MANHATTAN – Lane Klepper of Ellinwood, a junior in agricultural economics at Kansas State University, has been awarded the Joseph Lieber Memorial Cooperative Scholarship through the Arthur Capper Cooperative Center in the Department of Agricultural Economics at Kansas State University.
Lane is a student fellow in the Center for Risk Management Education and Research (CRMER) and is a member of the K-State Agricultural Economics/Agribusiness Club where he served as membership chair. He served as president of Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity and has held other leadership positions as well. Lane grew up on a farm and values the interaction with the local cooperatives in the area. He completed an internship with MKC in grain merchandising and upon graduation in May 2025, may pursue a career in that area before returning to the family farm. The Klepper family is affiliated with the following cooperatives: American Plains Cooperative, Central Prairie Cooperative and MKC.
The Joseph Lieber Memorial Cooperative Scholarship, established in tribute to the late Joe Lieber and his enthusiasm for cooperative education, has awarded over $93,500 in scholarships since its establishment in 2005. Lieber contributed to cooperative education and development for many years while serving as president of the Kansas Cooperative Council and was a respected leader in the co-op community.
“This scholarship was established by Joseph Lieber’s family and the Kansas Cooperative Council to perpetuate the memory and contribution of Joe Lieber to the development and leadership of cooperative businesses,” states Professor Brian Briggeman, director of the Arthur Capper Cooperative Center. “It also provides significant financial assistance to eligible students enrolled in educational programs emphasizing these areas of study.”
To be eligible for Joseph Lieber Memorial Cooperative Scholarship, a student must be either a junior or senior in K-State’s College of Agriculture at the time the scholarship is received. The recipient must also be affiliated as a member or as a child or dependent of a member of a Kansas agricultural marketing, supply, or service cooperative that is a member of the Kansas Cooperative Council. Continuing K-State students are encouraged to fill out the K-State scholarship application to be included in the university scholarship process for the 2023-2024 academic year.
The Joseph Lieber Memorial Cooperative Scholarship was funded by contributions made to the Center’s endowment fund with the K-State Foundation. Contributions have been made by the Kansas Cooperative Council and the Lieber family and friends in the cooperative community. “Additional contributions by those who want to honor the memory of Joseph Lieber and support the purposes of the scholarship are welcome,” Dr. Briggeman said. They should be made payable to “KSU Foundation/Lieber” and sent to the Arthur Capper Cooperative Center, Department of Agricultural Economics, 305 Waters Hall, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506.
