Julie and Roger Davis of Santa Barbara, California, have kick-started the applied learning initiative at Kansas State University with a $2 million gift to name the program’s executive director position.
The Next-Gen K-State strategic plan aims to give every degree-seeking student an applied learning experience by 2030. Through study abroad, internships, service learning and undergraduate research, students apply knowledge and skills gained in the classroom to real-world settings.
Julie Davis, a 1978 K-State graduate in accounting, and her husband, Roger, have invested in K-State in a variety of ways. This most recent gift helps launch the campuswide applied learning initiative, which is housed in the Staley School of Leadership.
“We think of applied learning as the Holy Grail of higher education — a goal that many universities are trying to reach, however have not fully achieved,” said the Davises. “Establishing an endowed director position immediately energizes the launch of applied learning across K-State. Harnessing the power of K-State students who are out applying their learning across the state will be a force multiplier, enhancing both students’ learning and also the communities they serve.”
K-State’s ranking in Princeton Review demonstrates that students already think their college experience is tops, and applied learning elevates that experience even more.
“K-State is proud to offer one of the best student experiences in the country, and we are committed to elevating it even further through applied learning,” said K-State President Richard Linton. “Julie and Roger Davis have made a significant investment in what we identified as one of our highest priorities during our strategic planning process. By creating unmatched opportunities for students to develop their skills, we are preparing them to be more competitive in the workforce and ultimately stronger leaders. Thanks to the Davises’ generous gift, we can now recruit and hire the best leader for this initiative.”
Craig Schroeder has been hired to be the inaugural Julie and Roger Davis Executive Director for Applied Learning at K-State. Schroeder comes to K-State with experience at University of Kentucky, where he founded and led a 15-year multi-level applied learning program providing STEM opportunity and access. As part of a collaborative research group, Schroeder helped build and scale the model at universities in seven additional states.
“This endowment secures strong leadership of the initiative now and in the future,” said Mary Hale Tolar, dean of the Staley School of Leadership. “With this gift, Julie and Roger both fuel a successful launch and lay groundwork for all the great opportunities for future engagement to come.”
