Greetings from the Staley School of Leadership Studies! As the 2020-21 academic year closes, I’m reaching out with updates, encouragement, and the wish that all is well with you as we head into summer.
It comes as no surprise that wrapping up the spring semester was incredibly fulfilling for our students, faculty and staff, but even more pride comes from knowing that together we finished strong during our continued times of difficulty and great change. Even though expectations were set in advance, with far fewer surprises than we experienced in the spring 2020 semester, our success still required perseverance, concentrated effort to pursue relationship-building in a time of social distance, and absolute diligence to advance the Staley School mission.
Thankfully, with access to the COVID-19 vaccines, hope is prevalent. We encourage all of our alumni, friends and partners to practice leadership by setting an example and getting vaccinated as soon as possible. In Kansas, The Staley School has partnered with the Kansas Leadership Center and the state of Kansas for the Kansas Beats the Virus initiative, engaging with communities all across the state to developed an action plan that could help slow the spread of COVID-19. Online resources are available to find the closest vaccination location in your area.
The pandemic is not yet behind us, and we all have a part to play. Stay vigilant because we have so much to look forward to this fall and in the year ahead.
Looking ahead
We are preparing to host a cohort of 2021 Mandela Washington Fellows and we are working hard to do so virtually. On June 21, we will launch a six-week virtual Civic Engagement and Leadership institute for 25 of Africa’s bright, emerging leaders. The Mandela Washington Fellowship, the flagship program of the Young African Leaders Initiatve (YALI), empowers young African leaders through academic coursework, leadership training, mentoring, networking, professional opportunities, and local community engagement. Our K-State cohort is part of a group of 700 Mandela Washington Fellows hosted by 26 educational institutions across the United States.
Our team is planning the eleventh annual Spirit of Leadership – an event that engages alumni, current students and community partners to re-energize around leadership and civic engagement. Mark your calendars for the final week of September, ending with an evening celebration, Friday, Oct. 1, 2021. We had such success with our online leadership development sessions offered at the 2020 event, we plan to offer similar components in this year’s program to help connect Staley School friends both near and far. We are also looking forward to welcoming you back to campus for an in-person Friday night event in Town Hall. Returning to tradition while welcoming innovation – this is how we embrace and build the future!
The Staley School team is also preparing for a fall semester with in-person classes on campus. Our faculty, staff and students are excited for the opportunity to safely learn together once again. But I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that in spite of the concern we all had about the relational and emotional distance that online learning might create, leadership studies students were considerably and remarkably positive in their feedback about their online learning experience. During live Zoom sessions, cameras stayed on, mics unmuted, and engaged and critical conversations took place. We could not be prouder of the work our faculty does to ensure that our students feel connected and valued, even in trying times.
In recent news
We had a lot to celebrate this year including our faculty, student programs and graduates. Dr. Mary Kay Siefers was honored with Kansas State University’s Presidential Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. As part of Dr. Siefers work, the Staley School proudly introduced a new departmental student organization this spring, Food Security Scholars (FSS). FSS is a program for K-State students who are interested in understanding food security systems and challenging the way we think about food insecurity, community need and how we provide food to those who need it.
K-State was presented with the inaugural Don Clifton Strengths for Students Award by Gallup. Led by the Staley School, K-State’s aim is to help students identify and develop students’ top five CliftonStrengths as they transition in, through and out of K-State. Universities that receive this award are exceptional in helping students utilize their strengths to achieve success in the classroom and beyond.
And finally – our graduates. This academic year brought two sets of inaugural graduates. Our first eight nonprofit leadership certificate students graduated in the fall and another eight earned their certificate in the spring. This program, which was formerly a focus of the leadership studies minor, is now standalone and can be earned without pursuing a degree or the minor. The increased accessibility of the certificate gives this program the ability to meet students where they are.
We also celebrate our first graduates of the Leadership Communication doctoral program at K-State: Roberta Maldonado Franzen, Ph.D., and Onyedikachi Ekwerike, Ph.D. This interdisciplinary program with faculty from the Department of Communications and Agricultural Education, the Department of Communication Studies, the Staley School of Leadership Studies and the A.Q. Miller School of Journalism and Mass Communications, is dedicated to research that strengthens Kansas and global communities through bold, community-engaged scholarship that advances the public good. We are so proud of Dr. Maldonado Franzen and Dr. Ekwerike, and look forward to celebrating all of the doctoral students who follow in their footsteps.
As always, we look forward to the opportunities to connect with our alumni and friends. Moving forward has never felt better; the future seems bursting with opportunity. In all that you do, lead boldly, wisely, confidently.
Mary Hale Tolar, Ed.D.
Director, Staley School of Leadership Studies
