From Greater Kansas City: Ariel Sinha, Gardner; Zac Buckmiller, Kansas City, Mo.; Diana Klote and Mitchell Loeb, Leawood; Ariel Anib and Christina Farmer, Olathe; Michael Ellis, Carolyn Freeman, Jake New, Jessica Rodriguez, Andrew Satterlee, Sarah Satterlee and H.B. Thompson, all from Overland Park; and Stephanie Larson and Cooper Mach, Shawnee.

Kelsey Moran, Hays; Wayne Stoskopf, Hoisington; Megan Barnett, Hutchinson; Dylan Works, Iola; Nick Moeder, La Crosse; Cole Galyon, Little River; Casey Dwyer, Lyons; John Grice and Katy Zapletal, Manhattan; Becky Sullivan, Paola; Kyle Merklein, Prairie View; Matt Ebert, Rossville; and Rachel King, Wichita.

From out of state: Matt Castro, Houston; and Ryan Wilkerson, Columbia, Mo.

The honorary co-chair for this year’s campaign is Michael Wesch, K-State assistant professor of cultural anthropology. He has been described as an explainer and an explorer, and can now add philanthropist with his position as honorary co-chair.

“I thought K-State Proud was just a great T-shirt,” Wesch said. “When I started to hear more, I was deeply moved by the stories of students stepping forward to help their fellow students in their time of greatest need. The more I looked into it, the more I realized that some of my best students were actually only sitting in my classes because K-State Proud had stepped in to help them at a critical moment. Think about what that means for a second, because it isn’t really K-State Proud that stepped in, it was the entire student body. K-State Proud is a vehicle through which the whole student body can step in and help one of their fellow students when they need it most.”

Wesch graduated summa cum laude from K-State’s anthropology program in 1997 and returned as a faculty member in 2004 after receiving his Ph.D. in anthropology from the University of Virginia. He won the Carnegie/CASE national professor of the year for research/doctoral universities and is one of the National Geographic Society’s “Emerging Explorers” for 2009. Wesch’s specialty is the impact of social media and digital technology on society and culture, and his expertise is being utilized for the campaign.

For more information about the campaign, check out the Web site at www.k-stateproud.org.

The Kansas State University Student Foundation focuses on raising awareness among current and future alumni about the importance of giving back to K-State, and cultivating philanthropy across the university.

Contact: Shanna Williams,

Marilyn and Bill Taylor, Overland Park, Kan., have established the Megan E. Taylor Czech Republic Student Award in the College of Business Administration at Kansas State University.

The fund, which was set up to honor the memory of the Taylors’ daughter Megan, enables an actual exchange to take place between K-State and a university in the Czech Republic – for both outgoing K-State students and incoming Czech students. Students from the Czech Republic enroll in the College of Business Administration at K-State, while recipients from K-State study business at the University of Economics in Prague.

Marilyn (Spainhour) Taylor is a native of Westwood, Kan. She is a 1966 graduate of K-State, with a bachelor’s degree in modern languages. Bill Taylor, a Chanute, Kan., native, earned a bachelor’s degree (1967) and master’s degree (1969) in accounting and business from the University of Kansas. Marilyn instilled a love of travel and culture in their daughter, Megan. Sadly, Megan passed away in 1992, after a bicycle accident that occurred while she was visiting Germany as part of an exchange program.

While they have set up several other scholarships and funds in Megan’s memory, the Taylors are excited about the unique, two-way exchange opportunity this award provides, and encourage others to contribute to a similar fund, if they are in a position to do so.

“Supporting both students in many cases just costs a little more than sending a KSU student without an exchange,” Bill Taylor said. “Not only does this award help a KSU student go abroad, but it also helps the campus by bringing foreign students to KSU.”

Jiri Hanak, an exchange student from the Czech Republic was one of the first students to participate in the exchange. He spent the fall 2009 semester at K-State.

“I think that the semester at K-State was probably one of my best at college,” Hanak said “I have never met so friendly teachers as at KSU; the same for students. The campus is such an oasis of young people and I will definitely miss it.”

Marilyn and Bill Taylor are members of the KSU Foundation’s Presidents Club, a philanthropic leadership organization for friends and alumni of K-State, and the Land Grant Legacy Society, an organization for those who have included K-State in their estate plans. They are also members of the KSU Foundation Board of Trustees.

Philanthropic contributions to K-State are coordinated by the Kansas State University Foundation. The foundation manages fundraising efforts with alumni, friends, corporations and foundations to secure private support for the university.

Contact: Shanna Williams,

Harold Swartley, Boise, Idaho, has made a commitment of $25,000 to the College of Agriculture at Kansas State University to establish the Harold Swartley Agronomy Scholarship.

