Office of the Dean
K-State Salina Mission
Kansas State University Salina provides learners with the opportunity to pursue innovative education, applied research, practical field experiences, and professional lives guided by social awareness and the ability to provide ethically sound solutions in the global environment.
May 1, 2013
Dear K-State Salina family,
We had many visitors during the month of April and I want to thank you for making everyone feel so welcomed. We had standing room only for the second in the Civic Luncheon Lecture Series, “Guns--Under Control or out of Control.” What a great and respectful dialogue! The Kansas Community College State Quiz Bowl brought a few hundred visitors to campus for a scholarly activity. Our annual Open House was successful by all measures. We had more than 600 prospective students, parents, alumni and community members attend Open House, far surpassing our goal of 500.
Dr. Frank Fichert, deputy director of the B.A. program in aviation management at Worms University of Applied Sciences in Germany joined us for a week, sharing his perspective of the international aviation economy with our students and faculty. Our own Jimmy Splichal, instructor of aviation, will travel to Germany in June to guest lecture in Dr. Fichert’s classes.
During the Classified Employee Recognition Breakfast we recognized Sarah Wendt as classified employee of the year and celebrated the careers of our 2012-2013 retirees LaVonne Farney, Larry Darrow, Ed Bay, and Kenny Windholz. We thank you for your years of service and dedication to the Salina Campus.
It is my pleasure to announce that Dr. Mark Jackson will be the next engineering technology department head. Dr. Jackson comes to us from Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology in Boston where he chairs the mechanical engineering technology department. We anticipate his arrival in July and look forward to the energy he brings.
Our Campus Master Plan is starting to take shape. This month, our consulting firm, Ayers Saint Gross, was here for several days conducting focus groups and hosting open forums to better understand the campus’ needs and strengths as we look to the future.
We are most grateful to Bill and Louann Talley for their generous $300,000 deferred gift. If you would like to get to know Bill, he will be talking about his difficult time as a prisoner of war at Salina Noon Rotary May 6th.
I traveled to Washington, D.C., with President Schulz, Provost Mason, and other deans to meet with our state legislators and also met with alumni in the area. I saw quite a bit of purple in the city that week!
BMGI’s Global Customer Summit in Denver, Colorado, provided an opportunity for me to continue my own journey to become a Lean Master (ask me about this) and to connect with industry leaders who are not well aware of the capabilities of K-State.
Sharing K-State Salina’s message a little closer to home, I attended a forum with Kansas State House of Representatives’ Democratic leader, Paul Davis, at the Salina Area Chamber of Commerce. It is important for all of us to know our representatives and their positions on education.
I was honored to be the keynote speaker at American Association of University Women’s state convention, held here in Salina, presenting "What They Don't Teach Women about Business." This is a great association with a chapter in Salina and is open to everyone. Please let me know if you are interested in joining this organization.
Salina’s arts scene continues to impress. This month, I saw Follies at Salina Community Theatre and watched Lewis Black’s performance at Stiefel Theatre. We are also looking for student artists. Please see Amy Sellers for consideration displaying your art work.
Spring commencement ceremonies are coming up May 11th! Congratulations to all graduates and to the proud families who supported their education. Please join us for the ceremony to celebrate our students’ hard work.
Best,
Verna M Fitzsimmons, PhD
CEO, Kansas State University Salina
Dean, College of Technology and Aviation