Audrey Mross ’80, 2019 Alumni Fellow for the College of Business Administration, walked around the Business Building practically beaming with happiness, because she was in “Manhappiness” as she likes to call it on social media. 

Mross and 11 other distinguished professionals were on K-State’s campuses from April 10-12 to share their industry knowledge and expertise with students and faculty members.

On April 11, while speaking to K-State students during several classes, Mross stressed the importance of networking and maintaining a connection to K-State after graduation.

“It will give you purpose, help you network and build your career,” she said.

Mross would know a thing or two about networking. After all, she is a former member of the K-State Alumni Association’s board of directors and served as its chair. She’s also president of the Kansas State Texans, the K-State Alumni Club for the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

“Wear your K-State shirts when you do your errands. K-State has remained a big part of my life, and the relationships I’ve made have followed me throughout my career.”

But Mross wasn’t there to promote purple pride solely; she was honored by K-State for her work as an attorney.

Mross, Dallas, Texas, is a partner and chair of the labor and employment section with the law firm of Munck Wilson Mandala. Prior to the practice of law, Mross was a human resources professional in hospitality, oil and gas, and information technology.

While on campus she spent time with students to help them navigate career choices, talk shop about life as an attorney and celebrate her alma mater.

Below, you can learn more about each of the 2019 Fellows, and also read about how K-State prepared them for their career. 

He’s one of the most recognizable Kansans in the state…and not just because his car is purple. Pat Bosco ’71, ’73, Kansas State University’s vice president for student life and dean of students, is often one of the first people incoming students and their parents meet. His love of K-State, knowledge of the state and university often endear him to those he meets.

“It was always about K-State,” Bosco said. “Every time I had a chance to go somewhere else, at another institution or a corporation, each time I was fortunate enough to be given additional responsibilities, a chance to make a broader impact, and I remained at K-State. My career at K-State was a progressive one, I was very fortunate.”

In July Bosco will retire after five decades of service to K-State.

“Pat Bosco is known to many as the face of the university,” President Richard Myers ’65 said in a letter to campus. “He has encyclopedic knowledge of Kansas high schools and an amazing recall when it comes to current and former students. He is a shining example of how a life dedicated to service to others can transform thousands of lives.”

Under Bosco’s leadership, K-State became the No. 1 choice for Kansas high school seniors and remains so today. He is a recognized national leader in student life, enrollment management and student affairs, with his expertise, knowledge and perspectives sought by state and national organizations. Many of the innovations he has introduced have become best practices in higher education. For example, he originated an admissions representatives program that became a model for universities throughout the country.

Bosco came to K-State as an undergraduate from upstate New York, fell in love with the school and never left. He served as student body president during the 1970-71 school year and was a member of Delta Sigma Phi fraternity and the Army ROTC program.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education in 1971 and a master’s in educational administration in 1973, both from K-State. He also earned a doctorate in higher education from the University of Nebraska in 1982.

As an administrator, Bosco has served under five presidents and held positions of associate vice president for institutional advancement/dean of students, assistant vice president for educational and student services, assistant dean of students and director of student activities.

“I have known Pat since my days as a K-State student. He has been a mentor to me and so many others for more than 45 years,” said Amy Button Renz ’76, ’86, president and CEO of the K-State Alumni Association. “The Alumni Association has been fortunate to collaborate with Pat and the Office of Student Life through a variety of student recruitment events over the years. I don’t know of another alumni association that has this type of partnership.

“K-State is a better university due to Pat’s ability to personally connect with alumni and students. He is someone who sincerely relates to students and their family members. The foundation of his legacy is found in his personal touch and his advocacy for students and the programs and services that support them. Pat Bosco’s impact will continue through future generations by the lives he has touched and will be a part of K-State forever.”

K-Stater magazine will feature more on Bosco in the 2019 fall issue. Learn more about the upcoming retirement reception for Bosco on May 10.

In 1989, in a scientific research facility less than 15 miles outside of Washington, D.C., the deadly Ebola virus made its first known appearance on U.S. soil. 

The discovery of this lethal filovirus, which, at the time, had up to a 90 percent fatality rate, was thanks to a group of courageous scientists and soldiers led by Lieutenant Colonel Nancy Jaax ’71, ’73. 

Understandably, this was a time of fear and uncertainty. But for Nancy and Jerry ’70, ’72 Jaax, it also was time to answer the call of duty.

