Arts and Sciences Awards

Ron Gaches, former chair of the College of Arts and Sciences Alumni Council, has established to acknowledge excellence in undergraduate teaching in the College of Arts and Sciences at Kansas State University.

The Ron Gaches Lifetime Teaching Award recognizes an outstanding teacher of undergraduate courses who has taught at K-State for a minimum of five years. This award is open to all faculty and carries a $2,000 stipend.

Nomination Requirements:

• Letter of nomination describing in detail why the nominee deserves this award
• Letter from nominee on his/her teaching philosophy including evidence of improved student learning and teaching effectiveness over their career (two-page limit) .
• Up to three letters of support from students or former students.

Ron Gaches, former chair of the College of Arts and Sciences Alumni Council, has established to acknowledge excellence in undergraduate teaching in the College of Arts and Sciences at Kansas State University.

The Ron Gaches Teaching Award recognizes two outstanding faculty members (all ranks) who teach upper-level undergraduate courses (numbered 300-600) and who engage in teaching innovations that improve pedagogical practices. Each award carries a stipend of $1,000.

Nomination Requirements:

• Letter of nomination describing in detail why the nominee deserves this award
• Summary of upper level (300-600 level) undergraduate courses taught within the last two years (include title and short description of courses, along with number of students enrolled).
• Student evaluations from at least two, but not more than three, undergraduate courses taught within the last three semesters. Student comments should also be included along with the numerical evaluation summary.
• Letter from nominee on his/her teaching philosophy including evidence of improved student learning and teaching effectiveness (two-page limit).
• Up to three letters of support from students or former students.

William L. Stamey was a mathematician and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences for seventeen years, 1970-1987. In recognition of his outstanding record in recruiting excellent faculty to K-State and of the continuing need to foster excellence in teaching and advising, the College of Arts and Sciences established the William L. Stamey Awards.

The college usually selects up to two Stamey Faculty Teaching Awards with an award stipend of $1,000 each. All faculty ranks are eligible. .

Nomination Requirements:

• Letter of nomination describing in detail why the nominee deserves this award
• Summary of undergraduate courses taught within the last two years (include title and short description of courses, along with number of students enrolled).
• Student evaluations from at least two, but not more than three, undergraduate courses taught within the last three semesters. Student comments should also be included along with the numerical evaluation summary.
• Letter from nominee on his/her teaching philosophy including evidence of improved student learning and teaching effectiveness (two-page limit).
• Up to three letters of support from students or former students.

William L. Stamey was a mathematician and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences for seventeen years, 1970-1987. In recognition of his outstanding record in recruiting excellent faculty to K-State and of the continuing need to foster excellence in teaching and advising, the College of Arts and Sciences established the William L. Stamey Awards.

The college usually selects one Stamey Teaching Award for a GTA, with an award stipend of $1,000.

Nomination Requirements:

• Letter of nomination describing in detail why the nominee deserves this award
• Summary of undergraduate courses taught within the last two years (include title and short description of courses, along with number of students enrolled).
• Student evaluations from at least two, but not more than three, undergraduate courses taught within the last three semesters. Student comments should also be included along with the numerical evaluation summary.
• Letter from nominee on his/her teaching philosophy including evidence of improved student learning and teaching effectiveness (two-page limit).
• Up to three letters of support from students or former students.

William L. Stamey was a mathematician and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences for seventeen years, 1970-1987. In recognition of his outstanding record in recruiting excellent faculty to K-State and of the continuing need to foster excellence in teaching and advising, the College of Arts and Sciences established the William L. Stamey Awards.

The college normally selects one Stamey Advising Award with an award stipend of $1,000.

Nomination Requirements:

• Letter of nomination describing in detail why the nominee deserves this award
• Up to three letters of support from students the nominee advised.
• Letter of support from the department/program head or appropriate associate/ assistant dean that details why the nominee is deserving of this award. In particular, it should address the scope of the nominee's advising responsibilities and evidence of the quality of the advising. Evidence of effective advising may include, but is not limited to:
  • Availability to advisees
  • Appropriate referral activity
  • Use of appropriate and accurate information sources
  • Monitoring of student progress toward academic and career goals
  • Mastery of institutional regulations, polices, and procedures
• Brief description by the nominee of his or her advising philosophy (no more than one page).

