KU Collegian - Fall 2011 by KU College of Liberal Arts & Sciences

THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS & SCIENCES MAGAZINE FOR ALUMNI & FRIENDS

FALL 2011

in this issue: >> Global scope in teaching and outreach >> New School of Public Affairs and Administration >> Seeking real-world, real-life solutions

Tools for Change

Latino population in Kansas county improves health through KU partnership

1 Dean Speak Empowered to make a difference 2 Inside the College Global Prowess // 2

New School of Public Affairs and Administration // 3

Students produce geology solutions // 4

‘Organic’ learning in Brazil // 5

Tibetan cultural exchange // 6

Robots as caregivers // 7

8 Spotlight on Faculty Maryemma Graham brings authors to the masses // 8

Burdett Loomis helps students launch careers // 9

10 Cover Story: Tools For Change

Latino Community

takes charge of health through partnership

12 CLAS Notes

Find out what’s happening in your home department or program

18 By the Numbers

Interesting facts and figures about the College

19 CLAS Contributors Generosity builds the future 23 Alumni Updates Achievements of CLAS graduates 24 Mini College ‘Summer camp’ for adults inspires new pursuits

26 Distinguished Alumni KU Collegian is published for alumni and friends of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences by students and graduates of the University of Kansas. Strong Hall 1450 Jayhawk Boulevard Room 200 Lawrence, KS 66045-7535 785.864.3661 FAX: 785.864.5331 www.clas.ku.edu e-mail: clasdean@ku.edu

EDITOR Kristi Henderson, ’03 khenderson@ku.edu DESIGN Susan Geiger, ’98 susangeiger@att.net CONTRIBUTORS Christie Appelhanz, ’97 Jessica Beeson, ’03 Erin Cottrell, ’12 Emily Knight, ’12 Alix Rieman, ’11 Julia Snell, ’11

CLAS degrees launch graduates toward success

28 Giving Back

Scholarships make big impact for students

29 Oread Encore

UKanTeach helped

graduate find his calling

DEAN SPEAK

Transforming lives, transforming education Today’s Jayhawks, like yesterday’s, must embark upon careers as engaged and energized citizens, confident in their world and ready to make a difference. This issue of the KU

Collegian will give you insights into a few projects in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences that strive to serve the needs of communities that are local, national and international. The efforts detailed in these pages merely scratch the surface of works that our faculty have

pioneered to give insights into the past, create answers for the present, and build bridges to other cultures, communities and our futures.

KU’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences represents the breadth of what an education at a

New leadership is energizing the educational environment at KU. From left: Robert Walzel, dean of the School of Music; Danny J. Anderson, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little; and Provost Jeff Vitter.

public research university can provide. We offer courses and hands-on learning experiences

in the arts, humanities, social sciences, international studies, natural sciences and mathematics,

and a remarkable array of interdisciplinary combinations. Through this academic cross-training, students gain the building blocks of knowledge that are essential in any career.

Young Jayhawks today enter a rapidly changing world. Our students will encounter changes in technology, the economy, the environment, and in cultures around the globe. We are

determined to provide a liberal arts and sciences education at KU that encourages Jayhawks to

learn without boundaries so they are prepared to adapt to this changing world over the course of their lives.

Our job is to provide students with tools for critical thinking, to nurture inquisitive and

resourceful approaches to real-world problems. Our graduates must be able to apply their education in experiences outside the classroom, including field camps, research opportunities, service learning projects, and internships. They must be equipped with global information as well as global aspirations in order to communicate and collaborate in a highly interconnected world.

My role as a dean is to foster the College’s breadth and the commitment to excellence in research and teaching during a time of transition. Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little and Provost

Jeffrey Vitter are leading a charge to reinvent KU for the demands of the 21st century through a five-year strategic plan. The goal of this plan, called Bold Aspirations, is nothing short of transforming KU to guide the university toward recognition among the top tier of public international research institutions.

We are excited for the future here at KU. I thank you for your loyal support of the College and count on your ongoing enthusiasm and support for our success.

Danny J. Anderson

Dean, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

INSIDE THE COLLEGE

FEDERAL FUNDING RECOGNIZES PROGRAMS’ STRENGTH IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE AND AREA STUDIES INSTRUCTION

The U.S. Department of Education has awarded five international area centers in the College funding from 2010 to 2014 that will enhance international education at KU and in the state of Kansas. The grants, which recognize the five

centers’ instructional prowess, come in

two forms: Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) fellowships for undergraduates and graduate students and

awarded $3,951,072 to be used for educa-

awarded for the summer term and 46 for

However, recent federal budget cuts

FLAS fellowships this year: 39 were

the 2011-’12 academic year. The awards cover tuition up to $18,000 and provide stipends from $2,500 to $15,000. FLAS

fellowships support the study of critical modern languages, and can be used

for study of any of 26 “less commonly taught languages.”

National Resource Center (NRC) grants

Melinda Varner, a third-year Ph.D. student

centers. The core activities supported by

ceived two FLAS scholarships in previous

that fund the educational activities of the these federal grants are instruction in

foreign area studies and the teaching of

critical foreign languages. Such instruc-

tion is provided not only to KU students, but also to K-12 students and educators. Five centers at KU received FLAS funding totaling $5,010,000 over four years:

the Center for East Asian Studies (CEAS), the Center for Global and International

Studies (CGIS), Center of Latin American Studies (LAS), the Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies

(CREES), and the Kansas African Studies Center (KASC). Of the 50 universities re-

ceiving FLAS funding, only seven have a

larger number of funded centers than KU.

Dozens of students are benefitting from

in history with a focus on Japan who reyears, wrote:

tional programming and outreach. reduced the NRC awards by 47%

nationwide for 2011–’12. KU’s NRC

funding was cut by about $500,000. Nevertheless, KU will remain dedicated to being a top resource for foreign

language education, said Marsha Haufler, associate dean for international and

interdisciplinary studies in the College. The College offers instruction in 40

languages in total, more than any other institution in the Big 12.

“I have been able to develop my reading

The international area centers allow

Chinese,” Varner said. “As a direct result

immediate and extended communities

skills in both pre-modern Japanese and

of the FLAS-sponsored coursework I have completed over the last two years, I am

now ready to conduct archival dissertation research on-site in Japan.”

CEAS, LAS, CREES and KASC all won

National Resource Center funding. CGIS was brand new in the last round of NRC proposals. Given that its first FLAS

application was successful bodes well for future NRC competitions.

Initially, the centers were collectively

students, faculty, and members of KU’s to become increasingly well-informed citizens of the world.

“As communication barriers break down rapidly, connecting Kansas with the

world has never been more essential,”

said Marc Greenberg, chair and professor

of Slavic languages and literatures. “NRCs help young people in Kansas to have opportunities in the state that connect the

local with the global. In short, they are as

crucial to the future of Kansas as they are to the nation.”

WHAT’S IN A NAME? For new School of Public Affairs and Administration, change means enhanced reputation and recognition KU, Harvard, Princeton and Syracuse all share one thing in common. All have public affairs and administration programs ranked among the top 10 in the nation.

tration) as well as the interdisciplinary

However, there was a commonality in the

tioned much like a school, it did not need

top 10 that every program shared except for KU’s. The KU program was the only

one in that elite group that was a department and not a school.

Now, thanks to a recent change in designation, the former Department of Public

Administration has become the School of Public Affairs and Administration. The change took effect on July 1, 2011.

“This is a big step toward enhancing

an already impressive program. As a

department, KU’s public administration program has established a solid foot-

ing among the top 10 programs in the

field. Its new designation as a school will greatly aid its continued climb in the

rankings,” said KU Provost Jeffrey Vitter. Since 1998, the U.S. News and World Report has ranked the Master of Public Administration degree (MPA) in city management and urban planning as first in the nation.

The department is currently ranked alongside the University of Michigan at number seven in overall program rankings.

The School of Public Affairs and Administration will remain in the College of

Liberal Arts and Sciences. The change

of name from “public administration” to “public affairs and administration”

reflects the legacy of education for committed public sector professionals who

lead local governments and other public

contributions to the field of public affairs, recognized by broader academia and external funding agencies.

Because the department already functo be restructured. The names of the

degrees currently offered will not change. The school will maintain academic

administration of degree programs at the

undergraduate, master’s and doctoral levels. The Public Management Center will

remain a separate unit within the school. “We prize our place in the College and our relationship to the social sciences;

Above, Rosemary O’Leary (a KU M.P.A. graduate) has been named the Edwin O. Stene Distinguished Professor. Below, the first cohort of master’s of public administration students in 1948 and the 2011 class of master’s of public administration graduates.

our school offers a unique combination of

social science theory and practical application to public sector organizations,” said Marilu Goodyear, director of the school.

“Our students are liberally educated and public service oriented, and our research

speaks directly to public sector problems.” The school is already seeing benefits from its new status. It has named

Rosemary O’Leary, a highly accomplished scholar in the field, to be the second

Edwin O. Stene Distinguished Professor of Public Administration.

O’Leary is a prolific author and editor, and has won numerous

teaching and research awards.

She received bachelor’s, law and master’s of public administration (MPA) degrees from KU.

She holds a doctorate from the Maxwell School of Syracuse

University. Her appointment begins in spring 2013.

sector organizations (public adminis-

INSIDE THE COLLEGE

GEOLOGY STUDENTS GENERATE

real-world solutions FOR KANSAS OIL COMPANIES

Grant Franklin Fitch Photography

Karen Lechtenberg, a master’s student in geology, works with classmate Craig Hendrix on a mapping project in Temple Canyon, Colo. After graduating from KU with a bachelor’s in geology, Lechtenberg chose to stay at KU for future study, in part because of the opportunities for hands-on, real-world learning experiences.

Future geologists and engineers at KU get a leg up in the job market with a one-ofa-kind class that challenges them to develop solutions for Kansas energy companies.

engineering professor Don Green. “This is

Thanks to a partnership between KU and

efits of drilling new wells and choices such

the oil and gas industry, students analyze real-time data from a Kansas oil field.

After creating a full geological and engineering model using industry standard

technology, students craft recommenda-

tions on how to treat the field to optimize oil production. The result? Students get

hands-on experience in a vital segment of the state’s economy while partner companies benefit from the fresh perspectives

and resources of a top research university. “We’re one of the only institutions that does it like this, pulling together what geologists do with what petroleum

engineers do,” said geology professor Anthony Walton, who helped launch

the initiative a decade ago along with

exactly what our graduates will experience in the oil industry.”

Student teams consider the costs and benas pumping or injecting fluids. The geolo-

gists tend to be descriptive and qualitative, according to Walton, while the engineers

offer a more quantitative perspective. Their differences spur creative and critical thinking that cultivates innovative solutions.

a summer internship with Encana Natural Gas in Denver.

The class also helps link KU with the

state’s second largest industry. This spring, the class partnered with Ritchie Exploration, a Wichita-based company headed

by prominent KU geology graduate Scott

Ritchie. He gained insight into life as an oil

producer while serving as a summer intern and hopes to provide today’s students with a similar advantage.

Every step of the process mirrors what

“This joint project will give students from

—from regular progress reviews to a

into the problems that present themselves

students will encounter in the workplace capstone presentation that brings students face-to-face with company officials.

