Kansas State University

Welcome to the Spring 2024 semester in the College of Arts & Sciences!

We look forward to meeting many of you through advisor meetings and events we’ll sponsor throughout the semester. In fact, we hope to see you at our Civil Rights Teach-In next Wed., Jan. 24! You can read about it below.

I encourage you to take advantage of the undergraduate research awards we offer. Recipients get $1,000 to do faculty-mentored research or creative projects. You can learn more about this program and some others below. Do something you’re passionate about to make your major come alive and personally relevant!

Even with good planning, things can go wrong. We’re here to help. If you have an issue that could negatively impact your success, contact us as soon as possible to help you solve it. Visit or email our Center for Student Success and Engagement in 107 Calvin Hall, artsci@k-state.edu. We in the Dean’s Office want to help you thrive and have a great college experience that leads to a rewarding career.

FAFSA (federal financial aid application) now open

After federal delays, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is now open. You must submit the FAFSA to apply for federal financial aid including grants, work-study and loans. The new version takes only 10 minutes to complete. The priority date is March 1. Visit K-State’s FAFSA page.

Three reasons to fill out the FAFSA even if you don’t plan to use loans or other financial aid:

1. Many students qualify for Pell grants and don’t realize it.
2. Many scholarships awarded through KSN require financial information that is drawn directly from the FAFSA.
3. It’s helpful for students to have all their options ready as back-up in case their finances change throughout the year.

Register for K-State scholarships by March 15!

K-State offers a lot of different scholarships. But you must register in K-State Scholarship Network to apply for them. Create a profile that matches you with all the scholarship opportunities you are eligible for. The priority date for current students applying for next year is March 15.

10th Annual Civil Rights Teach-In

Wed., Jan. 24, 2024 | 2:30-5 p.m.
Leadership Studies Building, McVay Town Hall

Similar to a sit-in protest, a teach-in is an educational forum surrounding a complicated issue, often involving current political affairs. The College of Arts and Sciences is pleased to present the 10th Annual Civil Rights Teach-In Jan. 24 as part of K-State’s Martin Luther King, Jr., Observance Week.

Join the conversation about social justice issues relating to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. Come see some or all three of the presentations given from 2:30-5 p.m. at Leadership Studies Building, McVay Town Hall.

2:30-3:10 – Unveiling Historical Truths: How Treaties and Indigenous Knowledges Speak to Land Grant Promises

LaVerne Bitsie-Baldwin (Navajo), Indigenous Faculty and Staff Alliance (IFSA) co-chair and Multicultural Engineering Program director

Rebecca Paz, Office of First-Generation Students assistant director and Alianza historian

Corey Williamson, assistant vice president for diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging and Black Faculty and Staff Alliance treasurer

Lisa Tatonetti, Coffman University Distinguished Teaching Professor and IFSA secretary

3:15-3:55 – Engaging Research: Students Working to Tell Land Grant Stories

Student panelists: Cassidy Hartig, Lillianna Lamagna, Elvia Lopez-Morales, Abigail Whitney (Choctaw)

Moderator: Mary Kohn, English professor and Chapman Center for Rural Studies director

4:00-5:00 – Imagining Otherwise: How Arts & Humanities Forward the Land Grant Mission

David Mackay, associate director of theater in School of Music, Theatre, and Dance

Important academic dates

See university academic calendar for more details.

Jan. 16 – First Day of Spring 2024 Classes. Late Enrollment Fee assessed.
Jan. 22 – Last Day to ADD Course(s) without Instructor Permission
Feb. 5 – Last Day for 100% Refund (16-week classes)
Feb. 5 – Last Day to Opt-Out for Full Textbook Refund
Feb. 5 – Instructors May Drop Students for Non-Attendance
Feb. 9 – A/Pass/Fail Grading Option Request Deadline
Feb. 9 – Academic Progress Reports Available in SSC-Navigate
Feb. 12 – Census: 20th Day Deadline for making changes to program/plan
Feb. 12 – Last Day for 50% Refund (16-week classes)

Student research funding opportunities

Student research opportunities abound in the College of Arts and Sciences, and we’re committed to making sure you get one if you want one. Every spring, summer and fall, the college provides $1,000 awards for undergraduate student research and creative endeavors, as well as travel funds to present at and attend conferences. Learn more on the college’s Student Research and Creative Inquiry Opportunities page.

The Johnson Cancer Research Center and Chapman Center for Rural Studies also offer research awards, as does K-State’s Office of Scholar Development and Undergraduate Research.

