Among the many difference-makers on our campus:
Julie Dainty (‘89, ‘08), was chosen as the statewide Teacher Educator of the Year and the Postsecondary Professional of the Year by the Kansas Association of Career and Technical Education.
“It was overwhelming and humbling to be recognized not only once but twice during the awards ceremony,” Dainty said.
She was nominated by two different affiliates and selected from a pool of nominees. Dainty has taught for 21 years at Pittsburg State University, where she is a professor of Career & Technical Education in the School of Technology and Workforce Learning.
Heather Busch ('07, '18) associate director of employer relations, was chosen for the Brad Barackman Bridge Award by the Kansas Association of Colleges and Employers.
The annual award is given in recognition of an outstanding program that helped connect employers and students served by campus career services.
Busch helped lead the development of a new virtual career center for students and the development of the new Pitt State Employer Partnership Program, which streamlined sponsorship opportunities for employers.
Natalie Bird, assistant professor in Human Performance, and Recreation, won two awards at the Sport and Recreation Law Association conference: the Lori K. Miller Young Professional Award and the Journal of Legal Aspects of Sport Best Award.
The Lori K. Miller Young Professional Award is given to an SRLA member who has demonstrated excellence in research, teaching, and service devoted to sport and recreation law. The Journal of Legal Aspects of Sport Best Award is awarded to author(s) who published in the previous year's editions of the journal.
Amy Hite ('96, ‘00, ‘19), was chosen for a fellowship in the American Academy of Nursing. She’ll be welcomed into the organization during the 2025 Health Policy Conference in Washington, D.C., in October, where she will officially become an Academy Fellow.
The organization’s mission is to improve health and achieve health equality by impacting policy through nursing leadership, innovation, and science. The selection committee noted that Hite’s expertise in nursing and higher education will help the Academy achieve its vision of healthy lives for all people.
Hite is the first Fellow from the Irene Ransom Bradley School of Nursing at Pitt State, where she is a professor and director of the school.
Mazeyar Parvinzadeh Gashti, an assistant professor of chemistry and a researcher, was appointed education chair at the Great Lakes Section of the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC). He also was appointed secretary and board member at the Institute of Textile Science in Canada.
The AATCC has served the global textile industry and its professionals since 1921, providing trusted textile resources, standard test methods, quality control materials, education, and professional development for a global audience. The ITS bridges the North American textile industry and academia.
Delia Lister ('04, ‘06), director of Nature Reach and an instructor of biology, completed her PhD in Education from the University of Missouri - St. Louis this summer.
Her dissertation focused on climate change communication at two national parks and the professional development needs for heritage interpreters to include more women’s history across federal lands.
Lister has worked at Pitt State for 18 years.
Lori Scott Dreiling ('15), director of Human Resources and an instructor in Kelce College of Business, completed her Doctorate in Education in Adult and Lifelong Learning from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville this summer.
Her dissertation title: The Connection Between Workplace Wellness Activities and Job Satisfaction, based on studies in Southeast Kansas, Southwest Missouri, and Northeast Oklahoma.
This will be Dreiling’s 14th semester teaching human resource management at Pitt State, and now three of her former students work for her in HR.
Scott Thuong, associate professor of mathematics, was installed as the 26th president of the national mathematics honor society, Kapp Mu Epsilon, during the 47th national convention of the organization. Thuong has taught at Pitt State since 2014.