Birgit Wassmuth will be the next director of the A.Q. Miller School of Journalism and Mass Communications at Kansas State University. She will start her new job in June. Wassmuth comes to Kansas State University from Kennesaw State University, near Atlanta, Ga., where she served as chair of the department of communication for more than seven years. One of Wassmuth's first responsibilities will be to guide the school through the yearlong reaccreditation process starting in fall 2013. In conjunction with the 25th anniversary of naming of the school, she will explore fundraising opportunities that will contribute to its expansion. Wassmuth has served on the board of directors of the Fulbright Association and the Collaboration for the Advancement for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. Currently, she serves on the Accrediting Council for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.

Barbara Anderson, an authority on historic preservation and sustainability, has been named head of the department of apparel, textiles and interior design at Kansas State University. Anderson was selected after a nationwide search. She has served as interim head of the department for three years. An associate professor, Anderson has a Bachelor of Architecture from Kansas State University and a Master of Architecture from the University of Kansas. She has more than 20 years of experience in historic preservation and holds a National Council for Interior Design Qualification certificate.

With the Kansas Department of Agriculture becoming a tenant at Kansas State University's Research Park, the vision for a north campus corridor of bioscience-focused research in Manhattan becomes much clearer. Development of the new three-story, 50,000-square-foot facility will be undertaken by the Kansas State University Foundation Inc. and will be leased to the department for a 20-year period. Immediately adjacent to the Kansas State University Institute of Commercialization and the upcoming National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility, the new location will enable access to university expertise and research. Close proximity is also provided to the College of Agriculture, Kansas State Research and Extension, the College of Veterinary Medicine, the university's international grain science complex and U.S. Department of Agriculture facilities.