Mark Chapman Scholars Program

The Mark Chapman Scholars Program helps promising Arts and Sciences students fund meaningful summer projects early in their undergraduate careers and offers support for the following academic year. Five awards of $5,000 are given each year—$3,000 to fund a summer activity and $1,000 per semester in the following academic year. Applications are due March 1.

ArtSci Mentorship Program registration due January 29

The ArtSci Mentorship Program is open to all undergraduate students in the College of Arts and Sciences. Students are paired with professionals who provide insight and guidance for career preparation and pathways and help students develop a professional network. It is facilitated on WildcatLink. Activate your account by signing in with your K-State eID. Sign up by Jan. 29 to be onboarded before the program launches Feb. 5. If you have questions, contact the program coordinator, Zac Malcolm, malcoz@ksu.edu.

Employer Pitch Nights through the Career Center

K-State’s Career Center will host Employer Pitch Nights for various career pathways. These Zoom events, from 5:30-7:00 p.m., feature 10 employers each. In the first hour, employers get five minutes each to discuss their organizations and “pitch” jobs and internships. The final 30 minutes will be for breakout sessions in which students and employers can network, address questions about companies or jobs and discuss skills and experience employers look for. Details are still developing, so stay tuned in to the Career Center.

• Health and Life Sciences – Jan. 30 and Feb. 1
• Agriculture and Natural Resources – Feb. 6 and 8

Apply to show off your research at the Kansas Capitol

Undergraduate researchers from all disciplines are encouraged to apply to present their research at Kansas Undergraduate Research Day at the Capitol March 1. Click the link above to learn more about this poster symposium and apply by noon Feb. 1!

EXCITE Shadow Day ambassadors needed

K-State’s Office for the Advancement of Women in STEM (KAWSE) seeks STEM majors to serve as ambassadors for EXCITE, a program that pairs high school students, or shadows, with ambassadors majoring in the shadows’ fields of interest. Together, they attend classes, tour campus, eat lunch and talk about life as a Wildcat. A $10 meal card is provided to each.

Spring 2024 EXCITE Shadow Days will be Feb. 21, March 27, April 3 and 17. Learn more and apply at KAWSE’s Volunteer Opportunities page or contact program coordinator Stephanie Rose, stephrose@k-state.edu.

Gain teaching experience as an After-School Program volunteer

UFM Community Learning Center seeks volunteers to help with elementary student tutoring sessions in creative art and science (or STEAM), math and reading. Sessions are from 4-6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, starting Jan. 29. A tutor training session is required. Contact Erin Ford at erin@tryufm.org.

Visit K-State’s One Stop Shop for help and resources

K-State’s One Stop Shop is a great resource for information on academics, paying for college, student life, health and safety, and technology. Check it out whenever you wonder about money and jobs, involvement with groups and activities, housing, dining and more!

Arts and Sciences Student Research Awardees selected

Thirty-six College of Arts and Sciences undergraduate students are receiving research awards from the college for spring 2024. They will do faculty-mentored, semester-long research and creative projects and receive $1,000 scholarships.

The college is committed to providing a research opportunity to every Arts and Sciences student who wants one. These awards are offered in spring, summer and fall. Applications for this summer and fall are due March 1 and May 1, respectively.

read more

Johnson Cancer Research Center presents student awards

K-State’s Johnson Cancer Research Center selected 32 students from across the university to receive Cancer Research Awards for 2023-2024.

read more

Biology doctoral student receives Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences fellowship

Aleah Querns, doctoral student in biology, was one of three K-State graduate students awarded fellowships for the spring 2024 semester by the natural resources and environmental sciences secondary major program.

read more

Chemistry Undergraduate Research Fellowships awarded

Chemistry students Carson Cole and Prabhleen Kaur received $5,000 inaugural K-State Taylor Chair of Chemistry Undergraduate Summer Research Fellowships to do full-time research this summer! Congrats to them and their faculty mentors, Drs. Sues and Higgins!

Scholar Development and Undergraduate Research grantees selected

More than 30 students received fall 2023 travel and research grants through K-State’s Office of Scholar Development and Undergraduate Research. 

read more

Social science writing contest winners announced 

Congrats to Sawyer Shutts, senior in political science and international studies; Katey West, sophomore in political science, pre-law, with a minor in Middle East studies; and Max Wellbrock-Talley, senior in social science and minoring in political science and economics on winning the Live Ideas Social Science Writing Contest last fall! They won $200, $100 and $50 prizes.

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K-State chemist receives $1.1M NIH grant for research on ion atmospheres in biological systems

K-State chemistry professor Paul Smith and team have received a $1.1 million NIH grant to develop a better strategy for studying ion atmospheres, which play a critical role in modulating interactions between biomolecules like proteins, DNA, RNA and lipids.

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