Sorry for any duplication – I thought this was posted last Friday but apparently it sat in my drafts box over the weekend.  The only change relates to the last item.. I can now extend an ex poste thank you to John Crespi, Tracy Turner, and the grad students for a wonderful get-together last Friday evening.

Thanks again to the undergraduate curriculum review committee for their work. Their recommendations over the past two years (primarily adding AGEC 315, AGEC 115 (an introductory computer applications class), and AGEC 501 (an upper division quantitative methods and decision analysis class)), along with various minor and not so minor tweaks to our programs of study, will better prepare our students for whatever they choose to pursue following graduation.

The changing workplace appears to be rewarding graduates with decision making abilities and mastery of computer-assisted quantitative analysis skills.  Last week’s Economist survey on labor identified many possible trends of future labor markets.  However, the article emphasized that one’s ability to master information technology, be it social media or computational decision making and data analysis, will increasingly be in demand.  Adding the introductory course and an upper division course relying on computational analysis, as well as continuing to stress computer applications throughout our curriculum, familiarizes our students with these skills.  In the rapidly evolving world of information technology, of course, premiums to current knowledge and skills may be short-lived.  It is thus important for all of us to keep current or even ahead of the curve in understanding what is available today and what will be possible tomorrow.

In light of the rapid changes in IT, I encourage you to drop in for some of the sessions, the keynote address, or to visit with the vendors at the upcoming K-State conference on “Innovations in Education and Technology” to be held September 28-29 in the Alumni Center.

Here are a few relevant items from this morning’s unit leaders’ meeting:

1.  On October 30 at the IGP facility on Kimball, K-State and Numana will collaborate on preparing food packages for food assistance for the Horn of Africa.  If you are willing to help by preparing the food packages, please sign up at kstateswipe.eventbrite.com.  If you would also (or instead) like to donate financial support, please go to the website swipeouthunger.com/k-state and click on the “Donate” icon.

2.  The deadline for submitting the undergraduate assessment report has changed this year to November 1st.  Please help Arlo and Hikaru in whatever way they ask as they prepare this annual report to meet the new deadline.

3.  Nina gave a report on the many new opportunities for collaborative work with faculty, students, and researchers in India.  If interested, she has more information and can help put you in touch with the right people for doing joint work.  Of special interest is the Indian government’s financial pledge to support 15 Ph.D. students to attend US universities.  The host university must only contribute the (in-state) tuition for the students.  Nina will forward information on the procedure for bringing one or two of these students to the program as it becomes available.

4.  Finally, Brian Niehoff gave an overview of the Higher Learning Council accreditation study of K-State.  Brian and others have done a tremendous amount of work in preparing for this once every 10 year process.  The HLC study group will be on campus April 9-11, 2012, and may want to visit with faculty and students.  As the visitation date approaches, Brian and crew will distribute more background information about the items to be assessed in case a stranger gets on the elevator with you and starts asking questions about our programs.

5.  Gary Pierzynski has approved funding for a trip to Zamorano next spring to recruit students and discuss possible research and teaching collaborations.  Right now, we are receiving applications from students who wish to come to K-State for their three month internship starting in mid-January.  If you would be willing to provide an undergraduate research experience AND have grant or other funds to provide the necessary $1200/month stipend, please let me know and I’ll send you the student information I have received.

Finally, an ex ante thank you goes to John Crespi and Tracy Turner for offering their house and to the grad students for hosting this evening’s fall bash.