“This class didn’t hold your hand through ideal exercises. We ran into the same

problems that industry geologists and pe-

troleum engineers experience,” said Karen

Lechtenberg, a master’s student in geology who took the course in spring 2011 before

geology and petroleum engineering a look to oil producers in Kansas and a head start in learning how to address and design

solutions to these problems,” Ritchie said. “We view this project as a win-win and

look forward to the results obtained by the students to maximize the recovery of oil and gas.”

Lessons from the favela: SLUM TOWN INSPIRES RESEARCHER’S CONCEPT OF “ORGANIC UNIVERSITIES” Paul Sneed, an assistant professor of Spanish and Portuguese, has spent many years in Rio de Janeiro’s largest squatter town, called Rocinha. He was an undergraduate studying abroad; he is a co-founder of the Two Brothers Foundation and its non-profit education and outreach center; and he is a researcher who studies the culture of Brazilian squatter towns, or “favelas,” as such places are known in Portuguese. As a researcher, he has observed two divergent learning structures there:

an orderly academic model in the Two

Brothers center and a more spontaneous

model in informal community gatherings around the favela. Sneed sees potential to enhance learning outcomes for partici-

pants in both settings by implementing a concept he calls “organic universities.” Many of the elements of the organic

universities idea are drawn from informal gatherings Sneed has seen in Rocinha,

such as capoeira martial arts classes, candomblé worship centers, gangster street

parties, Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and worship services in a Pentecostal

church. Compared with the more intellectual learning of the Two Brothers center,

the spontaneous and communal nature of these gatherings makes them more accessible to everyday people.

“They are more powerful to them as

sources of personal and collective transformation,” Sneed said. “They involve

intuitive, relational learning from people who don’t have Ph.D.s, but have main-

tained their humanity in the face of social exclusion and violence.”

Sneed thinks a similar sense of accessibility and shared growth could be implemented at his center. Success, he says, would

require a change in the typical intellectual mind set.

“It’s a way of framing things to set up a

Learn more:

Two Brother s Foundation www.2bros.org

more equal exchange of knowledge. When outside volunteers and researchers enter,

they should expect to learn from everyday people as much as the everyday people will learn from them,” Sneed said.

So what would an organic university look like at the Two Brothers Center? Sneed

would like the center to accept more al-

Above, Professor Paul Sneed with children at the Two Brothers education and outreach center he helped establish in Rio de Janeiro. Below, a view of Rio de Janeiro’s largest squatter town, Rocinha.

ternative kinds of knowledge so everyday people can be on equal footing and the

center can be a more personally transformational space. Sneed’s vision includes

leaders from the community groups serv-

ing as teachers or advisory board members, or holding their gatherings in the center. It

would also involve volunteers, researchers and other teachers of the Two Brothers

center getting outside their own four walls to be learners in some of the spaces typically used by the community groups.

Sneed is on a research-intensive leave this fall to complete a book on the organic universities concept. He has plans to

implement the idea at the Two Brothers

center, but also sees it as a viable option for other institutions.

“Taking KU as an example, communitybased research and community-based

learning have become concepts of great

interest in terms of bringing our university forward,” he said. “Human beings do have a need for intimacy, to connect. Organic learning corresponds to those needs.”

INSIDE THE COLLEGE

TIBETAN STUDENTS, KU FACULTY BENEFIT FROM CULTURAL EXCHANGE PROGRAM Tibetan students have new opportunities to learn skills that will foster their local economy and preserve their culture because of a partnership between the Center for East Asian Studies at KU and a charity run by Tibetans.

Disciplinary Technical School in 2008 to

they will have the opportunity to become

fy the local economy. A grant has allowed

sionals in their community.

The program has led to the development

Studies and a graduate student traveled

of a new school and a cultural exchange program that has sent KU faculty to

Qinghai, China, and sent five Tibetan stu-

dents to study English and other skills at KU. The Mayul Gesar Foundation and its American branch, the Blue Valley

Foundation, founded the Mayul Multi-

preserve Tibetan culture and help diversiKU faculty to take part in the program.

In the summer of 2009 and 2010, faculty

affiliated with the Center for East Asian to Qinghai to work with the school to

develop a modern educational curricu-

lum, particularly in traditional arts. The group has also worked to enhance and modernize art training.

The goal is to provide important vocational skills for the young Tibetan students so

financially independent working profes-

“Hopefully my experience as an artist and teacher with a diverse cultural back-

ground will be of help in assisting the

Tibetan teachers in developing a modern

art curriculum for their students without

imposing our ways of education on them,”

said Yoonmi Nam, an associate professor of

art who has participated in the partnership. The U.S. State Department’s Ngwang

Choepal Fellowship Program has allowed KU faculty to engage in the two-year

program. Nam, along with Eric C. Rath, associate professor of history; Sooa Im, graduate student in art history; and

Champa Tenzin Lhunpo, lecturer in the

Department of East Asian Languages and

Cultures, have all taken part in the program. The grant also allowed five Tibetan

students to study at KU in the spring of 2011. They took courses in English as a

Second Language and in areas related to their needs and interests, such as fine arts, business or education.

The higher education experience is

uncommon for Tibetans. About 2% of

Tibetans in China attend high school and just one half of 1% graduate from college. Above: Eric Rath, an associate professor of history, poses with a Tibetan monk. Left: Members of the KU group spent their first week in China in a nomad tent at an outdoor music festival. The event, associated with the Tibetan charity the group worked with, was focused on Buddhist teachings in the morning and religious ritual in the afternoons.

Learn more

Mayul School Project blog:

mayulschool.wordpress.com

RESEARCHER CUSTOMIZES ROBOT TO SERVE THE ELDERLY IN THEIR OWN HOMES The 2-foot-tall humanoid machine looks like something out of “The Jetsons.” But this home-based robot isn’t part of a cartoonish future. According to a KU researcher, within five years, “Nao” — a robot manufactured in France by Aldebaran Robotics — could

replace human caregivers in the homes of older people.

James Juola, professor of psychology, is

part of a team reprogramming the robot to be more responsive to the elderly. He

said that a rapidly aging population in the developed world requires a technologi-

cal solution to the booming demand for in-home care.

Juola, who splits his time between KU and the Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands, is a lead investigator

in the Knowledgeable Service Robots for the Aging project, dubbed K-SERA. The

European Commission supports the work, which aims to customize robots to serve aging people.

“It’ll have to track and follow the hu-

man and be available to it,” Juola said.

“It’s being trained to recognize a certain

individual and be constantly on-hand as

an aid to communication — to remind the

person of things they need to do, like take their medicine or have a drink of water — and also as an immediate link to medical personnel or family members in case the user needs assistance.”

Indeed, monitoring its human partner

for the K-SERA robot; linked with infrared

sensors in the home and video cameras, the

robot will know if a person’s behav-

ior is abnormal. “In some cases, the robot will

initiate conversations,” said

Juola. “If a person does

anything unusual — like

oversleep, or stay too long in the bathroom or fall down — then the robot will be

attentive to these unusual aspects of a person’s

behavior. The robot will form inquiries and, if

necessary, interventions to call atten-

tion to the fact that that person is having a problem.”

For now, Juola and his fellow researchers

“This robot off-the-shelf costs about

avoid obstacles around the home, recog-

nursing home costs about $50,000. If this

are programming the K-SERA robot to

nize a person’s gaze and conform to the

kind of societal norms that people might expect from their fellow human beings.

Within a year, the K-SERA robot will be

put into service in test environments such

$25,000,” Juola said. “But a year in a

assistant could be readily programmed

and could help people stay in their homes for even a year longer, it could provide an economic and social solution to part of a very large problem.”

as nursing homes and hospitals. Ultimately, the technology could improve life in

a cost-effective way for millions of aging people around the world.

will be one of the most important tasks

SPOTLIGHT ON FACULTY

NOVEL DISCOVERIES:

Maryemma Graham embraces projects that find new audiences, authors and ideas Maryemma Graham (at right in photo with opera singer Jessye Norman) is a professor of English, founder and director of the Project on the History of Black Writing, member of the Toni Morrison Society board of directors and director of a summer 2010 institute at KU that focused on the work of author and poet Richard Wright.

Q. How are curriculums, and by extension students’ learning, in disciplines such as literature and history enhanced by in-depth study of Toni Morrison?

Q. What do you feel are the primary social and cultural issues expressed by Richard Wright? How can a study of his works serve to address these same issues in our contemporary world, both for educators and students?

Q. How has the Project on the History of Black Writing served to re-define the American literary canon over the last 25 years?

biology teacher and a history teacher

A. Wright’s work serves as a social ba-

African-American literature that we have

project started by their students: what

nity, community history, the migrations

A. In one of our summer institutes a joined us who had collaborated on a

is the cause of blue eyes? The impetus was the students reading the novel

(“The Bluest Eye”) and then discussing it in the biology class that followed.

Our biggest project is called the “Car-

dozo Project Model,” which encourages schools to read one Morrison book

across the entire school. It creates a

groundswell of discussions and moves from the classroom to the homes. The first school received 500 books from

us and many parents called inquiring

about forming a reading group so they could read the same books along with their children.

rometer, exploring the issues of commuthat bring people into their communities and the various relationships between

people. Teachers are encouraged now to explore the same subjects, thus turning their students into avid researchers as well as readers.

Students can contemporize Wright’s work because much of what he wrote translates to their current environments. Additionally, students can see what has changed

from the time just before the dawn of the Civil Rights movement.

Many teachers live for the day when a

student says “I want to grow up and tell stories like Wright did.”

A. The long history of racism and exclusions has buried or obscured so much to keep recovering it. We have there-

fore maintained the view that archival

research is extremely important, despite

its being tedious and time consuming. It doesn’t produce a big splash at first, no

glamour, little immediate gratification.

But over time, it opens up new areas for

research. An example is our most recent

project on Allen Polite, whose books were brought to me by KU professor Elaine

Gerbert. HBW is now leading a campaign

to recover post-war expatriate black writers, fast dying out. You might see one person,

but in fact, there are many more with sizeable collections of unpublished work, like

Polite, that ought to be the subject of someone’s research, preserved in collections.

Redefining the American literature canon always takes time, so history has to do its work alongside the work that HBW does.

Making the Wright Connection summer institute web.ku.edu/~wrightconnection Toni Morrison Society www.tonimorrisonsociety.org Project on the History of Black Writing www.hbw.ku.edu 8

POLITICS IN PRACTICE:

Burdett Loomis helps students launch careers through internship program Burdett Loomis is a professor of political science and director of KU’s Washington, D.C., internship program. Since KU’s political science department began the Washington, D.C., internship program in 1984, about 500 students have earned academic credit while working in the nation’s capital. Loomis has directed the program from the beginning.

Q. The KU Washington Intern Program has been active for more than 25 years. What was your inspiration for its development and what do you believe is the key to its success? A. I witnessed a lack of affordable yet

Q. You are spearheading a fundraising effort to ensure future generations of KU students have the opportunity to spend a semester in Washington. How will a donation make a difference in the life of a student?

first-rate D.C. intern programs, and as an

A. We have many students who, even

to find a way to provide an experience

cost of the internship, cannot afford to

educator at KU, I was strongly compelled comprised of both. This has always been and remains the core of our program.

