It was great to visit with first-generation students at our Nov. 6 Lunch with the Deans! We enjoyed getting the students’ input, and they got great tips and insight from our deans and special guests Dr. Rana Johnson, vice president for diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, and Rebeca Paz, assistant director of the First-Generation Student Center.
Author: marcia
NEED-TO-KNOW
Arts and Sciences Enrollment Help Days Nov. 8 and 14
The Dean’s office advising team will host Enrollment Help Days to help students enroll in spring 2024 courses. The sessions will be from 9 a.m.-noon Wed., Nov. 8, and 1-4 p.m. Tue., Nov. 14, in 318 Calvin Hall. Arts and Sciences students are welcome to drop in but they must have already met with their academic advisor and have an approved course schedule. These sessions are for students who have questions about how to enroll or are having difficulty with the process.
Important dates
Nov. 11 | Veteran’s Day Observance but classes are in session
Nov. 19-26 | Thanksgiving Break: No Classes all week
Dec. 8 | Graduation Application Closes
Dec. 8 | Last Day of Classes
Dec. 9 | Arts and Sciences Commencement
Dec. 11-15 | Final Examinations
Dec. 20 | Grades available in KSIS
Financial Assistance: FAFSA delayed
Due to federal delays, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, which must be submitted to apply for federal grants, work-study funds and loans, does not open until December. Therefore, K-State has moved its priority deadline to March 1.
Graduation and Commencement
Congratulations to our graduating seniors and graduate students! The Fall 2023 Undergraduate Commencement ceremony for the College of Arts and Sciences will be at 8:30 a.m. Sat., Dec. 9, at Bramlage Coliseum. Graduate Student Commencement is at 1 p.m. Fri., Dec. 8, at Bramlage Coliseum.
Graduating seniors, please note:
- Wear purple regalia.
- Arrive by 7:30 a.m. to line up with your department.
- Park in the west lot.
- Remember to bring your printed Grad Pass!
- Place tassels on the right and pin honor cords on the left shoulder.
- Do not carry in personal items, including purses, cameras, etc.; they will not be permitted on the floor.
- Wear comfortable shoes; you’ll be standing quite a while and using stairs.
- More information is in the university’s Day-of-Celebration Guide.
For more details about Commencement, including parking and schedule, visit K-State’s Graduation website.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Lunch with the Deans: First-Generation Students
Mon., Nov. 6 | noon-1 p.m. | 301 Calvin Hall
Free pizza with the deans! If you didn’t pre-register but want to come, email Kate Williamson, kate89@ksu.edu, before 11:15 a.m. to see if there’s space for you.
CANCELED – Grad Brunch & Pics with Willie – CANCELED
Tue., Dec. 5 | noon-1 p.m. | 301 Calvin Hall
Graduate School Commencement
Fri., Dec. 8 | 1 p.m. | Bramlage Coliseum
Arts and Sciences Commencement
Sat., Dec. 9 | 8:30-10 a.m. | Bramlage Coliseum
Graduates line up at 7:30 a.m.
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.
RESOURCES AND OPPORTUNITIES
Career Readiness Opportunities
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.
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.
Alumni dish on getting career-ready and being a professional!
We hosted an Alumni Career Panel and Networking event Oct. 26. Four recent Arts and Sciences alums with impressive careers talked about their college-to-career journeys and gave advice for current students and recent grads. Watch our Facebook Live video.
International Education Resources
Celebrate K-State International Education Week Nov. 8-17
Take advantage of K-State International Education Week, Nov. 8-17, to become more internationally and interculturally aware and learn about K-State’s many Education Abroad opportunities. Several activities are planned to inform the K-State community about international initiatives that make our campus a rich and diverse global arena. K-State joins the U.S. Departments of State and Education in celebrating this week to promote programs that prepare future leaders for a global and inclusive environment.
See what an Education Abroad group trip can be like
Michael Wesch, professor of anthropology, took a group of students to Vietnam last spring. Although short, the trip allowed them to immerse themselves in the Cao Dai religion. Watch Dr. Wesch’s video on YouTube.
Learn about faculty-led group trips and other education abroad programs.
Get funding to host a diversity lecture
The college’s Diversity Committee invites applications for the Arts and Sciences Diversity Lecture Series Grant, due Nov. 15. Awards are typically $500-1,000.
