Kansas State University

Civil Rights Teach-In — Knowledge in Motion: From Ancestral Language to Future Cures

Wed., Jan. 28, 2026 | 2:30-5 p.m.
Leadership Studies Building, McVay Family Town Hall

Join in the 12th Annual Civil Rights Teach-In, proudly presented by our college during K-State’s annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Observance Week. It is a free, come-and-go event that’s open to the public.

This teach-in explores how knowledge—whether carried through language, preserved in libraries, or generated through scientific inquiry—can shape history, advance justice for all, and save lives. The talks invite us to reflect on whose knowledge is valued, how access to information fuels innovation, and why recognizing and protecting knowledge systems is central to civil rights and collective liberation.

Schedule

• 2:30 – Greeting and Land Acknowledgment
• 2:35 – Welcome by Dean Culbertson
• 2:40 – “Top Secret Mission: The Navajo Code Talkers of World War II”
• 3:30 – “Impacts of Libraries: From Peter Pan, the Fall of Rome, and the Titanic to Modern-Day Therapeutic Discovery”
• 4:20 – Panel Discussion and Q&A with Drs. Harrison and Rafferty

Presentations

“You Can’t Do That with Statistics!” seminar presentation

Thu., Jan. 28 | 4-5 p.m.
163 Justin Hall

Sponsored by Department of Statistics

Chris Bilder, a statistics professor at University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a K-State alum, will discuss the problematic statistical data and analyses that led to the decision to eliminate the statistics department at UNL last December. This “tale of failed shared governance” will describe how faculty metrics of productivity were analyzed and suggest better practices moving forward.

Bilder, a fellow of the American Statistical Association, is well-known for his high-quality, innovative teaching, demonstrated by over a decade’s worth of lectures on YouTube.

College Faculty Meeting

Thu., Feb. 5 | 4-5 p.m. | 106 Kedzie Hall

The college will hold faculty meetings on the first Thursday of every month through May at 106 Kedzie Hall. All faculty and staff members are welcome. Only faculty who are eligible to vote in Faculty Senate elections may vote.

Future meeting dates are:

• March 5
• April 2
• May 7

ArtSci Drop-By

Thu., Feb. 5 | 5-6:30 p.m. | Union Fireside Lounge, outside JP’s

Join us at this fun, informal social for all Arts and Sciences faculty and staff! Heavy hors d’oeuvres provided.

Bridging Campus and Community: Arts and Sciences Engagement Symposium

K-State faculty members, instructors and graduate students are invited to this free, on-campus symposium designed to strengthen community-engaged teaching, research and creative work. Participants will gain practical strategies for expanding the impact of their work beyond the university and for incorporating applied learning experiences into their courses.

Highlights:

• keynote presenter-led workshop on curriculum and syllabus design
• panel with local community organizations
• presentations from faculty members who have led successful engagement projects
• networking with campus partners
• evening community orchestra performance

Arts and Sciences Faculty and Staff Awards Celebration

Thu., March 5 | 5-7 p.m.

Plan to join us as we present awards to some of our outstanding faculty and staff members! Watch your inbox for more details and RSVP information.

Chapman Center Research Showcase

March 5 | 3:30-5 p.m. | 112 Leasure Hall

This showcase will feature a panel presenting research sponsored by the Chapman Center for Rural Studies, an announcement of the latest Interdisciplinary Research Grant recipient, and information about future funding opportunities. Refreshments will be provided.

5th Annual K-State Social Media Week

Mark your calendar for K-State Social Media Week, April 13-17, presented by the A.Q. Miller School of Media and Communication. Events will be offered in a variety of formats, including in-person, online and hybrid. All students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members are invited.

View all College of Arts and Sciences events

Important dates

See university academic calendar for more details.

• Jan. 26 – Last Day to ADD Course(s) without instructor permission
• Jan. 30 – Instructors may drop students for non-attendance
• Feb. 13 – A/Pass/Fail Grading Option Request Deadline
• Feb. 13 – Academic Progress Reports Available in SSC-Navigate
• Feb. 16 – Census: 20th Day Deadline for changing program/plan
• Feb. 23 – Last Day to Drop Classes – no ‘W’ on Transcript (16-wk classes)
• March 15-22 – Spring Break!

Human Resources reminders for January and February

• Staff performance evaluations
  All 2025 staff evaluations must be complete by Jan. 31, 2026. More information is on the Performance Management Overview page. HR liaisons will soon share additional guidance on the 2026 evaluation process with supervisors.
• Supervisory training
  Registration is now open for the multi-session K-State Supervisory Foundations training. All supervisors are encouraged to complete it. Registration is on K-State’s HR training catalog, which lists all available HR training opportunities and courses.