Q. The experience students can have through this program is quite remarkable. In what ways has this program transformed their lives? A. A genetics major from KU found an internship with a climate group and

then found employment on a congres-

sional committee. Now she is in Britain, working in the Parliament for a few

months! Many of our interns are KU students who did not have great academic

if they can afford the relatively modest not work while in D.C., and thus need

a way to make up at least some of what they would normally earn. Providing,

say, several $1,500 scholarships for these students would allow them to take part. Having a funding base for enrichment

academic careers in political science,

their studies and in their approaches to future careers.

interned with Kansas Representative

Jan Meyers. Giorgi Burduli worked for

Kansas Representative Dennis Moore and upon graduation became a top adviser to

the President of Georgia. There are many others who have used this intern experience to move into highly responsible

positions, often, but not always with time out for a graduate degree. It is highly

gratifying to hear from former interns

and find out what new challenges they are taking on.

Q. The graduates of the Washington internship program have gone on to esteemed careers in politics and business. Tell me about a few of the program’s success stories.

the nation’s very best universities. Upon confidence and are more directed in

Intellectual Property Enforcement; he

derful, as well.

A. John Pevehouse and Nancy Burns

returning to KU they have increased

initial U.S. Coordinator for International

activities for the interns would be won-

records. In D.C., they have found they

can keep up with the best students from

W. Bush administration and was the

are in the midst of highly productive having interned for Search for Common

Ground and the Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee, respectively. Chris Israel, now a partner at the American

Continental Group, served in the George

Burdett Loomis gathers with past KU Washington, D.C., interns at the program’s 25th anniversary gathering in the nation’s capital: LaRisa Lochner, c’95, Stacy Stordahl, c’95, and Ben Buehler, c’95.

Learn more: kuendowment.org/dcintern 9

COVER STORY

Tools for Change KU PARTNERS WITH LATINO COMMUNITY IN WYANDOTTE COUNTY TO IMPROVE HEALTH Wyandotte County, home to Kansas City, Kan., consistently ranks as one of the least healthy places to live in the state. Particularly striking for KU researchers, however, were the health disparities of the Latino population, which makes up 26% of the county’s residents.

The situation prompted Fawcett and

of Medicine’s Department of Preventive

Community Health and Development to

“Working together, coalition members

“Health disparities—preventable differ-

of Greater Kansas City, supported the

groups—are evidence of social injustice,”

Coalition in 2008.

ences in health outcomes among particular said Stephen Fawcett, Kansas Health

Foundation University Distinguished

Professor in the College’s Department of

Applied Behavioral Science. “Latinos are more likely to have diabetes and other

chronic diseases since community conditions make it more difficult to engage in physical activity, healthy nutrition, and gain access to health services.”

Many of the health issues revolve around a lack of access: to affordable health care, to exercise opportunities, and to healthy food choices. The absence of fresh pro-

duce earned the community’s neighbor-

hoods the designation of “food deserts.” There are no grocery stores nearby, so

much of their food comes from local convenience stores, which rarely stock fruits

and vegetables. There has also been a lack of home gardens.

colleagues in the KU Work Group for

seek a grant from NIH/National Center on Minority Health and Health Dis-

parities. This major funding, as well as a grant from the Health Care Foundation

establishment of the Latino Health for All

SUCCESS DEPENDS ON COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT The KU Work Group, founded in 1975,

has the mission of promoting community health and development through col-

laborative research, teaching and public service. The KU Work Group involves faculty, staff and students trained in

disciplines across the College (applied

behavioral science, community psychology, anthropology), in addition to other disciplines in the broader university

Medicine and Public Health.

developed an action plan that, when implemented, can improve access to

healthy foods, create more opportuni-

ties to be physically active, and increase

access to preventive health services,” said Vicki Collie-Akers, associate director of the KU Work Group.

The plan has led to projects ranging

from community gardens to a youth soccer league.

The team uses a research model that

helps ensure changes will be sustainable and supported by community members.

The model, known as Community-Based

Participatory Research, engages residents, community groups and researchers together as equitable partners in all phases of the project.

(urban planning, public health).

Community partners include Latino

The KU Work Group serves as a scientific

restaurants, youth organizations, the

partner for the Latino Health for All Co-

alition’s efforts to bring about community programs that improve health behav-

iors and outcomes. Coalition members include El Centro Inc., and KU School

media organizations, churches, schools, Kansas State University extension office, parks and recreation services, and non-profit health clinics.

PROJECTS MAKE POSITIVE IMPACT Latinos in Wyandotte County have seen many positive

changes as a result of their involvement in the Latino Health for All Coalition and the efforts of the KU Work Group.

The youth soccer league, which began as informal pick-up games, now serves more than 160 children with a soccer

field that the county parks and recreation department converted from an underused park. Many of the participants were overweight and had never played soccer before.

“The parent of an 11-year-old overweight boy thanked us for giving them the support to encourage their kids to be

physically active and told us how much they are enjoying participating in soccer,” said Daniel Schober, a graduate

research assistant pursuing a joint Ph.D./M.P.H. in applied

behavioral science and public health who helped create the soccer league. “Members of the coalition supported this

project with a mini-grant and helped by getting the word out and volunteering their time with the league.”

Many of the coalition’s community changes involve youth

activities. This fall, K-12 students and adults will create and sustain school gardens. Nutrition classes have also been

introduced in schools, in addition to taking place at community centers and churches in the county.

Community gardens have helped address the availability of produce. Adults and children have pitched in together

to create and maintain a large community garden and five

satellite gardens. Local shops and convenience stores have agreed to help by offering fresh produce on their shelves. KU researchers and coalition members have conducted

surveys to assess the Latino population’s health status and

behaviors to help examine the impact of the coalition’s efforts. In addition, non-profit clinics are dedicated to providing

screenings and health care to uninsured, underinsured and

Medicaid patients. Mini grants have supported interpreter services for Spanish-speaking patients seeking care at the clinics. The coalition has helped the county’s Latino population make a number of positive changes toward a healthier community, but it has also provided benefits to the researchers involved.

“In a community research partnership, we learn and take

action together—working to understand and improve how

communities create conditions to improve health, especially for those so frequently left behind,” Fawcett said.

CLAS NOTES

NEWS FROM AROUND THE COLLEGE African & African-American Studies:

The department celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2010 with seminars, brown bags and a mini symposium. • The department is offering a new area of concentration, Arabic and Islamic Studies, which is available with a bachelor’s degree. • Several members of the department have recently published works, including Assistant Professor Majid Hannoum, who completed his book “Violent Modernity: France in Algeria.” • The department welcomed Assistant Professor Peter Ojiambo, whose areas of study include education theories and the teaching of African languages; Assistant Professor Yacine Daddi Addoun, who specializes in Arabic and Islamic studies; and Associate Professor Clarence Lang, who studies African-American history. American Studies: The department

announced the retirement of Professor David Katzman, who worked in American Studies for 41 years. The department hosted the opening event of the 2010 Mid-America American Studies Association conference, which featured two special roundtables in honor of Katzman. • The department welcomed Visiting Assistant Professor Marisol Cortez, whose research focuses on environment, popular culture and cultural theory; and Professor Jennifer Hamer, who specializes in African-American families, community and qualitative methodologies. Anthropology: Professor Rolfe Mandel

received the 2010 Geological Society of America Kirk Bryan Award for Research Excellence. • Assistant Professor Majid Hannoum received a Fulbright grant to carry out an ethnographic project in the city of Tangier, called “European Tourism and African ‘Illegal’ Migration in Tangier.” • Assistant Professor Brent Metz received a Hall Center Fellowship that he will use to create an “e-book” on the Ch’ortí Maya. • The department welcomed Assistant Professor Fred Sellet, whose specialty is Plains archaeology; and Assistant Professor Carlos Nash, whose

research interests include phonetics and phonology. • Robert J. Squier, the founder of the department and first chair, passed away in April 2010.

continues the story of Jimmy Lin, a Midwestern boy straddling two cultures: small-town Kansas and mainland China. “Fastest Pig II” is printed in English and Mandarin Chinese.

Applied Behavioral Science: Research

Center for Global & International Studies: The center, in collaboration with

headed by Professor Eric Vernberg has shed light on a new method for detecting school bullying — repeated visits to the school nurse with somatic complaints, illness or injury. He found that it is not only victims of bullying who make more visits to the nurse — it is aggressors as well. His results were published in the journal Pediatrics. • The department welcomed Assistant Professor Derek Reed, who is researching the behavioral processes underlying choice and decision making; Assistant Professor Florence Reed, whose research focuses on behavior change of employees and teachers; and Assistant Professor Paula Fite, who specializes in clinical child psychology. • Distinguished Professor Stephen B. Fawcett was one of five distinguished individuals to receive an honorary degree from his alma mater, Providence College, in 2011. Bioinformatics: Assistant Professor

John Karanicolas was awarded a 2010 Sloan Research Fellowship. Sloan Fellows are the elite of the new crop of scientists in the U.S. and Canada, poised to become the leaders of their fields. His area of research is in applying protein design to better understand signal transduction pathways. • The department welcomed Assistant Professor Eric Deeds, whose specialty is in the development of mathematical and computational models of biological systems. Center for East Asian Studies: Eight

students studying Chinese, Japanese and Uyghur languages in the 2010-2011 academic year received scholarships from the center that covered the entire cost of their tuition. • Middle schools throughout Kansas were sent copies of “The Fastest Pig II: Journey to the West,” a new graphic novel written by outreach director Randi Hacker. “Fastest Pig II”

the School of Law’s International Law Society, Islamic Law Students Association and the Public Interest Law Society, put on the 2011 Human Rights Symposium in February. The topics discussed throughout the day included law, the death penalty, immigration and discrimination. • In fall 2010, the center presented a lecture by journalist and author Sam Quinones called “So Far from Mexico City, So Close to God: Tales of Mexican Migration.” His lecture discussed issues and stories of Mexican migration that Quinones witnessed first-hand during his decade of research in Mexico. Center for Research Methods & Data Analysis: The center hosted KU Summer

Stats Camp in June 2011. The event featured several courses, including Structural Equation Modeling, Longitudinal Analysis, Hierarchical Modeling, and Item Response Theory, along with several new offerings in the use of R and the analysis of missing data. • The center welcomed Associate Scientist Carol Woods, whose area of study is improving tools for analyzing categorical data. • The center hosted several colloquia and seminars in spring 2011, including “Basics of Modern Missing Data Analysis,” “Development of a National Through-Course Assessment Program” and a seminar on Mplus, a powerful statistical modeling program. Center for Russian, East European, & Eurasian Studies: The center celebrated

its 50th anniversary in August 2010 as a recognized center offering degrees in area studies. • In June 2011, the center hosted a group of six Russian environmental administrators and advocates, who visited Lawrence to observe environmentally friendly facilities in Lawrence. • The center hosted a conference on Identity

Photos: Students conduct research in a physics lab; poet and musician Duriel Harris was the featured performer at Make It Funky 2 last October; Brigadier General Roosevelt Barfield, c’85, with state Rep. Barbara Ballard (left) and his wife, was a featured speaker at the Dole Institute; Stanley Lombardo, classics professor, released a new translation of Ovid’s “Metamorphoses”; Jack Hofman, associate professor of anthropology, demonstrates flint knapping techniques to students; dancers rehearse for a University Dance Company concert; a spider fossil found by Paul Selden, distinguished professor in geology, is about 120 million years older than known spiders in the same family.

