The Dean Team, left to right: Christie Launius, Associate Dean for Student Success, Engagement and Undergraduate Studies; Kimathi Choma, Assistant Dean for Student Success, College Health Initiatives, and Retention; Ben Stark, Assistant Dean for Infrastructure and Faculty Support; Chris Culbertson, Dean; Scott Tanona, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Planning; Mary Cain, Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies
Hello, Arts and Sciences Alumni and Friends!
We are so pleased to connect with you via this newsletter, and happy to share that there is much to celebrate in the College of Arts and Sciences!
Despite the nationwide decline in numbers of high school graduates and people pursuing bachelor’s degrees, our freshman enrollment is up for the third year in a row!
Lastly, philanthropic investment in our students and programs continues to grow as supporters recognize the importance of training the next generation to think critically, adapt to change, and lead responsibly. We thank all of you who make a gift, large or small, and support our students and mission in various ways including through advocacy and volunteerism.
We invite you to peruse our news below to see a few ways our college—and all who support it—are positively impacting students, Kansas and the world.
Get a K-State College of Arts and Sciences t-shirt, sweatshirt, polo, jacket, hat or bag from our exclusive, limited-time webstore! Products are available in purple, black, gray and light purple. Note the new screenprint design and low t-shirt price of only $10.98!
Plus, locals can get free delivery to Calvin Hall on the Manhattan campus! We’ll tell you when your order is ready for pick-up, sometime during the first week of December. You’ll make that selection at checkout.
Consider being a mentor for our Arts and Sciences Mentorship Program in support of students’ professional development as they transition from college to career. You’ll share insight about your industry, in-demand skills, employers and more during in-person or online meetings at times that suit you both.
All professions are welcome; there is high interest in biology, chemistry, data science, economics, graphic design, health and law/legal.
The spring 2026 program starts in February, with registration in January. Learn more at our Mentorship Program page.
This three-day event explores leadership in warfare through historical and contemporary perspectives. The keynote speaker will be Gen. Richard B. Myers, USAF Retired, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and K-State president. Discussions will examine the historical application of the four instruments of national power—diplomatic, informational, military and economic. It is presented by the history department and the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum.
Geocat: Modernizing geospatial cyber infrastructure at K-State
Fri., Nov. 7 | 3:30-5 p.m.
Leadership Studies Building, McVay Town Hall
Wed., Jan. 28, 2026 | 2:30-5 p.m.
Leadership Studies Building, McVay Town Hall
Every January, as part of K-State’s Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Observance Week, we host the Civil Rights Teach-In featuring presentations and discussions around teaching and researching current social issues and the legacy of activism at K-State and beyond. More details will be shared soon.
Sat., April 18, 2026
K-State Student Union and around campus
As K-State hosts its annual Open House, which attracts thousands of visitors to campus, our college will host a fun, one-stop fair showcasing all our academic programs. Several departments will also host other activities around campus.
America 250 celebration
Throughout 2026
Several Arts and Sciences departments are planning events commemorating the U.S.’s 250th anniversary in 2026. We will host a variety of public events to reflect on “the great experiment” and the 250-year journey since it began. Partners include Riley County, Manhattan-area museums and other attractions, the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, and more.
As K-State tackles state water challenges with the Kansas Water Institute (KWI), researchers in the College of Arts and Sciences are contributing their expertise in a variety of areas.
With KWI grants focused on interdisciplinary research, Modern languages professors Raelynne Hale and Maria Teresa DePaoli are developing bilingual initiatives to address water needs and sustainability challenges in Spanish-speaking farming communities, as well as a new course called Water in the Americas. Xuan Xu, statistics, and Jeeban Panthi, geology, with HydroInk Alliance, will work to improve management of the rapidly diminishing Ogallala Aquifer and assess its water quantity and quality.
Additionally, Matt Sanderson, sociology, anthropology and social work and geography, is involved in circular waste-recovery research to help protect and conserve the Ogallala Aquifer by turning animal waste from a liability into assets like clean water, fertilizer and energy. He is addressing the slow adoption of such technologies, including government policymaking and early-adopter economic decision-making.
Zak Ratajczak, biology, and students are using remote sensing and machine learning to collect aerial data to detect and combat harmful woody plant encroachment across the Great Plains and other areas of the world.
