Fred Cholick to lead KSU Foundation as president and CEO          




Fred A. Cholick, dean of the K-State College of Agriculture, has been named as president and chief executive officer of the KSU Foundation, Manhattan. His appointment is effective Feb. 4, 2010. Cholick succeeds Gary Hellebust in the position. Hellebust had served as president and CEO of the foundation since 1996 and had been a member of the staff since 1986.

“Fred Cholick brings a unique set of skills to the KSU Foundation,” said Lee Harris, chairman of the KSU Foundation Executive Committee. “He has extensive knowledge of the university, is well-respected across campus and throughout the Wildcat nation. He has been a very effective fundraiser for the College of Agriculture during his tenure as dean; and he is one of the most creative, high-energy people I have ever known. Fred also brings extensive leadership experience to this role. We are delighted to welcome him to the KSU Foundation.”

           


Cholick has been dean of the College of Agriculture and director of K-State Research and Extension since August 2004. He oversees eight academic departments with 220 faculty members, 2,050 undergraduate students and 500 graduate students. K-State Research and Extension comprises the Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station, which supports programs in 25 departments and five colleges, and the Cooperative Extension Service, which supports activities in four colleges, five area offices, and 250 extension agent positions that are jointly funded with all 105 Kansas counties.

           


From 1981 to 2004, Cholick served in numerous faculty positions at South Dakota State University, Brookings. He was named as dean of the College of Agriculture and Biological Sciences in 1998. From 1977 to 1981, he was a research associate at Oregon State University, Corvallis, on contract with the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Cholick earned a bachelor’s degree in agronomy at Oregon State University in 1972. He earned a master’s degree in agronomy and a doctoral degree in agronomy, breeding/genetics in 1975 and 1977 at Colorado State University in Fort Collins.

“I am excited about the opportunities and challenges to provide leadership to the KSU Foundation,” said Cholick. “The mission of the foundation is to provide philanthropic resources to support K-State’s mission of research, teaching, extension and service. This position combines the need to optimize traditional fundraising while instituting an entrepreneurial approach to resource development. Personally, this is a new career for me and one that will doubtless provide great rewards. I am looking forward to continuing to serve K-State in my new role.”

Cholick is a member of the American Society of Agronomy and was named as a fellow of the society in 2007. He is also a member of the Crop Science Society of America. He has been a member of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education and Economics Advisory Board since 2008. He serves in numerous other leadership roles in state, national and international agriculture organizations, and the land-grant university system.

           


“Fred Cholick has done an outstanding job as dean and director of the College of Agriculture,” said Kirk Schulz, president of K-State. “As a college leader, he has a keen understanding of the importance of philanthropy in advancing our university. I am eager to work with Fred in his new role, and I am confident the KSU Foundation will continue to flourish under his leadership.”

Cholick and his wife, Cathy, are members of the KSU Foundation’s Presidents Club, a philanthropic leadership organization for friends and alumni of K-State, and the K-State Alumni Association.


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