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From the Office of Public Affairs | http://www.news.ku.edu

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School of Public Affairs & Administration announces new director

LAWRENCE – The University of Kansas School of Public Affairs & Administration will welcome new leadership in 2024. Maja Husar Holmes has been named director of the school, effective Jan. 1. During her 15 years at West Virginia University, Holmes has directed the Department of Public Administration, led public service graduate programs and contributed to college and university strategic initiatives.

AAI announces the Center for Reimagining Education

LAWRENCE — The Achievement & Assessment Institute at the University of Kansas has announced the new Center for Reimagining Education (CRE), whose mission is to accelerate the pace of change in schools and districts. CRE will pursue its goals by leveraging technology and data and bringing together diverse teams of people to establish school-community driven partnerships and open pathways for learning. The center grew out a 2023 book co-written by two KU researchers titled “Duck and Cover: Confronting and Correcting Dubious Practices in Education.”

Full stories below.

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Contact: Sydney Bannister, School of Public Affairs & Administration, [email protected], @KUSPAA

School of Public Affairs & Administration announces new director

LAWRENCE – The University of Kansas School of Public Affairs & Administration (SPAA) will welcome new leadership in 2024. Maja Husar Holmes has been named director of the school, effective Jan. 1.

During her 15 years at West Virginia University, Holmes has directed the Department of Public Administration, led public service graduate programs and contributed to college and university strategic initiatives. Her initiatives included advancing public service education, engaging research and fostering inclusivity.

In addition to her role as school director, Holmes will join SPAA as a tenured professor of public administration. Throughout her career, her research has focused on public leadership and diversity in public management and higher education. Her work has been published in journals including State and Local Government Review, Administration & Society, Journal of Public Administration Research & Theory and Innovative Higher Education. She also has made significant contributions to advancing social justice and inclusivity in higher education through National Science Foundation-funded applied research.

“Dr. Holmes is uniquely qualified to lead our school into the future given the excellence of her research and her experience with applying research to action to help public organizations address critical issues, like social equity,” said Marilu Goodyear, the school’s interim director. “We all look forward to collaborating with her as we seek to fulfill our role serving KU and our communities.”

Additionally, Holmes has served key roles in supporting the profession of public service education. She is on the Executive Council of Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs and Administration and served as chair and member of the Commission on Peer Review and Accreditation. At WVU, her roles as an Office of the Provost Academic Leadership Fellow, Women’s Leadership Initiative coach and Teaching & Learning Commons Faculty Associate reflect her commitment to promoting holistic, equitable experiences for students, faculty and staff.

“It is a privilege to be part of the continuing commitment of SPAA to prepare professionals for a thriving public service. It is energizing to join the SPAA faculty, who are leaders in emergent research relevant to communities and advancing the public good,” Holmes said, who joined SPAA administration in thanking Goodyear for her nearly two years serving as interim director.

SPAA provides society with high-quality research in the areas of budget and finance, law and society, public management, public policy and urban planning. Faculty educate public servants who leave the school to contribute to society through action and research. The school’s excellence is recognized by five faculty who are National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) Fellows and by its U.S. News and World Report No. 1 ranking in local government.

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The official university Twitter account has changed to @UnivOfKansas.

Refollow @KUNews for KU News Service stories, discoveries and experts.

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Contact: Alicia Marksberry, Achievement & Assessment Institute, [email protected], @AAI_at_KU

AAI announces the Center for Reimagining Education

 

LAWRENCE — The Achievement & Assessment Institute (AAI) has announced the new Center for Reimagining Education (CRE), whose mission is to accelerate the pace of change in schools and districts. CRE will pursue its goals by leveraging technology and data and bringing together diverse teams of people to establish school-community driven partnerships and open pathways for learning.

The center is led by founding director Des Floyd and includes co-founders Rick Ginsberg, dean of the KU School of Education & Human Sciences, and Yong Zhao, Foundation Distinguished Professor of Educational Psychology at KU. The initial work of the center is funded by a seed gift from the Al & Sharon Cinelli Family Foundation.