The scholarship will benefit students who demonstrate financial need and are enrolled in the department of agronomy in the College of Agriculture.

Swartley graduated from K-State in 1952 with a master’s degree in agronomy after completing his bachelor’s degree at Pennsylvania State University in University Park, Penn., the previous year. His contributions to the College of Agriculture also include the establishment of the Harold Swartley Collegiate Crop Judging Scholarship.

Swartley is a member of the KSU Foundation’s Presidents Club, a philanthropic leadership organization for friends and alumni of K-State, and a lifetime member of the K-State Alumni Association.

Philanthropic contributions to K-State are coordinated by the Kansas State University Foundation. The foundation manages fundraising efforts with alumni, friends, corporations and foundations to secure private support for the university.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Contact: Shanna Williams,

Emilie Miller, Womelsdorf, Penn., was recently hired as part of the development team for the College of Agriculture at the Kansas State University Foundation. She will serve as a development officer.

Prior to joining the foundation staff, Miller served as the director of retail and food service relations for the Northeast Beef Promotion Initiative, a project of the Cattlemen’s Beef Board, based out of the Pennsylvania Beef Council in Bedford, Penn.

Miller is a K-State alumna, having earned her bachelor’s degree in animal sciences and industry from the College of Agriculture in 2006. Her professional memberships and community service organizations include member of Kansas State’s 2006 reserve national champion livestock judging team, American Hereford Association, county 4-H leader and livestock judging coach, and past president of the Pennsylvania Cattlewomen.

Miller was raised on her family Hereford operation, Dietschland Farm, where they raise approximately 60 head of registered cattle and maintain a freezer beef business. 

The KSU Foundation coordinates fundraising efforts with alumni, friends, corporations and foundations to secure private support for Kansas State University.

Contact: Julie Lea,

The KSU Foundation and the K-State Alumni Association have received a total of 11 awards for communications projects designed to reach university alumni and friends. The awards were presented at the 2010 Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) District 6 meeting in St. Louis, Jan. 10-12.

The KSU Foundation received two gold awards for its Good for K-State magazine for excellence in development writing and for fundraising brochures/publications. The foundation also received a bronze award for its K-State Marching Band DVD in the fundraising video/DVD category.

The K-State Alumni Association received gold awards for excellence in alumni special events for its Wabash CannonBall gala in Kansas City and for its Web site: www.K-State.com. Silver awards were received for @K-State, its electronic newsletter produced for all alumni and friends of the university; Tradition Founders for annual fund support and direct mail fundraising and to the Wabash CannonBall for special events organized around special occasions. Bronze awards were presented to the Association for its member magazine, the K-Stater, for excellence in communications for four-color magazines and for its sustainability cover for the fall 2009 issue.

CASE is a worldwide organization supporting colleges and universities by enhancing the effectiveness of the alumni relations, communications and fundraising professionals who serve them. District 6 includes 188 member institutions located in the eight northern Midwest states, from North Dakota to Kansas and from Wyoming to Missouri.

Contact: Shanna Williams,

Chesapeake Energy Corporation, Oklahoma City, Okla., has made a commitment of more than $63,000 to the College of Arts and Sciences at Kansas State University to establish the Chesapeake Energy Corporation Distinguished Scholars program.

The program will fund four scholarships of $2,500 each year. Recipients of these awards will be outstanding students in the College of Arts and Sciences’ geology department.

Chesapeake Energy Corporation is one of the largest producers of natural gas in the nation, as well as the most active drillers of new wells in the U.S. In December 2009, Chesapeake was presented with the Energy Producer of the Year Award, which recognizes companies that have set world-class standards in exploring for and finding new resources, maximizing technical excellence and innovation in resource extraction, and bringing complex or difficult projects to completion on schedule and on budget.

With a track record of commitment to their surrounding communities, the development of the Chesapeake Energy Corporation Distinguished Scholars program emphasizes their dedication to higher education.

“The pursuit of excellence in our higher education system is perhaps the most critical element in serving the long-term interests of our country and global economy,” said Teresa Rose, director of community relations for Chesapeake Energy Corporation. “It is essential for our nation’s energy industry to attract skilled, well-educated employees. By investing in high-achieving students at K-State, we are fostering the success of Chesapeake and our industry.”

“We are very pleased that Connie Stamets, a 1966 K-State graduate and member of the college’s alumni advisory council, helped develop this partnership between K-State and Chesapeake Energy Corporation, for whom she has performed legal work in the past,” said Brian Spooner, interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.“Chesapeake’s commitment to the university will benefit not just individual students in the geology department, but the department as a whole.” 

Philanthropic contributions to K-State are coordinated by the Kansas State University Foundation. The foundation manages fundraising efforts with alumni, friends, corporations and foundations to secure private support for the university.

