Contact: Shanna Williams,

Twenty-four people were recently elected to serve four-year terms as trustees of the KSU Foundation at the board’s annual meeting in Manhattan, Kan. The board of trustees is the governing body of the KSU Foundation. This election brings the total number of foundation trustees to 362. Newly elected members of the board of trustees include:

From Kansas: Gloria and Richard Anderson, Lake Quivira; Jill and Mike Yeager, Larned; Nancy Zogleman, Leawood; Amy and Brent Bayer, Janet and Steven Cooper, and Sharon Reagan, all of Manhattan; Bruce and Lisa Freeman, Overland Park; Jerry and Julie Bohn, Pratt; Olive Ubel and Mel Kopf, both of Topeka; and Shelly Chenoweth, Wichita. 

From out of state: Doug and Tina Glover, Mission Viejo, Calif.; Jan Burton, Boulder, Colo.; Kelly and Marcie Lechtenberg, Oakland, Neb.; Lynn Lin, Cincinnati, Ohio; and Rand Berney, Bartlesville, Okla. 

Outgoing members who were honored for their service with emeritus status were Doug and Lucinda Anstaett, Topeka, Kan., Ann Bidwell, Chicago, Ill., Jim Birkbeck, Holton, Kan., Dave Chelesnik, Del Mar, Calif., James and Sharon Coffman, Manhattan, Kan., Jerry Fairbanks, Goodland, Kan., Chris Hess, Carlsbad, Calif., Mary Hutton, Wichita, Kan., Rich Kerschen, Wichita, Kan., John and Kathryn Mollett, Olathe, Kan., Dennis Mullin, Manhattan, Kan., Bill Stannard, Mission Woods, Kan., Veryl Switzer, Manhattan, Kan., and Michael Wilds, Manhattan, Kan. 

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,

Barbara Stowe and her husband, Howard, have made a gift to the College of Human Ecology at Kansas State University by increasing funding for the Dean Barbara S. Stowe Faculty Development Fund.

The endowment was originally established in 1998 with gifts from alumni, friends, faculty and students of the College of Human Ecology to honor Barbara Stowe at her retirement. Barbara was dean of the College of Human Ecology from 1983-1998. The fund was created to honor her as well as recognize faculty who translate research-based knowledge of human ecology into practice in higher education, business, industry or public policy. The funding may be applied to various endeavors including administrative development, academic and curricular development, liaison projects with government or industry and other initiatives that advance the mission of the College of Human Ecology.

Barbara earned a bachelor’s degree in home economics from the University of Nebraska, a master’s degree in textiles and clothing at Michigan State University, and a doctoral degree in textile chemistry at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and North Carolina State University. Before becoming dean of the College of Human Ecology at K-State, Barbara held department head positions at Auburn University and Michigan State University and directed Michigan 4-H Youth Programs. While at K-State, she coordinated a privately funded building program, which included the Galichia Institute for Gerontology and Family Studies and expansion of the Stone House Child Care Center. She helped develop a W. K. Kellogg Foundation-funded project that established a school of human ecology in Paraguay. Her honors include fellow of the Association of College Professors of Textiles and Clothing and being named an outstanding alumna by the University of Nebraska, Michigan State University and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

The Stowes met while they were graduate students at Michigan State University. Howard earned a master’s degree in animal science and doctoral degrees in veterinary medicine and pathology from Michigan State University. Howard has held faculty positions at the University of Kentucky, where he was instrumental in establishing what is now the Equine Science Society, North Carolina Medical School, Auburn University, and Michigan State University. At Michigan State University, he established the nutrition section of what is now the Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health. He retired in 1993 and now spends most of his time on the Stowe’s farm near East Lansing, Mich.

Howard and Barbara have a son, Bradley, who graduated from K-State, and one grandson.

The Stowes are Fairchild Society level members of the KSU Foundation’s Presidents Club, a philanthropic leadership organization for K-State friends and alumni.

“My years as dean at K-State were the most rewarding of my professional career even though they involved a commuter marriage,” Barbara said. “I had the opportunity to work with some very talented and dedicated faculty, bright hardworking students and very loyal alumni. They all cared deeply about the College of Human Ecology and K-State.”

