Friday, Dec. 11 -- Department Holiday Party, 5:30 to 8 p.m. at IGP.

Monday, Dec. 14 -- Dean and Director's Holiday Party, 4 to 7 p.m. at the Houston Street Ballroom. Donations accepted for the Flinthills Breadbasket.

Jamie Smidt, a May 2009 graduate in agricultural communications and journalism, has been awarded a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship. The award provides up to $26,000 for a year of study abroad. Jamie has been approved to study at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile in Santiago, Chile. Following her study abroad, she plans to the pursue advanced degrees in international development.

Bethany Bohnenblust, a double major in agriculture communications and journalism and agriculture economics, was elected 2009-2010 National FFA Secretary at the 82nd National FFA Convention in Indianapolis. As one of six individuals selected to hold a national office, Bethany will travel more than 100,000 miles over the next year, meeting top leaders in business, government and education. She will visit approximately 40 states and participate in an international experience tour to Japan.

Eight department members recently received eight hours of first aid and CPR training for infants, children and adults. The training was offered in late November and early December by Medic First Aid. Those attending the session were Joe Agnew, Janie Dunstan, Pat Melgares, Gina Nixon, Nancy Peterson, Linda Sleichter, Gerry Snyder and agricultural education student Andrea Knodel Louthan.

Several students with ties to the department will receive their degree during fall commencement on Dec. 12. Graduates in agricultural communications and journalism include Shawna Castillo, Kabel Little, Janna Splitter, Robin Velek and Julie White. Those graduating in agricultural education are Luke Borst, John Menefee, Jennifer Toews, Shawn Turner and Ashley Watt. Commencement starts at 1:30 p.m. in Bramlage Coliseum.

Chelsea Cox, a student employee in marketing, will graduate Dec. 12. Chelsea is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Spanish. Her graduation ceremony begins at 9 a.m. Saturday in Bramlage.

And, India Lavergne, wife of Chris Lavergne, will receive a bachelor’s degree in secondary education, English (10:30 a.m. Saturday in Bramlage).

Tony Hoos, the programming coordinator for the Howard Community College Television in Howard County, Maryland sent kudos to Deb Pryor, saying that that Kids-A-Cookin’ is “excellent programming and has been well received in Howard County.” Kids-A-Cookin’ currently airs on the college’s community access channel. For more information regarding airtimes, programs and more, check out
www.howardcc.edu/Visitors/hcctv/programming/index.html.

Deb Pryor has a new grandson! Her daughter Lisa and son-in-law Wes had a baby boy on Wednesday, Oct. 21. Jayden Dane Essmiller weighed 6 pounds, 12 ounces and was 19½ inches long. Deb says she and husband Gary are “smitten” with their first grandchild. Lisa, a former student employee in the television unit, now teaches 2nd grade at Theodore Roosevelt in Manhattan, and Wes is a K-State graduate student in landscape architecture. Congratulations Deb!

Linda Gilmore is getting ready for two weddings over the 14 months. Her son, Tim, will marry Charlene Hillegas in Corsicana, Texas in August 2010, and another son, John, will marry Erin Reilly in Emporia in January of 2011.

Bob and Gloria Holcombe’s oldest son, Matthew Schwartz, married Brandyn Wolfe on Oct. 10. Matthew’s brothers, Jason and Doug, were the best men. Bob and Brandyn’s dad made a trip to Lawrence on the morning of the wedding to get the cake then assembled it at the reception hall. Larry Erpelding, who is a deacon at St. Thomas More Catholic Church, performed the ceremony. Dan Donnert was the photographer, and Ron Frank provided a recorder and will make a CD of the ceremony. Matt and Brandyn are both K-State accounting alumni, so the wedding planning involved lots of spreadsheets. Gloria jokes: “Maybe that’s why everything went so smoothly.”

