Agricultural Economics Emeritus Faculty and Friends Scholarship Fund – A Q&A Session with Fred Delano
The Ag Econ Emeritus Faculty and Friends (EFFS) Fund is established by departmental emeritus faculty to provide scholarships for graduate students or prospective graduate students, or undergraduate student admitted to the graduate program in agricultural economics at Kansas State University whose graduate program benefit the Kansas agricultural economy.
Amanda Erichsen: As an Emeritus Faculty of this department, what importance does this fund represent towards strengthening the caliber of students that graduate from our degree programs?
Fred Delano: The value is at the margin, to use a term from from Ag Econ 101. The Founders of the EFFS Fund envisioned providing the Department with a competitive edge financially to attract top graduate school candidates to enhance our nationally recognized K-State program. The Founders also recognized a desire of non-alumni to ‘give back’ to a department and an institution providing a career of benefits.
AE: How will the knowledge enrichment funded by this support, provide a better outlook for the Kansas agricultural economy?
FD: Annually, the department provides beneficial Kansas agriculture research activity by Fund recipients to the donors. An accumulation of research results vindicate the premise that added financial funds are providing a competitive edge for attracting the top minds to K-State.
AE: What do you want students that receive this scholarship to understand about the importance and expectations of this scholarship?
FD: Agriculture is vitally important to Kansas and to feeding a hungry world. It is an honor to be selected to receive EFFS funding. The honor signifies that we believe in the student, but also comes with elevated expectations.
AE: What do you think potential donors should know about what this scholarship can do for students that receive this honor and for the Kansas agricultural economy? Why should they give towards this fund?
FD: The fund provides a direct cause and effect tangible benefit. The fund allows donors who have benefited career-wise from a nationally recognized department and university to give back to ensure continued and enhanced success by winning the competition for top quality graduate student. The benefit of the contribution is recognized in a relative short period of time.
AE: Please provide any other comments regarding the importance of this fund and what it means to the students that receive it and why we need further donor support.
FD: Public funding continues to decline in Kansas and Nationally. It is essential that private funding fill the void. KSU is in direct competition for top quality graduate students, not only in Kansas, but nationally. For the department and university to maintain and enhance the competitive edge, it is essential to be in the running to attract the best and brightest to KSU.
For information about the opportunity to give to the Department, please contact Allen Featherstone at afeather@ksu.edu or 785-532-4441. https://www.found.ksu.edu/agriculture/onlinegiving.html