First-year students: Join Wildcat Dialogues Nov. 8
All first-year students are encouraged to participate in Wildcat Dialogues, an intercultural learning and leadership event. Plan to attend at 7-9 p.m. Wed., Nov. 8, and help create a community of belonging for all. Reserve your spot by Sun., Nov. 5.
Mental health and other support
With final exams coming up in one month, it’s natural to feel stressed out. Know the resources that are available to all students, including you, and don’t be afraid to seek assistance. (Please note: some office names may have recently changed.)
RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT
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
The physics department, where every undergraduate can participate in research, has close ties with this year’s winners of the Nobel Prize in Physics. Researchers in the department’s J.R. Macdonald Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics Laboratory have been collaborating with the Nobel laureates on attosecond research for years.
The three Nobel laureates—Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz, and Anne L’Huillie—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.
RECENT FUN AND SUPPORTIVE EVENTS
Helping Professions Networking Night
Students got to talk with area employers at the Helping Professions Networking Night event that our college co-sponsored with the College of Health and Human Sciences Oct. 19. Exhibitors included disabilities, counseling, health care and child/family service providers, school districts, police departments and more. See more about the event and exhibitors.
Halloween fun in the Dean’s Office
Halloween was a scary-good time in the Dean’s Office Center for Student Success and Engagement! The office crew decorated doors and visitors voted for their favorite. Sonya Baker’s “Wild Cat Door” won.
FOR FUN – “Arts & Sciences,” a poem by one of our own
“Arts and Sciences”
by Traci Brimhall, K-State English professor and Kansas Poet Laureate
What if this time I don’t begin with a requiem
or a memento mori with a split pomegranate
and a harem of flies? What if instead I tell you
a sleeping octopus changes colors while dreaming,
or how my gender is sable and softens with all
the gorgeous etceteras of age. No one guessed
a chameleon’s tongue measured longer than
its body, but it unscrolled beyond tail, beyond
reasonable need. We wanted the mystery
Continue reading “FOR FUN – “Arts & Sciences,” a poem by one of our own”
NEED-TO-KNOW
Get ready to enroll in spring semester classes!
Priority enrollment for Spring 2024 begins Oct. 23. Check your enrollment date in KSIS by clicking on the Student Center tile. On the right, the Enrollment Dates box indicates the date and time you can enroll.
Your advisor’s contact information is just below the Enrollment Dates in your KSIS Student Center. You can schedule an enrollment appointment with your advisor using Navigate; just log into KSIS and click on the SSC-Navigate Student tile or use the Navigate App.
Meet with your advisor in advance to select courses and place them in your shopping cart so you’re ready to enroll on your enrollment date and time. After you meet with your advisor, please complete the Academic Advising Survey you will find in your KSIS Student Center Holds. Once the survey is complete, the hold should be removed within 10 minutes.
Planning to graduate in December?
If you plan to graduate in December but have not applied for graduation, please apply as soon as possible. Sign in to KSIS with your eID and password, click “Academic Records” and then “Application for Graduation.” If you can’t remember if you’ve applied or you’re just curious about a status update, please do the same. Further instructions can be found online.
The final deadline to apply for graduation is Dec. 8. The deadline to be in the Commencement program was Oct. 2.
Undergraduates must wear purple regalia, which can be purchased from K-State Campus Store. If you already bought black regalia from the store, you can exchange it for purple. The purple costs $5 more.
Important Dates
Oct. 27 – Last Day to Withdraw from regular session course(s)–‘W’ grade(s) on transcript
Nov. 1 – Deadline to apply for Arts and Sciences Research Awards
Nov. 11 – Veterans Day (K-State is open and classes are in session.)
Nov. 19-26 – Thanksgiving Break: No Classes
Nov. 23-24 – Thanksgiving Holiday Observed: Campus Closed
EVENTS AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES
The Race Card Project
Wed., Oct. 11 | 2-3 p.m.
181 Hale Library
Presented by Tara Coleman, associate professor and programming services coordinator, K-State Libraries
Explore a different conversation about race with a six-word sentence.
Lunch with the Deans: Military, Veterans, Dependents
Wed., Oct. 18 | noon-1 p.m.
301 Calvin Hall
Arts & Sciences military, veterans and military-affiliated students are invited to have lunch with the deans of the college. This is a great opportunity to ask the deans questions, learn about resources to help you during your time at K-State, and get free lunch!
Representatives from the USO, Office of Veteran Affairs and Miltary Student Services will be present.
Helping Professions Networking Night
Thu., Oct. 19 | 5:30-7 p.m.