Mary Lou Peter in has been elected marketing chair for the national Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN). Other KSRE delegates to EDEN include Mary Knapp, Vernon Turner and Marcus Ashlock. Team members gave a presentation recently regarding available KSRE resources to the Kansas chapter of Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (VOAD) and attended a meeting of voluntary agencies at FEMA’s regional headquarters in Kansas City.

Gina Nixon has been elected as recording secretary for the Human Resource Management Network (HRMN), which is a local chapter of the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM). Her term will run from Jan. 1, 2010 through Dec. 31, 2010. Gina and Debbie Webb joined the local chapter in July 2009.

The department’s wellness committee sends thanks to Debbie Webb, Jeff Wichman, and Doug Jardine for their lunchtime presentations on Oct. 26. The next brownbag lunch speaker is Karen Hanson, a registered dietitian who will be talking about nutritional efforts being promoted at the Manhattan Hy-Vee store. Her talk is set for Monday, Nov. 9 from noon to 1 p.m. in UM317.

Send ideas for wellness activities in the department to LiveWell@ksre.ksu.edu. Get current information on activities in the department and around campus by visiting www.communications.ksu.edu/wellness.

Also, nutrition consultations at the K-State Recreational Complex are half-price during the month of November. Get a head start on healthier eating habits before the holiday season! You may purchase your consultation in the administrative office at the Rec, or call 532-6980.

Bethany Bohnenblust, a double major in agriculture communications and journalism and agriculture economics, was elected 2009-2010 National FFA Secretary at the 82nd National FFA Convention in Indianapolis on Oct. 24. As one of six individuals selected to hold a national office, Bethany will travel more than 100,000 miles over the next year, meeting top leaders in business, government and education. She will visit approximately 40 states and participate in an international
experience tour to Japan.

Jamie Smidt, who graduated from the ACJ program last May, has won a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship. The award provides up to $26,000 for a year of study abroad. Jamie will study at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile in Santiago, Chile. Following her study abroad, Jamie said she plans to pursue advanced degrees in international development.

Steve Harbstreit says that teaching faculty are busy helping students enroll for the next semester. It is also a busy time for the Ag Comm and Ag Ed Clubs as they look for fund raising opportunities for club activities.

Steve also reports that the program’s proposal to add a master’s degree is moving forward. He and others collected information from the Ag Ed advisory committee and Extension agents during annual conference. More information will be collecte from the Ag Communications Advisory Committee when they meet on Nov. 13.

Nov. 26-27 – STATE HOLIDAY: Thanksgiving Break

Dec. 11 – Department holiday party. IGP Dining Room, 5:30-8 p.m.

The Wellness Committee sends a big thanks to Lisa Heller for her help during the flu shot clinic on Sept. 22. Lisa helped to keep people organized and moving through the lines, with the right paperwork. The Riley County Health Department brought 50 shots with them, and all were taken quickly. Committee members say they hope to continue this type of activity.

Also, the department hosted therapists from Body First Sports Therapy on Sept. 28. Twenty-four people took advantage of 15- or 30-minute relaxation massages. The project was so popular that we are considering offering these monthly. If you've got ideas for other wellness activities for the department, send a message to the committee at LiveWell@ksre.ksu.edu.

Elaine Edwards will present a program titled, “What’s Twitter?” on Oct. 1 as part of the regular TechBytes series, which is partly coordinated by Gerry Snyder. Elaine will demonstrate KSRE’s use of Twitter and provide tips and ideas on how to use this simple and effective communication tool.

The session will be held in Room 501 of K-State Hale Library at 1:30 pm.

Upcoming TechBytes programs this fall include:
Oct. 8: Cool iTouch and iPhone Apps (located in Hale 301A)
Oct. 15: There's more to Blackberry
Oct. 22: Facebook at K-State (located in Hale 301A)
Oct. 29: Digital Photography and Cameras
Nov. 5: Flipcams in the Classroom

These programs are also available live via video streaming and recorded for later viewing on the TechBytes Website, www.ksu.edu/techbytes.

