• Sue Barsamian Engineering Faculty and Staff Award for Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion

This award is for faculty or staff who have demonstrated excellence in the enhancement of diversity and inclusion in the Carl R. Ice College of Engineering at Kansas State University. A nominee must be a full-time faculty or staff member in the college.

The recipient of this award will receive a plaque and cash award of $4,000.

Current recipient

photo of Julia Keen

Julia Keen

This year’s recipient is Julia Keen, Professor, in the GE Johnson Department of Architectural Engineering and Construction Science.

  • During lectures Keen discusses the balance of women and men in the construction industry. Educating the students in the department of this disparity and issue helps to increases female retention for the program.
  • Keen is spoken of with admiration by male and female students alike. Her passion for inclusion and diversity is demonstrated by her organization of the Successful Women in the Building Design and Construction Panel in December 2019 which brought three women from industry into the department.


Criteria for nomination

Nomination criteria include one or more of the following:

  1. Outstanding teaching in courses that cover cultural competency and diversity or courses that have material integrating and highlighting accomplishments by historically under-represented groups in engineering (For this award the term ‘historically under-represented’ will be interpreted broadly to include any group under-represented or excluded in the field of engineering or at Kansas State University. For example Asian American students are not underrepresented in the field of engineering at the national level but have been underrepresented in the College of Engineering here.)
  2. Outstanding contributions in developing an educational program for historically under-represented students or the college community that supports the well-being of historically under-represented students and/or provides a positive climate for diversity and inclusion
  3. Outstanding efforts in recruiting historically under-represented students
  4. Outstanding efforts to retain and mentor historically under-represented students
  5. Unique and highly impactful research, creative inquiry or programs directed toward historically under-represented students

Applications/nominations

Nomination must be provided by current K-State faculty, students, staff or administrators by Monday, May 8, 2023.

View the nomination form