CRE seeks to help teachers, leaders and districts innovate by taking ideas from conception to implementation. CRE will work with schools and the communities they serve through partnerships, practice and by centering learners as catalysts for change and transformation.

“We want to see schools completely reimagine what they’re doing,” Ginsberg said.

“Rather than it being the traditional top-down change, which hasn’t changed anything in 120 some odd years, let’s try a different approach driven by students and technology.”

The center grew out of Zhao and Ginsberg’s book, “Duck and Cover: Confronting and Correcting Dubious Practices in Education.” The book explores educational practices whose usefulness has declined over time, lack sound theoretical foundations or long-term evidence — or are even harmful.

“For the last 30 years now I’ve been talking a lot about how traditional education cannot be improved, it has to be transformed,” Zhao said. “I’ve been writing a lot about different ways to do that and working with schools in the U.S., Australia, China and Argentina. But because it was just me by myself, I’ve only been able to give them ideas and suggestions. It was nothing like a whole center like CRE that can truly bring the changes to education in Kansas and beyond.”

The trio hope to provide the tools and means to try new forms of teaching, especially in underserved communities. Floyd said that an important aspect of the transformation of education is looking at a student’s potential.

“I’m more interested in capability, not just ability. And when you talk about capability, we’re talking about potential. We’re talking about what is possible,” Floyd said.

Floyd has 25 years of experience working in the education sector, including as a secondary school teacher in a high needs public high school and as a districtwide and statewide coach, servicing schools and districts with the highest concentrations of traditionally marginalized student and family populations.

“I’m someone who critiques the K12 system as well, but I also have been through it, and there’s a lot that I’ve tried,” he said. “So, the question is, what are we offering folks in the way of solutions? How are we supporting them with the challenges that they’re faced with?”

For AAI Director and University Distinguished Professor Neal Kingston, the new center aligns closely with the mission of the Achievement & Assessment Institute.

“It is important to think about educational change through multiple methodological perspectives. While some educational problems are well served by incremental changes, others are best served by stronger actions. Egregious approaches (ducking under a desk to protect yourself from an atom bomb, as described by Zhao and Ginsberg in their book), should be thrown out and replaced,” Kingston said.

The center will use a two-pronged approach to system innovation, the first consisting of establishing and accelerating the pace of educational progress by empowering students to lead as drivers of change. The second involves supporting a school-within-a-school path to change that emphasizes students’ needs, passions and tech savvy and new innovations in educator and leader practice.

“I’m looking forward to spending time with researchers here at KU helping us to build the evidence base for human potential and capability. Our framework will be informed and shaped by the work that I’m doing with Rick and Yong and members of our advisory board,” Floyd said. “This is a place where ideas go to grow, and I feel like that applies to me as well as the students and other people who are a part of this.”

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KU News Service

1450 Jayhawk Blvd.

Lawrence KS 66045

Phone: 785-864-3256

Fax: 785-864-3339

[email protected]

http://www.news.ku.edu

Erinn Barcomb-Peterson, director of news and media relations, [email protected]

Today’s News is a free service from the Office of Public Affairs

 

Wheat Scoop: Derek Sawyer champions Kansas wheat farming at USW crop quality seminars in South America

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Kansas Wheat

Contact: Marsha Boswell, [email protected]

For audio version, visit kswheat.com.

Like many wheat producers, Derek Sawyer, who farms near McPherson and serves as a Kansas Wheat Commissioner, used not to think too much past the bushels and protein levels of the wheat he delivered the elevator. After joining U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) on their November crop quality seminars in South America, he now understands that end-use markets want not just data on protein quality and milling and baking test results, but also a direct connection back to the farmers who grow the wheat they purchase.

“These customers really wanted to hear about quality, and they all had something different they were looking for,” Sawyer said. “It’s a lot more than being able to take bushels of wheat to the elevator and delivering what we think will be shipped and turned into bread — we have to continue working domestically to improve genetics and inputs to grow a high-quality crop that the end-user wants.”