Alyssa Lobdell, a sophomore elementary education major from Overland Park, is the new student worker in IET. Before coming to K-State, Alyssa attended Shawnee Mission West High School. In addition to studying, Alyssa enjoys basketball and spending time with her seven nieces and nephews. She is supervised by Tamie Staatz.

Dana Minihan in Agronomy passed along this note of thanks to Gloria Holcombe for her work with the AgReport: “Thanks for everything you have done for the Department of Agronomy, and announcing the great things our students and faculty have done throughout the years.”

Oct. 20-22 – K-State Research and Extension annual conference. The Communications Expo will take place on Oct. 21.

Dec. 11 – Department holiday party. IGP Dining Room, 5:30-8 p.m.

Neal Wollenberg will be teaching classes Tuesday, Aug. 25, and Thursday, Aug. 27, on how to develop Web pages in K-State Research and Extension’s content management system. Ten spots are available for each class, which will run from 9 to 11 a.m. The lessons are geared to those who have never been trained on CMS, or those who need a refresher course. To sign up, send email to nealw@ksu.edu.

The annual department picnic will be held on Friday, Sept. 25, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Russ Feldhausen’s family will cater a lunch of BBQ pork, potato salad, baked beans and pasta salad. Vegetarian burgers also will be provided. You may bring a side dish or dessert if you’d like, but it is not required. Drinks will be provided.

The cost is $5 for faculty/staff and $3 for students. Sign-up sheets and payment information will be located in the department’s main office, 20 McCain, and in Dole Hall. A big thanks to members of this year’s picnic committee: Vernon Turner, Pat Hackenberg, Deb Webb, Elaine Edwards, Greg LeValley, Russ Feldhausen, Gloria Holcombe and Kris Boone.

Gerry Snyder gave a presentation at the American Phytopathological Society international conference in Portland, Ore., on Aug. 4. His talk was titled, “Connecting with your audience: How K-State is using Adobe Connect web conferencing.” More than 200 people attended Gerry’s presentation.

The news media services unit got a big thumbs up from Toni Jo Bryant, who is the coordinator of K-State Research and Extension’s office at Fort Riley for recent coverage on what that office is doing for the local community. Dan Donnert developed an audio slide show of pictures and Nancy Peterson wrote supporting print news stories. “It is awesome, so fantastic, thank you so much,” Bryant wrote. “It
made us almost cry!”

Jennifer Alexander had two photographs selected for display at the 2009 Iowa State Fair Photography Salon, and one received an honorable mention ribbon. The Photography Salon is a juried competition, and 2009 saw a record number of entries (just 19 percent of 4577 total entries were selected for display). In the two classes in which Jennifer exhibited, less than 12 percent of the photographs entered were selected for display. Jennifer’s photographs will remain on display throughout the Iowa State Fair, and she’ll bring them to the office later this fall.

If you’d like to know more, Jennifer has a copy of the Photography Salon booklet, which shows the best of show and top award winners in each class and provides additional information.

New ideas proposed for wellness activities in the department this Fall include a flu shot clinic and 15-minute back massages. Updates on these and other activities, as well as a daily wellness tip, are available at www.communications.ksu.edu/Wellness.

In addition, you can submit ideas for department wellness activities anytime by sending email to LiveWell@ksre.ksu.edu.

Sept. 1 – College of Agriculture Watermelon Feed. Weber Hall Lawn, 6:15 p.m.

Sept. 3 – ACT and Ag Education Back-to-School BBQ, Pottorf Hall, 5-8 p.m.

Sept. 11-20 – Kansas State Fair, Hutchinson. Volunteers needed to help in K-State Research and Extension’s booth; contact Steven Graham, sgraham@ksu.edu.

Sept. 23-24 – Department meetings, 137 Waters Hall. 3:30-5 p.m. on Sept. 23, and 8:30-10 a.m. on Sept. 24.

