Gage Milota, Tyler Lough and Jessica Spencer made calls.

Students, faculty and staff pitched in to pull in $108,274 during this year’s Telefund. Students – at least 233 of them – called alumni and wrote cards to those they couldn’t reach by phone. Nearly 40 faculty and staff showed up to assist and support the students. Last year’s effort raised just over $100,000. The Telefund was staged in the K-State Foundation building Jan. 29 – Feb. 1.

Two designs are from Sherry Haar's From the Garden series.

Sherry Haar, associate professor in the Department of Apparel, Textiles and Interior Design, and two students displayed their design work in the juried 2011 Exhibition of the International Textile and Apparel Association this winter in Philadelphia.

Haar showed three wearable art forms from her From the Garden series. She also received the Sandra Hutton Award for Achievement in Fiber Arts. Her designs are an outcome of exploration of methods to create imagery, prints and pattern on fabric with garden plants that she harvests. Garments feature bundling and hammering techniques.

Lushan (Sarina) Sun, a graduate student, had two fiber arts pieces accepted. She also won the Award for Sustainable Design from the Educators for Socially Responsible Apparel Business.

Also selected to exhibit was an original design – a 1950s Berry Dress — by Margaret Campbell, a May 2011 graduate in apparel and textiles.

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Models sashayed down the runway last week in the K-State Union wearing cotton garments ranging from jeans to evening wear, the culmination of a semester-long cotton project for 27 apparel and textiles students.

Winning student designers, who also constructed their own original garments, took home cash, gift certificates and internships for their creative efforts.

Allison Douville, junior, won $800 for first place in the Cotton Line Challenge from a Cotton Inc. grant. She also was awarded $500 and a paid internship in the Lee Jeans 125 competition.

Tong Zhou, senior, also received $500 and an internship from Lee Jeans.

In the Cotton Line competition, Anna Murphy, senior, received second place and $500 and Hannah Reusser, junior, third place and $300.

Cotton Inc. also sponsored the open cotton design competition. Hannah Sigvaldson, junior, won first place; Tong Zhou second; and Tara Killingsworth, senior, won third. Winners received gift certificates from local merchants Midwest Sewing and Vacuum, Weisner’s Sew Unique and All About Quilts.

Kansas Cotton Association in collaboration with Plains Cotton Cooperative (PCCA) sponsored several design challenges.

Laura Schoneman, sophomore, won the PCCA Trendboard award and $200. Alexandria Mitchell, senior, placed second.

Killingsworth won $300 cash for PCCA Casual Category (denim garment or accessory, not jeans) and $500 cash for PCCA Fashion Jeans (women’s) category. Reusser placed second in the women’s Fashion Jeans.

Collin Campion, junior, won $500 cash for PCCA Fashion Jeans (men’s) category.

In the casual category, Brennan Randel, senior, placed second and Kelsie Doty, senior, placed third. Doty also placed third in the women’s fashion jeans category and Randel placed second in the men’s fashion jeans category.

The overall grand prize winners were Allison Douville and Tara Killingsworth. Each received professional dressforms donated by PGM Corporation.

“The students did some amazing things. I just provided the opportunities,” said Joycelyn Burdett, assistant professor who teaches the pattern making class and special topics course that participated in the Cotton Challenge. “I was delighted at how much they could pull out of themselves given the motivation and opportunity.”

Each student designed and made 3 to 10 garments for the fashion show.

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Design studio faculty, students worked with budget, deadlines and high-profile client.

When K-State’s president and first lady decided to open their house for the annual Friends of McCain Holiday Home Tour, they wanted to evoke the holiday spirit and the talents of K-State interior design students.

“Kirk and I are always looking at ways to involve students in activities we are doing related to the house or our other events,” said Noel Schulz. A year ago she contacted Barbara Anderson, acting head of the department of apparel, textiles and interior design. Would students be interested in the project?

Yes.

“While it is not a typical interior design project it was beneficial for the students to deal with a high-level client on a project with lots of exposure,” said Michael Dudek, associate professor.

