Kansas State University

Curriculog support

Associate Dean Scott Tanona is holding virtual drop-in help sessions to support completing the curriculum templates and Academic Degree Maps. Use this Zoom link to join one of the sessions below. If you can’t attend any of them or you want one-on-one help, please contact Stacy Vars at sjvars@ksu.edu, or Becky O’Donnell at bodonnel@ksu.edu, to make an appointment. 

Wed., Nov. 8 | 10:30-11:30 a.m. and 4-5 p.m.
Thu., Nov. 9 | 9-10 a.m.
Tue., Nov. 14 | 10:30-11:30 a.m.
Wed., Nov. 15 | 2-3 p.m.
Wed., Nov. 22 | 10-11 a.m.
Tue., Nov. 28 | 11 a.m.-noon
Thu., Nov. 30 | 10-11 a.m.

Interim director of media and communication named

Dean Chris Culbertson has named Heather Woods, associate professor in the A.Q. Miller School of Media and Communication, the new interim director of the school. Woods is also the school’s associate director for graduate programs and research.

The college thanks Colene Lind, associate professor in media and communication, for serving as acting director for the past few months. A search is underway for a permanent director.

Nov. 10 – Veterans Day Observed (university open, classes in session)
Nov. 20-24 – Thanksgiving break for students
Nov. 23-24 – Thanksgiving holiday/Campus closed
Dec. 8 – Last Day of Classes (Grade rosters created at 5 p.m. in KSIS)
Dec. 9 – Arts and Sciences Commencement
Dec. 11-15 – Final Examinations
Dec. 12 – Deadline to Return I-NR Grade
Dec. 19 – Grades Due by 5 p.m. (4pm if grading in CANVAS)
Dec. 20 – Grades available in KSIS
Dec. 25-29 – Winter Break: Reduced University Activity-Campus Closed 

Annual University Holiday Memo

More information about holidays and reduced activity during Winter Break is in the annual University Holiday Memo.

Veterans Day Observance – Nov. 10

The university will be open and classes in session when Veterans Day is observed Friday, Nov. 10. Only employees required to conduct necessary business should be requested to work. Non-exempt employees who work shall be compensated at 1.5 times (either time or pay). Exempt staff who work will be given equivalent time off at a later date. More info is in the Holiday Memo.

Voting Privileges: Election Day – November 7, 2023

Polling locations are generally open 7 a.m.-7 p.m., allowing most employees to vote outside work hours. If an employee cannot get to the polls outside of work hours, time should be allowed to go vote without leave being charged. More information is at PPM Chapter 4860.

2023 Discretionary Day – Use it or lose it

Remember to use your 2023 discretionary day by Dec. 23. You can determine if you have an available discretionary day by logging into Employee Self Service/HRIS. If a line for “D-Day” appears, you have an available discretionary day (an hours balance will not be displayed). Once you use your discretionary day, the line will disappear.

New email address for submitting leave requests

Arts and Sciences Human Resources has created a new email address for submitting leave requests. If you submit your time to Shared Services, please use astime@ksu.edu in the box that looks like this:

This applies to A.Q. Miller School of Media and Communication; Art; Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics; Chemistry; Geography and Geospatial Sciences; Geology; History; Modern Languages; Political Science; Psychological Sciences; Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work; Social Transformation Studies; and Statistics; and Dean’s Office employees.

College Meetings

Faculty Meeting

Thu., Nov. 9 | 3:30-5 p.m. | 004 King Hall

Department Heads Meeting

Thu., Dec. 7 | 8:30-10 a.m. | 206 Union

Commencement Walkthrough

Thu., Dec. 7 | 3-5 p.m. | Bramlage Coliseum
Faculty/staff helping with Commencement should attend. It may only last an hour or so.

Faculty Meeting (NOTE LATER START TIME)

Thu., Dec. 7 | 4 p.m. | 004 King Hall
Please note, this meeting has been moved to 4 p.m. instead of the usual 3:30 to allow for attending the university-set Commencement Walkthrough.

College Events

Coffee Collab: VoiceThread for Instructors

By Deborah Goins and Dr. Raelynne Hale
Tue., Nov. 7 | 10-11:30 a.m.
307 Hale Library

Reimagine your instructor presence while elevating student success and engagement with VoiceThread. This presentation and storytelling tool integrates with Canvas and transforms PowerPoint slides, videos, images, voice, text and drawings into interactive collaborations. Faculty are invited to participate in a pilot program this spring to test it out and consider group investment.

