During the August 20, 2008 department faculty retreat it was decided to reconfigure our department advisory board. The organizations listed below represent the key stakeholder groups of our department. As such, we have invited each organization’s CEO/Executive Director to serve a 3-year term as a member of our Advisory Board together with the organization’s annually rotating president/board chair, who would serve a 1-year term. The department also appoints Members at-Large for 1-3 year terms to support and achieve the purpose of our Advisory Board.

 

The primary purpose of the Advisory Board of our Department of Grain Science and Industry is to provide counsel to the faculty, staff and students regarding the department’s teaching, research and outreach missions, as well as advise on and support special projects such as strategic planning, student recruitment and placement, scholarship and other fund raising, and promotion of the Department.

 

Meetings of the Advisory Board are typically held twice a year; once in the spring in conjunction with the department’s Annual Spring Awards Banquet (in late April) and with the department’s Annual Alumni & Friends Tailgate Party in (in October).

 

The first meeting took place on October 23-24, 2008. The primary focus of that meeting was to share an update on the current state of our department, to hear from a number of our outstanding students, and to work together on the details of a recruiting plan to attract more students, especially from out-of-state into our three unique undergraduate degree programs. The break-out sessions yielded lots of excellent ideas to consider as we aim together to attract and retain more qualified employees into long-term grain industry careers, and attract more students into undergraduate degree programs in our department in order to provide more qualified employees for the entire grain industry spectrum. Further discussion about recommended recruiting ideas was held with our faculty, which confirmed the following three priorities: (1) to hold an out-of-state recruiting event in the Twin Cities (which was billed as A Wildcat Recruitment Extravaganza and since took place May 18, 2009 in Minneapolis, Minnesota), (2) to develop a promotional website (which is under development) and new recruiting materials (which since resulted in the Brains for Grains Recruitment and Scholarship Program), (3) and to use Grain Science 101 as a distance teaching tool (which is under development).

 

The second meeting took place on April 23-24, 2009. The primary focus of that meeting was to recognize outstanding alumni and service awardees of the department; to celebrate scholarship and award recipients of the department; to present the details and obtain final input for the Brains for Grain Recruitment & Scholarship Program (which has been finalized) ; to provide an update of the State of the Department and the impact of pending budget cuts (State of the Department - 2009); to visit and interact with the Dr. Fred Cholick, Dean of the KSU College of Agriculture; and to present an outline for the planned Centennial Celebration Initiative .

 

The 2009-2010 meetings of the Advisory Board of the Department of Grain Science & Industry are scheduled for October 22-23, 2009 and tentatively April 29-30, 2010.

 

The faculty, staff and students of the Department of Grain Science & Industry greatly appreciate the service of the following individuals and organizations on our 2009-2010 Advisory Board.

 

Steve L. Nelson (Executive Vice President); Mary Ellen Camire (President)

Robb MacKie (President & CEO); Ken Klosterman Jr. (Board Chairman)

 

Joel Newman (President & CEO); Brian Rittgers (Board Chairman)

James Munyon (President)

Kerwin Brown (Manager); John H. Khoury, President Custom Foods, Inc

Kerwin Brown (President & CEO); Kenneth Newsome (Board Chairman)

 

Theresa Cogswell (Executive Director); Ron Zelch (President and Board Chairman)

 

Audrae Erickson (President)

David Krejci (Executive Vice President); Rick Krier (President-Elect)

 

Melinda Farris (Executive Vice President ); Ivo Klaric (President)

 

Jere White (Executive Director)

Tom Tunnell (President & CEO); Gary Gantz (Board Chairman)

Jere White (Executive Director)

Kenlon Johannes (Administrator)

Justin Gilpin (CEO)

Betsy Faga (President); Vance Taylor (Board Representative)

 

Bob Dinneen (President & CEO)

 

Tom Shanower (Director)

 

Marcia Scheideman (President)

 

Charles Sosland (CEO, Sosland Publishing)

Mark Avery (CEO, Grain Publications)

Dr. Fred Cholick (Dean & Director, K-State College of Agriculture (ex-officio))