“Since opportunities with real projects, real clients, real schedules and real budgets are rare we decided to make it a studio project,” he said.

Elyse Johnson, top, Emily Galliart and Krystal Gantz put finishing touches on designs for the president's home on campus.

ID Studio 5, the third year design studio, is taught by Dudek and Hyung-Chan Kim. Students were divided into teams of three or four and given two weeks to develop concepts, budgets and presentations.

Their assignment was to design holiday decorations — elegant and classy without being too overstated — for the first and second levels of the home. Schulz encouraged students to use existing decorations and to think in terms of sustainably because she wanted to use them annually. She gave them carte blanche to move art and furniture.

The only overt suggestion: purple.

“They asked me about our family traditions, such as our family tree that has personal ornaments,” Schulz said.

The faculty enlisted the help of 2010 apparel, textiles and interior design alumna Kristen Henricksen who works for American Christmas, the firm that decorates major retail and corporate facilities such as Radio City Music Hall and Macys in New York. “We Skyped Kristen and she provided invaluable inspiration for the students,” Dudek said.

Each team then presented its ideas to Schulz, Marla Day and president’s office staff. Day is curator of the Historic Costume and Textile Museum, part of the department of apparel, textiles and interior design. She became instrumental in procuring the items for the decoration project — from flea markets to wholesalers — and helping student execute their designs.

The clients selected “Holiday Past & Present” from Andrea Pace, Emily Galliart, Krystal Gantz and Elyse Johnson. Some of the best ideas from the other teams were merged to create one all-inclusive solution, Dudek said.

The winning design incorporated a record player with vintage vinyl Christmas records — although the record player has a USB connection — and an old fashioned sled, a vintage kid’s pedal car and other old-school holiday touches.

The students had to stick to the $4,000 budget from private funds from the president’s office and to prepare and install the decorations.

The theme was Holidays Past and Present.

“The students did an outstanding job of developing holiday decorations. I continue to be amazed at all the talents of our faculty and staff. We would like to thank the ID faculty and students for all their efforts,” K-State President Kirk Schulz said, adding that Nora Downie, house director, and K-State facilities helped with the installation.

The students’ work will have a broad and constant audience.

“It is great to have so many people get to see our students’ handiwork,” Noel Schulz said. “On average we have two events a week at the president’s home during the school year. We have already hosted one dinner with the decorations up. We’ll host several other receptions, dinners and other events over the next several weeks.”

The Schulzes will spend most of the holidays together. Their older son arrives from Mississippi State University around Dec. 12.

“We’ll have some nice family time with all four of us here. We will be around some during the holidays depending on our football team bowl schedule,” Noel Schulz said, adding that her parents were in town to see the house for the McCain home tour.

“Our students rarely have the opportunity to be involved in this kind of project — from concept through the installation process — in their class work,” Anderson said. “In addition, they were able to serve the university — especially McCain Auditorium because the home tour benefits programs there — and the president’s family while they learned important lessons for their professional life.”

“Our students and faculty outdid themselves and put lots of heart and soul into this project. Having this team effort makes it exciting as it truly is K-State’s home,” Noel Schulz said. “It will be exciting each year around the holidays to continue to enjoy their designs.”

The home was one of five on the Friends of McCain Holiday Home Tour, which takes place Sunday, Dec. 4. The home of Bill Meredith, associate dean in human ecology, is also on the tour.

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Images by David Mayes, University photographer

The society recognizes graduate and undergraduate students for outstanding achievements in areas of research, leadership and scholarship. Members are selected based upon demonstrated integrity, high standards of scholarship and the promise of future achievement. Undergraduate students must have completed 45 semester hours and obtained a minimum 3.5 GPA. Graduate students must have completed 15 semester hours of graduate work and have a minimum 3.7 GPA.