Annette Maggio, former executive assistant to the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, served the dean's office for 42 years until she retired in 2022. She was a constant source of support and guidance for administrators, faculty, staff and students in the college. Annette’s attention to detail, willingness to go above and beyond, selfless dedication to the college’s mission, and ability to solve problems strengthened K-State for decades. Annette was admired and respected across the campus and will always be part of the ArtSci family.

This award, established in fall 2023, recognizes outstanding administrative and support staff members in the college. Recipients receive a stipend of $1000.

Nomination Requirements:

• Letter of nomination describing in detail why the nominee deserves this award
• Letter of support and/or nomination from the department head or appropriate associate/ assistant dean that details why the nominee is deserving of this award. In particular, it should address the scope of the nominee's responsibilities and evidence of excellence.
• Nominee's current curriculum vitae.
• Up to three letters of support.

The Keller Family Award for Innovation in Teaching was established in 2025 by 2001 K-State alumni Dr. Brian and Amber Keller to recognize excellence in undergraduate teaching and innovation in pedagogical methods. This includes, but is not limited to, active or outdoor experiential learning strategies, cross-disciplinary teaching, and use of technology-enhanced learning. Recipients should demonstrate a strong ability to inspire students, engage them in subject matter, promote critical thinking, and foster a love of learning.

Applicants must be a faculty member in Arts and Sciences; all faculty of all ranks are eligible.

Application Instructions: Choose either Tier 1 or Tier 2

Tier 1: Award of $5000 to support individual faculty seeking to launch or expand an existing project or program centered on innovative pedagogical methods related to one or more undergraduate courses (below 700).

To apply, send a one-page white paper to asdeans@ksu.edu including;

• A brief description of the innovative methods used or proposed and the goals of using them in the context of the course, major/discipline, and intended audience (i.e. class rank, pre-requisites studies, etc.)
• The course(s) that will use these methods including course number and typical enrollment.
• How the funding will impact the proposed methods, audience, and goals.
• Timeline and budget

Tier 2: Award of up to $10,000 to support teams seeking to launch or expand an existing project or program centered on innovative pedagogical methods related to one or more undergraduate courses (below 700).

To apply, send a one-page white paper to asdeans@ksu.edu including;

• A brief description of the innovative methods used or proposed and the goals of using them in the context of the course, major/discipline, and intended audience (i.e. class rank, pre-requisites studies, etc.)
• The course(s) that will use these methods including course number and typical enrollment.
• How the funding will impact the proposed methods, audience, and goals.
• Team members: names, departments, and roles/responsibilities to the project
• Timeline and budget

Use of Funds: Funds shall be used to supplement salary and to provide additional operating support for assistants, travel, equipment, or other expenses. Any equipment purchased from this Fund shall be the property of Kansas State University. Any funds disbursed to students are subject to the general rules and regulations governing the University scholarship program.

Selection Criteria:

Successful proposals should advance or include:

• Teaching methods that are underutilized on campus or in specific disciplines
• Demonstrable impact, perhaps in pre and post-performance assessments or other evidence of effectiveness.
• Potential scalability to more broadly apply innovative methods within and across disciplines and the university.

We especially value proposals that engage the K-State Next-Gen strategic plan, including Imperative 1 (Grow Enrollment), Imperative 2 (Improve Retention Rates), Imperative 3 (Provide Applied Learning Experiences), Imperative 5 (Nimbly meet the needs of today’s learners) and Arts and Sciences College Strategic Plan, including Goal 1 (Innovate in academics and instruction to deliver relevant, explicitly visible, and long-lasting value for our students and, the community).

Questions or clarifications should be directed to Ben Stark, Assistant Dean (benstark@ksu.edu)