and Community after the Cold War Era in August 2011. The goal of the conference was to describe, examine, and understand the various areas and kinds of shifts that have happened since the late 1980s and to attempt a complex model of the world humanity now inhabits. Center for Science Education: The

center welcomed Master Teacher Wendy Elkins. Elkins received her M.A. in curriculum and instruction from KU. She taught science at Blue Valley Northwest High School in Overland Park for 11 years before joining the center. • Brad Williamson, a Master Teacher in the UKanTeach program, received an honorary membership to the NABT (National Association of Biology Teachers). The honorary membership is considered the highest honor given by the association, and was established to recognize individuals who have achieved distinction in teaching, research or service in the biological sciences. Center for the Study of Science Fiction: A treasure trove of papers by one

of the most influential writers of the golden age of science fiction — who, along with Leonard Nimoy, is credited with inventing the “live long and prosper” Vulcan phrase for “Star Trek” — has been donated to KU. The definitive collection of the late author Theodore Sturgeon’s books, papers, manuscripts and correspondence will be established at the Kenneth Spencer Research Library at KU, which also is home to the Center for the Study of Science Fiction. Center of Latin American Studies: This

year marks the 50th anniversary of the center. Several events are planned for Nov. 18-20. The theme will be “Latin American Studies in a Global Context: Past, Present, and Future.” • Twenty-eight graduate students representing 12 departments in the College received field grants and fellowships from the center for language studies and research abroad. • Lecturer Emily Tummons and six graduate and undergraduate students traveled to Guatemala in summer 2010 to help families that were

relocated because of Tropical Storm Agatha. • The center mourns the death of Thomas M. Gale, professor and former associate dean of the College. Chemistry: Professor Emeritus George

Wilson became a fellow of the International Society of Electrochemistry. • Distinguished Professor Kristin Bowman-James became an American Chemical Society Fellow. • The KU Chem Club received the Commendable Chapter Award and was featured in Chemistry magazine. • The department welcomed Assistant Professor Shenqiang Ren, whose specialty area is inorganic chemistry. Child Language: Mabel L. Rice, director of

the program, published two articles in 2010. In April, her article “Mean Length of Utterance Levels in 6-Month Intervals for Children 3 to 9 Years With and Without Language Impairments” was published in the Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders. In November, her article “Cerebellar-dependent Delay Eyeblink Conditioning in Adolescents with Specific Language Impairment” was published in the Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research. Classics: Professor Stanley Lombardo has

published a new translation of the “Metamorphoses,” the major work of the Roman poet Ovid (Hackett Publishing Company, 2010). Lombardo has achieved many honors for previous highly acclaimed translations. • Professor Philip Stinson has been awarded a federally funded collaborative grant to research the endangered archaeological heritage of Afghanistan. Serving as a co-investigator with faculty from several KU departments, the grant will support a classics graduate student research assistant and several research initiatives. • Professor Oliver Phillips, who taught at KU for 30 years, died in February 2010. Clinical Child Psychology: According

to preliminary 2011 U.S. News and World Report rankings, the graduate program

ranked in the top 40 among public institutions with similar programs. About 35 other graduate programs at the University of Kansas were also ranked in the top 40 for their areas of study. • Associate Professor Ric Steele co-authored a study on how preadolescents respond to weight-related criticism. The study found that even at an early age, children are affected by teasing from peers about their weight. This kind of criticism can have a negative effect on the child’s self-esteem and self-image for the rest of their lives. Communication Studies: Debate coach

Scott Harris was selected as the first recipient of the Budig Teaching Professorship in Social and Behavioral Sciences during the 2010-’11 school year. Harris has been a debate coach at the University of Kansas since 1991 and his teams have qualified for the National Debate Tournament every year since. • Assistant Professor Jeff Hall’s research on Internet dating was featured in an article for CNN Living. The goal of his survey was to collect data on whether individuals using these sites lie about their personal information, and why they would do so. • Professor Nobleza Castro AsuncionLande, who taught in the department since 1968, passed away in February 2010. Dance: The department mourns the loss of

Professor Janet Hamburg, who passed away in September 2010. Hamburg taught in the department for more than 30 years. The department held a scholarship fundraiser dedicated to Hamburg in the fall and a public memorial service in the spring. • The department awarded its first Choreographic Fellowship to Brooklyn-based, Czech-born choreographer Dušan Týnek. During the spring semester he led a two-week intensive residency at KU to teach technique classes and to set his work “Transparent Walls” on members of the University Dance Company for performance in April 2011. East Asian Languages & Cultures:

Assistant Professor Hui Faye Xiao was named a Hall Center for the Humanities Research

CLAS NOTES

Photos: Andrew Short, assistant professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, discovered 20 new water beetle species in Suriname; a new book by Allan Pasco, distinguished professor of French and Italian; Dean Danny J. Anderson, in a fake mustache, rounds a stake in a game of town ball during a College-sponsored community presentation about the pre-baseball sport; Baba Brinkman performs “The Rap Guide to Evolution” as part of the University Honors Program Lecture Series.

Fellow for 2011. She plans to use the fellowship to work on her first book, “Chinese-Style Divorces: Narratives of Gender, Class, and Family in Contemporary Chinese Literature and Culture.” • The department produced a textbook for Uyghur language and grammar called “Greetings from the Teklimakan: A Handbook of Modern Uyghur.” The textbook teaches the equivalent of the first year of Uyghur courses and can be used for additional study while in a Uyghur course or for purposes of self-teaching. • The department welcomed Assistant Professor Sanako Mitsugi, whose main area of research is Japanese language pedagogy. Ecology & Evolutionary Biology: The

National Research Council assessment of Research Doctorate Programs shows the department’s graduate program to be among the best in the country. The department is particularly well-ranked in support of graduate students, the average number of Ph.D.s, and percent of female faculty. • As part of a major grant from the National Science Foundation, Assistant Professor Rafe Brown has collected more than 400 new specimens in the Philippines, some of which were those reported by KU herpetologist Edward Taylor. Taylor’s early 20th century collections were destroyed by bombing during World War II. • Assistant Professor Lena Hileman found that an entire group of genes is vanishing in the evolution of flowers. By looking at snapdragon and Plantago flowers and near relatives on the molecular level, Hileman and her co-authors discovered that an entire set of genes needed to create bee-pollinated flowers at some point disappeared from Plantago. Economics: The department welcomed

Assistant Professor Pym Manopimoke, whose research focuses on empirical macroeconomics, time series econometrics, and monetary economics. • Professor Mohamed El-Hodiri is part of a team of researchers at KU who will delve into the behavioral, cognitive and neural causes of generosity with support from a two-year, $150,000 grant from the University

of Notre Dame’s Science of Generosity Initiative. • Associate Professor Elizabeth Asiedu was elected president of the African Finance Economic Association (AFEA). Asiedu is the first female president in AFEA’s 22-year history. • The department mourns the loss of Peter William Frevert, a professor for 34 years. English: The department welcomed As-

sistant Professor Darren Canady, who has written several plays including “False Creeds,” which won the Alliance Theater’s Kendeda Graduate Playwriting Competition; Associate Professor Mary Jo Reiff, who specializes in rhetorical genre studies, audience theory and critical ethnography; Assistant Professor Jonathan Lamb, whose area of study is the early modern renaissance; and Associate Professor Paul Outka, who studies the intersection of science and literature. • The department sponsored a 24-hour read-a-thon of Toni Morrison works in honor of the author’s 80th birthday in February 2011. • The department mourns the loss of professors Dennis Quinn and Stanley Koehler. Environmental Studies: In 2010, the pro-

gram co-sponsored a symposium called “Preservation and Innovation: Climate Change, Agriculture, and Wind Energy in the Kansas Flint Hills.” Kansas ranks among the top five states for both potential economic support of wind energy and wind availability. Symposium participants included individuals from the Environmental Protection Agency, the Kansas Biological Survey, Clean Line Energy Partners and professors, deans and small business owners from several regions in Kansas. • The department welcomed Professor and Senior Scientist Kelly Kindscher, who specializes in plant community ecology, restoration ecology and ethnobotany. Ermal Garinger Academic Resources Center: The center mourns the loss of Ermal

Garinger, who taught foreign languages at KU for 22 years. Garinger was the director of the KU Language Laboratories from 1965 until his retirement in 1987, when the unit was renamed the Ermal Garinger Academic

Resource Center in his honor. The center continues Garinger’s legacy of supporting language learning at KU in its collection of approximately 12,000 audio and video items in more than 60 languages, three computer labs, a media-enhanced conference room, a soundproofed recording studio and a viewing area for small groups. Film & Media Studies: Assistant Professor

Robert Hurst and KU alumnus Jeff Tamblyn (’76) are working on a feature film titled “Joan Dark.” The film is a comedy with serious themes about an Iraq war vet who has trouble adapting to society after two tours. • Doctoral student Juli Pitzer wrote, directed and produced a documentary on a Topeka movie palace, which was aired on Kansas Day on the Topeka CBS affiliate. The 20-minute film follows the story of the Jayhawk Theatre, a 1926 movie palace, through its glory days before World War II until its closing in 1976. • Emmy award-winning director Rod Holcomb brought his expertise behind the lens into classrooms during a series of presentations and workshops this spring. • The department welcomed Assistant Professor Germain Halegoua, who specializes in new media. French & Italian: Associate Professor E.

Bruce Hayes was named a 2010-2011 Keeler Intra-University Professor. Keeler Professors have one semester free of departmental duties in order to exchange with faculty from other departments, take classes, create crossdisciplinary projects and/or co-teach courses in a department other than their own. Professor Hayes chose to engage in the Department of Classics, studying the relationship between ancient Roman satirical works and late 16th century French satire. Geography: Professor Nate Brunsell

received a Fellowship for Experienced Researchers from the Alexander von Humboldt Stiftung Foundation. • Recent graduate Julia Guard was selected from hundreds of applicants across the country for a prestigious internship with the National Geographic Society in Washington, D.C. She began the

Photos: The Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies celebrates its 50th anniversary; doctoral film student Juli Pitzer’s documentary about the Jayhawk Theatre movie palace in Topeka was shown on campus and local TV; new book edited by Christopher Forth, professor in Humanities and Western Civilization; student interns for the Center for Research Methods and Data Analysis.

three-month internship in September after graduating with a bachelor’s in geography and a minor in business. • The department welcomed Assistant Professor Margaret Pearce, who specializes in cartographic representation of cultural and historical geographies; Visiting Assistant Professor Shawn Milrad, whose area of study is atmospheric science; and Assistant Professor Alexander Diener, who will begin in the fall of 2012. Geology: Faculty and students began the

first phase of a three-year, $4.2 million project in July 2010 with the goal of making it simpler and more profitable to power electric plants with geothermal energy. Associate Professor Daniel Stockli and his students Josh Feldman and Josh Burris traveled to Clayton Valley in Nevada to create detailed maps of the surface and subsurface. • The department welcomed Assistant Professor Randy Stotler, who specializes in hydrogeology. Germanic Languages & Literatures:

With two major grants totaling nearly half a million dollars from the New York Turner 1850 Foundation and the Max Kade Foundation, the department is now working to renovate the Sudler Annex, which will become part of the Max Kade Center for German-American Studies. The annex will house the department’s research archives on the German-American Turners. The department currently has 19th century collections from Kansas, Wisconsin and New York Turner societies. Small seminar groups or conferences will also have meeting space in the renovated facility. Gerontology: Senior scientist Susan

Kemper gave a public presentation in fall 2010 called “Use It or Lose It,” which dealt with issues of cognitive aging and dementia. In the presentation at the Douglas County Senior Services Center, Kemper discussed current research as well as her own work. • Professor David J. Ekerdt, who is also the director of KU’s Gerontology Center, co-authored a study regarding relocation of senior citizens from their homes to accessible housing communities. The study was published in the Journal of Aging and Health.

