Kansas State University faculty member Mike Tokach, university distinguished professor of animal science and industry in the College of Agriculture, received a $5,000 award in recognition of his outstanding research and teaching during a ceremony on Sept. 30 at the K-State Alumni Center.
Introduced in 2007, the annual Dr. Ron and Rae Iman Outstanding Faculty Awards are sponsored by the K-State Alumni Association and are made possible through the generosity of Ron and Rae Iman.
This award recognizes faculty members who have distinguished themselves in their chosen profession and who have contributed significantly through research to improve the betterment of the educational experience, or whose research has had a significant impact on their area of study.
Tokach earned a bachelor’s degree in animal science from North Dakota State University in 1986; a master’s degree in animal science and industry from K-State in 1988; and a doctorate in animal science from the University of Minnesota in 1991.
He focuses on transferring information to swine producers, conducting practical nutrition research, and serves as a member of a highly productive Applied Swine Nutrition Team. He and his colleagues have generated more than $21 million in grants and gifts to K-State to support swine research. He has been recognized with the 2012 American Society of Animal Science Extension Award; a 2020 Fellow of the American Society of Animal Science; and the 2021 Federation of Animal Science Societies New Frontiers in Animal Nutrition Award, among others.
Tokach has mentored the graduate programs of nearly 100 master’s or doctoral students who are now industry leaders in integrated swine systems, feed companies, ingredient suppliers and universities.
His nominator, Ernie Minton, dean of the college and director of K-State Research and Extension, said, “Mike Tokach is one of the outstanding swine nutritionists in the world. His research program is among the best examples of basic research that is rapidly translated into impactful application. This relationship between research and application is at the heart of the land grant-university mission.”
The Imans live in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Ron and Rae are life members of the K-State Alumni Association and served as Kansas State University Foundation trustees. Ron Iman earned three degrees from K-State: a bachelor’s degree in math education in 1962, a master’s degree in 1970 and a doctorate in statistics in 1973. He is a past member of the Association’s board of directors, served as the Association’s representative to the KSU Research Foundation board and is a past chair of the Arts and Sciences Advisory Council. He received the university’s Arts and Sciences Distinguished Service Award in 1996 and, in 1994, served as national president of the American Statistical Association. Ron Iman was named a Highly Cited Researcher by the Institute for Scientific Information in 2004.