Sept. 24 – Inauguration of K-State President Kirk Schulz, 2 p.m. in Bramlage Coliseum.

Oct. 20-22 – K-State Research and Extension annual conference. The Communications Expo will take place on Oct. 21.

Dec. 11 – Department holiday party. IGP Dining Room, 5:30-8 p.m.

Congratulations to former publications student worker and ACJ senior Julie White and her staff for the success of the Spring 2009 Agriculturist. The magazine placed first in the National Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow (ACT) contest and received the award of excellence. Magazine advisor Lisa Moser says the award of excellence has happened just one other time in her years as advisor. “It is quite an achievement for Julie and her staff,” Lisa said.

Also at the meeting, Emily Schneider won first for a single item in the public relations category; and Julie White won first place awards for a public relations news release, and graphic design; and a fourth place award for scenic photography.

Tyler Bowser, a senior in agricultural communications from Holton, was elected president of National Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow during the recent meeting in Fort Worth, TX. This is the second time in three years that a K-State agricultural communications student has served as national president. The term is for one year. Tyler also serves as president of the K-State ACT chapter.

The department will be hosting a series of nine leadership luncheons beginning Friday, Aug. 28, when Sethu Subramanian speaks on “What Makes a Leader?” Seth’s talk will begin at noon in UM317. Please bring your own lunch. Everyone is invited to attend these monthly luncheons, which will be held the 3rd Friday of each month (except December).

The K-State Summer Bowling League wrapped up July 28, and several members of the department brought home hardware. Debbie Webb and Elaine Edwards won trophies for high score and second high score, respectively; and their team – the Gutterflies – placed second in the team standings. Other members of the Gutterflies were Randall Kowalik, Jacob Jensen and Katie Morris (each of whom won a free game for bowling a “turkey” – three strikes in a row).

Also competing this summer were the Girls and Geeks team of Elaine Edwards, Russ Feldhausen, Gina Nixon, and Jayson Sharp, who won an individual secondplace trophy for men’s high series.

The department’s image database now has more than 2,400 images loaded, including many photos recently donated by K-State alum Chet Peterson. Project manager Linda Sleichter says the summer’s progress is in large part due to work by Bethany Sanderson, Audrey Hambright, Gerry Snyder, and Vernon Turner. All of the images currently in the database had to be scanned and loaded to the database. The next part of the project includes scanning the publication images and developing training materials. Linda says the database may be available for full use in the department by December.

Gerry Snyder, Chris Lavergne and Russ Feldhausen recently shared tips and gave a campus workshop for 25 Kauffman Scholars on digital photography and posting blogs. The scholars were 11th grade students from the Kansas City area, who were hosted by K-State’s College of Agriculture. Several of the blogs are currently being hosted on blogspot.com.

Larry Havenstein helped to host a ‘Monkey Shines’ mixed reality mixer during the recent ACE/NETC meeting in Des Moines, IA. The mixer was a two-hour music event with live streaming through Second Life. The event is featured in a YouTube video available at www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZsAat_UjCg. Larry said the mixer was “quite an event. I spent more than a month of evenings and weekends building up the public side of the Wildcat Two Island…and making gifts and giveaways” for those who attended using Second Life.

Cheryl Martin began her new position with parking services July 27, working in the new parking garage at the Student Union. On July 22, friends and co-workers packed 125 Umberger Hall to give Cheryl a send-off. Cheryl ‘worked’ the room, with a big hug for everyone who attended! Good luck to Cheryl in her new position.

The Wellness Committee will be meeting on Aug. 11 to discuss new ideas for Fall. If you’ve got ideas for wellness activities in the department, submit them to LiveWell@ksre.ksu.edu. Get current information on activities in the department and around campus by visiting www.communications.ksu.edu/wellness.

