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Inside this issue
3 - Director’s Note 4 - International Service Teams Summer Trips 7 - International Leadership Association Conference 2012 8 - Spirit of Leadership 10 - StrengthsQuest: Defining and Leveraging Your Top 5 13 - New Faculty & Staff 14 - Weddings and Engagements 15 - Future Wildcats 16 - Hidden Hunger page 2
Director's Note
With changing colors and cooler weather, it’s clear a new season is upon us. I hope that wherever you may be, you are finding time to enjoy the festivities that accompany the fall season (including cheering on our Wildcat football team!). What an incredible year it has been so far, not only in Bill Snyder Family Stadium, but in the School of Leadership Studies as well.
Dr. Mary Tolar Director
At the beginning of the fall semester we were delighted to welcome back Leadership Studies alumni and friends for our second annual Spirit of Leadership event. The evening was filled with memories as we thanked founders Bob Shoop and Susan Scott for their contributions and the legacy they started just 15 short years ago. We also recognized Mr. Paul Maina as the 2012 Michael C. Holen Leaderin-Residence. It was truly an honor and a joy to reunite with friends who helped us get to where we are today. Without the vision and persistence of a few, our dreams would still just be dreams, and we are so thankful to those who continue to support us.
The following pages contain stories that highlight the ways that our students, faculty and staff are learning, serving and leading on campus and across the world. While celebrating along the way, we continue to focus our attention on the K-State 2025 strategic vision by providing an outstanding undergraduate educational experience as we become a top 50 public research university. So much is changing, and yet our mission remains, and is as relevant as ever. The world needs leaders who are willing and able to lead – knowledgeably, ethically, with care and inclusion. The future is bright and with the support of all of the leadership studies community, we look forward to meeting new challenges and taking on exciting opportunities. As you anticipate time with friends and family this holiday season and celebrate a new year, please enjoy this opportunity to read about what your leadership studies family has been up to...and please, be in touch! As always, K-State Proud!
This semester we were also pleased to welcome new faculty and staff members, in addition to adding some future Wildcats to our leadership studies family (read on and see what I mean…)! page 3
by
Chance Berndt
Sophomore, Marketing
Everyone in college talks about the “defining experiences” that they had. For some, it’s an exciting football game, or a class that made them look at life a little differently. For me, it was being a part of International Service Teams through the School of Leadership Studies.
International Service Teams foster opportunities for students to serve abroad. Learn about Chance Berndt and Emily Burch’s experiences.
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Around this time last year, I was a new freshman here at Kansas State, still dazzled by all of the activities that I could do, the places I could go, the people I could meet! I’ve always loved trying new experiences, and I’ve had an interest in international affairs and travel. So, when I learned of a program in the School of Leadership Studies that offered a mix of service, growth, leadership, and travel, I knew it was right for me. To become a part of the program, I had to write
“If I took away anything from my IST experience, it wasn’t how different we all are from others around the world. It’s how much we’re all the same.” an application, be part of a group interview, and then undergo a personal interview. After all that, I was placed on Team Tumaini with four other students. Last semester, we had a class for three hours every Thursday to prepare us for our eventual trip to Nyeri, Kenya, to serve at the Children and Youth Empowerment Center! We spent three months this past summer at the Center working on projects for the children there, including making a point-reward system, running leadership workshops, and creating an organizational manual for the Center. When we weren’t working on these projects, we were playing with the kids, traveling around Africa, and, generally, learning about ourselves, each other, and the world we live in.
it wasn’t how different we all are from others around the world. It’s how much we’re all the same.
Finally, the most memorable moment I had during my summer was when I traveled to Hell’s Gate National Park with a teammate and two friends from Penn State that also helped at the Center. From hiking in a gorge with walls forty feet high, to riding a mountain bike ten feet from gazelles, zebras, and giraffes, to VERY CALMLY walking past a herd of snorting cape buffalo, no other experience defined the stereotypical “African” experience like that one. It was a mixture of the beauty of Kenya’s nature, and sharing an amazing experience with people that, had it not been for this trip, I would have likely never met. Every person that goes through International Service Teams says it changes their life in some way. I’m here to say that it is absolutely true.
