Newsletter

Leadership Studiesfor the School of

June 2014

As I reflect on the past semester, and all the work, learning, and growth represented in the pages that follow, I am amazed. I am not surprised – we have bright and hard-working students, committed and engaged faculty and staff, visionary and supportive donors

and friends – and we have been busy! But I am still amazed. Amazed and grateful for this extraordinary community – and all the opportunity it presents.The updates and stories shared here, by and about our students, faculty, friends and community partners, present a powerful forward trajectory. We are truly on the move. From the time we shared our strategic plan for the School last fall, we have made significant progress towards many of our benchmarks and are entering an exciting new phase for the School of Leadership Studies. You will read about advances in our curriculum, including the addition of a national online certificate in community-engaged leadership with Points of Light, and a semester-abroad option for completing the minor. Through our service-learning coursework we are deepening community partnerships with Special Olympics, Geary County Food Pantry, Harvesters, Flint Hills Breadbasket, and local schools. Significant investments, led by Dave and Ellie Everitt and Mary Lynn and Warren Staley, are seeding and launching key strategic initiatives, and helping us advance in meaningful ways the conversation, scholarship, and practice of effective civic leadership. We

celebrate K-State’s most recent Truman Scholar, Ross Allen, and his leadership on campus and in the community. Community leadership shines brightly, too, in our 2014 Susan M. Scott Award recipients Nancy Bolsen and Olivia Collins.As we pursue the bold goals of our strategic plan, and become the School of Leadership Studies we need and aim to be, we continue to reflect on and celebrate the support and partnership of so many who share our commitment to this work. We welcome new faculty members Eric Hartman and Brandon Kliewer! – and look forward to reporting on their contributions in future editions…. And this fall at our Spirit of Leadership event, we will celebrate the investment made by the School’s Advancement Council that most assuredly brought us to this place. Please mark your calendar now – Friday, October 24, 2014, 7 PM (the Friday night of Homecoming Weekend) – to join us as we celebrate our honored guests, welcome alumni, and connect with one another. When I look around, from my most fortunate vantage point, I see the imprint and impact of so many of you who have informed, supported, and resourced the exciting activity in our classrooms, throughout the building and campus, and in our communities. Sincere thanks for your continued commitment and investment in developing the next generation of knowledgeable, ethical, caring, inclusive leaders for this remarkably diverse and changing world!

As always, K-State Proud!

Mary Tolar, Director

Director’s Note

2

June 2014

Tableof Contents

Investing in Leadership Studies

Updates to the Leadership Studies Minor

Partnership with Points of Light

Engaged Leadership

Truman Scholar: Ross Allen

Susan M. Scott Award Winners

Ecuador Study Abroad/Letter from Mary Kay Siefers

Faculty & Staff Highlights

467810111213

3

Investing inLeadership Studies

David and Ellie Everitt Support a New Initiative in LeadershipSince their time as Kansas State University students, David and Ellie Everitt have been inspired to give back to the University in a number of different ways. The Everitts currently live in Marco Island, Florida, and are involved in a philanthropic leadership organization for friends and alumni of Kansas State University as members of the KSU Foundation’s Presidents Club and KSU Foundation trustees.

As a student Dave was involved in the College of Engineering and he graduated in 1975 with a degree in industrial engineering. Ellie, also a Kansas State University alumni, graduated in 1973 from the College of Human Ecology with a degree in clothing and textiles (now apparel and textile marketing and design). Dave shared that his favorite memory at K-State was through the co-op program in the College of Engineering, through which he had the opportunity to take what he learned in the classroom one semester and apply it to his work with Caterpillar the next semester. This applied experience connects well to the work of the School of Leadership Studies in identifying practical applications to support and enhance leadership education.

The Everitts’ passion for the study

of leadership is what inspired them to make a gift of $2 million towards the School and in doing so, establish the David and Elllie Everitt Endowment for the Leading Change Institutes.

“Every organization faces issues, but it is how those issues are articulated that motivate people to move and find a way to overcome those issues by achieving a goal rather than tasks. Leadership challenges an organization to have a different and a higher expectation. Leadership puts an organization in a place that it can overcome challenges,” says Dave when sharing what inspires him to support this initiative and the School.

