Kansas State University

With students knee-deep in midterm exams and spring enrollment right around the corner, PFA Intern Sadie Polson took time to meet with Ashley Thomas, an academic advisor in her 6th year at K-State. Thomas is a 2003 graduate of K-State’s College of Agriculture and is working on a doctorate in Counseling and Student Development through the K-State College of Education.

PFA Intern: Ashley, I know this time of year is incredibly hectic for you as students begin preparing for spring enrollment, so thank you  for taking the time to answer a few questions for our parents and families.

Ashley: No problem, Sadie! Thank you for asking me.

PFA Intern: Of course. Let’s get to it. Ashley, what are three words you would use to describe the academic advisor role? 

Ashley: Academic advisors provide guidance. The term “advisor” is misleading sometimes, because we rarely give advice, but instead provide guidance to help our students make informed decisions. In my role, I should have knowledge of policies, procedures, and information at a high level, so that I can assist my students in making the best decisions for their goals and needs. Every student’s situation is different, so rarely do I give advice.

Secondly, support – we refer many students to other resources on campus or in the community. It’s my job to know what resources are available to my students to help with various situations, whether that’s personal, academic, career, etc.

Lastly, I think it’s very important for advisors to actively listen to their students – not to reply, but to understand. People in general like to listen to reply. Academic advising is sitting back and actively listening to our students so that we may understand how to accommodate to their individual needs and help them to be successful.

Continue reading “Maximize Opportunities with Academic Advising” →

A fire on May 22 caused significant damage to Hale Library, and the building is closed for the 2018-19 school year. According to Dean of Libraries Lori Goetsch, the damage occurred on multiple fronts.

“The fire was isolated to the roof, but several hundreds of thousands of gallons of water flowed through the building during the firefighting efforts,” she said. “In addition, soot and smoke damaged everything in the building, including most of the books.”

A large amount of furniture, shelving, carpet and drop ceiling throughout the 550,000-square-foot building had to be disposed of. Sections of drywall were removed: In some places, only the bottom two feet were damaged by water; in others, all of the drywall was wet, and the walls were stripped down to the studs. The scope of the damage can be difficult to comprehend.

Continue reading “We’re Still Here: Hale Library closes, but services continue” →

PFA Intern Sadie Polson met with Zac Donley to talk about the nationally recognized, student-led, fundraising campaign K-State Proud. Donley is a senior from Wichita, KS studying Life Sciences with a minor in Leadership Studies, and is serving as a K-State Proud Co-Chair for the 2018-2019 term.

PFA Intern: Zac, thank you so much for sitting down with me today. The K-State Proud student campaign is a relatively young, yet highly valued K-State tradition.    Tell K-State parents and families about K-State Proud and what makes it so special.

Zac: K-State Proud is the largest student-led philanthropy on campus. The mission “Students Helping Students” invites K-State students to  support their peers with whom they attend classes everyday. For a minimum donation of $20, K-State students receive a highly coveted K-State Proud t-shirt which is student-designed every year. Donations to the campaign support Student Opportunity Awards for current students who are facing a temporary financial crisis. Without the help of K-State Proud, these students would likely have to drop out of K-State, decreasing the likelihood of graduation. K-State Proud is unique in that students are providing support for their peers. The culture of Family at K-State is seen first-hand when a student wears their K-State Proud t-shirt. It’s so cool to walk through campus and see students, faculty, and staff dressed in a K-State Proud t-shirt. We look out for each other and I’m so lucky to attend a University where supporting each other is number one on our values list.

Continue reading “K-State Proud Student Campaign: A Valued K-State Tradition” →

The K-State PFA recently caught up with Pierce Stephens, 2015 graduate of Kansas State University, to discuss opportunities at K-State that helped him be successful in his career. Pierce, a Manhattan native, received a Bachelor’s in Business Administration, majoring in Business Management and Management Information Systems. While in college, Pierce was involved in Student Foundation, K-State Proud, Mortar Board Senior Honorary, K-State Sales Team, New Student Services, Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity, and Pi Sigma Epsilon Marketing Club. He now works for Phillips 66 and resides in Bartlesville, Oklahoma.

Describe your transition from college to career. What were some of the major adjustments?

My transition from college to career was a lot quicker than anticipated. I started my full-time role with the Phillips 66 IT new hire program just two weeks after graduation. The new hire program lasted two months where my new hire class learned all about the company, oil and gas industry, and information technology.  Upon completion of the program we were placed in our first “big kid” jobs, which was definitely an adjustment. The first big adjustment was learning how to best budget my time transitioning from college to a full time work schedule. Another adjustment was understanding the importance of work-life balance, which goes hand in hand with prioritizing and budgeting my time.

Continue reading “Young Alumni Spotlight: Pierce Stephens ’15” →