MANHATTAN — It’s pomp and circumstance time at Kansas State University with fall commencement ceremonies set for Friday, Dec. 8, and Saturday, Dec. 9. Commencement speakers include an award-winning National Geographic photographer, the mayor of Salina and the poet laureate of Kansas.

More than 1,500 students are candidates for degrees. To be awarded will be more than 1,300 bachelor’s degrees, 240 master’s degrees and nearly 50 doctorates. Around 170 of the degree candidates are distance education students.

A live webcast of the ceremonies will be available at k-state.edu/graduation/.

Ceremonies kick off with commencement for the Graduate School at 1 p.m. Dec. 8 in Bramlage Coliseum. At the ceremony, Jim Richardson, photographer for National Geographic magazine and its sister publication, TRAVELER, will be awarded an honorary doctorate from the university. Richardson, from Lindsborg, also will serve as the commencement speaker. The Kansas Board of Regents will be represented at the ceremony by Regent D. Shane Bangerter, Dodge City.

Commencement for Kansas State University Polytechnic Campus in Salina will be at 7 p.m. Dec. 8 in the campus’s Student Life Center. Commencement speaker will be Kaye Crawford, mayor of Salina.

All ceremonies on Dec. 9 will be in Bramlage Coliseum on the Manhattan campus. The schedule of ceremonies and speakers:

• College of Arts and Sciences, 8:30 a.m., with Kevin Rabas as commencement speaker. Rabas, a Kansas State University alumnus, is chair of the English, modern languages and journalism department at Emporia State University, Emporia, and poet laureate of Kansas.

• College of Education, 10 a.m., with Sally Yahnke, associate professor of curriculum and instruction, as commencement speaker. Yahnke is a longtime faculty member of the college, serving as teacher educator for family and consumer sciences education and coordinator for career and technical education.

• College of Business Administration, 11:30 a.m., with Michael W. Upchurch as commencement speaker. Upchurch, a Kansas State University alumnus, is executive vice president and chief financial officer of Kansas City Southern, a transportation holding company based in Kansas City, Missouri, with railroad investments in the U.S., Mexico and Panama.

• College of Agriculture, 1 p.m., with Chad Miller, associate professor of horticulture and natural resources, as commencement speaker. Miller is the recipient of the 2017 U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Best New Teacher Award for Food and Agricultural Sciences.

• College of Human Ecology, 2:30 p.m., with Sonya Britt-Lutter, associate professor of personal financial planning, as commencement speaker. Britt-Lutter is a certified financial planner with training in marriage and family therapy. Her research has appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Kiplinger’s and other publications.

• College of Engineering, 4 p.m., with James M. Johnson as commencement speaker. Johnson, a Kansas State University alumnus, is president and CEO of GE Johnson Construction Co., a commercial general contractor based in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

A virtual commencement ceremony is available at global.k-state.edu/commencement for distance education students unable to attend their commencement ceremony in person. The website includes a listing of students earning degrees through distance education, a place for family and friends to post congratulatory messages and other commencement-related offerings.

DVDs of the ceremony may be ordered through the K-State Campus Store in the K-State Student Union at 785-532-6583. The DVDs are $14.95 and delivery normally takes four to six weeks.

Related to commencement will be commissioning ceremonies for Kansas State University’s Army and Air Force ROTC units. The Army ROTC ceremony will be at 10 a.m. Dec. 8 in Forum Hall at the Union. The Air Force ceremony will be at 8 a.m. Friday, Dec. 15, in the Marietta Room in Gen. Richard B. Myers Hall.

K-State News and Communications Services
Division of Communications and Marketing

High

55°

Sunny. Highs in the mid 50s. Northwest winds 5 to 10 mph.

The Junction City Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors met in executive session with attorney Keith Henry for about 30 minutes Wednesday.

The executive session was held at the beginning of the Board meeting, and later on there was no status update on the master agreement for the consolidated chamber of commerce. Earlier this year the County Commission voted 2-1 to pull the Convention and Visitor’s Bureau out of the consolidated chamber.

The interim CEO of the Chamber, Mickey Fornaro-Dean was unable to say much about the purpose of the closed door meeting, noting it was attorney-client privelige.  “I’m not at liberty to discuss what we discussed at this point, but hopefully at the end of the month we’ll have some information.” JC Post asked how long the issue has been brewing. “it’s been brewing for awhile, but we want to make sure we work through it and we have the right decision for this community, this county and these organizations.

The consolidated chamber also includes the Military Affairs Council, EDC, and Chamber Membership Division in addition to the CVB.

 

 

 

RILEY COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities continue to look for an inmate who didn’t return to jail in Riley County Tuesday night.

Joshue Sichler, 21, failed to return while out on work release, according to Public Information Officer Hali Rowland. The police department reported his disappearance early Wednesday. He was being held on a probation violation.

In October authorities in Geary County reported arresting Sichler on a probation violation.

In July, Riley County police arrested Sichler for a probation violation and driving with a suspended license. He was released on $3,250 bond.

In June of 2016, police arrested Sichler for a probation violation; felony possession of drug paraphernalia; possession of depressants, stimulants, hallucinogenics or steroids.

Several course improvements are getting underway at Rolling Meadows Golf Course.

Unseasonably warm weather has kept golfers out into the winter months, but PGAZ General Manager John Bernstein says that hasn’t stopped things from moving forward.

“Our current turf is a cool season grass that always looks good in the spring and the fall,” Bernstein said. “People always question, ‘Why would you want to change it?’ but we get into the summer and it cant handle the stress of the heat. So, we have converted the left side of every fairway to a Zoysia grass and we’ve converted the very forward and very back tee box. In 2018 will do the remainder.”

According to Bernstein work improvements are being made to the practice range as well.

High

55°

Partly sunny. Highs in the mid 50s. East winds 5 to 15 mph shifting to the southeast 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon.

The marketing director of Geary Community Hospital, Nikki Davies, reported to the Hospital Board of Trustees Tuesday that a local health needs assessment being done in the community will wrap up in the next couple of weeks.

The assessment will identify healthcare needs. Davies noted more information will be available on that assessment about the first of the year.

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Hospital board members were also informed that new veterans and active duty soldier parking spots at the hospital are being used by patrons.

There are three located in front of the hospital building and three on the back side.

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The Board learned the Geary Community Healthcare Foundation sponsored Holiday Glitz will be Saturday, Dec. 9. The event will help raise funds to support of Children’s Mercy Pediatric Clinics, which are being built on the lower level of Geary Community Hospital.