As the export market development organization for the U.S. wheat industry, USW conducts crop quality seminars around the world each fall and winter to provide transparent information to customers and facilitate dialogue about the U.S. wheat supply chain from start to finish. In addition to the series Sawyer attended in South America, USW also held seminars this year in Central America/Caribbean, South Asia, the European Union and North Asia.

Far from a leisurely tourist trip, Sawyer explained the U.S. team, who represented each of the six classes of U.S. wheat, had a whirlwind itinerary from one seminar to the next, flying from city to city and country to country to present to customers in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Chile. According to USW, the seminars in Quito (Ecuador), Lima (Peru) and Santiago (Chile) drew attendees that represented more than 90 percent of wheat purchases. In addition to these long-time, loyal customers, other end-users came to listen to the U.S. team, including a set of shrimp and salmon farmers who need tight specifications of hard red winter (HRW) wheat to make their feed pellets sink to maintain the exact right depth for longer feeding periods.

Sawyer served as the “friendly farmer” during these seminars, providing information on Kansas wheat farming operations and how they have changed over time — easy to do since his family’s operation has grown wheat for more than 70 years. In turn, customers asked Sawyer questions about profitability, drought, volatile prices, the future of wheat breeding and more.

“They wanted to meet the farmer that raises the crop they are buying and hear stories they could turn around and tell their customers,” Sawyer said. “A lot of them centered around sustainability or regenerative agriculture, so they wanted to be able to tell their customers that the farmer who grew the wheat cared about the land. As it turns out, wheat is a pretty easy crop to be able to tell that story.”

Transparency is a major advantage for selling U.S. wheat to international customers compared to other competing countries, including taking a deep dive into the data in USW’s crop quality reports and sharing personal perspectives from wheat farmers. Combined with personal relationships established and maintained by USW employees and clearly defined grain grading standards and export procedures, Sawyer explained that these customers know that when they buy a load of wheat from the United States, they know exactly what they will receive.

“Our buyers have stuck with us over the last three years, and it’s only because of the personal relationships we’ve formed,” Sawyer said. “It was truly amazing to see the reception that USW employees got from all the businesses; it showed the trust those buyers have in U.S. wheat. Our markets are truly open around the world because of their efforts.”

Now home and recovered from the jet lag, Sawyer reflected on his role — and the role of Kansas wheat farmers — in promoting not only a crop, but also a way of life.

“It was really satisfying for me to meet customers halfway around the world that really appreciated the value of the wheat I grow,” he said. “And I know it was satisfying for them to meet the farmer that truly cared about growing a valuable commodity and caring for the land my family has farmed for generations.”

Learn more about the entire set of USW’s crop quality seminars and read the full 2023 USW Crop Quality Report at uswheat.org.

 

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Prevent Holiday Scams

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Don’t fall victim to Social Security-related scams this holiday season. Criminals pretending to be from Social Security and other federal government agencies are tricking victims into sending money or sharing personal information.

We have created a new video on How to Spot a Scam for you to share with your network.

Be skeptical and cautious of unexpected calls or messages. Criminals are using the names of federal government officials and sending pictures of documents, evidence, federal employee credentials, and law enforcement credentials and badges, to try to prove their legitimacy. They may change the picture or use a different name, agency, or badge number, always with the intent to scam people out of money or personal information.

We will NEVER:

  • Send pictures of an employee’s official federal government identification.
  • Suspend someone’s Social Security number.
  • Threaten someone with arrest or other legal action unless they immediately pay a fine or fee.
  • Require payment by retail gift card, wire transfer, internet currency, or cash by mail.
  • Promise a benefit increase or other assistance in exchange for payment.
  • Send “official” letters or reports containing your personal information via email.

We only send automated emails and text messages to people who have agreed to receive them and only in limited situations, including the following:

  • When someone has subscribed to receive updates and notifications by email or text.
  • As part of our enhanced security when accessing a personal my Social Security account.

Visit our Scam Awareness and Social Media Resources webpages for additional resources and information on how to report Social Security-related scams.

