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Graduate School

Data corner: Today’s graduate student

As graduate degree holders with backgrounds and careers involving research, we know many of you enjoy data. Data tell us the face of the graduate student is changing.

Long gone are the days of students completing a four-year degree and then going right into a graduate program. Now it is more common for a student to earn an undergraduate degree (with many taking less than four years), head into the workforce, and then return to school to advance their education.

This holds true at Kansas State University.

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Biology student finds passion for research and teaching in graduate school

Jack Sytsma, PhD student in biology, conducts tallgrass prairie research in South Dakota.

Jack Sytsma exudes passion, energy and a friendly disposition. And it is those qualities, and many more, that are driving him to become a college professor following his graduation in a few semesters.

With an eye toward teaching biology at the university level, in August 2021, Sytsma made the move from his home state of Iowa to K-State to pursue his master’s degree to do more research and expand his knowledge base. Last year, as he neared the end of his master’s work, Sytsma decided to continue at K-State for a doctoral degree.

“There were a few things that drew me to K-State originally,” Sytsma said. “One would be the opportunities that are provided by the university, my advisor and the research I am getting involved with, but also the teaching opportunities.”

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Alumni spotlight

Dr. CharMaine Hines (right) receiving the 2022 CGS/ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Award from Dr. Suzanne Ortega, CGS President (left).

The statistics shared in the Data corner tells us that female students, students enrolled part-time, and students aged 25 and older form a great percentage of our student population.

Dr. CharMaine Hines, who earned a Doctor of Education in community college leadership from K-State in 2021, is an example of a professional returning to school after several years in the work place to advance her education and profession.

Hines earned three degrees from Eastern Michigan University and began working at private universities, major public research universities and colleges within the state of Michigan before embarking on her doctoral education at Kansas State.

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Excellence in faculty mentoring, a driver for student success

Dr. Charles Rice, university distinguished professor of agronomy

Graduate faculty play a critical role in the success of our graduate students. To recognize graduate faculty who excel in mentoring graduate students, the Graduate School established the Graduate Faculty Mentor Award in the 2023-2024 academic year. Dr. Charles Rice, university distinguished professor of agronomy, was one of the inaugural award recipients.

Rice has been a faculty member at K-State since 1988 after earning a bachelor’s degree at Northern Illinois and then a master’s and Ph.D. both from the University of Kentucky. In his professional career, he has made significant contributions both through his research and his mentoring of graduate students.

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Opportunities to connect with us this year

We want to connect with you and keep you engaged with current graduate student and graduate faculty activities. You are invited to join us at events this academic year (fall 2023 and spring 2024). Here are events that may be of most interest to you.

  • Research and the State graduate student poster session – October 24
  • Three Minute Thesis Competition – February 2024
  • Capitol Graduate Research Summit – March 2024
  • K-State Graduate Research, Arts, and Discovery Forum – March 2024
  • Distinguished Graduate Faculty Lectures – one each fall and spring
  • Graduate Student and Faculty Recognition Celebration – April 28, 2024
2023 Three Minute Thesis competition finalists and judges.

Stay tuned for final dates and more information about these events via our website and social media (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram), or contact us at grad@ksu.edu or 785-532-6191.

You can make a difference! Support graduate student progress towards graduation

In the Graduate School, we hear regularly from students that they, just like many working adults, encounter challenges in making ends meet, putting healthy food on the table or paying health-related expenses. These challenges impact student physical and mental well-being, in turn negatively impacting academic success.

In the last year, we have been advancing our fundraising efforts to not only address unmet needs of graduate students and support their journey towards graduation but to also recognize their successes and contributions through awards, scholarships, and fellowships.

We hope you will join us in this effort. Visit our giving page to learn more about the ways you can contribute and make a gift to support K-State graduate students. As an alum, you are an important member of the K-State community. Your commitment and support are essential to enhancing the scholarly experiences for our graduate students.

Greetings from the Dean

Dear Graduate Alumni,

I am pleased to share with you in this newsletter, the successes of the 2021-2022 academic year. With the return to face-to-face instruction, we enjoyed opportunities to again engage directly with many graduate students at orientation, coffee chats, professional development activities, and social events. The articles that follow feature several graduate student accomplishments in research, teaching, and service.

This newsletter also highlights two initiatives launched last academic year to address two fundamental graduate student needs:  making progress towards graduation and raising children.

We look forward to continue building a partnership with you, alumni community members, to advance our initiatives for addressing graduate student needs. We also look forward to hearing from you and connecting, or re-connecting, with the Graduate School.

Enjoy reading this newsletter!

Claudia Petrescu, PhD
Vice Provost for Graduate Education and Dean of the Graduate School

Graduate student research recognized locally and regionally

In the 2021-2022 academic year, K-State graduate students from across the institution presented and were recognized for their research and scholarly work in events held locally, at the state level, and regionally. This was the first time since early 2020 that graduate students had an opportunity to present their work in a face-to-face setting.

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Scholarships, fellowships, and awards recognize graduate student success

During their time at K-State, graduate students not only receive education and training to advance their knowledge and pursue professional goals, but they also make significant contributions to the university’s research, teaching, mentoring, and service enterprises. Their contributions and accomplishments are recognized with scholarships, fellowships, and awards throughout the year. Here, we highlight some of these accomplishments.

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New initiative supports graduate students raising families

Many K-State graduate students juggle studies with being a parent. For them, affordable child care is one more hurdle on the way to getting their degree.

Thanks to alumni, faculty and staff who came together to support K-State grad students on Giving Tuesday, a new scholarship developed by the Graduate School is knocking down this hurdle. The inaugural campaign raised $5,000, which was matched with a contribution from the K-State Graduate Student Council. In total, $10,000 was awarded to 13 recipients who demonstrated need for this assistance.

Continue reading the full story in the K-State Foundation site.