The Jaaxes put their own safety at risk to try to stop the spread of a deadly disease. Fortunately, this particular strain turned out to be nonlethal to humans, but the event provided valuable experience and research opportunities that shed light on how to respond to serious outbreaks in the future.  

The Jaaxes’ story will be part of an upcoming six-part TV series from National Geographic called The Hot Zone, which will be based on the 1995 book with the same name. The TV series debuts on Memorial Day, May 27, and will air over three nights.

Nancy and Jerry Jaax both graduated with veterinary medicine degrees from K-State and served in medical defense with the U.S. Army, during which time they became involved in the events depicted in The Hot Zone. Nancy and Jerry later worked at K-State for many years in research and leadership positions. They played important roles in the development of the Biosecurity Research Institute and the National Bio and Agro-defense Facility.

In the TV series, Julianna Margulies plays Nancy Jaax and Noah Emmerich plays Jerry Jaax.

Watch a trailer and learn more about how you can watch the series. (Note: Due to the nature of the subject matter, the trailer includes some graphic content and is suitable for mature audiences only.)

To coincide with the TV series and celebrate the work of Nancy and Jerry, Kansas State University is organizing several events in Manhattan and Olathe. Details will be posted soon.

About Nancy and Jerry Jaax

Throughout her military service career, Nancy played a vital role in the military’s veterinary pathology, diagnostic and research programs. She managed multidisciplinary research programs in large biomedical laboratories; directed post-graduate training programs for veterinarians in pathology; and performed pathogenesis research with high hazard viral agents, and bacterial, biologic toxin and chemical agents.

During an appointment as consultant to the Army Surgeon General, she was the Department of Defense’s principal expert in the pathology of high hazard hemorrhagic fevers, with particular expertise in the Marburg and Ebola viruses. She is a recognized international expert on emerging zoonotic disease issues, particularly in hemorrhagic fever viruses.

In 1998, after 26 years of active service, Jerry retired from the Army at the rank of colonel. During his career he worked in a number of professional capacities, including medical defense against chemical and biological warfare programs, professional mentor for laboratory animal medicine officers, post-graduate lab animal medicine training program director and many other duties common for a veterinary medical officer.

Jerry previously served as an associate vice president for research compliance and university veterinarian at K-State. His responsibilities included university-wide oversight and compliance with applicable laws, regulations and guidelines for animals used in research and teaching, research programs involving human subjects, and activities involving recombinant DNA and biosafety.

Both Nancy and Jerry were previously recognized as K-State Alumni Fellows. Learn more about Nancy and Jerry. 

You can also learn more about another K-State alumnus, Dr. Thomas Ksiazek ’69, ’70, who is also mentioned in The Hot Zone book. He is a renowned expert on Ebola who developed a test for the virus. He has traveled to Africa recently to help control outbreaks.

— Photos from The Hot Zone courtesy of National Geographic/Amanda Matlovich. Also, special thanks to the K-State College of Veterinary Medicine for supplying information for this article. 

Glossophobia, the fear of public speaking, affects about 75% of the world. Some surveys indicate it’s more highly feared than death. 

So why, one might wonder, would students on the Kansas State University Speech Team willingly stand before judges, peers, their coaches and more to compete in this activity? When we reached out to K-State alumni and current students on the team, it was undeniable what this K-State community had meant to them and how it had continued to benefit them in their lives after college.

Forensics, or speech, is competitive speaking. The K-State team typically competes in a variety of speech categories which can include: original oratory, persuasion, informative, declamation, rhetorical criticism and after-dinner speaking. Competitors take part in rounds at regional events against other schools, judged both by experts and average people from the area (if your speech is good, anyone should be able to enjoy it or benefit from it in some way). Based on their scores, the competitors can advance into national tournaments.

Since 1992, K-State has had a top 20 team ranking 24 times at the American Forensic Association National Individual Events Tournament (AFA-NIET). According to Darren Epping ’06, assistant director of forensics and director of public speaking, that’s like making the Sweet 16 in NCAA basketball.

“K-State’s team has been attending AFA-NIET since its founding in 1978. We are one of only six schools to have done that. In that time, individual K-State students have won more than 35 national championships.”

Epping competed as an undergraduate at Hastings College, which is a regional competitor with K-State. He came to K-State for his master’s in communication studies and became a graduate student coach for the team. He returned to K-State as the assistant director of forensics in 2011.

“Competitive speech taught me how to work hard, speak to any audience with confidence and how to win and lose with grace. Returning to K-State gave me the opportunity to help current Wildcats find and use their voice in an increasingly competitive world.”