The Everitts’ gift catalyzes the Leading Change Institutes, an initiative set to launch in the summer of 2015. Leading Change Institutes will bring together influential leaders and scholars from around to world whose work focuses on responding to the grand challenges of our times. These leaders will come to the School of Leadership Studies to join an innovative and dynamic environment to think together about responding to these grand challenges. Their thinking will be captured through substantive and

accessible publications and they will work together to share and test ideas that confront the global and everyday challenges we face.

Dave shared his outlook on leadership saying, “I love the idea of servant-leadership, an individual that can stand behind their organization serving others in a supportive and motivating role.”

Thank you to the Everitts for standing behind leadership studies and playing a significant role in advancing the School to meet university goals and continue to make an impact at Kansas State, the greater Manhattan community and beyond.

4

Mary Lynn and Warren Staley Establish Chair for Directorship of the School of Leadership Studies

Mary Lynn and Warren Staley inspire us all as they build on their legacy at K-State. The Staleys continue to champion the School of Leadership Studies in a number of capacities. This year the Staleys demonstrated their support of SLS through a gift of more than $2.5 million, establishing an endowed chair for the directorship of the School.

This gift communicates the passion the Staleys have for advancing the mission of the School and Kansas State University. Dr. Mary Tolar, the director of the School will be the first recipient of this chair. The endowed chair will allow her to continue her work in launching and implementing innovative initiatives to advance the mission of the School, serve the campus, and the state.

These initiatives align with the School’s strategic 2025 plan to help Kansas State University achieve its goal of becoming a Top 50 public research university by 2025.

During their time at Kansas State as undergraduates, Warren earned a degree in electrical engineering and Mary Lynn in elementary education, both graduating in 1965. Mary Lynn was very involved on campus, and beyond graduation continued as a philanthropist, and now serves on the international Habitat for Humanity board of directors.

After graduation, Warren went on to receive a master’s degree in Business Administration in 1967 from Cornell University. In 2007, Warren retired from his position as CEO and chairman of the board of Cargill. He is in the university’s

College of Engineering Hall of Fame and a member of the Seaton Society Foundation.

Warren and Mary Lynn passionately impact and support Kansas State in a number of ways while residing in Avon, Colorado.

“This is an extraordinary investment in our work by Mary Lynn and Warren Staley and represents their confidence based on past performance as well as the promise they see in the School of Leadership Studies and the significant work we have ahead of us,” Tolar said. “It is an honor to hold a chair named for two people who are the very models of the leadership we seek to develop in our students and exercise as professionals and citizens.”

5

6

Updatesto the Leadership Studies Minor

The School of Leadership Studies has always been student focused, and student feedback is what keeps our minor continually adapting and

improving. In April, the School of Leadership Studies made changes to the leadership studies minor which affect both the standard and nonprofit focus. The changes were driven by an interest in providing students with a deeper look at the ethical dimensions of leadership curriculum. LEAD 502: Ethical Dimensions of Leadership has been of such value to students, that components of the curriculum will remain a fixture of the minor as they are embedded into LEAD 450: Senior Seminar in Leadership. With this change, every leadership minor will engage in learning through the ethical dimensions of leadership curriculum.

The curriculum for Ethical Dimensions of Leadership was developed by the expertise of Dr. Bob Shoop. Bob’s career in understanding legal and ethical issues in schools led to the implementation of this beloved course that moved students through exploring the ethical dimensions of their own leadership challenges. Before his retirement, Bob spent time with the SLS faculty reimagining the ethical dimensions of leadership curriculum as a foundational piece of LEAD 450: Senior Seminar in Leadership.

With student support, Bob’s vision, and the pressing societal need for more graduates to understand the ethical dimensions of their own personal and professional work, the minor changes began to solidify. The minor, both standard and nonprofit focus, will now be 16 credit hours with LEAD 450: Senior Seminar in Leadership as the capstone course. This course will include ethical dimensions of leadership and increase to three credit hours.

In addition to their core coureswork, standard track students will take six credit hours of electives chosen from an elective list that incorporates the interdisciplinary learning that is central to the School.

The nonprofit focus students will take LEAD 420: Theories of Nonprofit Leadership and LEAD 499: Internship Seminar as their designated electives.