“When Barbara Stowe was dean of the College of Human Ecology, she challenged us with the question, ‘What does the world need of us?’ That question continues to guide our priority setting in the College of Human Ecology,” said Virginia Moxley, dean of the College of Human Ecology. “This gift will assure that over time the college can support faculty development and program advancement to assure that we continue being responsive to the emerging needs of the state and the world.”

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,

These days it seems more and more young people are finding ways to change the world for the better. Mason Wolfe, an 11-year-old from Monument, Colo., has already found a way to make an impact through her fundraising campaign, Mason’s Wish.

Mason, the daughter of two K-State alumni, Fred (’93) and Nancy (’90) Wolfe, has donated more than $16,000 for cancer research by selling candles. Her father has been battling lung cancer for about three years, and was recently diagnosed with brain tumors.

“I wanted to do something for my dad, so I started Mason’s Wish,” she said. “It stands for my name, Mason, and my wish, to find a cure for cancer. My slogan is ‘hope in a cure.’”

Mason began fundraising efforts two years ago, at only nine years of age, when she decided to sell candles at her elementary school’s parent teacher conferences. She raised more than $3,400. This was just the beginning. Mason’s dad, Fred, works as a construction executive for G.E. Johnson, in Colorado Springs, Colo. According to Mason and Nancy, his company’s support has been wonderful. G.E. Johnson has purchased candles from Mason’s Wish for their Christmas parties and supported the family by bringing meals to their home, setting up a computer so Fred could work from home, and driving him home from work when he couldn’t drive.

The first gift through funds raised by Mason’s Wish was $5,000 to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. At this point in her fundraising, Mason had only planned to sell candles for a few months. But the orders kept coming in, and soon she found herself in a position to give yet another gift.

The second and most recent gift was $11,000 to K-State’s Johnson Center for Basic Cancer Research. The center has more than 70 labs across campus, the sole purpose of which is cancer research. While visiting campus to present the check to the cancer center, Mason enjoyed touring campus, seeing the beautiful changing leaves on the trees and eating Call Hall ice cream.The entire family was thrilled to attend a football game, as they are proud K-State fans.

Mason has two older siblings — a brother Chase, 15, and a sister Morgan, 13. Her favorite subjects in school are social studies and math, and she loves hands-on projects. Her favorite hobbies are cooking and designing cards using stamps. She hopes to attend K-State in a few years, and explained that her parents are already saving money.

When asked why Mason started the entire campaign, she responded, “We know how bad it feels to be going through this with your family. We just want to help.”

How you can help: Mason’s Wish and Johnson Center for Basic Cancer Research

For more information about Mason’s Wish, to make a donation or to order a candle, contact Nancy Wolfe via e-mail at nancylwolfe@msn.com.

If you are interested in supporting the Johnson Center for Basic Cancer Research and its mission to understand cancers by funding basic cancer research and supporting higher education, training and public outreach, please contact Tracy Robinson at the KSU Foundation at 800-432-1578 or tracyr@found.ksu.edu.

For more information about the Johnson Cancer Center, visit www.cancer.ksu.edu.

Contact: Shanna Williams,

Sometimes the best inspiration for giving back is sitting right next to you. At least, that’s how Connie Kissee sees it. Kissee has been a classified (or hourly) employee at K-State for more than 36 years — roughly 30 of them spent working for K-State Libraries. A member of the Classified Senate for a combined 18 years, she has helped oversee changes to bylaws and spur pay-rate reform. But she wanted to do something more for the people she worked with every day, something that had impact.

“I’d always wanted to do something special for classified employees. Anything we can do to help classified employees develop themselves is good for the university,” Kissee said. 

Kissee, a library assistant at Hale Library who is responsible for cataloging every single government document that finds its way to her desk, decided to start volunteering her efforts in the All-University Campaign. The campaign is a campus-wide effort that calls faculty and staff to give back to the university, giving them the opportunity to designate their gifts to the college, department, program or cause they care about most. For Kissee, that cause was helping her fellow employees move forward.

“That year (2007) was the first year of the All-University Campaign. It was so great that everyone — classified and unclassified — is involved, because everyone at K-State is important. It’s time for us to give back to the university,” Kissee said. 