Scott Tanona and Mary Kohn reappointed

We are pleased to announce that Scott Tanona, associate dean for academic affairs and planning, and Mary Kohn, director of the Chapman Center for Rural Studies, have been reappointed to those positions following robust 5-year reviews. The university requires five-year reviews for all academic administrators and unit heads.

University awards

Apply or nominate Arts and Sciences colleagues or students for the following university awards.

Faculty and Graduate Teaching Assistants

• University Distinguished Faculty Award for Mentoring of Undergraduate Students in Research
  Nominations due Feb. 15
• Presidential Award for Outstanding Department Head
  Packets due to Dean’s Office by Feb. 3. Please email materials in PDF format to asc-materials@k-state.edu.
• Presidential Faculty and Graduate Teaching Assistant Awards for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching
  Packets due to Dean’s Office by Feb. 15. Please email materials in PDF format to asc-materials@k-state.edu.
• Commerce Bank and Kemper Foundation Undergraduate Outstanding Teaching Awards
  Packets due to asc-materials@k-state.edu by Feb. 15
• Big 12 Fellowship Program
  Applications due Feb. 15
• University Outstanding Scholar Award
  Nominations due March 1
• Faculty Development Awards and University Small Research Grants
  Early March; check website periodically for 2026 updates

Students

• University Award for Distinguished Undergraduate in Research
  Applications due Feb. 15

Nominate Arts and Sciences students and alumni for Alumni Association awards

Graduating student award nominations are due March 9 for:

• Anderson Senior Awards for outstanding leadership, service, academics and inspiration
• Graduate Student Awards
• International Leadership Awards
• LGBTQ+ Leadership Awards
• Robinson Family Multicultural Leadership Awards
• Tony Jurich Community Commitment and Leadership Awards

Distinguished Young Alumni Award nominations are due April 20.

Employee Well-Being events

The faculty and staff well-being team provides initiatives, programs and opportunities for employees to prioritize their physical, emotional, social and financial health.

Several activities are being held in February and March, including:

Health and Well-Being Open Forum
Feb. 4| Noon-1 p.m.

Community Safety Talk—Love and Money
Feb. 12 | 11 a.m.-Noon

Mediterranean-Inspired Nutrition Demo
Feb. 13 | Noon-1 p.m.

Coffee, Community and Connections: K-State Perks and Resources Showcase
March 2 | 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m.

Community Safety Talks – Fentanyl Awareness: What You Need to Know
March 4 | 10:30-11:30 a.m.

Anthropology professor receives AAAS Sussman award

Congratulations to Marta P. Alfonso-Durruty, associate professor in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work! She was selected to receive the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s 2026 Robert W. Sussman Award for Scientific Contributions to Anthropology. The award recognizes meritorious scientific contributions to the field of anthropology by mid-career anthropologists.

Dr. Alfonso-Durruty has made exceptional contributions to biological anthropology, particularly through her studies of skeletal biology, diet, and population history. Her research integrates biological and cultural perspectives to enrich our understanding of the lives and interactions of past peoples in the Andes and Patagonia.

She has also provided vital leadership in the field, including as a National Science Foundation rotator program director for biological anthropology.

Modern Languages’ literary journal turns 50

The journal, Studies in Twentieth and Twenty-First Century Literature, edited by Department of Modern Languages faculty and international scholars, celebrates 50 years of publishing and more than a million downloads!

The journal was started in 1976 by K-State faculty members who donated their own money and time to the cause. Since then, it has published more than 1,000 articles, many book reviews, and two academic books.

In 2014, it moved to an open-access format, meaning all the research since 1976 is available online to anyone in the world for free. Since then, articles from the journal have been downloaded more than 1 million times. Keeping the journal open-access is part of a big commitment by the university and K-State Libraries to open scholarship.

You can find some fun historical information provided by the journal’s current editor, Kathleen Antonioli, associate professor of French, in the introduction of Volume 50, Issue 1, published earlier this month.

Teaching excellence is a top priority of our college! Each year, we present several awards for exemplary teaching and honor the recipients at a celebration in the spring.

Ivan Blank, professor of mathematics, was presented a Ronald N. Gaches Teaching Award recognizing innovative teaching of upper-level undergraduate courses.

His nominator, math professor and department head Pietro Poggi-Corradini, said this about Dr. Blank:

“[He] is an extremely popular instructor and can convey difficult, abstract concepts in ways that the students can understand. He is making a difference in these students’ lives and in their ability to be successful at the next level.”

Walter Baybutt, then-junior in mechanical engineering, said:

“Dr. Blank’s teaching methods are enthusiastic, thorough, and helpful. If a student struggled to grasp a concept, Dr. Blank would go above and beyond to provide relatable examples that made even the most problematic topics trivial.”