The School is excited to introduce this new curriculum, effective in fall 2014. SLS has been working with students since April to assist them in a smooth transition to the new curriculum.

7

As the School of Leadership Studies continues to strive toward accomplishing ambitious goals aligned with K-State’s 2025 strategic plan, SLS has partnered with Points of Light to offer students a 12-credit hour undergraduate leadership certificate. Points of Light is the world’s leading volunteer organization with more than 20 years of history and a bipartisan presidential legacy, the mission of which is “to inspire, equip and mobilize people to take action that changes the world.” The certificate in Community-Engaged Leadership cultivates a model of leadership consistent with principles of partnership: reciprocity, mutual benefit, and exchange of knowledge and resources. With Points of Light’s purpose of citizen empowerment and support of an “open public sector that sustains and enlivens democratic processes,” it brings to the partnership with the School, and to the students who participate in the certificate, a well-developed national network of community partners essential to this effort.

This program is available to students across the nation who do not have access to the study of leadership through civic engagement at their institution. Each course in the certificate program will be delivered using an interactive online learning platform. Service-learning teaching methods are intentionally integrated within each course. The academic components of the program are delivered by the School, with Points of Light leveraging its national service and volunteer network to place students with community partners across the country. The community engagement

component of this program places students and community members at the center of developing partnerships. This program will not only assess student-learning outcomes in relation to the purposes and processes of democratic engagement, but will begin to develop assessment frameworks that measure community impact and community learning.

The certificate in Community-Engaged Leadership is designed to include a rigorous advising component to ensure students and community partners understand the commitment associated with completing the program. In the capstone experience students will be required to complete a community-engaged research project that integrates the principles of community engagement to diagnose community conditions, design interventions, implement interventions, and assess and evaluate impact with community partners.

The School of Leadership Studies is excited to introduce this truly “engaged” leadership certificate with curriculum informed by both university faculty and community partners represented through Points of Light. This program honors the land-grant tradition as the certificate will increase access to the university through an innovative synchronous online learning curriculum that promotes social, political, and economic empowerment. Enrollment is now open for the innaugral class starting in January 2015.

If interested in this undergraduate certificate, contact Lori Kniffin at Lkniffin@k-state.edu.

Partnering with

TheFacingProject

EngagedLeadership

8

The greater Manhattan community and Kansas State University teamed up with The

Facing Project to tackle the issue of hunger locally this spring. Students in the LEAD 405: Leadership in Practice –taught by instructors Lori Kniffin and Marcia Hornung - lead the initiative “Facing Hunger” by incorporating local hunger issues into the adaptive leadership coursework. The Facing Project was founded by Kelsey Timmerman and J.R. Jamison, as an organization that connects people through stories to strengthen communities. A platform, tools and inspiration are provided by The Facing Project so that communities can share their stories. The goal of sharing these stories is to increase community conversation about key issues. “The Facing Project brings leadership theory to life through service-learning in a way that students can interact and learn in a real community setting,” says Lori Kniffin, an instructor for LEAD 405: Leadership in Practice, when sharing the purpose for integrating The Facing Project into the course.Students in the Leadership in Practice class paired with Harvesters, the Flint Hills Breadbasket and the Manhattan and greater area school districts to connect

local citizens to the issue of hunger. As part of this effort, students participated in “Everybody Counts,” an event coordinated by the First United Methodist Church of Manhattan, and worked with HandsOn Kansas State and Harvesters. Through these partnerships, LEAD 405 students assisted in mobile food distribution and developed an understanding of the local demographics related to food security and homelessness among other key topics.Autumn Snesrud, junior in secondary education shared, “I believe the most important lesson I have learned is that there are good and hard-working people within our community who still struggle to feed themselves and their families. I now realize how important it is that the whole community is able to read the stories about these people, so they can also have a better understanding of what hunger looks like in our community.”By practicing adaptive leadership students connected content with the issue of hunger locally. They then collected and wrote stories of local hunger. The semester culminated with students organizing these stories for publication. The book and public dialogue will debut October 12 at the Manhattan Arts Center. For questions about The Facing Project: Facing Hunger in Manhattan, please contact Lori Kniffin, Lkniffin@ksu.edu.