In that first year, the Classified Senate established the Classified Employee Opportunity Fund. It provides support for classified employees who are attending classes part time, or funding for professional development and travel to national conferences. Kissee has become a champion of the fund, and uses it as a way to ignite the desire to give back in others. 

“I do it because I want to, because I see so many young people here at the library working while taking classes, trying to improve their careers,” Kissee said. “So I tell (classified employees) what their gifts go toward. I tell them that it helps those people, and could even end up helping them down the road, in their career at K-State.” 

Since she began volunteering with the All-University Campaign, participation by library staff has nearly doubled from 32 percent in 2007 to 62 percent in 2008.

“In 2007 we asked Dean Lori Goetsch to match the library’s contributions — and she did!” Kissee said. “For 2009, our goal is to get more than 62 percent participation. Someday we’d like to have 100 percent participation, and with the economy the way it is, that’s a tough goal. But you know, even a dollar will help.” 

During the campaign, Kissee approaches library staff and members of the Classified Senate personally, encouraging them to donate to any fund, no matter what the size of their gift. For her, it’s a way to not only give back to her fellow employees, but also show the nation how she feels about K-State. 

“When I started here in 1973, K-State was the best place to work in Manhattan. It still is,” Kissee said. “By giving back to the university, we’re showing everyone how we feel about K-State — that we’re proud of what we do, and that we’re proud to be here.”

Contact: Katie Niederee,

Barry and Marcia Robinson, Manhattan, Kan., have made a gift to the College of Business Administration at Kansas State University establishing the Barry E. and Marcia K. Robinson Accounting Scholarship. The Robinsons’ gift will be matched by an additional gift from the Ernst & Young Foundation.

This scholarship will be awarded to a K-State undergraduate student enrolled in the department of accounting in the College of Business Administration. Preference will be given to a student who is pursuing a career in taxation with a minimum 3.75 cumulative GPA.

Marcia (Dryden) was raised in Dodge City, Kan. She is a 1981 K-State graduate and received a bachelor’s degree in accounting. Barry is a Topeka, Kan., native. He graduated from K-State in 1980 and 1981 with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a master’s degree in business administration. While at K-State, Marcia was a member of Pi Beta Phi Women’s Fraternity and Barry was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity. Both were also members of Beta Alpha Psi.

Barry is currently the EMEIA Tax Markets Leader for Ernst & Young based in London. Ernst & Young formed EMEIA in 2008 to align 87 separate country practices across Europe, the Middle East, India and Africa into a single business unit under central leadership. He is one of three partners leading the tax practice in EMEIA.

Barry and Marcia are members of the KSU Foundation Board of Trustees and also serve on the Wildcat Victory Campaign committee for the K-State Athletic Department. The Robinsons are strong supporters of the university through gifts to all aspects of campus including the College of Business Administration, alumni association and athletics.

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,

Jane and Ronald Woellhof, Fredericksburg, Texas, have made a commitment of $250,000 to the School of Family Studies and Human Services in the College of Human Ecology at Kansas State University, establishing the Woellhof Family Excellence Fund.

The fund is supported by a bequest in the Woellhof Family Living Trust. It will be used for student or faculty advancement, or facilities in conjunction with the Communication Sciences and Disorders program, which is housed in K-State’s Campus Creek Complex and is a part of the School of Family Studies and Human Services.

Jane Price Woellhof is a native of Parsons, Kan. She graduated from K-State in 1967 with a bachelor’s degree in speech pathology. Ron is from Manhattan, Kan., and also attended K-State. The couple owns Showcase Antiques, a store in Fredericksburg that specializes in sterling silver, porcelain and American Brilliant Cut Glass. The Woellhofs are lifetime members of the K-State Alumni Association, and are also members of the KSU Foundation’s Presidents Club, a philanthropic leadership organization for friends and alumni of K-State.

“Generous people in the past have supported K-State and we wanted to continue that tradition,” Ron said. “A scholarship for Jane’s final semester was a helping hand provided by someone else’s gift. We’re stepping into the role of the giver to extend a helping hand to future students. It is a good feeling.”

“We are at once thrilled and humbled by Jane and Ron’s support of the Communication Sciences and Disorders program in the School of Family Studies and Human Services,” said Virginia Moxley, dean of the College of Human Ecology. “The faculty are outstanding teachers, scholars, and clinicians whose work will be advanced by the support from the Woellhof family. The graduates of this program provide essential clinical services to clients of all ages who are experiencing communications and swallowing disorders. This fund will help assure that students are well prepared for their professional work.”