Bluemont Room, Union
Bluemont Room, Union
Build professional relationships with a variety of employers throughout the area. This event is for anyone thinking about a career in a range of fields, including social services, social work, mental health, community engagement, youth organizations, social justice organizations, criminal justice system, family advocacy.
Learn more, including which employers are slated to attend.
Cosponsored by College of Health and Human Sciences
Alumni Career Panel and Networking Event
Thu., Oct. 26 | 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
Muir Conf. Room, Union (2nd Fl.)
Four dynamic Arts and Sciences alumni who have built exceptional careers will discuss their experiences in environmental, sustainability, humanities, nonprofit and government work. Hear how they developed their careers, how their college experiences helped, and advice for entering the job market. Attendees will have an opportunity to ask questions and network.
Matt Casey ’08 (economics)
K-State’s Executive Director of Government Relations
Logan Stacer ’18 (communication studies)
Founder and Executive Artistic Director of Heartland Arts KC
Lisette Corbeille ’16 (psychology and women’s studies)
Daytime Crisis Therapist, Pawnee Crisis Stabilization Center, Manh.
Trevor Starks ’13 (fisheries, wildlife, and conservation biology)
Coordinator for New Species Recovery Program with Kansas Dept. of Wildlife and Parks.
Lunch with the Deans: First-Generation Students
Mon., Nov. 6 | Noon-1 p.m.
301 Calvin Hall
First-generation students are invited to have lunch with the deans of the college. Come chat with the deans, ask questions, learn about resources, and get free lunch!
Take advantage of K-State’s Career Center!
Professional and Graduate School Fair
Wed., Oct. 11 | 2-4 p.m. | Union Courtyard
Prepare for your next step towards a graduate or professional degree. Get information about educational programs and opportunities from a variety of schools. Students and alumni are encouraged to attend, regardless of major or graduation year!
Wildlife and Natural Resources Career Meet-Up
Wed., Oct. 18 | 5:30 – 7:00 p.m. | Berney Family Welcome Center
K-State students can connect with employers and educational programs. Limited to no more than about 25 organizations so that networking feels casual and less pressured than a traditional career fair. See Handshake for more information.
Pre-professional advising events for pre-health, pre-law, pre-vet
- Pop-up advising
Oct. 18 | 11 a.m.-1 p.m. | outside Chalmers Hall
Nov. 1 | 11 a.m.-1 p.m. | Hale Library 1st Floor - Pre-Health Mock Interviews
Nov. 2 | 5-8 p.m. | Berney Family Welcome Center
View the center’s events page for more info.
Homecoming Week Oct. 22-28
Homecoming Philanthropy 5K | Sun., Oct. 22
Children’s Carnival | Wed., Oct. 25
Homecoming Parade | Fri., Oct. 27
Pep Rally | Fri., Oct. 27
Football game vs. Houston | Sat., Oct. 28
View more Homecoming activities
MORE GREAT OPPORTUNITIES AND RESOURCES
Get funding to do research!
Visit our Undergraduate Research and Creative Inquiry Opportunities page to learn about $1,000 research awards for semester-long projects, finding a faculty mentor, and travel awards to present at conferences or conduct research off-campus. Applications are due Nov. 1.
Internships and research awards for social sciences and humanities
The Chapman Center for Rural Studies offers many undergraduate research and internship opportunities, particularly in social sciences and humanities. Museum internships can be done on campus or in the Manhattan or other communities. The center sponsors a limited number of paid internships and internships for course credit. Opportunities are described on its Student Internships page. For a spring opportunity, students should act in October.
Publish your writing!
Social Science Writing Contest sponsored by the Live Ideas Journal
Write a fiction or non-fiction work on a topic related to anthropology, economics, political science, sociology, psychology or other social science discipline for your chance to win a cash prize! Deadline is Oct. 27.
Apply for a professional laboratory training fellowship!
You could receive paid training to work in a high-containment diagnostic, animal or insectary laboratory. Undergraduate students and recent B.S. graduates are invited to apply for summer 2024 fellowship positions in the NBAF Laboratorian Training Program. Informational seminars will be offered Oct. 12 and 20 and Nov. 1. Learn more.
This midterm season, get help if you need it.
- Mental health support at Lafene Counseling and Psychological Services
- Free tutoring for all students at Tutoring Services
- Quiet places to study can be found at Hale Library. Check out its study spaces and reservable collaboration rooms!