They are:

Abilene Katt, sophomore in communication sciences and disorders; Trenton Colburn, sophomore in nutrition and kinesiology; Melissa Taylor, master’s student in public health; Rachel Lundquist, junior in interior design; Elizabeth Johnson, junior in family studies and human services; Katlyn Jones, sophomore in dietetics; Melissa Rousseau, junior in nutritional science; Megan Bolmer, master’s student in food service hospitality management and dietetics; Taylor Oliver, senior in public health nutrition and dietetics; Ashley Leckliter, sophomore in family studies and human services; Kandice Bowie, junior in family studies and human services; Taylor Main, junior in apparel and textiles;

Joanna Howard, senior in apparel and textiles; Kayla Fearing, senior in communication sciences and disorders; Joe Hohendorf, senior in dietetics; Kristi Leonard, senior in dietetics; Morgan Combs, senior in communication sciences and disorders; Shana Leachner, senior in family studies and human services; Yolanda Mitchell, doctoral student in human ecology; Kimberly Evans, master’s student in gerontology; Lindsay Johnson, junior in human ecology; Megan Murray, sophomore in nutrition and kinesiology; Kali Orrick, junior in family studies and human services; Robert Jones, master’s student in family students and human services; Shanna Stewart, sophomore in dietetics and nutrition and kinesiology;

Rachel Ryan, senior in family studies and human services; Katie Kuhn, senior in communication sciences and disorders; Lauren Hower, sophomore in early childhood education; Maria Baker, junior in communication sciences and disorders; Jacob Wright, sophomore in athletic training; Mary Richmond, doctoral student in human ecology;

Hilary Burton, sophomore in early childhood education; Nikki Schmelzle, senior in family studies and human services; Melissa Schrader, doctoral student in human ecology; Chelsea Spencer, sophomore in family studies and human services; Kirstin Howell, junior in family studies and human services; Laci Cornelison, master’s student in gerontology; Timothy Winchester, master’s student in family studies and human services; Eric Bustillos, sophomore in athletic training; Kelly Leonard, senior in public health nutrition and dietetics; Lover Chancler, doctoral student in human ecology; Brandy Tholstrup, sophomore in athletic training;

Cheryl Red, senior in public health nutrition; Sabrina Rinaldi, senior in family studies and human services; Emily Cozzetto, junior in family studies and human services; Ronald Sages, doctoral student in human ecology; Fatemeh Ghayournejadian, master’s student in apparel and textiles; Ebony Benson, master’s student in apparel and textiles; Emily Kilies, junior in hotel and restaurant management; Kellie Dooley, master’s student in gerontology; Shelia West, master’s student in apparel and textiles; Rachel Breneman, senior in dietetics; Melissa Forney, junior in dietetics; NaRita Anderson, doctoral student in human ecology; Kurt Schindler, doctoral student in human ecology; Justin Henegar, doctoral student in human ecology; Lisa Blohm, master’s student in family studies and human services; and Susan Pergal, master’s student in gerontology.

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Two departments had 100 percent participation: Hospitality Management and Dietetics, and Apparel Textiles & Interior Design.

College co-chairs were Debby Hiett, dean’s office, and Migette Kaup, ATID.

The campaign raises money on campus for university and college programs.

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Apparel design students will exhibit their original creations showing cotton trends and avant-garde ideas for spring 2012. Exhibits will also show the cotton production chain from field to fashion. The live runway show will feature the student’s original garments.

The fashion show is a culmination of a semester-long cotton-based project for apparel design students. Their professor is Joycelyn Burdett

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It all started when Burdett received a grant from Cotton Incorporated to help her students learn more about cotton and the origin of the fabrics they use for their designs.

“I designed this entire three-unit special topics class around teaching students more about cotton,” Burdett said. “A lot of students only know the kind of cotton fabrics they can buy at fabric store chains, but that’s not the highest quality or the widest variety of cotton fabrications. There are so many more beautiful cottons available for their use and their designs.”

Cotton growers, jeans makers help with project

Burdett got in touch with regional cotton growers and from there the project snowballed. Aside from Cotton Incorporated, the Kansas Cotton Association, Lubbock, Texas-based Plains Cotton Cooperative Association, and Merriam, Kan.-based Lee Jeans have all jumped on board.