TheFacingProject

EngagedLeadership

9

Students Continue Work with Special Olympics ProgramThroughout the spring semester, leadership studies students continued their work with the Special Olympics Program. This semester, students in Dr. Andy Wefald’s LEAD 450: Senior Seminar in Leadership class assisted in creating an after school club at Manhattan High School. This club brought students in the Manhattan High special education program and students in LEAD 450: Senior Seminar in Leadership together to do a number of community building activities. The intent of all of these activities aligned with the purpose of the creation of the after school club,

which was focused on building connections. To wrap up the semester, the students collectively wrote the club’s handbook. This is an essential piece for the club to become an official organization at the high school.

In collaboration with the LEAD 450 class, Wefald’s LEAD 502: Theories of Leadership class had the opportunity to write lesson plans for the Interpersonal Skills (IPS) class at Manhattan High. Every year IPS students are paired with a classmate of their own with the opportunity to focus on assisting the IPS student

in developing interpersonal skills. Lessons plans were created by SLS students that used leadership theories to anchor the development of interpersonal skills through innovative application lessons. IPS students began testing the lesson plans late this spring.

LEAD 212 Students Partner with Geary County Food Pantry

The Cats 4 Cans canned food drive continued through leadership studies this semester and was expanded to the neighboring Geary County community of Junction City. The

LEAD 212: Introduction to Leadership Concepts classes taught by Dr. Irma O’Dell, chose to take on the issue of hunger beyond the Manhattan community. Students from Irma’s two sections of LEAD 212 hosted canned food drives outside of the Dillions

and Walmart in Junction City. As they collected food, students were challenged to communicate the issue of hunger and food insecurity to

local citizens of Junction City. The students collected a total of 3,939 pounds and $1,227.46 which was given to the Geary County Bread Basket.

“This opportunity excited me to use my relationship-oriented leadership style to have a short amount of time to build a relationship with the customers that I could share the importance of the hunger project with them,” shared Rachel Root, freshman in industrial engineering.

Leadership Studies Student Ross Allen Named

Truman Scholar

Kansas State University and the School of Leadership Studies are excited to celebrate Ross Allen, a 2014 Truman Scholar. Ross was named a Truman Scholar, an academic honor which “nurtures, supports and sustains the ideals and ambitions of young leaders.” This prestigious scholarship is only awarded to 50 to 60 college juniors across the nation annually and provides $30,000 toward graduate studies. Ross is the 34th Truman Scholar from Kansas State University.

Ross, a senior majoring in philosophy and economics, has been a part of the School of Leadership Studies since fall of 2011, when he was a freshman in the honors section of LEAD 212: Introduction to Leadership Concepts. Even in his first semester, many saw Ross’ great potential.

“We had a phrase for when something or someone was very passionate or exciting; it was Ross-tastic” said one faculty member with the School of Leadership Studies. Ross’ involvement continued

on, and in the spring of 2012 he joined the HandsOn Kansas State team as a Program Coordinator.

“I can remember when he interviewed,” said Lynda Bachelor, who is the Project Coordinator for HandsOn programs, “we were all thinking ‘gosh, he’s so intense!”

“We were afraid he would scare away some of our volunteers and partners!” Lynda joked. “Really, we could see that he understood service and how that interacts with the community.”

“Being part of a community is important, and you have to do it- so he did. He still sustains that type of life, both academically and personally. His ability to channel his intensity and passion is what made him a great candidate for the Truman, and will continue to propel him forward in his life.”

Ross is pursuing the nonprofit focus in the leadership studies minor. Ross says that his focus in nonprofit leadership is important because it offers the opportunity to work in the nonprofit sector, which he is very passionate about.

“Nonprofits have the unique opportunity to go beyond merely transactional servant leadership — where an exchange of goods happens from people with resources to people in need — and engage in transformational servant leadership — where both those offering and those receiving resources collaborate and experience meaningful personal development, I’m excited to continue engaging the nonprofit sector and help actualize its capacity to make the world a better place,” Ross said.