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My biggest “A-Ha” moment of the summer came when I was working with the prefects of the Center during a leadership workshop. One of the prefects, David, began talking about how to be a better leader for the other children at the Center. “If you cannot rule yourself, how can you rule others? If you do not respect yourself, how can you respect others? If you do not know the path, how can you show others the way?” After David said these words, I understood what my trip was about. Leadership, and the hope to make the world better is not exclusive to American college students. We have allies and friends in every corner of the world. If I took away anything from my IST experience, page 5
by
Emily Burch
Senior, Elementary Education
I spent the summer teaching English in La Preciosita, Mexico, a rural migrant community near Puebla. The two other girls on my team and I lived with 5 different “mamas” for ten weeks. This meant getting authentic Mexican food (so delicious), washing our clothes without a washer and dryer, and spending time with some truly amazing people. I learned so many things this summer, but one of the biggest things I took away from this experience was that everyone can teach you something— many times you just have to humble yourself and listen to them. There were times when I was frustrated and annoyed, but right at that moment, someone would say something that completely changed my perspective and attitude. It’s important to not take yourself too seriously and always be willing to listen and learn. page 6
The entire summer was memorable for me. I wrote in a journal every day and am grateful I can go back and re-live some of the things that happened. I was able to go with two incredible girls and we now have so many inside jokes and stories that I will never forget. However, one of the best memories I have is the day of our kids’ final performance. We woke up to no power, no water, and were locked out of the building (with mom and keys being in another town and no way to communicate). It all came together; they said their speeches in English and performed the dances we had taught them. All the struggles from the day were forgotten as the kids came up to us saying “Thank you. We love you. We’ll miss you.” That’s when I felt that we had made an impact on their lives.
“...everyone can teach you something - many times you just have to humble yourself and listen to them.”
International Leadership Association Conference 2012 The first ILA conference was held in 1999, and ILA has since then become the largest international and inter-disciplinary membership organization devoted solely to the study and development of leadership. ILA is a global network for those who practice, study and teach leadership and focuses on inclusion, impact, integrity, interconnection, interdisciplinary and international perspective. The annual conference is a forum that serves as an opportunity for people to share ideas, research and leadership practices. The faculty and staff advisors included: Andy Wefald, Kerry Priest, Irma O’Dell, Mary Tolar, Mary Kay Siefers, and Bethany Miles.
Students who attended: Meredith Muller Senior, Fine Arts Magen Witcher Sophomore, Biology Kara Cavalli Sophomore, Elementary Education Grant Goodack Senior, Economics Jamilah Watkins Sophomore, Chemistry Mark Wasinger Junior, Management Ashley Wooten Junior, Political Science Brandy Tholstrup Senior, Athletic Training
My experience at ILA was amazing. Being part of the case competition was such a valuable experience. I not only learned more about leadership, but I also got to see what we have been learning at SLS applied to real world situations. I was also exposed to what other school’s leadership programs were like: how they viewed leadership, what they thought was important, and how they applied it to the same case study.
There was a wide variety of concurrent sessions, making it easy to find ones that fit my interests. The keynote speakers were also phenomenal. The atmosphere at ILA showed me what leadership was beyond our own School of Leadership Studies. It gave me perspective on how our program compares to other programs and showed me what leadership post-grad looks like. Being at ILA also allowed me to network with leadership studies students from other schools, talk with faculty from other schools, and find ways to be involved in ILA in the future even if I am not on a competition team. This experience was eye-opening and impactful. I would recommend it to anyone interested in leadership studies. --Meredith Muller Senior Fine Arts
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StrengthsQuest Defining and Leveraging Your Top 5 What are your top 5? This question may seem strange to some, but to the students in Leadership Studies and across campus, it is a conversation starter that is truly transforming the way students interact. StrengthsQuest is a behavioral-based online assessment that gives students the opportunity to identify their talents and utilize them inside and outside of the classroom. Mike Finnegan, School of Leadership Studies Instructor, was one of the key players in bringing StrengthsQuest to the School of Leadership Studies. After experimenting with StrengthsQuest a few years ago in one page 10
of his LEAD 212 classes with Trish Gott, they decided it was time to move forward and begin a strengths initiative in the classroom. “Basically, we are providing students with a common language where they can understand their strengths and learn how to leverage talents which are unique to them,” Finnegan said. “StrengthsQuest is helping students to build community, talk about their own strengths and learn about the strengths of their peers.” After students take StrengthsFinder assessment, they receive a customized report that lists off their top 5 talent themes and suggests how to utilize their talents to achieve
Artwork by: Faith Rasmussen
Advocates for StrengthsQuest (ASQ) is a student organization that was created to help further the strengths initiative at K-State. Students involved with ASQ have the opportunity to work directly with Mike Finnegan while developing training workshops for fellow students. Kristen Brunkow, ’14, helped pioneer the way in starting ASQ and has been heavily involved in expanding StrengthsQuest’s reach, including in her sorority house. “When you have 174 members and live with 82 of them, there are many different perspectives to work with and value,” Brunkow said. “Being able to understand another member’s strengths has helped me to understand their natural tendencies, trigger points, perceptions and behaviors which lead to respect and more active engagement.”
academic, career and personal success. There is a list of 34 different talent themes that students could possess, so each report is unique to that student. Not only has the School of Leadership Studies seen the value that the assessment has, but they have taken steps to invite others to be a part of the initiative in hopes of eventually becoming a strengths-based university. “This year we have had over 2300 first semester freshmen take the StrengthsFinder assessment as a part of a campus-wide initiative,” Finnegan said, “but we have also been able to train faculty and staff across campus so that they can start applying StrengthsQuest in different departments across campus.”