Alex Serra ’08, owner of Serra Law, PLLC and partner at Traffic Tickets 915, both in El Paso, Texas, reiterated the same sentiments about lessons in being gracefully competitive:

“K-State speech did much more than just prepare me to stand in front of juries/judges and tell a story. It taught me how to research. It taught me how to pour my energy into something creative. It taught me that in my professional life — and in the world — you don’t have to be good at or settle for just one type of thing. It prepared me to be competitive yet appreciative of my competition, an exceptional skill that translated to professional life.”

Serra, like many other Wildcats who competed at AFA-NIET, took part in an alumni to student letter-writing campaign. Before nationals, Craig Brown ’82, ’85, director of forensics, reaches out to K-State speech alumni and asks them to write encouraging letters to students, which they will receive and read the night before the tournament kicks off. 

Brown has been involved with K-State speech for more than 40 years — first as a student, then as head coach in 1988, and now as director. He said the letters began in 1997 and the tradition has had a major impact on the team each year. The students always emote, “I don’t know this person, but I love what they wrote.”

The impact of this simple act of writing a few words of empowerment is palpable in the room as the students sit together and read, and cry, and smile together at the same time. 

“My first nationals letter came from someone I didn’t know but had an intense connection with. Receiving it filled me with love,” said Serra. “I felt supported. I felt empowered. I felt part of a family that is still, and will forever be, part of my identity.”

Macy Davis, senior in English and creative writing, is a four-year competitor and recently competed in nationals this April. She will graduate in May.

Davis received letters all four of her years competing at AFA-NIET. 

“Reading the letters I’ve received from alumni has really helped me remember that I’m connected to a larger network that has been built through this team and this activity. Knowing you have people cheering for you across the country, and even the world, is incredible.”

Neal Stewart ’06, instructor and speech coach at Moorpark College, Moorpark, California, bleeds purple for K-State and gushed about K-State speech:

“I often tell my students that speech doesn’t just show up on your transcript. It shows up in your bones and in your words every time you open your mouth. Speech competitors are the future leaders in wherever life takes them. That’s why I’m proud to tell anyone who asks (and even those who don’t ask), that I went to Kansas State University, I was on the Speech Team, and those are the best decisions I ever made.”

Learn more about K-State speech, or follow them on Facebook for updates on the team. 

Even while they’re still students, these Wildcats have already been making an impact on campus and in the community. 

It would take more than just a paragraph to summarize all their accomplishments and the ways they make a difference. One’s a peer financial adviser. One has been published in a journal. Another was an intern at the Pentagon. They are leaders, scholars, volunteers and proud Wildcats.

The K-State Alumni Association honored these distinguished K-Staters as part of its annual student awards ceremonies. Though these students will be graduating soon, the Alumni Association is excited to see what they accomplish in their careers.

Anderson Senior Awards

The Anderson Senior Awards recognize graduating seniors for academics, leadership, inspiration and service. The award was established in 1998 and pays tribute to K-State’s second president, John Anderson, who served from 1873 to 1879.

This year’s recipients are:

Adrianna Gordey, bachelor’s candidate in English with a minor in leadership studies, Overland Park, Kansas, Anderson Senior Award for Outstanding Inspiration.

Miranda Moore, bachelor’s candidate in communications studies, political science and pre-law with a minor in leadership studies, Pittsburg, Kansas, Anderson Senior Award for Outstanding Academics.

Kathryn Schieferecke, bachelor’s candidate in economics with minors in Spanish and financial counseling, Bennington, Kansas, Anderson Senior Award for Outstanding Service.

Max Stieben, bachelor’s candidate in sociology, Hays, Kansas, Anderson Senior Award for Outstanding Leadership.

Learn more. 
 

Graduate Student Awards

The Graduate Student Awards, established in 2010, recognize outstanding graduate students for academics, service and leadership.

This year’s recipients are:

Derek Lawson, doctoral candidate in personal financial planning, Lubbock, Texas, Graduate Award for Outstanding Leadership and Service.

Amanda Martens, doctoral candidate in psychology, Shelby, Iowa, Graduate Award for Outstanding Academics.

Learn more.

International Leadership Awards

The International Leadership Awards program recognizes outstanding international graduating students for service and leadership within the international K-State and Manhattan communities.

This year’s recipients are:

Lolwa Alfoudari, bachelor’s candidate in architectural engineering, Kuwait City, Kuwait. (not pictured)

Chengyao Gao, bachelor’s candidate in mechanical engineering, Shenyang, China.