Ross is involved in many activities on campus as well as being the Program Coordinator for HandsOn Kansas State. Ross is also involved in the Nonprofit Leadership Student Association, Philosophy Club, Chimes Junior Honorary, Student Alumni Board, serves as a 212 class leaders and is the President of Acacia Fraternity.

10

11

SuSan m. ScoTTCommunity Leadership Award

In 2009, the School of Leadership Studies faculty and staff established the Susan M. Scott Community Leadership Award in order to recognize and celebrate the work of the School’s founding director, Susan M. Scott, Ph.D. This year, at the School’s annual Celebrating Service and Leadership, Nancy Bolsen, Ph.D. and Olivia Collins, Ph.D. were named the 2014 Susan M. Scott Award recipients.

“I am very honored to win an award recognizing Susan Scott. Susan has been a mentor, colleague and friend for many years, and I so value the contributions she has made to students, faculty, staff and to the University as a whole,” said Collins.

“For all of Olivia’s and Nancy’s individual accomplishments and investments in community leadership, collectively, these two extraordinary professionals created a very special and supportive pre-professional community within our program. Together they initiated and built our nonprofit focus - they dreamt it, planned it, resourced and staffed it. What a joy to honor each - and both - as our Susan M. Scott Leadership award recipients for 2014,” said Mary Tolar, Director of the School.

Both of these women demonstrate leadership focused on bringing progressive change to communities, personify compassion for their community and commitment to improving the everyday lives of those around them, rise above and beyond the realm of community service by shining light on an unmet need in the community, and inspire others to carry out their call to action.

“To be honored with Olivia, a friend of over 30 years was an absolutely incredible and special moment,” said Bolsen.

nancy F. BolSen, Ph.D. olivia P. collinS, Ph.D.Nancy is committed to the betterment of not only the Manhattan community, but the community at large. She serves as Manhattan Branch president of the American Association of University Women, as well as president-elect of the State organization. On campus, she reaches out to women who are working hard to earn their doctorate while many times also working full time, raising a family, and serving in their communities.

In addition to her work with women in the Manhattan community, Nancy serves on the boards of the K-State Child Development Center and UFM Community Learning Center. She is also a dedicated Homecare and Hospice volunteer. “[Nancy] is so authentic and so dedicated to what calls her to action, you just can’t help but follow along and be inspired to find your own way to action for causes in which you believe,” said Olivia of her co-recipient.

Olivia’s work is focused on bringing progessive change to communities. One of her biggest initiatives has been to address the issue of hunger in Manhattan. She has inspired or created many of the hunger-related initiatives the School currently has in place.Additionally, Olivia coordinates the Lou Douglas Lectures Series on Public Issues, bringing change agents to the K-State community. She also has become an active member of the American Association of University Women.Another of Olivia’s passions is supporting the arts

and fostering creativity and arts education for people of all ages. She is a dedicated volunteer for the Manhattan Arts Center.I think some of Olivia’s best work has been to inspire others to carry out their call to action…Olivia keeps in touch with many of her former students and fosters and continues to inspire their work,” said Nancy.

The School of Leadership Studies continues to grow and expand students’ horizons as they consider their place as citizens in a global community. The International Service Teams program is one way leadership studies experiences abroad have been supported. The School of Leadership Studies is excited to announce a developing partnership with the Office of International Programs to grow new experiences abroad. Through a developing initative in Ecuador, the School will continue offer leadership studies students opportunities to practice and learn leadership around the world.Chance Lee, an instructor teaching LEAD 350: Culture and Context in Leadership and LEAD 420: Theories of Nonprofit Leadership, recently traveled to Guayaquil, Cuenca, and the University of San Francisco in Quito, Ecuador to explore opportunities for the School of

Leadership Studies to expand international learning for minors. Working with Ecuadorian community

organizations, the first International Service Team based in Ecuador will

launch in the summer of 2015. Development of international partnerships in Ecuador will not stop there, Lee said, “We’re still doing research, but we would like to offer a leadership studies semester abroad program in Ecuador. Similar to how International Service Teams is a trip abroad focused on service-learning, the program would let students study abroad through a service-learning curriculum while working in local communities. We would include classes like Culture and Context, where what the student would be learning is very relevant to where they are and what they are doing.” The School of Leadership Studies is working toward offering this semester abroad program as an opportunity that moves students toward completion of the minor in leadership studies. A community-based learning model will be used to engage students in unique learning experiences in Ecuador working alongside local community organizations. The curriculum will invite students to consider global citizenship and global leadership through practical experience and coursework.“We have a while before we’ll be able to create this focus,” Chance said, “but we hope that by offering this to students, they’ll be able to expand their lens to consider the global community.”