Three local offices – Meade, Labette and Sheridan counties -- received new outdoor signs this summer as a result of the department’s signage mini-grant program. The program, now in its second year, has helped 25 local offices update or establish outdoor signs. The program is expected to run through 2012. The program was developed by Pat Melgares with financial support through the Dean’s office.

Also in marketing, the state 4-H office recently agreed to begin stocking marketing items in the department’s inventory. New items expected this Fall include mood pencils, foil pencils, four-leaf clover die-cut post-it notes, membership cards, notepads and stadium cups.

Staff members in the Meadowlark District recently sent this thank you note to members of the duplicating unit, who helped save money on printing the district’s newsletter: “We appreciate you finding ways to help us out and understanding the difficulty counties have with the crunches imposed on everyone. Your cooperation has been great!”

Gerry Snyder sends along this note in appreciation of the kindness shown to him and his family after his father’s recent death: “Thank you for the nice cards and condolences during the passing of my dad. He was a kind person who spent his life helping people. It is very nice to work with so many great people who also reflect his wonderful nature.”

And, Steve Harbstreit is back to work and feeling well after his recent knee replacement surgery: “I would just like to thank everyone for their notes of support and concern following my knee surgery. This is a great place to work and it feels like family!”

Some of the new “We Know…” postcards expected out late summer and early fall include Back to School, Flu Prevention, and Operation: Military Kids. Linda Sleichter and Pat Melgares launched the “We Know…” marketing campaign at last year’s Kansas State Fair. The card on preventing flu will be one of the featured handouts at this year’s Fair, capitalizing on potential heightened interest toward pandemic flu.

Deb Pryor and Randall Kowalik produced a video for the Food Science Institute that won third place in a national competition. The video, titled ‘The Best Crunch,’ was recognized by the Texture Technologies Corporation. The competition was held to raise awareness of the importance of texture analysis to the food industry through “energetic video productions.” Deb was the producer and editor, and Randall was the cameraman and on-air talent.

The winning videos can be seen on the Texture Technologies Web site or on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/user/TheTextureChannel.

Producers of the popular TV program, A&E Biography, recently contacted news media services for b-roll to support an upcoming program on actress Kirstie Alley. Steve Ballou put together a DVD for A&E from b-roll of the K-State campus that he shot in the 1970s, when Alley was a student here.

Visit the department’s wellness Web site at www.communications.ksu.edu/wellness for information about summer yoga programs, renting outdoor equipment, and more. Also, you can submit information for the site, suggest speakers or send comments by sending email to LiveWell@ksre.ksu.edu.

The Department of Communications’ two bowling teams are officially in the run for a trophy this summer through the Union’s Summer Bowling League. There are eight teams competing, including three teams from the Department of Housing. The teams bowl at 7 p.m. on Tuesday evenings through the end of July. All are welcome to come and cheer them on.

Team 6 (what a creative name!) includes Debbie Webb, Randall Kowalik, Gerry Snyder, and Katie Morris and subs Vernon Turner and Deb Pryor.

The Girls and Geeks team includes Gina Nixon, Elaine Edwards, Russell Feldhausen and Jayson Sharpe. Rob Nixon, Gary Pryor, Kris Boone and Adam Bingham are subs. If you are interested in subbing, please contact a team member.

The highlight for the teams came out of nowhere on June 23. Elaine decided to go for a turkey in the 3rd game, rolling three strikes in the first three frames. She then bowled a spare and three more strikes in the game. For her lucky strikes, she won a subway sandwich and a free game. “For those who don't believe it, the results are posted on my door,” she said. “It was probably a once in a lifetime game.” Debbie Webb was cheered on by her teammates and fans as she also bowled her all-time high on Tuesday evening.