The Kansas Cotton Association is paying for Burdett’s special topics class and her pattern-making class — about 25 students — to go to the American Cotton Growers’ mill in Littlefield, Texas, where more than 40 kinds of denim are manufactured. The mill is part of the Plains Cotton Cooperative Association. The students will be able to see the cotton being spun into yarn, indigo dyed and woven into denim cloth. By the end of the project, students will have constructed their own pair of jeans, using denim made from regional cottons.

“The students will get to see the entire process of cotton production from the field all the way to making the jeans,” Burdett said. “When we go to Texas in November, we’ll not go on a tour of the mill but also see work in the textile finishing laboratory, where all of the distressing and everything that goes into making today’s designer denims takes place.”

Students to visit cotton company, sewing facility in N.C.

The special topics class — 16 students — will be taking an all-expenses-paid trip to Cary, N.C., in October to visit Cotton Incorporated and a Lee Jeans’ denim-sewing facility.

“The students will hear about various aspects of research and marketing related to cotton,” said Jenna Oschwald, manager of global supply chain marketing at Cotton Incorporated in Cary, N.C. “They will have the opportunity to tour our world headquarters, which includes a fiber-processing lab, a dyeing and finishing lab, a digital printing lab, an analytical lab and a product development lab.”

Students will also get a glimpse at the ways Cotton Incorporated is continually improving its product, including moisture management technology, cotton sustainability and innovations in fabric development, dyeing and finishing.

“Cotton Incorporated does the latest research to improve the sustainability of the various processes, from the farming aspect all the way to the dyeing of the fabric,” Burdett said. “A big part of this project is looking at the research and new developments that are happening in high-performance cottons.”

Lee kicks off Denim Challenge

Guest lecturers in the classroom were Dick Cooper, Plains Cotton Cooperative Association director of business development for Kansas and northern Oklahoma; Gary Feist, manager of the Southern Kansas Cotton Growers gin in Anthony, Kan.; and representatives from Lee Jeans who launched the company’s Lee Jeans 125 Denim Challenge, which will honor 125 years of Lee Jeans’ heritage, Thursday, Sept 15.

A Plains Cotton Cooperative Association denim salesperson with consult with the students Sept. 27, and Sept. 28 to make recommendations on denim fabric choices for their designs.

The Dec. 1 fashion show competition in the K-State Student Union will have three components: The original Cotton Incorporated-sponsored challenge; a denim runway challenge, sponsored by the Kansas Cotton Association and the Plains Cotton Cooperative Association where designers will use fabric provided to them by the American Cotton Growers; and a Lee Jeans’ design challenge. Winners will receive cash prizes of up to $800.

“Apparel design students need to have a thorough understanding of the materials that they use when developing their product, which is clothing,” Burdett said. “The characteristics of the fibers, yarn and structure all determine a good product or a poor product.”

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Marriage and family therapy was awarded for outstanding leadership and initiative in student learning assessment.

“Dr. Sandra Stith and her marriage and family therapy program faculty colleagues received their award for their ability to evaluate and document their graduate student courses and students’ achievements of very specific learning outcomes, and for doing that in the context of a nationally accredited program,” Maurice MacDonald, director of the School of Family Studies and Human Services.

Personal financial planning was honored for a well-designed assessment process that demonstrates program improvement.

“John Grable, Kristy Archuleta, and Sonya Britt were recognized for their careful work to develop a process to monitor the proficiency levels of the students in our PFP doctoral program, which is a hybrid distance education-summer intensive program,” MacDonald commented. “Their creativity for using assessments within courses and aspects of their research teams’ progress is outstanding.”

Interior design was recognized for program improvement resulting from faculty discussions of assessments.

“The interior design program faculty continuously assess student learning and apply what they learn to their teaching. Their consistent effort advances the quality of education for interior design students,” said Barbara Anderson, acting head of the Department of Apparel, Textiles and Interior Design.

Other awards went to sociology; American ethnic studies; communications studies; food science and industry; Brian Kovar with the Department of Management; Dixie Schierlman, associate dean of student life at K-State Salina; and Levi Esses, assistant director of student life at K-State Salina.