I have tried several times in my 13 years with Leadership Studies to explain to my now 86 year-old mom what I do at K-State as well as the all too common question ‘what do you mean you teach leadership.’ Her context of teachers and students is based on her 32 years as a school secretary in Dorrance, Kansas where the average graduating class size was about 12 students. Of course, mom created her own noble version of what I do at K-State. She is quite adamant in her mind that Coach Snyder and I are the best of friends, that I know most everyone who works here or who is a student here, and that I pretty much run K-State. In addition, she directs anyone who is having difficulty with K-State in any way – from a friend’s grandchild flunking a class to a wildcat fan wanting tickets to a sold-out basketball game – to call me so that I can help them. As you can tell, Mom is quite proud of what I do, but she hasn’t been able to get a handle on the context of the word leadership. Mom has asked several times if I teach people how to be the boss of their own companies, teach them appropriate rules on running a meeting or how to be a great public speaker. Of course, I share with her that is not what we are about, but I’ve always found myself struggling to share a story with mom that would connect with her. Then

it hit me, I just had to use mom’s own life stories to make the connection. I asked mom why she and dad were involved in so many community organizations in their little hometown of Dorrance, Kansas with a population of less than 250 people. That question opened the floodgates of her memory and her response was classic: “Well, we loved the people and we just wanted to make it a good place to live for everybody. That’s why your dad and a few others started a Lions Club. They wanted to update the broken-down city park that didn’t have any children’s play areas. After the high school burned down in 1982, we formed the DCBA (Dorrance Community Betterment Association) to try to rebuild the school. We called it ‘ashes to classes.’ It wasn’t such a good idea to rebuild, it was better for the kids to go elsewhere to school. We figured it out a year after having classes in buildings all around town. We tried, but it just wasn’t the right thing for the kids. And then there was the committee to bring low-income housing to Dorrance because there wasn’t a place for older poor people to live. And then there was…..” I stopped mom, told her that she knows leadership because what she just described is what we hope our students will do in their communities – identify a need and then mobilize people to make progress on it. Sometimes our efforts work and sometimes they don’t. (cont. on next page)

12

A Word from Mary Kay

Potential for Students to Earn Minor

Abroad

Spirit of Leadershipsave the date

13

on Friday, October 24th for the 4th annual Spirit of Leadership, for our signature alumni and friends event! Enjoy a fun evening filled with celebration and reconnecting.

Detailed invitation to follow by mail and email. Reserve group football tickets and hotel rooms (it’s Homecoming weekend!) by August 1st by going to http://www.k-state.edu/leadership/events/spiritofleadership/

Join us

Thank You and

Farewell Dr. Sarah Donley

J.R. LoveKristin Marsh

Welcome!Eric Hartman, Ph.D.Assistant Professor

Eric will teach the honors leadership course and LEAD 350: Culture and Context in Leadership beginning fall 2014. He has an interest in nonprofit work and global citizenship. Eric has worked to expand community and respect for humanity worldwide.

Brandon Kliewer, Ph.D.Assistant Professor

Brandon comes to K-State with an interest in community-engaged

scholarship and leadership. He will use his extensive knowledge to teach

LEAD 450: Seminar in Leadership Studies. and teach in the certificate of

Community-Engaged Leadership.

After considering this conversation with my mom and the many leadership lessons she modeled for me and others, I decided mom earned the right to tell her own version of what I do at K-State. So, if she is telling the story that Coach Snyder and I are best of friends and that I can get you a front-row ticket to a sold-old basketball game, that’s good enough for me.Dr. Mary Kay Siefers, Senior Associate Director

facebook.com/kstateSLS

twitter.com/kstateSLS

k-state.edu/leadership

Find us online:

youtube.com/kstateSLS

Developing knowledgeable, ethical, caring, inclusive leaders for a diverse and

changing world.