Hello Alumni and Friends of the K-State Modern Languages Department,
Now that the 2014-2015 academic year has ended, I would like to take a moment to introduce some of the accomplishments K-State’s Department of Modern Languages has had this past year.
As you know, our faculty and staff are dedicated to providing a superlative educational experience to all students at K-State. This experience extends by necessity beyond the classroom to include important mentoring as well as many extra-curricular opportunities, such as cultural events and study abroad programs. These allow students to participate in projects and explore world languages and cultures. One such event was our recent “Initials” poster forum where graduate and undergraduate students presented their research projects to the K-State campus community. Students also enjoyed attending German and French film festivals over the recent the academic year, which included lively discussions about cinema.
While students benefit from the fresh impulses and ideas that come with new faculty members, they continue to learn from our experienced colleagues. As you will read below, we are fortunate to welcome new colleagues to our ranks at the same time that we honor a top pedagogue and researcher, Dr. Doug Benson, who retired in May after many years in the department. Finally, we would like to take this opportunity to congratulate our graduating seniors and our graduate students who completed their degrees in May.
All this is to say that it would be difficult not to notice the enthusiasm and excitement at your alma mater that is evident among our faculty and staff. We thank you for your continued support.
Best Wishes,
Derek Hillard
Department Head