Allison Louthan, biology, is exploring the critical relationship between fire and Venus flytrap populations, with implications for conservation biology and climate science. Her team is analyzing how fire history influences the rare carnivorous plant’s current and future population trends.
Mosquito immune system research by Kristin Michel, biology, and Bianca Morejon, a K-State biology alum who’s now a postdoctoral research fellow at Harvard School of Public Health, provides insight into immunology and disease transmission and could inform future disease control efforts, either by boosting or defeating mosquitoes’ immune system.
Kathrin Schrick, biology, and team are gaining a better understanding of how plants detect and use phosphorus, a crucial component in plant growth, which could lead to more efficient production of crops for food, fiber and fuel.
Timothy Durrett, biochemistry, and team have achieved near-pure levels needed to make camelina and pennycress plants viable oilseed crops for biodiesel production and other uses.
William Blake’s tiny engraving of a face on a copper plate (eyes=2.5mm)
Mark Crosby, English, discovered engravings by famous 18th-century poet and artist William Blake on the reverse of copper plates at the University of Oxford’s Bodleian Libraries. Blake likely created the doodles while an apprentice engraver honing his craft. Unnoticed until now because of their tiny size, the etchings were found using new, high-resolution scanning technology. Watch for more discoveries as Crosby continues this project and the 2027 bicentennial of Blake’s death approaches. (View Smithsonian magazine article and Crosby’s Reuters interview.)
A Renaissance-era Vatican Mass has been brought back to life in a recording by the Kansas City Chorale, which includes Bryan Pinkall, director of K-State’s School of Music, Theatre, and Dance. Pinkall is a soloist on the album and the marketing director for the chorale, which has won five Grammy Awards since he joined. The Mass was rediscovered and reconstructed by K-State alum Patrick Dittamo, now a doctoral fellow at University of Chicago. While at K-State, he received an Arts and Sciences travel scholarship to attend an early-music notation summer program at Yale University.
Honors
Economics and psychology programs earn national ranking
The Coffman Chair program highlights K-State’s commitment to excellence in undergraduate teaching. Recipients are provided resources to conduct a research project or develop programs to improve educational methods at K-State. They also retain the title of teaching scholar while at K-State.
Craig Spencer was selected as the 2025-2026 Coffman Chair. He is helping the mathematics department create a more coherent and effective mathematics curriculum that meets the varied needs of students. He hopes to improve retention rates and help the department become a model for math education.
Bharat Ratra, physics, was awarded the American Physical Society’s 2025 Julius Edgar Lilienfeld Prize for outstanding contributions to physics and exceptional skills in lecturing to diverse audiences.
David Auckly, professor of mathematics, and Anna Marie Wytko, professor of music, have been named University Distinguished Professors, the highest faculty title given by the university—only three received it in 2025. Auckly is recognized for his work in geometric topology, mathematical physics, and efforts to expand access to mathematics education. Wytko is honored for her contributions as a saxophonist and educator in performance and instruction.
Shawn Hutchinson, geography, is one of two K-State faculty members selected for the prestigious Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program. He will use the opportunity to do grassland ecosystem research at the University of Nottingham, England.
Five Arts and Sciences faculty members have been named University Outstanding Scholars. This honor recognizes exceptional mid-career tenured faculty members who demonstrate extraordinary potential for academic distinction; continuing, outstanding impact in their fields through scholarly and/or creative activities; and professional leadership and service.
Here are just a few examples of how we’re making a difference in Kansas and the world and students are getting valuable hands-on experiences that give them an edge in the job market.
Student-driven multimedia documentaries show food insecurity in Kansas
Screenshot of “The Table We Share” video on YouTube
“The Table We Share” is a documentary about Emmaus House, a food pantry, soup kitchen, and unhoused shelter in Garden City, Kan. It was produced by a multidisciplinary team of undergraduate and graduate students and faculty members. They did fieldwork and on-location filming during spring break through the social transformation studies department’s Engaged Stories Lab.
Photo by Julia Alley for Hungry Heartland storytelling project
“The Table We Share” will be submitted to some film festivals and the team will present about the project at the American Society for Environmental History’s 2026 meeting.