Scammers never take a holiday.

Dawn Bystry, Acting Associate Commissioner, Office of Strategic & Digital Communications @SSAOutreach

 

Holiday foods: Heed the labels on mail order food gifts

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What fun to be the lucky recipient of a food gift during the holidays: a ham on the front porch or nuts in the mail. Mail order food is a big business, with the majority of the industry’s sales occurring between Thanksgiving and Christmas. If you’re the recipient of such a gift, keep it safe by following a few simple rules of safe food handling.

“Although mail order food companies enjoy an excellent safety record, delays in mailing, breakage and failure of cold packing can occur,” said Londa Nwadike, assistant professor at Kansas State University. “That’s why it’s so important to inspect a food gift when it arrives to make sure it’s in good condition. Then handle it carefully to prevent spoilage and food poisoning.”

If the food item is marked “keep refrigerated,” open it immediately, and check that the temperature is below 40 degrees Fahrenheit by measuring it with a food thermometer. Ideally, the food should arrive frozen or partially frozen with ice crystals still visible.

Even if a meat product is smoked or cooked, it still requires refrigeration for safety, so it should be shipped with an ice source to keep it below 40 F, said Nwadike, who is a food safety specialist with K-State Research and Extension and the University of Missouri Extension.

If mail order food that should be frozen or refrigerated arrives above 40 F, contact the company, and follow its return policy. Do not consume or even taste it, as it may cause foodborne illness if eaten.

Some mail order foods, such as hard salami, don’t require refrigeration, as they’ve been cured, fermented and dried for weeks prior to shipping. They can be stored a few weeks at room temperature, as long as they are not labeled “keep refrigerated.”

Most semi-dry sausages require immediate refrigeration. To be on the safe side, check the label on all sausages upon delivery, and make sure they arrived at the recommended temperature.

Cheese, especially cheddar, is another popular gift item, as it travels well and shows little deterioration in cold weather. Soft cheeses, such as cream cheese, must arrive cold. Processed or hard cheeses can arrive at room temperature but should be refrigerated upon arrival.

If you receive more cheese than you can eat, freeze the surplus. Cut it into normal serving chunks, secure each individual piece tightly in plastic wrap, place the pieces in plastic bags and freeze.  When ready to use it, take out only the amount you need, and place it in the refrigerator to defrost slowly for a couple of days.

Other popular food gifts include nuts, jams and jellies, all of which should be refrigerated after opening. You also can freeze nuts to prevent them from becoming dry or rancid.

“Remember, if perishable food arrives warm (above 40 F), spoiled or in questionable condition, don’t eat or even taste it,” Nwadike cautioned.

Contact the U.S. Food and Drug Administration food safety hotline at 888-723-3366 with general consumer food safety questions. For questions related to meat and poultry items, call the U.S. Department of Agriculture hotline at 888-674-6854, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. CST on weekdays.

K-State horticulture expert gives tips for choosing wood

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Not all firewood is created equal.

That’s the word from Kansas State University horticulture expert Ward Upham, who said the wood from some tree species produces more heat than others.

High on the list are red, bur and post oak species, which produce a heat value of 25 (measured in millions of British thermal units, or BTUs). In a list of many common types of firewood, Upham said only Osage Orange (32.6), honeylocust (25.6) and black locust (28.3) rate higher than the oaks.

But, he adds, Osage orange is not always the best choice due to its tendency to spark—“do not use in an open fireplace,” he said—and black locust can be difficult to split.

Many elm varieties and hackberry rate high (all around 20) but elm can be difficult to split, as well.

Upham said the Kansas Forest Service publication, Managing Your Woodland for Firewood, is a helpful resource for landowners interested in growing and harvesting firewood. The publication is available online.

For homeowners, Upham advises buying firewood locally to prevent spread of pests such as the emerald ash borer, an exotic beetle that has devastated tens of millions of ash trees in 30 states, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“Emerald ash borer has spread in Kansas primarily because of firewood,” he said.

As reported in the High Plains Journal.

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