Elaine Edwards sends this note to department members who attended the unit’s recent Open House: “Thanks to all who attended the News Media Services open house on May 6. If you were not able to attend, please drop by and ask for a tour of the unit or to find out about services available. Unfortunately, the cookies are all gone, but the coffee pot is always on.”Thanks

Mitch Ricketts will speak during the lunch hour on Wednesday, June 10, about workplace wellness and ergonomics. His talk will take place in Umberger 317. All are invited to attend; bring your own lunch. Remember to visit the department’s wellness Web site at www.communications.ksu.edu/wellness. Submit information for the site, suggest speakers or send comments by email to LiveWell@ksre.ksu.edu.

In late April, Gerry Snyder gave a three-hour workshop at KSRE’s Johnson County office. The workshop focused on planning, recording, editing and publishing podcasts. Gerry demonstrated several tools, techniques and services that are available to KSRE in producing podcasts.

Also in May, Gerry helped Fred Cholick host the bi-annual dean’s advisory board meeting via Adobe Connect. Advisory board members from across the nation were very appreciative on the quality of the service and the benefits of saving time and travel.

Students in Chris Lavergne’s environmental communications class recently produced two short public service announcement videos for an EPA Water Quality Video Contest (see www.youtube.com/group/EPAOWOWContest ). “This was a great opportunity to provide the students with a chance to apply converged media skills to a real-world project and bring recognition to the program,” Chris said. “Completing a project of this scope will vastly increase their ability to reach diverse target audiences about problems the nation is currently facing.” Students who worked on the project included Tyler Bowser, Katie Starzec, Nick Levendofsky, Erika Mackiewicz and Mark Smelser.

The videos are available online:

Keep Our Water Clean (60 seconds) Extended Storm Drain Awareness PSA (EPA infomercial)

Seven students in agricultural communications and journalism, and 10 in agricultural education graduated this Spring. The ACJ grads are Matthew Splitter, Shelby Haag, Lindsay Domer, Kole Farney, Robin Blue, Kaitlyn Crown and Ryan Bennett. The AgEd grads are KaCee Thompson, LeAnn Spinden, Marinda Johnson, Trent Page, Jon Pretz, Michael Beying, John Bergin, Taner Litton, Laura Klenda and Jacqueline LaRue. About 80 students and family members attended the commencement brunch hosted by the department.

Greg LeValley, Deb McClain-Williams, Jane Gibbs and Debbie Webb were recently recognized for their years of employment at Kansas State University. Greg and Deb received 30-year service pins, while Jane and Debbie have worked at K-State for 25 and 5 years, respectively. The university’s annual awards recognition ceremony was held on April 8.

Russ Feldhausen, Jayson Sharp and Heath Elliot competed in the first local programming contest held April 25 by the K-State Chapter of the Association for Computing Machinery. More than 20 teams of three competed for five hours, ranging from beginning programmers through advanced graduate students and beyond. Russ and team were in first place for the first 4½ hours, but eventually settled for second place. Way to go!

The annual report to the Kansas legislature has again won a gold award from the Association for Communications Excellence (ACE) for special projects. This is the third year in the last four that the legislative report has won first place (it finished second in the only other year it was entered). The publication is managed by Gloria Holcombe and designed by Bob Holcombe; with several department members contributing to writing, editing and photography.

Steve Harbstreit was recognized May 9 by the K-State Agricultural Alumni Association as recipient of the 2009 David Mugler Outstanding Teacher Award, given each year to recognize faculty members who emulate Dr. Mugler’s many years of dedicated service to students in the College of Agriculture. And, Richard Baker recently was named one of two Spring Faculty of the Semester for the College of Agriculture. Students nominate faculty for the award and a committee of faculty and students make the final selection.

Dena Bunnell, a senior in agricultural communications and journalism and a recent Truman Scholarship winner, has been named the College of Agriculture’s Student of the Year.

Dan Thomson from the Beef Cattle Institute sent this note to Gamage Dissanayake for his work on a Web site for livestock facility workers: “I have seen quality and timely work before in industry and academia. Not many things have been done as well and as timely as what you have done for this project. You are to be commended on one fantastic job… It is exactly what we need.”

