University awards unclassified employee Allan Rankin with presidential honor

The Kansas State University president's office is recognizing four unclassified professionals for achieving excellence in their contributions to the university.

Allan Rankin, assistant scientist in the James R. Macdonald Laboratory, has been selected as one of the recipients for the 2014 President's Award of Excellence for Unclassified Professionals.

The award was established to foster excellence in the workplace by rewarding and recognizing unclassified professionals who achieve excellence or make exemplary contributions to the mission and values of Kansas State University through service as a team player, exceptional productivity, creativity or innovation, distinguished accomplishment or leadership. Each professional received a $1,000 award.

Rankin was selected for the unclassified award in the productivity, creativity and innovation category. He has supported research in the Macdonald Lab in several ways for nearly 30 years. He assists students and faculty with experiments, maintaining the lab's laser and vacuum equipment, and performs 3-D computer-aided design of apparatus for atomic, molecular and optical physics research. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1966-1970. He worked in agribusiness for 10 years before coming to Kansas State University to work and to complete his bachelor's degree in physical science.

Courtesy of Communications & Marketing