Thiba Nagaraja, bachelor’s candidate in industrial engineering, Puchong, Malaysia.

Mahima Suresh, master’s candidate in architecture, Bangalore, India.

Learn more.

Robinson Family Multicultural Leadership Award

The Robinson Family Multicultural Leadership Awards recognize outstanding multicultural graduating students who are leaving a legacy of enhancing multicultural engagement at K-State through their leadership.

The Robinsons are a family of K-Staters who came from humble beginnings. Exposure to K-State has encouraged and inspired generations of their family. They have committed to core values that include leadership, giving back and leaving a legacy. The Robinson Family Multicultural Leadership Awards represent the beginning of a wonderful journey as students graduate and become alumni.

This year’s recipients are:

Marlene Campos-Guerrero, bachelor’s candidate in microbiology, Kansas City, Missouri.

Rafael Garcia, bachelor’s candidate in mass communications with a minor in Spanish translation and economics, Emporia, Kansas.

Laken Horton, bachelor’s candidate in mass communications with a minor in American ethnic studies, Kansas City, Missouri.

Jordan Kiehl, bachelor’s candidate in industrial engineering with a minor in business and statistics, Fairway, Kansas.

Learn more.

Tony Jurich Community Commitment and Leadership Student Awards

The Tony Jurich Community Commitment and Leadership Student Awards honor two graduating students who have demonstrated a commitment to community leadership and service through Jurich’s Core Leadership Tenets.

Jurich joined the K-State faculty as an assistant professor in 1972 and achieved the rank of full professor in 1981. He was a respected researcher, teacher, lecturer, mentor and supervisor of therapists in training. He taught undergraduate and graduate students in the College of Human Ecology for more than 39 years until his death in 2010.

This year’s recipients are: 

Rafael Garcia, bachelor’s candidate in journalism and mass communications with minors in Spanish translation and economics, Emporia, Kansas, Tony Jurich Community Commitment and Leadership Undergraduate Award.

Heather Love, doctoral candidate in human ecology, Gilbert, Arizona, Tony Jurich Community Commitment and Leadership Graduate Award.

Learn more. 

On a normal workday, you can find Krista Darting ’00 at the K-State Alumni Association’s offices in Manhattan, Kansas, working on projects as our associate director of membership and marketing. 

However, a special assignment recently took her out of the office and to the other side of the world.

Darting hosted her first Traveling Wildcats trip, Legends of the Nile, Feb. 19 through March 1. The K-State Alumni Association’s Traveling Wildcats program provides guided excursions all across the globe, allowing K-Staters to travel together with all the arrangements taken care of.  

“It was a fantastic experience to meet fellow K-Staters and experience a different country and culture,” Darting said of her first trip. “I loved not only seeing the differences between Egypt and America, but also the similarities.”

The Traveling Wildcats program offers trips to Antarctica, the Galapagos Islands, Yellowstone, South Africa, the British Isles and more.

Michelle Elkins ’87, our associate director of awards and special events, has also hosted several Traveling Wildcats trips, most recently Dutch Waterways, April 8-16, touring the Netherlands and Belgium.

“I enjoy meeting and establishing relationships with alumni from across the country and seeing the world together,” Elkins said. “You have the opportunity to really get to know people. The Traveling Wildcat trips have tour guides that are excellent, and many of the trips have guest lecturers that provide the history and culture of the area you are touring.”

For Darting, her Traveling Wildcats trip was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

“I grew up reading about Egypt and all of the amazing things there. It never really occurred to me that I would see them in person,” she said. “It was overwhelming to stand in the same place Jesus, Mary and Joseph stood. I will also always remember riding a camel at the Great Pyramid and seeing all of the tombs in the Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens. Plus, it was awesome to meet the people of Egypt.”

Elkins said that she’s had so many wonderful experiences that it is challenging to narrow down her favorites.

“Seeing the great pyramids in Egypt and experiencing the culture and touring all of the extraordinary historical sites was incredible,” she said. “On the Baltic cruise we had the opportunity to walk through the halls where Catherine the Great lived and to tour towns and meet local tour guides who remember growing up under the communist regime.”

Both Darting and Elkins recommend the Traveling Wildcats experience. We’d love to see you on an upcoming trip!

“The best thing about taking a Traveling Wildcats trip is experiencing something new with fellow K-Staters,” Darting said. “You get to know some wonderful people while experiencing a life-changing trip.”