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,

Family and friends of Dr. Heath J Schroeder have made a gift to the leadership studies program at Kansas State University to perpetuate his memory. Their gift will establish the Dr. Heath J Schroeder Memorial Leadership Scholarship.

The fund’s purpose is to create a scholarship for a second or third year student at K-State who is taking courses in leadership studies and/or pursuing the leadership studies minor. Preference will be given to a graduate from a Stevens County, Kan., high school.

Dr. Heath Schroeder was a native of Hugoton, Kan., and the son of Kim R. and Karolyn K. Schroeder. He graduated from Hugoton High School in 1997, and graduated from K-State with a bachelor’s degree in finance in 2002. He was awarded a naval scholarship to attend Pennsylvania College of Optometry in Philadelphia, Pa., where he earned his doctoral degree in optometry. After graduating in 2006, he became a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy. Heath was stationed in Guam and was often referred to as “L.T.” or “Doc.”

While attending K-State, Dr. Schroeder helped rewrite curriculum for the leadership studies program. He was very proud of his work with leadership studies and found that the program had a substantial impact on him. Heath loved everything about K-State from football games to academics. His family and friends hope creating this scholarship will give other students the opportunity to gain knowledge from the leadership studies program that Heath found so valuable.

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: Julie Lea,

ConocoPhillips, Houston, has made a philanthropic commitment to K-State, which will be recognized in a ceremony at the Sept. 26 K-State football game in Bill Snyder Family Stadium. A 5-year commitment is designed to support four areas at K-State, and a 2009 gift is designated for scholarships and initiatives in the Colleges of Business Administration and Engineering, as well as the ConocoPhillips SPIRIT Scholars program.

The 5-year commitment will benefit the Center for Sustainable Energy faculty and student awards, the Excellence in Business Ethics program in the College of Business Administration, the Project Impact Summer Bridge Program for incoming College of Engineering and Business Administration freshmen, and technology and equipment in the new welcome center planned for K-State. The commitment totals $2.5 million.

The ConocoPhillips Center for Sustainable Energy Program Support Fund provides funds for conducting research and classes in the center. The ConocoPhillips Professor of Sustainable Energy will be awarded to a faculty member in the College of Engineering who is associated with the center. The ConocoPhillips Sustainable Energy Student Awards will be given to undergraduate or graduate students in any curriculum who are completing projects in sustainable energy.

The ConocoPhillips Excellence in Business Ethics fund will be administered by the head of the Department of Management for student development workshops, business ethics case competitions, lecture series and ethics forums.

The ConocoPhillips Summer Bridge Program is administered by the Office of Diversity. This program is designed to prepare students for the academic rigor of the university environment; familiarize freshmen with the K-State campus and introduce campus services; connect summer bridge participants to multicultural student leaders and student organizations; and begin the advisement process.

The ConocoPhillips Technology and Equipment Support for the Welcome Center will be used to provide new technology and equipment in the newly renovated welcome center.

The 2009 gift of $500,000 will be used for ongoing support in the Colleges of Business Administration and Engineering for deans’ excellence funds, general department support, scholarships and fellowships, and funds for special programs and initiatives. ConocoPhillips’ annual gift to K-State also includes support for K-State’s Department of Career and Employment Services, the president’s office and Quest, the freshman honorary. 

The gift also provides funding for the ConocoPhillips SPIRIT Scholars program, now in its third year at K-State. ConocoPhillips selected K-State as a member of its SPIRIT Scholars Program in 2007. It is one of only eight universities in the country to receive this distinction.

ConocoPhillips has a long history of support to K-State, and employs many K-State graduates in its operations around the world.

“We are excited about continuing our excellent relationship with K-State,” said Rand Berney, senior vice president, Corporate Shared Services. “We firmly believe that this new level of commitment toward these programs at K-State will continue to provide ConocoPhillips with outstanding graduate employees to help drive our business success.”