Global Indigenous Nations Studies:

Honors: The program celebrated two mile-

Associate Professor John Hoopes traveled to Costa Rica in 2010 with a few colleagues to create a report for UNESCO regarding ancient stone spheres made famous by the opening sequence of “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” Hoopes’ main area of study is the ancient cultures of Central and South America, and he is one of the world’s leading experts on these ancient orbs. • Cora Lee Beers Price Professor Devon A. Mihesuah won two awards for her book “Choctaw Crime and Punishment, 1884-1907”: Outstanding Book on Oklahoma History Award and the Trophy Award for the Best Non-Fiction Book of 2009.

stones last year: the 40th anniversary of the Nunemaker Center, which is home to University Honors Program sessions, gatherings and events; and the 30th anniversary of its University Scholars program, which matches sophomores with high-level faculty mentors and provides a group seminar experience. • The program’s lecture series, centered on “Evolution in Human Affairs,” kicked off last year with rap artist and lecturer Baba Brinkman, who performed his original scientific raps. • Honors sophomore Will Dale was one of 40 college students nationwide selected last spring to participate in a re-creation of the 1961 Freedom Ride, sponsored by PBS’ American Experience.

History of Art: Ryan T. Campbell, an

undergrad, was awarded a 2010 Rusty Leffel Concerned Student Award, which is one of the prestigious Chancellor’s Student Awards. This award goes to students who demonstrate a concern for furthering the ideals of the university and higher education. • Professor David Cateforis was featured in a PBS television program in 2010. The program discussed the art of contemporary Chinese artist Xu Bing, and was produced by WNET public television. History: Doctoral student Dezeree Marie

Hodish received a 2011 Boren Graduate Fellowship to study in Ukraine. Hodish is the 21st KU student to receive a Boren fellowship since the program began in 1991. • The department welcomed Assistant Professor Adrian Finucane, who specializes in peoples in the early modern Atlantic world, race and gender in early European colonies, and beliefs about witchcraft in early America; Associate Professor Afshin Marashi, whose research includes social, cultural, and political history of state-building and nationalism in modern Iran; and Assistant Professor Robert Schwaller, whose main area of interest is Central America and circum-Caribbean. • Associate Professor Jonathan Earle led a public discussion and demonstration of the 19th century game town ball this fall in downtown Lawrence at the public library and a park across the street.

Humanities & Western Civilization:

The department co-sponsored a book talk with Peace and Conflict studies featuring alumnus Martin Henn. Henn discussed his new book, “Under the Color of Law: The Bush Administration’s Subversion of U.S. Constitutional and International Law in the War on Terror.” • The department sponsored the 23rd annual James E. Seaver Lecture in fall 2010, featuring Paul Kelton, professor and chair of the history department. Kelton’s lecture was called “Beyond Blankets: Smallpox, Human Agency, and American Indian Mortality.” • The department mourns Professor Emeritus Jim Seaver, who taught Western Civilization and Ancient History for more than four decades. Jewish Studies: Robert M. Beren Distin-

guished Professor Lynn Davidman presented her inaugural lecture titled “The Personal, the Sociological, and the Intersection of the Two” in spring 2010. • The program hosted Savyon Liebrecht, an acclaimed Israeli author and playwright. Liebrecht’s presentation, “Tension and Resolution in Israeli Society,” was followed by a book signing for her novel “The Woman My Father Knew.” Kansas African Studies Center: The

Mid-America Alliance for African Studies annual meeting came to KU in fall 2010. Assistant Professor Shawn Alexander organized

CLAS NOTES

Photos: Scene from a play directed in Lithuania by John Staniunas, chair and associate professor of theatre; students on a study abroad trip to India; Egyptian author and activist Nawal El Saadawi visited KU for the 2011 Marwa Lecture, presented by the Department of African and African-American Studies; papers of legendary science fiction author Theodore Sturgeon that were donated to KU were on display at Watson Library.

and ran the highly successful seminar series that served as the center’s part of celebrating 40 years of the Department of African and African- American Studies, and of Africana Studies in the Midwest region. • Christina Lux has been named the new assistant director of the center. She has been a lecturer in the Department of French and Italian and is a regular at events for the center. Linguistics: Professor Joan Sereno was

named the 2011-’12 Budig Teaching Professor in Social and Behavioral Sciences. Sereno consistently obtains the highest student course evaluations in the department, which prides itself on excellent teaching. She increased enrollment in her popular introductory course, Language and the Mind, tenfold in 10 years. • Assistant Professor Alison Gabriele, who is also the director of the Second Language Acquisition Lab, received a research grant from the National Science Foundation in 2010. Gabriele plans to use the grant for examining development and ultimate attainment in second language processing. Mathematics: Professor Bozenna Pasik-

Duncan, whose outreach efforts have affected thousands of students in Kansas, is the 2011 recipient of the Steeples Service to Kansas Award. The award recognizes outstanding service by KU faculty to other Kansans. • The department hosted the 2011 BLAST conference (focusing on Boolean algebras, Lattices, Algebraic logic, quantum logic, universal algebra, Set theory, set-theoretic Topology, and point-free topology), featuring lectures and tutorials by mathematicians from all over the country. • The department hosted the International Conference on Malliavin Calculus and Stochastic Analysis, which was held in honor of Professor David Nualart. • The department welcomed Assistant Professor Xuemin Tu, whose areas of study include scientific computing and numerical analysis; Assistant Professor Shuanglin Shao, who specializes in harmonic analysis and PDE; and Assistant Professor Mathew Johnson, whose research includes stability theory, spectral theory and justification for Whitham modulation theory.

Molecular Biosciences: Assistant Profes-

sor Scott Hefty received a grant of $1.8 million from the National Institutes of Health in order to study the sexually transmitted bacteria chlamydia, specifically dealing with what enables it to reproduce. • Associate Professor Kristi Neufeld and her graduate student Erick Spears study how a molecule, a protein called APC, suppresses colon cancer. In a recent article in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, they explain how a drug might someday treat the disease by blocking the action of one of APC’s molecular opponents. • The department welcomed Assistant Professor Eric Deeds, who is also a member of the Bioinformatics Department; and Associate Professor Liang Xu, whose research focuses on molecular therapy targeting cancer and cancer stem cells. Philosophy: Anthony Genova, professor

from 1972-2010, and chair of the department from 1978-2004, passed away in March 2010. A fund supporting graduate scholarships in the department has been established in his honor. • The department’s library collection received a large donation of books from Phyllis Wolfe, widow of John Wolfe, a previous lecturer in the department. • The department welcomed Assistant Professor Erin Frykholm, whose areas of interest include ethics, feminism, and social and political philosophy. Physics & Astronomy: In late 2009, a new

major in astrobiology became available. It is open to all undergraduates, but will be especially appealing to students who are already majoring in one of the key core areas identified in the program. • Assistant Professor Hui Zhao and graduate student Lalani Weranke have discovered a new optical effect of spin currents. By shining a powerful laser beam onto a semiconductor, the researchers have discovered that the flow of spinning electrons can generate new light of different colors. • The department welcomed Assistant Professor Kyoungchul Kong, whose research focuses on dark matter; and Assistant Professor Hsin-Ying Chiu, who specializes in condensed matter. • The department mourns the loss of

Jack Davidson, former department chair. Political Science: Alumna Martha Allen

made a $400,000 donation to the department. Allen is the daughter of the former chair of the department, Ethan Allen, and she wanted to make the donation in his honor. • A speaker series brought distinguished guests to campus as part of the larger KU Representation Initiative (KUREP). KUREP is a project of Robert Rohrschneider, the Sir Robert Worcester Distinguished Professor in Public Opinion and Survey Research. The series strives to provide information on citizen opinion across the globe, studying the role of parties and institutions in bringing public opinion into democratic, policymaking processes, and improving our understanding of democratic representation. • The department welcomed Assistant Professor Jiso Yoon, who specializes in the politics of northeast Asia; and Assistant Professor Gail Buttorff, who will begin in the fall of 2012. Psychology: The department welcomed

Associate Professor Carol Woods, who is also a new member of the Center for Research Methods and Data Analysis; Assistant Professor Paula Fite, who is also a new member of the Applied Behavioral Science department; and Assistant Professor Evangelia Chrysikou, whose research focuses on cognitive neuroscience. • Professor Jack Brehm, who passed away in 2009, left the bulk of his estate to KU Endowment for the department. Combined with previous donations throughout his life, Brehm provided a total of $2.2 million to the department. • The department also mourns the loss of Professor Howard John Baumgartel Jr., who taught in the department until his retirement in 1988 and founded the human relations program at KU. Religious Studies: A KU alumnus working

as CNN’s senior Vatican analyst presented the annual Religious Studies Lecture in April. John L. Allen Jr. earned a master’s degree in religious studies at KU in 1992 and has written six books on the Roman Catholic Church. • Professor Tim Miller shared his research

Photos: Randal Jelks, associate professor of American Studies, at the Toni Morrison 24-hour read-a-thon; “I Fell, Eiffel, Eyeful” by David Brackett, associate professor of visual art; Joey Sprague, professor of sociology, receives a surprise Kemper teaching award, joining Anna Neill, associate professor of English, Robert Ward IV, associate professor of molecular biosciences, and Jorge Perez, associate professor of Spanish and Portuguese, as the 2011-’12 recipients in the College.

on spirituality in Kansas in a public lecture in downtown Lawrence in March. The lecture was based on Miller’s Religion in Kansas project, which has sent KU students across the state to record oral histories of Kansans with recollections of a variety of faiths. • The department welcomed Assistant Professor Jacquelene Brinton, who specializes in Islamic studies; and Assistant Professor Molly Zahn, whose research focuses on the interpretation of scripture in early Judaism. School of Public Affairs & Administration: The school welcomed

Assistant Professor Jacob Fowles, who studies issues of education finance and policy; Assistant Professor Heather Getha-Taylor, whose interests include public and nonprofit management; Associate Professor Alfred Tat-Kei Ho, who specializes in performance management and e-government; Assistant Professor Chris Silvia, whose area of study includes the behaviors exhibited by leaders in intersectoral networks; and Assistant Professor Adam Eckerd, whose research focuses on urban policy. Slavic Languages & Literatures:

Doctoral student Rebecca Ann Stakun received a 2010 U.S. State Department Critical Language Scholarship. Recipients spent seven to 10 weeks over the summer in an intensive language institute focusing on their languages of study. Stakun traveled to Russia to further her study of Russian language. • The department welcomed its newest faculty member, Ani Kokobobo, who is now com¬pleting her dissertation on the grotesque and the body in late Russian realism at Columbia University. As a graduate stu¬dent, Kokobobo held a number of prestigious fellowships, including the Harriman Dissertation Completion Fellowship and summer grants from Mellon and Fulbright-Hays. Sociology: Doctoral student KuoRay Mao

received a prestigious Fulbright grant in 2010. Mao planned to use the grant to travel to China to study the relationships between migration, desertification, and environmental degradation in rural areas of northwestern