Session information, as well as copies of presentations, may be accessed through the Office of Assessment website.

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Hyung-Chan Kim

Since last year, students in Hyung-Chan Kim’s senior level interior design studio have worked each fall semester with Sangmyung University students in Seoul, South Korea, to design a business kiosk in each other’s home country.

Kim, an assistant professor in apparel, textiles and interior design, said the project was designed to give students an understanding of global competency.

“They learn from each other — both the design processes and approaches that each country uses, as well as the differences and similarities in their cultures,” he said.

For years, students have completed international design projects for the course, but until last year, they were simply an exercise with no actual contact made with the other country. After Kim visited South Korea in May 2010 to develop a relationship between K-State and Sangmyung University, the students’ experience with cultural design has improved. Now students from both countries work together to design the kiosks, which vary in location only — but that can be a big difference.

“They have the same assignment and each kiosk goes in an outdoor location, but each set of students must consider culture differences, noise levels at the location and accessibility,” Kim said.

The kiosks are not actually built, but are designed using strict specifications. The fictitious client is LG Electronics, Kim said, chosen because it is a global company. The kiosk is meant to hold small LG products, like cellphones. This year the kiosk must incorporate 3-D cellphones.

Barbara Anderson, head of the department of apparel, textiles and design at K-State, also stays involved with the project. She said the 19 students in the K-State class and the 18 students in South Korea had to follow several parameters. The kiosk must have the capacity to be locked up at night, to be disassembled if need be and produce its own power.

“They have to make sure they’re providing for human comfort and accessibility,” Anderson said. “Size limitations also come into play when considering the venue.”

The South Korean students are designing their kiosk to be placed in an outdoor area at Crown Center in Kansas City, Mo., while the K-State students are designing their kiosk to be placed in a similar outdoor area in COEX Mall in Seoul. Working together from a continent away has made the use of technology a necessity. Kim said the students constantly communicate through Facebook, email and Skype. The two groups also connect via videoconferences throughout the semester, courtesy of K-State’s TELENET services. Because of the 14-hour time difference, the videoconferences are at 7 p.m. for the K-State students, which is 9 a.m. in South Korea.

Each group put together a video presentation about the kiosk locations, detailing specific points of interest that the designers across the world would need to know as they worked. Through images of crowded walkways, busy shops and towering advertisements, the students began to get an idea of what their kiosk would need.

Kim said the students recently got together through videoconference to present their context analysis videos to the other side. Next, their brainstormed concepts will be turned into a designed reality. On Oct. 27, the students will squeeze in front of the cameras once more to present their final concept.

Both Kim and Anderson said the process has been rewarding, but some of those rewards have come from working through problems. Although the teleconference was done in English, K-State students had to learn to speak slowly and watch their use of slang. They also had to adapt to the use of the metric system for their measurements, which Kim said would be beneficial.

“In their field, when they work on international projects, they will have to use the metric system,” he said. “This kind of understanding is important to our curriculum.”

K-State students say they enjoy the universal design process and like using the same communication methods and design diagramming. Ginny Robinson, a senior from Prairie Village, said they are currently learning about anthropometrics for the kiosk, which is challenging when considering differences in stature. Her classmate, Jillian Carl, a senior from Dallas, Texas, said that project helps keep their passion for the field alive.

“Being in a program for four years with the same group of students and professors, it’s easy to get stuck in the same pattern of designing,” Carl said. “Seeing how others approach design forces you to reevaluate your own approach and begin to try new things.”

Students are learning more than simply understanding international design, but the culture as a whole. Before starting this project, Kim said he asked the students what they knew about Korea. “They only knew about North Korea and its political problems,” he said. “Now, they know about the Koreans’ great work ethic, their high level of technology as well as their political issues.”

Anderson said for K-State’s interior design program to retain its Council for Interior Design Accreditation approval, students must have a global awareness of interior design, making this project a significant experience. “This projects helps create the sensitivity and capacity to learn about global practice,” Anderson said. “We’re taking down borders that were created by location.”

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