ArtSci Drop-By

Thu., Nov. 9 | 5:15-7 p.m. | Union Station by JP’s
All college staff and faculty are invited to this relaxing social event.

ArtSci Drop-By: Happy Holidays!

Thu., Dec. 7 | 5:15-7 p.m. | Union Station by JP’s
All college staff and faculty are invited to this come-and-go social event to celebrate the holiday season together in a relaxed atmosphere.

Arts and Sciences Commencement

Sat., Dec. 9 | 8:30-10 a.m. | Bramlage Coliseum
Support faculty/staff should arrive at 7:15, 8 or 8:15, depending on role.

Student Events – Please tell your students!

Career Readiness – Social Work Career Day event

Thu., Nov. 9 | 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
The social work program, in the department of sociology, anthropology and social work, will host a Social Work Career Day, where you can network with social service agencies and learn about career options. Lunch will be provided. Advance registration is required.

Career Readiness – English Alumni Connections event

Fri., Nov. 10 | 3:30-4:30 p.m. | Zoom

A panel of English alums will talk about their paths to careers in publishing, librarianship, grant writing, law and academic coaching. This event is open to all students including non-English majors. For more information, email english@ksu.edu.

CANCELED – Grad Brunch & Pics with Willie – CANCELED

Tue., Dec. 5 | noon-1 p.m. | 301 Calvin Hall
Free waffles and pics with Willie the Wildcat for Arts and Sciences students

Events around the college

Navajo code talkers of World War II presentation

By Spintz Harrison, teaching associate professor of American ethnic studies
Wed., Nov. 8 | 6:30 p.m.
13 Leasure Hall

Winter Dance Concert 2023 – Shifting Landscapes

Thu., Nov. 9 | 7:30 p.m.
Fri., Nov. 10 | 7:30 p.m.
Sat., Nov. 11 | 2:30 p.m.
Chapman Theatre, Nichols Hall

Join K-State Dance for this annual show to keep your spirit warm! Featuring original choreography by K-State faculty and guest artists in jazz, modern and tap styles.

The Cure Starts with Us Power Luncheon

Sponsored by Johnson Cancer Research Center
Featuring presentations by K-State cancer researchers
Nov. 15 | 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. | Holiday Inn at the Campus
Coco Bolos Buffet
$25/person | $300/8-person table

Plan an event for Week of Welcome in January

Departments and student organizations are encouraged to plan and host events for spring semester Week of Welcome, January 16-20. Show our new and returning students what a great place K-State is!

We enjoyed having alumni visit in October to participate in a career panel and advisory council meeting! Do you recognize any of them?

Alumni Career Panel

We hosted an Arts and Sciences Alumni Career Panel and Networking event Oct. 26. Four recent alums with impressive careers talked about their college-to-career journeys and gave advice for current students and recent grads. Watch the Facebook Live video.

Alumni Council Meeting

It’s always wonderful to get together with our College of Arts and Sciences Alumni Advisory Council! We appreciate the many ways they support us including student mentorship, industry advice and connections, and advocacy. At this Oct. 27 meeting, we heard from Senior Vice President Marshall Stewart and Alumni Association President and CEO Adam Walker, also pictured here.

Geology students find unsafe levels of nitrate in Barton County wells

K-State and Barton Community College students, led by K-State’s Matthew Kirk, associate professor of geology, partnered on a year-long analysis of private water wells in Barton County and found nitrates at levels considered unsafe for human consumption.

The students are part of the Kansas Groundwater GEOPAths undergraduate research program supported by the National Science Foundation and K-State’s geology department.

Read the full Great Bend Tribune story.

K-State Physicists collaborate with 2023 Nobel laureates

K-State’s physics department has close ties with this year’s winners of the Nobel Prize in Physics. J.R. Macdonald Laboratory researchers have been collaborating with the Nobel laureates on attosecond research for years.

The three Nobel laureates—Pierre Agostini, The Ohio State University; Ferenc Krausz, Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics; and Anne L’Huillier, Lund University—created new tools for exploring the world of electrons inside atoms and molecules. They demonstrated a way to create attosecond pulses of light that can be used to measure the rapid processes in which electrons move or change energy. (An attosecond is so short that there are as many in one second as there have been seconds since the birth of the universe.)

K-State researchers have contributed significantly to attosecond science, which seeks to understand and control light-matter interactions at timescales commensurate with electronic motion in atoms and molecules. Such interactions play a critical role in chemical and biological processes like photosynthesis, cell replication and energy flow, and vision.

Continue reading “DEPARTMENT NEWS YOU MAY NOT HAVE HEARD…” →