China. • Assistant Professor Elif Andac published her paper “Transnational Ideologies and State Building: The Ottoman Empire in Transition” in Political Power and Social Theory. The paper won the 2010 Outstanding Author Contribution Award at the Literati Network Awards for Excellence. Spanish & Portuguese: The department

welcomed Assistant Professor Veronica Garibotto, who studies the relationship between culture, history, and politics in Latin America. • The department mourns the loss of Professor George Woodyard, who taught Spanish for 39 years and held several administrative positions. Woodyard founded an academic journal called the Latin American Theatre Review in 1967 and was its editor for more than 40 years. He won numerous awards, including the Ollantay Prize for Theatre in Venezuela and the Miami Teatro Avante lifetime achievement award. Speech-Language-Hearing: The depart-

ment welcomed Assistant Professor Jungwon Janet Choy, who focuses on language breakdown patterns in individuals with brain damage; and Assistant Professor Konstantinos Kokkinakis, who specializes in hearing and speech sciences. • Six faculty members participated in Mini College in June 2011. The lecture included a trip to the Schiefelbusch Clinic to learn about speech-language pathology and audiology, communication disorders and aging effects on hearing and communication. Theatre: In fall 2010, University Theatre put

on a production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” by William Shakespeare performed in the original pronunciation. This was the first Shakespeare production in the original pronunciation ever performed in North America. Professor Paul Meier conducted the research necessary to determine what the original pronunciation of Shakespeare’s plays would have sounded like in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. • Associate Professor Henry Bial co-edited “Theater Historiography: Critical Interventions,” which was published by the University of Michigan Press.

Undergraduate Biology: The department

offered summer study abroad opportunities in 2011 where students could gain field research in a wide range of subjects in countries around the world. These programs include Amazonian Peru, where students focus on tropical biology and insect biodiversity; the Nicaraguan Caribbean Coast, which includes learning language and culture and ethno-botany; and Ecuador, which enables students to study three tropical ecosystems in one setting. Visual Art: The department welcomed

Assistant Professor John Derby, who teaches visual art education, and Assistant Professor Marshall Maude, who teaches and works with ceramics. • In late 2010, graduate student Catherine Reinhart created an art installation in the underground tunnel connecting the Spencer Museum of Art with the Kansas Union. The project was called “A Void Place…” and consisted of several fabric sculptures around and near seating areas in the tunnel. • The department remembers Olli Valanne and Robert Sudlow, professors of art, painting, and drawing, who passed away in 2011. Women, Gender, & Sexuality Studies:

The program introduced a Ph.D. option to students in fall 2011. KU is the 18th university in the country to offer a program of this kind. The Ph.D. program requires courses in feminist theory, methodology, history, and other subjects, as well as six courses in another field. Ten other departments have agreed to contribute courses, including American studies, history of art, psychology and sociology. As a result of the Ph.D. option, the WGSS program officially became a department on January 1, 2011.

BY THE NUMBERS

THE COLLEGE IS THE FOUNDATION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS

62% 2/3 100%

Percent of KU students pursuing degrees in the College. 16,307 out of 26,341 KU students were enrolled in the College in fall 2010.

Portion of KU credit hours taught by faculty in the College. The College provides the general education requirements for all KU students.

Percent of KU language courses taught in the College. KU offers 40 languages, more than any other institution in the Big 12.

STUDENTS IN CLAS

DEGREES IN CLAS

FACULTY IN CLAS

14,260 undergraduates, 877 master’s students and 1,170 doctoral students

51 of KU’s 81 undergraduate degree programs, 49 of KU’s 93 master’s degree programs, and 38 of KU’s 66 doctoral degree programs

613 of KU’s 1,051 tenured and tenure-track faculty are in the College. CLAS faculty taught 412,939 of KU’s overall 665,842 credit hours in the 2010–’11 academic year.

HANDS-ON LEARNING IN AND OUT OF CLASSROOMS 1 in 3 KU students who participated in study abroad in 2009-’10 were CLAS majors. // 33 of the 41 undergraduate research awards given to KU students for summer 2011 were awarded to students in the College.

GREAT CITIZENS AND LEADERS HAVE A LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES EDUCATION TITLES HELD BY KU COLLEGE OF

79,371 CLAS ALUMNI

3 CLAS grads named among 100 most powerful women in the world in the last 5 years

LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES ALUMNI:

President of Colombia U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services NASA astronaut Nobel laureate MacArthur “Genius” Fellow Emmy winner Pulitzer Prize winner

OUR MISSION: In the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Kansas, we learn without boundaries. Through innovative research and teaching, we emphasize interdisciplinary education, global awareness and experiential learning that ensures our graduates are engaged, socially responsible citizens, empowered to build their futures in Kansas and the world. 18

CLAS CONTRIBUTORS

We are thankful for our donors, whose generosity helps current and future generations learn without boundaries in KUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. A revised publishing schedule for the KU Collegian made it necessary to publish contributions from two fiscal years in this issue, rather than just one. The following list contains contributions at the Deans Club level and above from fiscal year 2010 (July 1, 2009-June 30, 2010) and fiscal year 2011 (July 1, 2010-June 30, 2011). Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this list. Please contact KU Endowment at 785-832-7350 for any errors or omissions. For a complete list of CLAS donors, visit clas.ku.edu. LIFETIME MEMBERS

Norman D. Fahrer* & Mary F. Fahrer

Irving S. Johnson, PhD & Alwyn Ginther Johnson

Hortense Casady Oldfather* Kalman A. Oravetz

Robert D. Taylor & Kathleen A. Taylor

Jack H. Fellman, PhD* & Susan F. Katz, MD

Thomas L. W. Johnson*

Sally P. Oswald* & Charles W. Oswald

Elden C. Tefft & Mary Hammer Tefft

C. B. Francisco, MD*

Max Kade Foundation, Inc.

Florene Briscoe Fratcher*

Kansas Health Trust

Barbara Kester Page* & Thomas Page*

Helen C. Telfel* & Dwight F. Metzler*

Virginia Oliver Freeman*

Kansas School Of Religion

Russell Pardee*

Irene Senger Thompson*

The Freeman Foundation

Kansas Scottish Rite Foundation

Alice Patterson* & Joseph M. Patterson*

Union Pacific Foundation

Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation

Thomas W. Pearson

Robert B. Green Sr.* & Miriam Stewart-Green*

W.M. Keck Foundation

Phillips Petroleum Foundation, Inc.

Charles E. Kimbell & Sharon Lynch Kimbell

Phillips Petroleum Company

Estate of Adele J. Bischoff

Jay V. Grimm* & Teresa M. Grimm

Jack W. Brehm*

Robert S. Grinnell Jr.*

Joan Kirkham

Posen Foundation

The Breidenthal-Snyder Foundation Inc.

Stuart Grossman, PhD & Harriet Grossman

Jo Ann Klemmer & Herbert Klemmer, MD*

Morris Cecil Pratt* & Rosella Burke Pratt*

Peedee Brown & Phillip S. Brown

Virginia Lee Gubar*

Bettie Jane Koonse*

James E. Gunn & Jane F. Gunn

Howard J. Koonse*

G. Baley Price, PhD* & Cora Lee Price, PhD*

Irma McCollough Buchele* & Robert L. Buchele, OD*

Richard W. Gunn, MD*

Samuel H. Kress Foundation

Vance L. Burch*

Merrill W. Haas* & Maria Ledezma Haas

Ralph C. Lamb Jr.* & Margaret Longwood Lamb

William B. Burrows*

Lois E. Hack*

Dr. J. K. Lee* & Ingrid Lee

Lois P. Caffyn*

Estate Of Daniel MacMorris

Louella Newell Carlile*

Shirley Cundiff Haines* & Jordan L. Haines*

Carl C. Chaffee* & Catherine Clark Chaffee*

Benjamin D. Hall, PhD & Margaret Black Hall

Kenneth L. Marsi, PhD* & Gertrude Irene Marsi

Chesapeake Energy Corporation

Hubert H. Hall* & Kathleen M. Hall

David J. McBride, PhD & Carolyn D. McBride

Chevron

Hall Family Foundation

Dean A. McGee*

Chevron Products Company

Sherlock Hibbs*

ConocoPhillips

Bernard A. Hirsch* & Elaine Lindberg Hirsch*

Belfour R. McMillen* & Betty Joe McMillen

Abbott Laboratories Fund William L. Adams* & Betty Froehlich Adams* Ahmanson Foundation Mark Amin Estate of George Corbin Bailey John R. & Sharon G. Barnes Fund

Foline E. Gartside*

E. Jackson Baur, PhD* & Miriam W. Blum

Grant K. Goodman, PhD

Lillian Jacobey Baur* Robert M. Beren

Mrs. Wesley G. Cramer* & Wesley G. Cramer*

Geoplus Corporation

Fred T. Holden*

Alfred Jurzykowski Foundation

Ellen Kelley & Grant B. Kelley

Mary J. Mahieu*

Sally Holmes McPherson Richard M. Meek* & Barbara Werbe Meek

Martha E. Peterson, PhD*

Mary Pickford Foundation, Inc.

A. Scott Ritchie & Carol L. Ritchie Minnie McDaniel Robertson* & Leslie B Robertson*

Jan F. van Sant, PhD & Mary van Sant* Marion E. Wade* & Louise Polson Wade* Elbert A. Walker, PhD & Carol L. Walker Daniel R. Wall David M. Wall William E. Wall George E. Walrafen, PhD* & Linda Walrafen* Dale Jellison Weary* & Robert K. Weary* Max M. Wells, MD & Gayle Hahn Wells Carrie E. Whitmire, PhD*

C. K. Rowland, PhD

Osborne S. Wong, PhD

John B. Runnels, MD

Sir Robert M. Worcester

William J. Russell III & Nancy E. Russell

Ruth Stout Wright*

Schlumberger Technology Corporation Dr. Elizabeth Avery Schultz Lucy S. Schultz* Shell Oil Company Foundation Donald/Jane Stark Charitable Trust Mazzie Lane Steger & William E. Steger*

Ruben Zadigan* & L aVerne M. Zadigan* Dr. Edward J. Zeller* & Gisela M. Dreschhoff, PhD

AMBASSADORS ($10,000+) Bijan Amini, PhD & Mary Alice Taylor Amini, PhD

John M. Deal, PhD* & Olive Schaeffer Deal*

Richard A. Hollander & Jane Hollander

Dee Ehling Dillon & David B. Dillon

Nancy Holmes

H. Lorene Miller*

E. Jackson Baur, PhD* & Miriam W. Blum

Wendell S. Holmes*

Craig Stevens* & Alexis Smith Stevens*

Donald S. Dixon* & Betty R. Dixon*

Mark L. Morris Jr., DVM* & Bette McGehee Morris, PhD

Valerie T. Stevens*

Lillian Jacobey Baur*

Jay Howard

Frances Felt Stiefel* & Milton I. Stiefel*

Kathryn Moen Braeman

Melvin H. Stockwell*

Peedee Brown & Phillip S. Brown

Dr. Cora Downs* E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Company Encana Oil & Gas (USA) Inc. Exxon Education Foundation ExxonMobil Corporation

John L. Howieson, MD Roscoe G. Jackson II, PhD Dr. Clyde E. Jacobs* Jewish Heritage Foundation of Greater Kansas City Donald C. Johnson PhD* & Eleanore J. Johnson*

Merck & Company, Inc.