Psychological sciences department helps rural Kansas community meet all generations’ needs
Psychology faculty and students are helping Logan, Kan., evaluate whether its new multi-use, multigenerational community center, which integrates a long-term care facility with a preschool and elementary school, is meeting all its residents’ needs in a way that improves educational outcomes, enhances quality of life and is fiscally sustainable. Read more.
Chapman Center and partners install markers that tell Manhattan’s history on its Linear Trail
Chapman Center for Rural Studies is collaborating with Manhattan Genealogical Society and Manhattan Public Library on the Walking Through History on the Linear Trail project to place historical markers along the 9.4-mile trail. The markers tell the story of Manhattan’s early days and include topics such as railroads, floods, Exodusters and more.
Science departments support Rocks and Rockets science fair in Colby
K-State’s chemistry, geologyand physicsdepartments provided interactive exhibits for the annual Rocks and Rockets community science fair in Colby, Kan., last summer. The event drew more than 500 visitors and 47 volunteers, including other schools and the Kansas Geological Survey, Kansas Biological Survey and National Weather Service. And it was all coordinated by K-State geology alum Sarah Lamm, now a Ph.D. candidate at University of Kansas.
Modern Languages students offer bilingual storytime at Manhattan Public Library
Chapman Scholars gain skills during summer applied learning experiences
From language and art studies in Mexico and Italy to geochemistry and tallgrass sustainability research in Wyoming and Kansas, the 2024 Chapman Scholars gained valuable hands-on experience to prepare for their futures.
Students gain international experience and course credits through Spain Today and KSU in Japan and Italy programs
Spanish majors and minors from multiple K-State colleges gained valuable research experience and Spanish language immersion during the Spain Today summer program led by Spanish professor Rebecca Bender from May 18-June 18. Students took courses, did independent research projects and earned six credits. Read more.
The KSU in Japan program participants took courses in computer science and Japanese culture and language while visiting an array of companies, laboratories, cultural sites and historical monuments in Tokyo, Fukuoka, Nagasaki, Nara and Kyoto. The program was led by Japanese professor Miki Loschky from May 26-June 9. Read more.
A variety of KSU in Italy programs are also offered each year. In the Arts and Culture program planned for next summer, 2026, students will experience Italian culture while earning six credits in Orvieto, Italy! They will choose two out of six courses on Italian language, music, food and wine and even fungi, plus photography and storytelling and the biochemistry of wine and cheese fermentation! Financial aid is available. Application priority date is Nov. 20.
Ireland football game offers unique opportunities for communications and band students
Media and communication students in the KSU in Ireland: Sports and Leadership program got unique lessons in intercultural storytelling and sports leadership as they delivered student-run Wildcat 91.9 FM’s first-ever international radio broadcast from Dublin. Read about their experience.
After experiencing travel delays, the exhausted but enthusiastic Pride gave the performance of a lifetime! They paraded the streets and pub-crawled like never before and put on a spectacular halftime show with Iowa State’s band! Read about their experience leading up to the game and what drum major Colby Johnston had to say about this once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Math department hosts empowering events for youth in Kansas and beyond
The mathematics department hosts multiple outreach events that empower elementary through high school students to explore math and its connection to STEM, art, music and other fields. Attendees venture outside the standard school curriculum and enjoy puzzles, games and other engaging activities with faculty members and students on campus and virtually. Read about it.
Science departments recognize high school teachers who inspire future scientists
Five teachers representing schools in Olathe, Riley, Garden Plain, Dodge City and Scott City were named Kansas High School Science Teachers of the Year by our biology, chemistry, geologyand physicsdepartments. They were nominated by former students who were inspired by them to pursue sciences. The teachers were presented cash prizes during an expenses-paid, VIP campus visit with a few of their students. Read more.
Art department’s national printmaking conference draws hundreds to Manhattan
The conference was focused on sustainability and the environment and featured printmaking demonstrations, panels and exhibitions as well as free community events in Downtown Manhattan.
The conference received more than $40,000 in grants from the Kansas Arts Commission and Greater Manhattan Community Foundation to support the community events.
77 Arts and Sciences students earn paid research experiences
In 2025, our college awarded Undergraduate Research Awards to 44 students in the spring and 33 in summer and fall. Awardees are doing faculty-mentored research on such topics as cancer therapeutics, fish spawning influences, music’s impact on athlete performance, how individuals experience solitude, the use of dance to improve movement skills, the impact of nitric oxide on microbial competition, and the impact of supportive workplace relationships outside of work.
