January 8, 2019
Diversity Programs Office Update
Happy New Year! Are you ready for 2019? After a very productive 2018, we are ready more than ever to serve you! The Diversity Programs Office (DPO) is always here to support you so please come visit and use our resources. We hope all had a wonderful holiday break!
Congratulations to our DPO’s Ivy Gichohi, Grain Sciences and Industry major, and to all those who graduated during 2018 fall semester!
As we ended the year, the “Diversity: Growing Our Mindset – III” forum took place on Tuesday, November 27, at 4:30 p.m. in the Town Hall of the Leadership Studies Building. This event was sponsored by Hormel Foods. We had the pleasure to have their corporate recruiter, Adonis Wooten-Herron, a former K-State Alumnus, who led the dialogue. The audience enjoyed Adonis’s sharing his personal experiences as a minority in the work force and how diversity plays a big role in the workplace. Overall, this was a huge success.
MANRRS had their last general body meeting on Wednesday, November 28, 2018. The executive board reviewed the fall semester and began to plan for future events in the spring semester, especially the 2019 National MANRRS Conference on April 4-7 in Overland Park, KS. WE need all of the volunteers!!
The DPO represented K-State at the Professional Agricultural Workers Conference (PAWC) at Tuskegee University on December 2-4, 2018. The theme for this year's conference was “Beyond the Veil: Changing the World through Agricultural Transformations and Sustainable Partnerships, Practices and Policies.” Participants were able to attend workshops, sessions and contests. The DPO has been recognized along with a few students:
• The DPO’s work was recognized as a success stories. The title of the presentation was “Changing Agricultural Demographics in Kansas: Innovative Diversity Programming for Student Success and Recruitment” by Dr. Zelia Wiley, Tiffany Carter and Lonnie Hobbs, Jr. was acknowledged.
• In the Professional Posters, the DPO’s “Inclusion & Diversity: A K-State Research & Extension Training Assessment” by Lonnie Hobbs, Jr. and Dr. Zelia Wiley received recognition.
• In the Gamma Sigma Delta Honor Society Symposium, Lonnie Hobbs, Jr. place third in the Graduate Oral with his “Pet Food Customer Perceptions vs. Company Marketing” presentation.
• In the Undergraduate Oral, Kaci Merriwether-Hawkins, a 2018 K-State KSRE fellow, placed third with her presentation on “How Enzyme Phytase Can Reduce Phosphorus Runoff Traveling from Poultry Farms and Improve Production Economics.” Dr. R. Scott Beyer, Animal Sciences & Industry (ASI), served as her mentor during the 2018 KSRE multicultural fellows program.
Congratulations to these two placing within their section and representing K-State!
Congratulations to Tiffany Carter for receiving the 2019 ASA, CSSA, SSSA Future Leaders in Science Award! Out of the 50 applicants, Tiffany was chosen in this highly competitive award. She will be representing us in the 2019 Congressional Visits Day in Washington D.C. on March 4-5, 2019. We are pleased that you have received this recognition and look forward to your continued success!
Again, 2018 was a good year of diversity and inclusion service. We look forward to even greater success in 2019. Happy New Year!!!
For more information on future events, please contact Dr. Wiley at zwiley@ksu.edu, or the DPO at 785-532-5793.