Contact: Shanna Williams,

Herb and Mary Sue Whitney, Tulsa, Okla., have made a gift to the College of Engineering at Kansas State University to establish the Herb and Mary Sue Whitney Scholarship.

The scholarship will benefit students enrolled in the College of Engineering, and preference will be given to students who are student-athletes or students with a minor in leadership studies.

Both Herb and Mary Sue graduated from K-State in 1963 — Herb with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, and Mary Sue with a bachelor’s degree in secondary education. The Whitneys have remained very active within the K-State family since leaving campus. Herb has spent a number of years on the K-State Alumni Association’s Board of Directors, including a term as Chairman in 2002. He also served on the College of Engineering Advisory Council and is in the College of Engineering Hall of Fame. Mary Sue has served on the College of Education Development Council, and the regional committee for K-State’s Changing Lives Campaign. They are also members of the College of Engineering’s Seaton Society. In addition, both alumni have been loyal contributors to numerous funds and causes on campus throughout the years.

The Whitneys are members of the KSU Foundation’s Presidents Club, a philanthropic leadership organization for friends and alumni of K-State, and are also current members of the KSU Foundation Board of Trustees.

Philanthropic contributions to K-State are coordinated by the Kansas State University Foundation. The foundation manages fundraising efforts with alumni, friends, corporations and foundations to secure private support for the university.

Contact: Shanna Williams,

Victoria Seitz, San Bernardino, Calif., has made a commitment of $500,000 to the College of Human Ecology at Kansas State University to establish the Victoria Seitz Visiting Professorship for Advancing Apparel and Textiles.

The individual named to this visiting professorship will be a distinguished visiting faculty member coming from another university, or a professional coming from a related area in the industry to advance the study of apparel and textiles in the Department of Apparel, Textiles, and Interior Design in the College of Human Ecology.

Once funded, the gift will qualify for the State of Kansas Faculty of Distinction Program that provides supplemental funding for faculty of distinction awards. The statute was passed in an effort to encourage private gifts that will enable Kansas higher education institutions to attract and maintain quality faculty.

Seitz graduated from K-State in 1978 with a bachelor’s degree in clothing and textiles. She went on to earn both a master’s degree in merchandising and a Ph.D. in marketing from Oklahoma State University, in 1984 and 1987, respectively. She is currently a professor of marketing at California State University, San Bernardino.

A loyal donor since her graduation from K-State, Seitz has contributed to several funds in the College of Human Ecology, including the Human Ecology Excellence Fund; the Apparel, Textiles, and Interior Design Excellence Fund; and the Costume and Textiles Exhibition Fund.

“I wanted to provide students a forum to broaden their horizons in their educational pursuits at Kansas State so that they may positively impact the relentless world of apparel design and merchandising,” said Seitz.

“We are so very fortunate to have someone like Dr. Seitz as a friend and alumna. She is truly committed to helping us improve the quality of our apparel and textiles program, and our students and faculty members will benefit greatly from her generosity,” said Virginia Moxley, dean of the College of Human Ecology.

Philanthropic contributions to K-State are coordinated by the Kansas State University Foundation. The foundation manages fundraising efforts with alumni, friends, corporations and foundations to secure private support for the university.

Contact: Shanna Williams,

Danisco USA, located in New Century, Kan., has made a gift of $25,000 to the College of Agriculture at Kansas State University to establish the Food Science Institute Academic Resource Center.

The funds will be used by the director of the Food Science Institute or the dean of the College of Agriculture for the purposes of renovation, purchasing text books, and program support. The Food Science Institute Academic Resource Center will include copies of general education and food science textbooks for use by students enrolled in the food science program, helping to offset the recent effects of the economic downturn. Many students are unable to afford new books each semester, due to either the financial hardships of their parents or their own lack of funds.

Danisco USA is a world leader in food ingredients, enzymes and bio-based solutions. They design and deliver bio-based ingredients that meet market demand for healthier and safer products, and their ingredients and products are used globally. They hold approximately 8,100 patents in their overall patent portfolio.

“K-State is recognized as a key contributor to the advancement of food science and technology, and as a leading innovator in the food industry, Danisco understands the importance of nurturing the growth of new ideas,” said John Breeden, Vice President of Industry Management for Danisco. “And with our North American operations headquartered here in Kansas, we are proud to support another Kansas institution that’s founded on a tradition of excellence.”

“This contribution from Danisco will allow us to ensure our students receive the best education in food science while lessening their financial burden. We are grateful to them for their gift at time when it is most needed,” said Curtis Kastner, professor and director of the Food Science Institute.

Philanthropic contributions to K-State are coordinated by the Kansas State University Foundation. The foundation manages fundraising efforts with alumni, friends, corporations and foundations to secure private support for the university.