Agricultural communications and journalism alumna Anne Hazlett (’95) delivered the commencement address for the College of Agriculture on May 16. Anne is an attorney and director of the Indiana Department of Agriculture.
Also, agricultural education senior John Bergin delivered the student reflections at the College of Agriculture’s commencement on May 16.

Elaine Edwards has been elected as vice president for the Association for Communications Excellence (ACE). Elaine’s term begins during the annual meeting in Des Moines (Ia.) in June.

Larry Erpelding was one of 15 K-State employees nominated for the “Putting Students First Award,” given each year by the Office for Student Life. The award is given to one faculty and one staff member who “have made a significant contribution to students at Kansas State University.”

A new Web site targeted to members of the Department of Communications is now online at www.communications.ksu.edu/wellness. Department employees also are welcome to submit items for the Web site, or ideas for speakers, programs and more to LiveWell@ksre.ksu.edu.

The Kansas State University Information Technology Awards and Recognition Program honored outstanding technical support personnel from across campus and the system on Feb. 20. Greg LeValley and Steve Spencer of IET received Meritorious Achievement Awards for their work with K-State Research and Extension. Also, Larry Havenstein, Larry Jackson, Gerry Snyder, Vernon Turner and Neal Wollenberg were nominated for their work with Second Life. IET’s Gary Kepka is co-chair of the 2009 IT Awards Committee.

K-State Research and Extension poultry specialist Scott Beyer and Mary Lou Peter recently worked together on a news story titled “Interest in Small PoultryFlocks is Growing,” which has earned quite a bit of attention. A rural living blog picked up the story and Scott has received several positive phone calls. He says: “One of the hatcheries called me and said orders were up, and a magazine editor emailed and said hits to their poultry page zoomed up lately.”

Dena Bunnel, an Ag Communications and Political Science major, was recently nominated by Kansas State University for the 2009 Harry S. Truman scholarship. Students competing for the scholarship have the opportunity to receive up to $30,000 for graduate studies. Dena is one of four K-State nominees, and scholars are announced March 26 after an interview with each finalist.

Two Ag Communications students were recently named Student of the Month for the College of Agriculture. Dena Bunnel of Garnett was awarded the title in December after being nominated by Collegiate Farm Bureau. Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow nominated the January award recipient, Julie White of Warrensburg, Missouri. A committee of faculty and students select winners based on academics, extracurricular activities, honors, leadership, and a statement about their most significant college experience. Way to go!

Pat Melgares is selling discount cards to help support the 12-year-old Manhattan Wildcats baseball team. The cards cost $20 and include such discounts as Buy 1, Get 1 Free at Domino's Pizza; 10-percent off at Coco Bolos; 20-percent off massage at Body First; and about 15 more discounts at area business. All proceeds will help the team play a spring/summer schedule of approximately 45 baseball games. See or email Pat for information or to purchase a card.

Congratulations to Lori Buss and Deb Pryor, who have been named the classified and unclassified employees of the year in the Department of Communications for 2008. They were selected by a department committee that includes past winners of the award. Other nominees for this year’s award were Joann Ebert, Debbie Webb and Jane Gibbs (classified); and Linda Sleichter, Gamage Dissanayake, and Amy Hartman (unclassified).

Linda Sleichter and husband Jay gave birth to their fourth daughter at 12:41 p.m. Monday, Feb. 23, at Mercy Regional Hospital. Natalie Grace weighed 7 lbs. 10 oz. and was 19 inches long. Natalie is also welcomed by her three big sisters, Katie, Maggie, and Lanie. The home address for Linda and Jay is 1282 21st Road, Clay Center, Kan. 67432.

Dalton Henry, senior in agricultural communications and agricultural economics, was announced as one of the final presidential candidates on Wednesday night, February 25th. Henry and his running mate, Wayne Stoskopf, finished second in the primary election with almost 28% of the total votes. The pair plans to get back to campaigning as soon as possible for the general election which will be held from March 3rd- 4th.