Franklin D. Murphy, MD* & Judith Harris Murphy* Estate of John Monninger Nelson Irene Nunemaker* NYTV 1850 Foundation Inc.

Terry J. Sutton, MD & Nancy C. Sutton Marshall E. Talbot & Hope A. Talbot

Mrs. Richard A. Barber

Jack W. Brehm*

Dr. Gene A. Budig & Gretchen Budig Margaret J. Clowes

Charles H. Oldfather Jr.* &

CLAS CONTRIBUTORS

Tom H. Collinson & Jane Fox Collinson

Richard S. Paegelow Kristopher J. Preacher

Hubert H. Hall* & Kathleen M. Hall

Robert A. Prentice & Sharon A. Dunn

Luis A. Gonzalez & Sahudi A. Gonzalez

Alan E. Craven, PhD & Janice F. Craven

Marilyn Neely Prewitt*

Kathleen M. Hall

Robert E. Reinheimer, PhD

John Mark Hansen

Justin J. Rennilson

Mary Laird Hanson & James R. Hanson

Joseph R. Roach & Janice M. Carlisle, PhD

David L. Hiebert, MD & Gunda Hiebert

Paul R. Hanson, PhD & Yumi Ahn

Joyce Goering Saricks & Christopher L. Saricks

Hamilton H. Hill & Traci Hill

Robert L. Hanson, MD

Margaret Lewis Shirk

Patricia F. Hartley

Wendel J. Hoppe Maurice Joy

Joyce Dryden Damron Steve Dixon & Maggie Dixon Darthea S. diZerega* & Augustus diZerega V* Jane Eldredge & Charlie Eldredge James M. Funk, PhD & Sherree G. Funk

Michael D. Ryan, PhD Mary Ann Culwell Saul & Norman E. Saul Suzanne J. P. Schlinsog & Dale G. Schlinsog Dr. Elizabeth Avery Schultz

Robert G. Hartmann

Dolph C. Simons Jr. & Pamela C. Simons

Rex A. Sharp & Debra L. Sharp

William H. Hensley & Dana Valdois Hensley

Gregory B. Simpson, PhD & Mary-Margaret Simpson

David L. Hiebert, MD & Gunda Hiebert

Rominder Singh, PhD

Sandra Falwell Garrett & Charles R. Garrett

Morton I. Sosland & Estelle G. Sosland

Veronica Genova

Eric G. Vogl & Lisa Smith Vogl

J. Mark Gidley & Bridget O. Gidley Grant K. Goodman, PhD Stuart Grossman, PhD & Harriet Grossman Shirley Cundiff Haines* & Jordan L. Haines* Benjamin D. Hall, PhD & Margaret Black Hall Paul R. Hanson, PhD & Yumi Ahn Pauline Pappas Harvey* Chico Herbison, PhD & Janet D. Herbison Richard A. Hollander & Jane Hollander John L. Howieson, MD Peggy Smith Huggins* Roscoe G. Jackson II, PhD Dr. Clyde E. Jacobs* Richard A. Jensen, PhD & Gay N. Dannelly Eleanore J. Johnson* Mike R. Kanost & Jill M. Kanost Jo Ann Klemmer Walter Kollmorgen* & Johanna Kollmorgen* Graham H. Kreicker David J. McBride, PhD & Carolyn D. McBride Richard E. McClain Lou A. McClelland, PhD & Gary H. McClelland, PhD

Dan J. Kennedy & Nancy L. Kennedy Marc A. Ketzel & Lita C. Ketzel

Jane Voorhees

Gurusingham Sitta Sittampalam, PhD & Savits Sittampalam

Marian E. Warriner

Christopher W. Holien

Jerry M. Smith & Lee Smith

John P. Klein & Janis W. Klein

Dale Jellison Weary* & Robert K. Weary* ,

Douglas L. Houck

Antha Cotten Spreckelmeyer, PhD & Dr. Kent F. Spreckelmeyer

Charles P. Kulier, PhD & Beatrice Marquis Kulier

Charles L. Stansifer, PhD

Mae Chetlain Landauer

Orley R. Taylor, PhD & Toni L. Taylor

Saul Lerner, PhD

Carrie E. Whitmire, PhD* George S. Wilson & Beverley M. Wilson

BENEFACTORS ($5,000–$9,999)

Joan Sherar Hunt, PhD Peter R. Jarosewycz Richard A. Jensen, PhD & Gay N. Dannelly COL Brenda S. Johnson & LTC Lindley N. Johnson

Ann Jeffries Thompson & Peter B. Thompson

Joan Kirkham

Shade K. Little Jr. & Bernadette Gray-Little, PhD Todd D. Little, PhD & Patricia H. Hawley, PhD

Maurice Joy & Betsy Joy

Christopher R. Tincher & Stacy Rosner Tincher

Craig Anthony Arnold

Sharyn Brooks Katzman & David M. Katzman, PhD

Sarah C. Trulove & Dr. James W. Woelfel

Frank J. Becker & Barbara A. Becker

George Devries Klein, PhD

Bruce A. Twarog, PhD & Barbara Anthony-Twarog, PhD

Patrick V. Musick & Mary Beth Musick

Charles P. Kulier, PhD & Beatrice Marquis Kulier

Elizabeth Hartley Winetroub

Bradford E. Prather

Thomas M. Kurata & Sachi Hamada

PATRONS ($3,000–$4,999)

Song-Ping Lee, MD & Li-Ying C. Lee

Alice L. Bean

Terri L. Reicher

Laura Hartley Lintecum

Cindy L. Berrie & Ward H. Thompson

Cathy A. Reinhardt & Norman A. St. Laurent

Lou A. McClelland, PhD & Gary H. McClelland, PhD

Nancy A. Bingham

Douglas H. Rofheart

Michael L. McCormick & Mary F. McCormick

Charles S. Bryan

Robert C. Rowland, PhD

Anna M. Cienciala, PhD

Joyce Goering Saricks & Christopher L. Saricks

Michael Allen

Cindy L. Berrie & Ward H. Thompson Nancy A. Bingham Lynn M. Bretz Donald I. Brownstein Ann H. Bush Tom H. Collinson & Jane Fox Collinson Marilyn C. Conrad Frank B. Cross Joyce Dryden Damron William E. Dean, PhD & Cynthia M. Dean Binodh S. DeSilva, PhD Fran Devlin & John F. Devlin Darthea S. diZerega* & Augustus diZerega V*

Graham H. Kreicker

Bruce H. McKeithan & Freda McKeithan

John A. Cramer Jr. & Joan Grotenhuis Cramer

Daniel F. Merriam, PhD & Annie L. Merriam

Terrence J. Dewane

Carol Nalbandian, PhD & John Nalbandian, PhD Shirley A. Phillips

Robert N. Enberg, MD & Linda Kirkpatrick Enberg

Daniel F. Merriam, PhD & Annie L. Merriam

Robert J. Piller*

Edward A. Dreyfus, PhD

Bette McGehee Morris, PhD

D. Allen Frame & Sally Wilson Frame

William D. Pollard & Kathryn Wohlford Pollard

D. Allen Frame & Sally Wilson Frame

Marla F. Prather

J. Mark Gidley & Bridget O. Gidley

Virginia P. Gidley

Kalman A. Oravetz

Zachary P. Grant

Leslie Granger Prentice & James L. Prentice

Kay Prather-Rodriguez* Robert A. Prentice & Sharon A. Dunn

Robert F. Shapiro James D. Snyder & Laurie Lane Snyder Charles L. Stansifer, PhD

Christopher R. Tincher & Stacy Rosner Tincher

Gisela M. Dreschhoff, PhD

Pamela A. Genova

Robert J. Melman

John T. Stewart III & Linda Bliss Stewart

Stephen B. Fawcett, PhD & Kathleen McCluskey-Fawcett, PhD

Barbara A. Nordling

John D. McConnell, MD & Melinda McConnell

Lawrence A. Engel & Gayla Beck Engel

Lynn J. Piller

Peter R. Jarosewycz

Richard H. Himes, PhD & Susan V. Himes

Jill S. Docking

Thomas V. Murray & Cynthia Burnett Murray

Marion Miller Hitt* & Richard B. Hitt

Ellen R. Goheen & John R. Goheen, MD

Sarah C. Trulove & Dr. James W. Woelfel Mark C. Willcoxon

DEANS CLUB ($1,000â&#x20AC;&#x201C;$2,999)

Suzanne R. Brito & Raul F. Brito

Dennis L. Dobson

Norma Jean Guthrie

Craig A. Dudczak, PhD

Michael L. Guttman

James M. Akagi

D. Heyward Brock, PhD & Patricia Farmer Brock

Stephen R. Ellsworth & Barbara Ellsworth

Charles R. Hall & Helen Persson Hall

Laurence R. Brown

James P. Elrod, MD

Thomas L. Hall

Kenneth P. Koenigs, MD & Laura M. Koenigs, MD

Harold E. Alexander, Jr., MD

Michelle V. Buchanan, PhD

Vered M. Hankin

Louis B. Krout

Martha S. Allen

Terry Leines Burris & Greg Burris

Robert N. Enberg, MD & Linda Kirkpatrick Enberg

Danille L. Harder

Carolyn J. Kubik, MD

Lawrence A. Engel & Gayla Beck Engel

Joseph F. Harkins & Judith Ann Harkins

Virginia M. Kurata

Nicholas E. Engelbrecht, MD & Sabra Blaine Engelbrecht

Marlin D. Harmony & Nancy M. Harmony

Jeffrey D. Evans & Kim-Marie Evans

Trudier Harris

Sarah Lamb

Patricia F. Hartley

Thomas W. Laming & Jennifer L. Laming

Joel A. Alberts & Susan Perucca Alberts

Michael Allen David A. Ambler & Mary Kate Ambler

Ann H. Bush John E. Butler, PhD

Bijan Amini, PhD & Mary Alice Taylor Amini, PhD

Robert S. Butler

Danny J. Anderson & Kimberly Timmons Anderson

Janice M. Carlisle, PhD

Eric A. Anderson Robert J. Ardis, MD & Pamela R.K. Ardis Katie Hart Armitage & Kenneth B. Armitage

Donn R. Byrne Joyce Malicky Castle

Robert P. Fabia & Kathy Aram

LaRisa R. Chambers-Lochner & Brian W. Lochner

Stephen B. Fawcett, PhD & Kathleen McCluskey-Fawcett, PhD

Marcus K. Chao, PhD

Glenna Anderson Fearing* ,

Anna M. Cienciala, PhD

Jane A. Finn, PhD

Marsha Smith Haufler & Christopher H. Haufler, PhD Alvin D. Herrington

Keri Brown Kirschman, PhD & David Louis Kirschman, MD Jill Kleinberg, PhD

Eric A. Kuwana & Karen E. Miller-Kuwana Betty A. Laird

Marcia Heichen Lange & Robert A. Lange

Christina M. Hiemstra & Erik J. Hiemstra

Thomas P. Layloff Jr.,PhD Saul Lerner, PhD

David J. Lemke

Craig Anthony Arnold

Dr. Albert E. Cinelli

Terry N. Fiske

Mary Homerin Ashcraft & Mark H. Ashcraft, PhD

C. Clair Claiborne, PhD & Patricia A. Claiborne

David F. Hogben & Connie Hogben

James H. Flynn III, PhD

David F. Hogben

Robert J. Lewis III & Vittoria A. Pontieri-Lewis

Charlotte L. Clark

F. Nicholas Franano, MD

Geoffrey L. Atkeisson

Yola Yueh-O Liang, PhD & Ming-Biann Liu, PhD

John P. Atkinson, MD & Andrea J. Atkinson

Donald A. Close, PhD

Sally S. Hoglund & Forrest E. Hoglund

Kevin J. Coakley, MD

Laurie B. Franklin & Darrell E. Franklin

Ann C. Holmes

Patricia G. Libby

Robert R. Ball

Janice Rogers Cobb & Robert P. Cobb

Anne Fraser

Jinyang Hong, PhD & Qifang Li Hong

Michael L. Linenberger, MD & Sara Dacey, MD

Wendel J. Hoppe

Laura Hartley Lintecum

Frederick H. Horne, PhD & Clara J. Horne

James N. Little, PhD

Mikhail V. Barybin George K. Bascom, MD & Roxanne M. Bascom Mona Baumgartel & John DeBeer

Hurst Coffman

H. George Frederickson & Mary W. Frederickson

Harold W. Collier, MD & Rebecca Herold Collier

Thomas L. Gandet, Jr.

