June 21, 2016
 Summer Events:
June 20-22
Aviation Fixation
Aviation Fixation 2.0

June 27-29
Fly K-State Academy

July 4
Campus Holiday

July 24-31
K-State Polytechnic at Airventure Oshkosh
Quick Links
Editor's note regarding 'Wildcat Weekly' summer schedule
With the spring semester coming to an end, the Wildcat Weekly now will be published on a new summer schedule. The campus's news and events source will be emailed every three weeks until the fall semester begins. Below are the dates:
  • July 12
  • August 2
  • August 23
If you are submitting a story for inclusion in the newsletter, it must be sent via the "project request" tab on the website's communications and marketing page no later than noon the previous publishing day. For questions, email Julee Cobb, communications coordinator, at julee@k-state.edu.
UAS program expands commercial flight training program with North Dakota's SkySkopes as first national client

After debuting its inaugural flight training course to unmanned aircraft systems students in January, the UAS program on Kansas State University's Polytechnic Campus is expanding that offering to now include its first national professional client.

Under the Section 333 exemption received from the Federal Aviation Administration in fall 2015, Kansas State Polytechnic's UAS program is providing SkySkopes, located in Grand Forks, North Dakota, with multirotor flight training to help develop their pilots' skills and ensure safe operations. SkySkopes, a leader in the upper Red River Valley for unmanned flight services specializing in aerial cinematography, industrial inspection and agriculture, is sending 10 UAV pilots to Kansas State Polytechnic throughout the summer to take the intensive, five-day course based on the school's undergraduate curriculum, with some customization for SkySkopes' needs.

"We are thrilled to assist an impressive company like SkySkopes with taking its operational goals and technology to the next level," said Kurt Carraway, executive director of Kansas State Polytechnic's UAS program. "Broadening our reach beyond the state of Kansas to instruct UAS professionals establishes another milestone in our program and demonstrates our reputation in the industry as an innovative leader."

Matt Dunlevy, who started SkySkopes about two years ago, contacted Kansas State Polytechnic's UAS program after learning about its approval from the FAA to provide UAS commercial flight training. Along with building upon his employees' UAS education, Dunlevy wants to put safety at the forefront of their services.

"We want to brand ourselves as a company with a serious culture of flight safety, and one of the best ways to do that is to get as much safety training and actual hands-on flight instruction as possible," said Dunlevy, who also serves as president and CEO of SkySkopes. "With the program having a large flight pavilion and receiving the first 333 exemption in the country for commercial flight training, that made Kansas State Polytechnic who we wanted to work with."

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K-State's interim president visits polytechnic campus
The polytechnic campus welcomed the university's interim president, Gen. Richard Myers, on June 14 for a tour of the facilities and a faculty and staff address. Myers will be leading all of Kansas State University's campuses while the Kansas Board of Regents accepts applications and nominations for the position.

As a command pilot who has more than 4,100 flying hours, Gen. Myers was particularly attracted to the aviation center during his campus tour, commenting on the beauty and diversity of the polytechnic fleet.

Myers served as the 15th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 2001 to 2005. As the nation's highest ranking military officer, he served as the principal military advisor to the President, the Secretary of Defense, and the National Security Council. Prior to becoming Chairman, Myers served as Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Myers has commanded at all levels and served in significant staff positions throughout the Air Force.
Welcome aboard to the new hires on campus
Since the month of May, below are the exciting new hires of faculty and staff to support the campus and its students.

  • Amy Yan-Barton, Teaching Assistant Professor, Computer Systems Technology
  • Durant Bridges, Assistant Professor, Aviation Maintenance Management
  • Kurt Carraway, Executive Director of UAS
  • Ellen Fixen, Graphics and Web Designer
  • Garett Ludlum, Academic Advisor
  • Kevin Dawson, Admission Representative
  • Gary Buzel, Teaching Assistant Professor, Aviation/UAS
  • Chris Senn, Teaching Assistant Professor, Aviation/UAS
  • Mary Tiede, Events Coordinator
  • David Clark, Security Officer

A high-five is one of the most recognizable ways two people can share excitement or celebrate a job well done. Kansas State Polytechnic's CEO and Dean Verna Fitzsimmons awards her high-five each week to honor faculty, staff and students for their dedication to the university.
Link
Great job Upward Bound!
I would like to send a high-five to the Upward Bound program for hosting an interview night for their students, who range from grades 9th through 11th. The interviewers for the event were K-State Polytechnic faculty and staff: Katherine Jones, Stephanie McDowell, Debra Marseline and myself. Dr. Lonnie Booker from Kansas Wesleyan University also volunteered his time.

The interviewers spoke with a total of 30 students, who were very well prepared, did an amazing job and learned a lot. I can say that I would hire all of the students that I interacted with. 