“We are deeply grateful to ConocoPhillips for their generous support for students, faculty and programs at K-State,” said President Kirk Schulz. “It has been a pleasure to get acquainted with the ConocoPhillips executives and appreciate the true passion they have for supporting K-State as one of our most dedicated corporate partners. Several of their employees are actively involved as mentors to our SPIRIT Scholars, which is extremely beneficial to the leadership development of these students. The people of ConocoPhillips bring a lot of heart to their commitment to K-State.”

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,

Damion McIntosh, Lees Summit, Mo., has made a commitment of more than $400,000 to the School of Leadership Studies at Kansas State University establishing the Damion McIntosh Excellence in Leadership Studies Fund.

The gift will be made through the proceeds of a life insurance policy. The current Kansas City Chiefs and former K-State football player established the fund to provide financial assistance to the School of Leadership Studies at K-State. The gift will be used at the discretion of the school’s director, with preference for use at the Center for Leadership and Sport if established and operational at the time the gift is realized. The School of Leadership Studies, the first school of leadership at a public university in the country, offers the largest academic program at K-State. It provides students with an interdisciplinary learning community while developing knowledgeable, ethical, caring, inclusive leaders for a diverse and changing world.

McIntosh was born in Kingston, Jamaica and grew up in Hollywood, Fla. He is a 2000 graduate of K-State with a bachelor’s degree in social sciences from the College of Arts and Sciences. A four-year varsity football letterman at K-State, McIntosh played in 44 games as both an offensive and defensive lineman. After graduation he joined the San Diego Chargers, played for the Miami Dolphins and has played for the Chiefs as an offensive tackle since 2007.

“I am proud to be a part of the foundation that Coach (Bill) Snyder built at K-State,” McIntosh said. “I know that I would not be in the position I am in today without his mentoring, guidance, coaching and most of all his ability to bring out the best in me. After speaking with former players Joe Gordon and Kevin Lockett, it was easy for me to make the decision to give back to the program that gave me the opportunity of a lifetime!”

“It is great to see our alumni — and our former athletes — giving back to the university,” said Mary Hale Tolar, director of the School of Leadership Studies. “Leadership studies at K-State is a one-of-a-kind program, and it would not be possible for this program to flourish without our generous donors.”

Life insurance gifts enable donors to make a substantial future gift by making small premium payments over time. There are several ways to make gifts to K-State through life insurance: Donors may change the beneficiary of an existing policy or purchase and donate a new or existing policy, and transfer ownership to the KSU Foundation. The contract’s value and premiums, given to K-State through the KSU Foundation, may qualify for an income tax deduction. Upon death, the insurance proceeds go to the designated purpose set forth by the donor.

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: Julie Lea,

The 2009 All-University Campaign for K-State will kick off Thursday, Sept. 10 at 3:30 p.m. with an ice cream social in the K-State Student Union Bosco Plaza. A kick-off event for K-State at Salina will be held Wednesday, Sept. 9 at 3:30 p.m. in the Admissions Lobby.

The fundraising campaign is run by campus volunteers and is specifically focused on the participation of all employees, faculty and staff of the campus, the K-State Alumni Association, KSU Foundation and K-State Athletics.

“I believe the need is greater now than ever for us to show support for our university,” said Darla Thomas, public service administrator, Department of Animal Science and Industry. “Each faculty and staff member can personally support the area(s) that are most important to him/her. Gifts do not have to be large. Several small gifts can collectively have a large impact.”

Thomas, along with Bradley Kramer, professor and head, Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering and director, Advanced Manufacturing Institute; Cheryl Grice, manager, Employment Services; and Laurel Littrell, associate professor, Hale Library will lead this year’s All-University Campaign.

The All-University Campaign for K-State allows faculty and staff members to make one-time gifts, sign up for payroll deductions or explore a variety of long-range gift planning options designated to any of the funds and causes at K-State.

The specific goals of the campaign are to continue the tradition of faculty and staff giving at K-State and to continue to increase participation among faculty and staff members. In the annual faculty and staff campaign’s first year, 16 percent of K-State employees made a gift to the university. By its second and third year, 32 percent of faculty and staff participated by making gifts to the university.

“K-State would cease to exist if we didn’t individually and collectively commit our efforts to achieving our mission,” said Kramer. “By giving to K-State, we can make our institution stronger and positively influence our work environment by investing in those activities and objectives that are most important to us.”