Twenty-one K-State students in a variety of majors received $2,000 Undergraduate Cancer Research Awards from the Johnson Cancer Research Center to gain hands-on, faculty-mentored experience in cancer research.
As an electric utility financial analyst, Erich Von Heuvel makes sure Lubbock Power & Light will be able to continue providing electricity to its city. As a K-State Master of Public Administration student, he is enhancing his skills and becoming a leader in his field. In fact, the Government Finance Officers Association awarded him a $30,000 Goldberg-Miller Public Finance Scholarship, a national honor that supports emerging leaders in the field.
Abbey Griffin, a recent graduate in nutrition and health with a secondary major in dance, explored the complexities of self-image, physique and wellness, and choreographed “The Way That It Is,” a dance that homes in on well-being of the mind and how it can create altered perspectives of the body through the simple act of looking in a mirror.
Conservation biology student Sam Speck investigates how woody encroachment, or the takeover of native prairie grasslands by shrubs and trees, is affecting wildlife populations, which can be harmful for human health. His research was impressive enough to earn him an undergraduate honorarium from the American Society of Mammalogists, one of the world’s leading groups for the study of mammals.
Kutina Cabrera, a recent graduate in Frenchand psychologywho is now pursuing a graduate degree, will use her Fulbright award tostudy France’s well-regarded approach to worker well-being and earn a master’s degree in social psychology of work and organizations at Aix-Marseille University in Aix-en-Provence, France. She aims to improve employee health, safety and well-being in the U.S. through occupational health and safety policy change.
While at K-State, recent political science graduate Andrew Navarro—now starting his first year at Miami Law School—did multiple research projects; was active in student organizations like student government, Model United Nations and Students for Environmental Action; and volunteered more than 200 hours. Last spring, his exceptional academics, leadership, research and service earned him a prestigious $8,500 Phi Kappa Phi graduate fellowship!
Goldwater Scholars work to improve the world
Barry M. Goldwater scholarships were awarded to K-State biology and chemistry students in 2024 and 2025. The national scholarships pay college-related expenses up to $7,500 for excellent students who are active in research and intend to pursue a career in math, science or engineering.
Our 2024 Goldwater Scholar was Helen Winters. She is majoring in fisheries, wildlife, conservation and environmental biology and leading a multi-year research project on climate adaptation in 26 populations of big bluestem grass, one of the most common and crucial grasses in the prairies and plains of North America.
Four Arts and Sciences students are among the seven inaugural Undergraduate Water Fellows selected by the Kansas Water Institute: Helen Winters, senior in biology and fisheries, wildlife, conservation and environmental biology; Prabhleen Kaur, chemistry; Allison Ricker, fisheries, wildlife and conservation biology; and Emma Grace Tyndall, environmental science. They receive research support and scholarships.
Anthropology alum Jordan Thomas ’16 is 2025 National Book Award Finalist
Jordan Thomas, a 2016 anthropologygraduate, has been named a 2025 National Book Award finalist in nonfiction for his book, When It All Burns: Fighting Fire in a Transformed World. Thomas is an anthropologist and former Los Padres “Hotshot” wildland firefighter. His book traces the historical, ecological and sociological factors fueling California’s increasingly catastrophic wildfires, woven through the story of one brutal fire season on the crew. He is currently a Chancellor’s Fellow at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Biochemistry and microbiology alum Vaithish Velazhahan ’18 receives Soros Fellowship for medical school
Vaithish Velazhahan, a 2018 graduate in medical biochemistryand microbiology, recently received a 2025 Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for outstanding immigrants and children of immigrants who are pursuing graduate school in the U.S. The recipients were selected from among 2,600 applicants for their potential to make significant contributions to the U.S. and will receive up to $90,000 in funding over two years.
After graduating from K-State, Velazhahan earned a Ph.D. in biological science (structural biology) as a Gates Cambridge Scholar at the University of Cambridge. He is currently pursuing an M.D. at Stanford University with aspirations to practice as a physician-scientist and develop novel therapies for intractable fungal diseases.
While at K-State, Velazhahan did research with Kathrin Schrick, biology, on how dietary flavonoids could help prevent cancer, which led to a first-authored manuscript.