Congratulations and thank you to Monshonda Booker, director of Upward Bound, and Emeryld Wills, the academic services coordinator for UB, for providing an instructive and valuable program.
Thank you to those involved in the ET portion of Discover Programs!
A High-five and thank you to everyone who made the Virtual World 2.0: Minecraft Edition camp an outstanding success! Those specifically involved:
  • Troy Harding for leading this effort!
  • Dustin Keiswetter and Tyler Montgomery for designing, 3D printing and assembling the Enderdragon characters. Also, thank you for the MET lab tour, CAD instruction and helping the students design their customized 3D printed panel.
  • Raju Dandu for your presentation on 3D printing and CAD.
  • Aaron Westerman and Rick Hughes for designing, assembling and programming the circuit boards for Enderdragons.  Also, thank you for the electronic demonstrations and your hands-on session on building a breadboard circuit.
  • Tim Bower for your robotic presentation and demonstration.  Also, thank you for being there to help with all of the other sessions as well.
  • Bill Genereux for the green screen activity and the binary number activity. The green screen was a big hit and was hilarious. Also, thank you for taking time from your farm job to drive all the way to Salina.
  • Alec Cork for helping get things ready and for being there every day to help.  It sure was nice to have you there to answer all of the students' Minecraft questions.
  • The I.S. guys - Tony Hoover, Matt Janzen, Jeremy Brown and Bill Chestnut - for getting the computer lab ready to go and configuring server space to store files.  Also, a big thank you for your quick response and solution to our Minecraft dilemma on the first Monday morning of camp. You saved the day! 
  • Kirsten Zoller, Julie Wilson and Danielle Brown for organizing, coordinating, publicizing, ordering supplies, checking kids in and out, snacks... and everything else you did to make this camp and all of the other camps happen. You are helping kids and their parents be engaged with our campus. These positive experiences will more than just impact the kids attending; siblings, relatives and friends will also hear about their experiences.  

Summer Financial Aid
Will you be attending summer school at K-State Polytechnic? If so, you will need to complete the K-State 2016 Summer Financial Aid Application form to see if you qualify for any financial aid. You must enroll in classes first and then complete the application for aid. The form can be in Room 105 of the Welcome Center.

Loan Repayment Option for Graduating Students
The state of Kansas is offering up to $15,000 in student loan repayment and up to a 5 year state tax waiver for graduates who establish residency in one of the 77 Kansas counties designated as a rural opportunity zone. For more information, visit the link below:

Employee Tuition Assistance and Spouse/ Dependent Grant
1.  Employee Tuition Assistance
http://www.k-state.edu/sfa/forms/eta.pdf 

Award amount is for tuition only in a K-State course for up to 3 credit hours per term. 

The maximum award amount will not exceed the value of 3 hours at the in-state Manhattan/Salina tuition rate (ie. Campus fees, other institutional fees, etc. are the responsibility of the employee). 

2. Spouse/Dependent Grants (Available in fall and spring semesters only. Not available in the summer.)

http://www.k-state.edu/sfa/forms/dsg.pdf

For dependents with a primary career of undergraduate (full time requirement), the amount of the Dependent/Spouse Tuition Grant award for that semester will equal 7 credit hours at the applicable tuition rate. 

For dependents with a primary career of graduate or veterinary medicine, the amount of the Dependent/Spouse Tuition Grant award for the semester will be equal to 1, 2, or 3 credit hours at the applicable tuition rate. The maximum of 3 credit hours of tuition rate will be awarded to students enrolled in a total of 3 or more credit hours for the semester.

For spouses with a primary career of undergraduate, graduate, or veterinary medicine, the amount of the Dependent/Spouse Tuition Grant award for the semester will be equal to 1, 2, or 3 credit hours at the applicable tuition rate. The maximum of 3 credit hours of tuition rate will be awarded to students enrolled in a total of 3 or more credit hours for the semester.
Aviation Scholarships
1.) The Navigate Your Future scholarship is available to high school seniors who will be entering college this fall. Must be planning for a career in aviation. Award is $2500. DEADLINE: June 24.  http://nata.aero/Scholarships/Navigate-Your-Future-Scholarship.aspx

All jobs, both part-time and full-time as well as internship opportunities, are listed on the Kansas State University CES account. Access your CES account by logging into: 

 

https://www.myinterfase.com/kstate/Account/LogOn?ReturnUrl=%2fkstate%2fstudent

 

For more information about this resource or additional employment resources, or for CES search assistance, please contact Erica Riffel Chapel by email at ejr@ksu.edu, by phone at (785) 826-2674, or in person on the second floor of the College Center.

 

To post a position on the CES system, please send your job descriptions and employer contact information by email to Erica Riffel Chapel at ejr@ksu.edu for immediate posting.  

Kansas State Polytechnic |
785-826-2917 | salinamarketing@k-state.edu | 2310 Centennial Rd 
Salina, KS 67401

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