StrengthsQuest is more than an assessment that tells you your talents; it creates an opportunity for students to learn from one another and build community through connections and conversations. K-State hopes to increase student retention, engagement and the well-being of undergraduate students by identifying and developing personal strengths with the help of StrengthsQuest. As a result, not only will students benefit while on the K-State campus, but they will also be able to take what they learn with them into future endeavors, including the workplace and beyond. “Strengths doesn’t tell you what you can and can’t do,” Brunkow said. “It shows you how you naturally go about thinking, feeling and behaving so that no matter what the task or situation, you can accomplish it by leveraging your top 5 strengths.”
Visit StrengthQuest and get started online: www.strengthsquest.com
Continue on the next page to see some students' Top 5 page 11
Adam Wilkerson
Junior Civil Engineering Top 5: Adaptability, Input, Empathy, Relator, Context “StrengthsQuest helped me explain how I process information, apply past examples to new situations, and relate to people’s emotional sides. By identifying these areas of strength, I have been able build on these natural strengths to become a more knowledgeable, caring, and inclusive leader.”
Sophomore Pre-Journalism & Mass Comm Top 5: Discipline, Harmony, Individualization, Responsibility, Empathy “While it’s important to be multi-faceted in abilities, it is okay to go about it in your own natural way. That’s why it’s called your strength!”
Ellen Collingwood Freshman Food Science And Industry Top 5: Context, Learner, Responsibility, Input, Intellection “I plan to use StrengthsQuest to help define my strengths and limitations; to excel in the activities I am good at and seek help in the activities I am not gifted in.”
Faith Rasmussen Junior Family Studies & Human Services Top 5: Includer, Connectedness, Woo, Communication, Positivity “StrengthsFinder is an assessment tool that I will utilize not only during my stint at K-State-- but throughout the rest of my life. I have learned how to leverage my strengths to be the most effective personally throughout any role I take on.”
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Tabatha L. Bell
Kristen Brunkow Freshman Top 5: Achiever, Input, Analytical, Responsibility, Individualization “Taking Strengths showed me how to analyze the way I interact with others and how I am able to improve upon those skills. I am beginning to be able to look at things from other points of view better because I understand how I do things compared to others. I am excited to continue to develop my strengths.”
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HIDDEN HUNGER
In college there is oftentimes a stereotype tied to students. The “poor college student” is one that struggles to make ends meet while working hard to receive a college education. It turns out, however, that this “stereotype” isn’t a far stretch from reality.
In the past, college was a place that offered higher education solely for people that came from wealthy backgrounds. However, today there are a lot more opportunities for students to go to college with help from scholarships, grants and loans. It is incredible to see the growth in numbers of students continuing their education at the collegiate level. But as tuition rates continue to climb and a faltering economy creates a rocky job market, some students are facing tough decisions—decisions that are affecting their health and nutrition. Lynda Bachelor, HandsOn Kansas State Coordinator, realized the need that exists among students at Kansas State University. She immediately started making phone calls to find out what could be done so that students wouldn’t have to decide between a healthy meal and a textbook. page 16
“Lynda Bachelor contacted me because the United Methodist Churches in Manhattan have been working with Harvesters for more than a year providing monthly food distributions to people in the Manhattan community,” said Larry Fry, Senior Pastor at College Avenue Methodist Church.
Some students who experience not being able to afford food feel shame and try to do anything they can so that their secret doesn’t become known. As a result, students are forced to eat cheap food that is low in nutritional value and sometimes even skip meals completely. While there are opportunities for students to get food from local churches and other food banks, pride sometimes stands in the way-- some refuse to reach out to assistance programs and others even refuse to reach out to their own families for help. Something needed to be done. On September 10, 2012, HandsOn Kansas State paired with the United Methodist Churches of Manhattan and Harvesters for an event called “Hidden Hunger” that allowed students and community members
to receive nutritious food without questions asked.
rather than their grumbling stomachs.
“As cars entered, volunteers got information about household numbers and ages,” Fry said. “Other than that, no questions were asked because there was no need to prove that they were in need.”
“When kids have to decide between paying for groceries and books, nobody wins,” Bachelor said. “The impact of this service project was that over a thousand individuals avoided that situation.”
Over 1200 people (96% KSU affiliated) were impacted by the Hidden Hunger event and received containers filled with fresh food items. Students were encouraged to meet out at Bill Snyder Family Stadium for groceries distributed by volunteers throughout the day. This service project allowed students the chance to focus on academic success
Hidden Hunger was an eye-opening project that increased awareness about poverty on the K-State campus and helped students to see that they were not alone.
Number of people impacted by Hidden Hunger: 1274 658 households 96% KSU affiliated 2% military affiliated 2% other affiliated Number of volunteers and volunteer leaders: 86
Thank you to HandsOn Kansas State and their community partners for fighting malnutrition on the K-State campus and beyond!
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