“The tour guides take all of the worry out of travel so you can enjoy the trip and really experience the countries you are visiting,” Elkins said. “Every trip is a first-rate experience.”

If you would like to travel with us, you can check out our list of upcoming 2019 and 2020 trips. For more information about the Traveling Wildcats program, contact Terin Walters ’05, assistant vice president of development and communications, at 785-532-5052 or twalters@k-state.com.

For Frank Tracz, K-State’s director of bands, it was a performance unlike any other. 

As the K-State Wind Ensemble took the stage at the 85th annual convention of the American Bandmasters Association this spring — preparing to perform in front of a packed house — Tracz couldn’t have felt more honored or proud of his students.

“That was probably the most challenging and nerve-wracking performance I’ve ever experienced,” he said. “It’s quite a prestigious honor. It’s the peak of my teaching and conducting career. It’s right there next to the Sudler Trophy for the Marching Band.”

The K-State Wind Ensemble was one of four university ensembles invited to perform at the convention this year. The American Bandmasters Association was started by John Philip Sousa and Edwin Franco Goldman in 1929, and it promotes band performance and education across the globe. This marks K-State’s first invitation and appearance at an international conference of this scope.

“We knew that we were ready for it, and we knew the audience was going to be the best audience we could ask for,” said Bailey Eisenbraun, senior in music education and percussionist in the K-State Wind Ensemble.

What is a wind ensemble?

K-State has had a wind ensemble since 1995. According to Tracz, a wind ensemble is a concert ensemble composed of the best wind and percussion musicians on campus. Because there is only one musician to a part, a high level of responsibility and musicianship is required of each performer.

“You have an important role in that ensemble,” Eisenbraun said.

Eisenbraun had experience with marching and concert bands in high school, and she hopes to be a band director one day. When she was looking at colleges, she was attracted to K-State based on the fact that it had strong programs for both marching and concert bands. She had a goal of one day playing in the K-State Wind Ensemble.

“I wanted to work towards that and be a part of a group that performs at that level,” she said.

A special opportunity

Tracz was invited to become a member of the ABA in 2012. ABA has an extensive vetting and critiquing process, and attaining membership is even more challenging than earning tenure/full professor, Tracz said.

At the recent ABA convention, K-State was given a 45-minute concert window and performed eight pieces. Each piece had a different conductor, and Tracz conducted one of the pieces.

Eisenbraun said she will definitely look back on the performance as one of the highlights of her college career.

“It was hard to realize that I was there,” she said. “To realize that I was performing in such a space was surreal. It was really incredible to get to perform as part of that group.”

“Alumni can be very proud of what’s going on,” Tracz added.

If you’d like to see the K-State Wind Ensemble, check the website this fall for performance schedules. Concerts are held in McCain Auditorium and are free and open to the public. 

It was just another day on the third floor of the K-State Student Union at Powercat Financial for peer financial counselor Abby Pope. She was updating the online finance blog about marriage and finance, when one of her clients walked in, his arms full of paperwork. His face portrayed a sense of urgency and panic as he informed Pope he was going to have to move for his new job and he didn’t know if he could afford to do so. He had not signed a single paper yet, wanting to make sure he was doing the right thing.

Pope took him into a counseling room with a table facing a large TV monitor and a window looking out to the back of Anderson Hall. They went through all the employee benefits and broke down the terminology, line by line. She brought up a survey on the TV screen in the counseling room that showed the starting salaries of seniors in his major to discover that yes, this was actually a realistic offer. Relieved, he said that’s all he needed to hear, and he accepted the job offer that day.

“It was really cool to be a part of that huge life decision for him,” Pope said. “Some of the most impactful experiences I’ve had are working with people who are transitioning into adulthood and knowing I shared the knowledge to change their behaviors in a more positive way.”

Powercat Financial is a program at Kansas State University where student advisers get to help their fellow student clients with financial issues ranging from learning to budget, building good credit, making student loan payment plans, and evaluating job offers and benefits for potential future jobs.

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Giving back the Wildcat way

The title “Purple People” may not be common, but for Bruce and Nancy Peters, that name represents their love for their alma mater, Kansas State University.

Bruce, 1969 K-State graduate in finance and retired U.S. Air Force officer, and spouse, Nancy, 1972 K-State graduate in chemistry, created scholarships for the K-State Department of Chemistry and the Department of Finance.

“There are so many charities to contribute to, but how can you top giving a young person some help getting started with their life and career?” Bruce said. “We have always been obnoxiously strong K-State fans, and a scholarship seems like a great way to give back to a great school.”

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