Staff at the K-State Research and Extension Allen County Extension Office passed along their thanks to Greg LeValley and the print shop staff for a recent 4-H newsletter. “The layout is very professional and personable. Those who have received it are very impressed!” They wanted to express their appreciation to all who contributed to the layout, a collaborative process carried out by publications -- Janie Dunstan did the design -- and duplicating.

News writer and editor Mary Lou Peter has relocated to the K-State Horticulture Center in Olathe. She continues to write about agriculture and to some extent, horticulture, given her new digs. She can be reached by email, mlpeter@ksu.edu or by cell phone, 785-564-2774. Her address is 35125 W. 135th Street, Olathe, Ks. 66061 and the office phone number is 913-858-2335, ext. 130. She plans to be back in Manhattan “every couple of weeks for meetings and source interviews and… hopefully the occasional lunch with KSRE friends!”

Bethany Sanderson is a new student editor in the publications unit. She is originally from Wamego and is a freshman majoring in Ag Communications and Journalism.

Ashley Rethorst was hired in January as a student office assistant in IET. Ashley originally from Hastings (Neb.), is a junior majoring in kinesiology. After graduating from K-State, she plans to attend graduate school to study kinesiology and exercise science. She is supervised by Tamie Staatz.

Carrie Blaes is a student marketing assistant for the marketing unit, working for the unit since last fall. Carrie, of Cherryvale, Kansas, is a sophomore in Agricultural Education and hopes to work as an ag teacher or an extension agent. She is supervised by Pat Melgares and Linda Sleichter.

KaCee Thompson left the marketing team after working for four years in Umberger. KaCee is now fulfilling her student teaching requirement in order to finish her degree in AgEd.

Larry Havenstein, Neal Wollenberg and Larry Jackson were part of a K-State team that was awarded a $2500 Tilford Incentive Grant for 2009. The group will continue work on a multicultural Second Life project started in 2008.

Christopher Lavergne presented a poster at the 2009 Sustainability Conference: Leading Kansas in Sustainability, held in the K-State Union on Friday January 23. The poster marketed the natural resources track in Agricultural Communications and Journalism and is available for viewing outside 301 Umberger.

Also during the conference, Marcus Ashlock gave an oral presentation titled "Exploring Man-made Hazards in our Communities: A Toxic Tour of Kansas.” The talk highlighted a field trip to Galena, KS in Spring 2008 led by Marcus, Chris Lavergne, and Joye Gordon of JMC. The trip was funded by a Tilford Multicultural Grant for students enrolled in crisis communication; environmental communication; and risk communication.

Agricultural Communications sophomore Nichole Ely was named the winner of the National Sheep Proficiency award during the recent FFA convention in Louisville. Ely was featured on the front page of Grass and Grain January 6 for building a small sheep business at the family's rural Inman farm. Over several years, she has grown a flock of 42 ewes and 2 rams from two ewes given to her as a Christmas gift. The proficiency award included a plaque and $1,000 prize. Nichole works in the department's print shop where she is supervised by Greg LeValley.

Approximately 30 agricultural education students hosted a public speaking competition for Kansas FFA members January 24 on the K-State campus. More than 250 students from 16 FFA chapters attended. The event was sponsored by Farm Credit Systems of Kansas.

ACJ senior Dalton Henry is one of 18 U.S. students selected to attend the U.S. Department of Agriculture's 2009 Agricultural Outlook Forum, Feb. 26-27, in Arlington, Va. Selections were based on individual essays written on the topic “Agriculture as a Career.” This year's forum is “Global Agriculture and Rural America in Transition.” It will feature expert speakers from across the world on many different topics and will allow Dalton to network with top agricultural analysts. Dalton is also a candidate for K-State student body president, to be selected later this Spring.