Sources: Pat Bosco, Gary Hellebust, Mindy Weixelman, mindyw@found.ksu.edu, Matt Woodward, woody13@k-state.edu, Emily Besler, ebesler@k-state.edu
News release prepared by: Emily Besler, ebesler@k-state.edu
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
K-STATE PROUD STUDENT CAMPAIGN AND STUDENT FOUNDATION WIN NATIONAL AWARDS
MANHATTAN -- The Kansas State University Student Foundation won three of the five national awards at the 2007 Association of Student Advancement Programs Networking Convention in Columbus, Ohio, in August.
The KSU Student Foundation won the awards for Outstanding External Program, K-State Proud; and Outstanding Internal Program, New Member Orientation. Emily Besler, K-State Proud campaign coordinator, also won the award for Outstanding Student Leader.
"My heartfelt congratulations go out to our student leadership," said Pat Bosco, associate vice president for institutional advancement and dean of student life. "Much of what has helped make K-State a very special place is the student ownership we enjoy in projects like Open House, homecoming and student fundraising."
"We are elated to have the outstanding efforts of the Kansas State University Student Foundation recognized at the national level by the Association of Student Advancement Programs," said Gary Hellebust, president and CEO of the KSU Foundation. "The Student Foundation's dedication and ingenuity in developing the K-State Proud program has been recognized by national peers. K-State students have truly taken their place with K-State alumni, faculty and staff, and university friends in supporting the Changing Lives Campaign."
Association of Student Advancement Programs is the student organization associated with the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. It is an association of student organizations at more than 300 higher education institutions in North America, all with the common goal of providing resources and opportunities for networking and leadership development in order to promote student involvement in educational advancement.
The association selected K-State Proud as the Outstanding External Program for raising more than $70,000 for Student Opportunity Awards and engaging more than 6,500 students in philanthropic giving. K-State Proud is one of the first student-driven campaigns of its kind in the country, Besler said, and the objective of the campaign was to raise awareness of philanthropy and the importance of private gifts to the university among students and the entire K-State family.
"K-State Proud was an opportunity for students to engage in a philanthropic effort that benefits fellow students," said Matt Woodward, Student Foundation president and senior in finance, Overland Park. "Through the generosity of each student who contributed, we'll be able to demonstrate what being part of the K-State family truly means."
Besler, a senior in marketing and political science from Evergreen, Colo., was also recognized as the Outstanding Student Leader for her work as the campaign coordinator for K-State Proud.
"It is also no surprise that Emily has been recognized by the Association of Student Advancement Programs as an outstanding student leader. She has made a difference in student government, student life and now in our interest of expanding K-State students' role in fundraising," Bosco said.
"It is an honor to receive this award. At K-State, I have been continually amazed by the student body's commitment to help their fellow students," Besler said. "K-State Proud was about ‘students changing lives.' Now, thousands of students will be impacted by the legacy of this campaign."
Student Foundation's new member orientation program also won an award for Outstanding Internal Program. The purpose and goals of the new member orientation program served as the foundation to building a successful and innovative program, Bosco said. The purpose was to introduce all responsibilities and aspects of the Student Foundation to new members in order to equip the members with adequate training, background, and knowledge needed to excel within the organization.
The Kansas State University Student Foundation acts as a bridge between the student body and the KSU Foundation, Hellebust said. Student Foundation programming focuses on raising awareness among current and future alumni about the importance of giving back to K-State, and cultivating philanthropy across the university.
The Changing Lives Campaign for Kansas State University is a comprehensive $500 million campaign that will infuse new funds into virtually every dimension of the university, Hellebust said. The KSU Foundation coordinates fundraising efforts with alumni, friends, corporations and foundations to secure private support for Kansas State University.