Passionate about global health access, Velazhahan has worked with MEDLIFE in Peru and Ecuador and founded the nonprofit We Save in India, which develops technology to connect doctors with underserved patients.
Fine art alum Allison Bowman ’17 connects nature and community around Kansas City
Allison Bowman ’17 is a prairie-loving, multidisciplinary artist who is active in public art and works for the nonprofit organization, Mid-America Arts Alliance. One of her recent projects, “Prairie in the Parks: Sticker Vending Machine,” highlights four Johnson County parks that focus on natural prairie conservation and restoration. Bowman and other artists designed stickers inspired by the parks that are sold in vending machines that pop up at different libraries and community centers in the area. Read more.
Erica Short ’07 is the creative director for Overflow, in Kansas City. The public relations company specializes in cause-oriented work, storytelling through multi-disciplinary creative production and experience design through live events. It was recently nominated for a 2024 Mid-America EMMY Award for the “You Never Know” campaign, which raises awareness of the dangers of fentanyl and fake pills and how just one can tragically end a life. Read more.
Journalism and math alums Danielle Cornejo Calhoun ’08 and Eric Farmer ’97 are college’s 2025 Alumni Fellows
Calhoun is vice president for DEI at Weber Shandwick, where she develops innovative partnerships and programs and uses social, digital and purpose-driven narratives to create positive impact. In 2023, she was named to PRovoke Media’s Innovator 25 list for the Americas.
Farmer is principal staff mathematician at Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Laboratory, where he designs advanced military defense capabilities. He is an expert in distributed simulation and algorithm analysis and design. He also has taught graduate computer science courses for Johns Hopkins University and programming at local middle schools.
Journalism and mass communications alum Sheila Ellis-Glasper ’10 impacts her community through entrepreneurialism and advocacy
Sheila Ellis-Glasper is the founding owner of SEG Media Collective, a social media and branding agency in Manhattan, Kan. She is also the executive director of Black Entrepreneurs of the Flint Hills, a nonprofit she founded to advocate for underrepresented business owners and help them access resources to thrive. In December 2024, she delivered a moving speech for the college’s commencement ceremony. Read a profile by A.Q. Miller School of Media and Communication.
Mass communication master’s graduate Ryan Urban ’21 selected as a 2025 Distinguished Young Alum
The Distinguished Young Alumni (DYA) program recognizes K-State graduates who are excelling in their professions and contributing to their communities. Ryan Urban ’21 was one of two selected for 2025. He is the marketing manager for Naturion, a company that restores degraded ecosystems. After earning his bachelor’s in communication at Pittsburg State University, Urban earned his master’s in mass communications from K-State. Born into a purple-bleeding family, Urban said in his DYA speech (YouTube) that he was “destined to go to K-State—there was no way out of it—it was purple or bust.”
Microbiology alum Heather Wilkins ’08 studies Alzheimer’s and other diseases at KU Med
Heather Wilkins ’08 became interested in biomedical research while attending pre-veterinary club meetings at K-State. That led her to pursue a microbiologymajor and chemistryminor. After graduating from K-State in 2008, she earned her Ph.D. in biology at the University of Denver in 2013. After that, she joined the University of Kansas Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center as a postdoctoral fellow and then transitioned to the KU Medical Center faculty in 2019. She is now an associate professor of neurology at KU Med, where she researches how brain energy influences Alzheimer’s disease pathology. Read more.
We are excited for a new academic year with some new leaders on our team and great things happening throughout our departments! In this brief newsletter, we’re pleased to share some news from around the college and invite you to join our alumni-to-student mentorship program and any of our special events.
We’re also excited to share stories of a few of our many alumni who are excelling in their careers and impacting their communities. We are proud of you all and grateful for your support!
Sincerely,
Chris Culbertson, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Professor of Chemistry
Mary Cain, Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies, Professor in Psychological Sciences
Kimathi Choma, Assistant Dean for Diversity, Recruitment and Retention
Christie Launius, Associate Dean for Student Success, Engagement and Undergraduate Studies, Associate Professor in Social Transformation Studies
Ben Stark, Assistant Dean for Infrastructure and Faculty Support, Professor of Theatre
Scott Tanona, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Planning, Associate Professor of Philosophy
