Mitzi Farmer

Director III of Academic Services
APDesign Opportunity and Access Point Person

1127F Regnier Hall
920C N. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive
Manhattan, KS 66506
T: (785) 532-1997
mwfarmer@ksu.edu

Mitzi Farmer serves as Director of Academic Services in Kansas State University’s College of Architecture, Planning & Design (APDesign), where she provides strategic leadership for academic advising, student success initiatives, and academic progression. Since joining APDesign in 2022, Mitzi has led and supported college-wide processes related to academic policies, degree completion, graduation and graduation checks, new student orientation and enrollment, curriculum changes, transfer credit evaluations, DARS updates and exceptions, course changes, student absence notifications, reinstatement, and student withdrawals. She works closely with students navigating academic and personal challenges, helping connect them with appropriate resources and developing pathways that support retention, progression, and success. Mitzi also serves as the college liaison to the Environmental Design Studies (ENVD) program and the Office of Student Support and Accountability, while representing APDesign on university and college committees focused on academic affairs and student success.

Prior to joining APDesign, Mitzi spent nearly nine years in Kansas State University’s Carl R. Ice College of Engineering as a graduate program coordinator and academic advisor in the Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering. In that role, she supported undergraduate and graduate students, coordinated recruitment and enrollment initiatives, evaluated and improved advising practices, and collaborated with faculty, university colleagues, and community partners to strengthen student experiences and outcomes.

Mitzi’s professional philosophy centers on purposeful leadership, effective communication, collaboration, and creating supportive academic environments in which students and colleagues can thrive. Her commitment to student-centered service and academic advising has been recognized through numerous honors, including the 2025 President’s Award of Excellence for Unclassified Professionals – Leadership Award, the 2023 Charlie Award for Outstanding Academic Advising, the 2020 Teaching & Learner Center Fellowship, and the 2018–2019 Carl R. Ice College of Engineering Unclassified Staff Award of Excellence. She is an active member of the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) and the Kansas Academic Advising Network (KAAN) and regularly contributes to professional development through presentations and conferences focused on advising, student success, leadership, wellness, and community building.

Mitzi holds a Bachelor of Science in English/Secondary Education in 1999 from Austin Peay State University, Clarksville, Tennessee and completed Master of Arts in Education in Secondary Education from the University of Phoenix in 2008. She has also completed graduate-level and professional development in conflict resolution, academic advising, effective college instruction, leadership communication, and organizational leadership, including an Academic Advisor Certification and Korn Ferry Leadership Architect Facilitator Certification. She is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in Leadership Communication at Kansas State University; an interdisciplinary program grounded in community-engaged scholarship.