William J. Comer

Lydia I. Beebe & Charles E. Doyle

Mary Corman & Warren Corman

John H. Beisner

Glendon G. Cox, MD & Karen Templeton Cox

Cindy K. Bell Rudy D. Belton Kristin Kessinger Benjamin David J. Bouquet Robert T. Bourne John P. Bowman & Katie-Pat Bowman

John L. Howieson, MD

Sena Garven, PhD & LTC Robert C. Garven, USA, Retired

Carol L. Irwin, PhD & Louis N. Irwin, PhD

Jean Kindel Garvey J. Michael Geier, MD & Janet Lee Hamilton

Alan E. Craven, PhD & Janice F. Craven

Catherina Gere

John A. Creighton & Johnita M. Creighton Margaret L. Crist Linda Marsh Cropp & Clark A. Cropp

Donald R. Brada Sr., MD & Carolyn Cromb Brada

Cathy L. Daicoff

William F. Bradley Jr. & Roberta Harding

Glenn W. Garneau & Sylvie Johnson Rueff

John A. Cramer Jr. & Joan Grotenhuis Cramer

Robert A. Boyd, MD & Shirley Anne Boyd

William F. Bradley Jr.

Robert R. Franke

Deborah Davies, PhD Karen L. Davis Marvin L. Dettloff, PhD & Mary Eastwold Dettloff

Eberhard G.P. Gerlach, PhD Wayne W. Gerstenberger Richard S. Givens, PhD & Susan M. Givens James E. Godwin, MD & Elizabeth A. Campbell, MD Joel K. Goldman & Hildy Goldman Luis A. Gonzalez & Sahudi A. Gonzalez

Donald L. Hunt

Todd D. Little, PhD & Patricia H. Hawley, PhD Theodore R. Livingston, II & Linda Cubertson Livingston Joseph C. Lollar

LTC Willis Harvey Jacob, RET

George B. Lopez

Miriana I. Jerkovich

Larry C. Lovett

COL Brenda S. Johnson & LTC Lindley N. Johnson

Jack W. Lowry & Catherine G. Lowry

J. Kelly Johnson, PhD

John E. Lucken

Sarah Iles Johnston, PhD

Leon F. Lyday

Terrence D. Jones & Polly N. Jones

John E. Magerus, PhD

Jerelyn Eve Kaesler

John G. Manahan & Patricia N. Manahan, PhD

Sharyn Brooks Katzman & David M. Katzman, PhD

David E. Mannering, PhD & Linda Wyllie Mannering

Dan J. Kennedy & Nancy L. Kennedy

Charles R. Manning, PhD

L. D. Kershner, PhD & Marilyn A. Kershner

James E. Mason

Christopher D. Martin

Rozanne Devine

Marilu Goodyear & Adrian W. Alexander

David E. Dibble & Camille Coffman Dibble

Randy D. Gordon, PhD & Lori Shannon Gordon

Carl B. Kinell III Pamela D. Kingsbury

Anna W. Bricker

Bradley D. Didericksen & Tina Didericksen

David A. Greenamyre & Barbara S. Romzek

Roger McCoy & Rosita E. McCoy

Robert A. Kipp & Deborah Graves Kipp

Margaret Gatton Brisch

Donald N. Dirks

Stephen M. Griffin

Richard L. McCreery, PhD & Jane H. McCreery

Joan Kirkham

Kathleen M. Brady James E. Bredfeldt, MD Lynn M. Bretz Larry A. Brey

Marc A. Ketzel & Lita C. Ketzel

Wilbert L. Mathews Newton C. McCluggage, MD

CLAS CONTRIBUTORS

Alistair W. McCrone, PhD & Judith Saari McCrone

Ruthann Pozez

Carole Bishop Smith

Bradford E. Prather

Clifford H. Smith

Elizabeth S. Weaver & Robert F. Weaver, PhD

Don and Pat Morrison Foundation

Brent McFall

Antonina M. Prestigiacomo

Randy L. Sowell, PhD

Christopher R. Webber

The New Theatre Guild

Donald C. McIlrath, MD

William A. Ramsey & Andrea Thomas Ramsey

Joseph E. Spradlin, PhD & Rita Franks Spradlin

Robyn L. Weeks

NYTV 1850 Foundation Inc.

Jason R. McKirahan

Stacey E. Weltmer

Pfizer Inc.

R. Douglas McWard & Katheryn Spalding McWard

Jennifer Ford Reedy & Christopher W. Reedy

George D. Stanley Jr., PhD & Barbara C. Stanley

Jayne E. Whitehead

Posen Foundation

Julia M. Wilkinson

Robert J. Melman

Terri L. Reicher

Jerry D. William

Paul Ross Charitable Foundation

Terry D. Milby

Edward F. Reilly Jr.

Amy Hammer Steeples & Flint M. Steeples

Donald S. Rice & Elizabeth St. John Loker

Tammy L. Steeples, PhD & Don W. Steeples, PhD

Keith D. Wilner

Margaret M. Richards, PhD

Joseph E. Steinmetz & Sandra S. Steinmetz

Steve Mills & Barbara Nash Mills, EdD Breon Mitchell & Lynda Mitchell Paul J. Monson & Linda Warhola Monson*

Leonard M. Rickards* & Pauline M. Rickards*

Roberto Montoya

A. Scott Ritchie & Carol L. Ritchie

Robert J. Moore & Marna J. Moore

Michael C. Roberts & Karen B. Roberts

Thomas M. Moore*

Mary Meitl Robison & Richard A. Robison

Samuel A. Morford

Sarah E. Strinden, PhD & William D. Strinden, MD Kala Mays Stroup, PhD & Joe B. Stroup Gene W. Stubbs & Linda Beurmann Stubbs

Elizabeth Hartley Winetroub

Science Fiction Writers of America

Jennifer Malcolm Winters & Todd G. Winters

Society for German-American Studies

Jeffrey R. Woods & Andrea Grimes Woods

H.L. Snyder Foundation

Morgan Wright & Joan Wright

Pamela A. Sullivan & Michael P. Sullivan

Sue Ann Wright & Richard M. Wright, Jr.

Richard L. Rothfelder Laura Friesen Rothstein

Gaylord V. Swan, MD & Susan Schroeter Swan

Kathryn W. Wynn & Richard Wynn

Edward K. Morris, PhD

C. K. Rowland, PhD

Fusao Takusagawa

Dr. Merrill F. Mulch & Barbara E. Mulch, PhD

Jack D. Salmon, PhD & Carolyn White Salmon

Catherine M. Templeton

Norman R. Yetman & Anne B. Yetman

Lindsay N. Sander

Barbara L. Thomas

John G. Younger

Mark R. Myzer & Therese M. Myzer

Carolyn Fenoughty Yund

Kenneth W. Nelson, DDS & Helen Osoba Nelson

Barbara R. Thomas* & John J. Thomas II, PhD

Christopher D. Saunders

Margaret E. Nelson & Paul R. Nelson William C. Nelson & Barbara K. Nelson

Orlando A. Schwartz, PhD Myron S. Seeley Jr. & Rachel G. Seeley Myron S. Seeley Jr.

Gladys C. Thomas, PhD & Dr. Benjamin E. Thomas John J. Thomas II, PhD Ann Jeffries Thompson & Peter B. Thompson

Rex L. Niswander & Sonoko Niswander

Alice Yoshiko Seo & Eddie Tatsu Seo, PhD

William Thordarson

Josephine W. Nixon

Carol J. Shankel & Delbert M. Shankel, PhD

David L. Tilford, MD & Nancy Pinet Tilford

Joyce N. Shapiro & Sidney A. Shapiro

Mary A. Torrence

Kelli L. Nyre & Joseph E. Nyre, PhD Peter F. Orazem, PhD & Patricia M. Cotter

Margaret L. Thrasher

Robert F. Shapiro

Shawna Tunnell & James M. Kanski

Benedict T. Palen, Jr. & Leslie Hammer-Palen

Margaret Anne Shaw & Michael H. Shaw

Kathryn Nemeth Tuttle, PhD & William M. Tuttle Jr., PhD

Christopher P. Palmer & Lynette C. Palmer

K. Stuart Shea

Albert N. Tyler & Bobbie J. Tyler

Lucien M. Papouchado, PhD

Jan Bowen Sheldon, PhD & James A. Sherman, Prof.

Jack S. Parker, MD & Babette J. Parker

Michael G. Shinn & Joyce N. Shinn

Larry B. Pascal

Carolyn L. Shogrin

Dr. David C. Pendergrass

Gregory B. Simpson, PhD & Mary-Margaret Simpson

Jan C. Perkins The Hon. Joe Pierron & Diana Carlin Pierron, PhD Carol Drever Pimental & Leonard T. Pimental

The Breidenthal-Snyder Foundation Inc. Chesapeake Energy Corporation Chevron Products Company Chiang Ching Kuo Foundation for International Scholarly Exc. ConocoPhillips E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Company ExxonMobil Corporation

The Hon. Karen M. Uplinger

FDA-Kansas City District Office

Richard L. Vanderslice Barbara Ashton Waggoner

Terry A. Slocum, PhD & Arlene Slocum

Ronald A. Wasinger

Dale D. Slusser & Sherry Fowler

CORPORATE DONORS ($5,000+)

ExxonMobil Exploration Company

Patrick M. Sirridge

Gifford Weary, PhD

Terra Foundation for American Art

Min Zhong, PhD & Rong Li, PhD

Gwendolyn A. Tyler & Robert D. Tyler Andrew L. Vance, PhD & Yolanda Fintschenko, PhD

Tang Research Foundation

Rick Worner & Lorie Walker Worner

Richard L. Morgan, MD & Karin A. Morgan

Stephen J. Sanders

Schlumberger Technology Corporation

Arthur W. Williamson, PhD

The Freeman Foundation Institute for Community Health and Development Max Kade Foundation, Inc. Kansas Scottish Rite Foundation KU Credit Union

*Indicates donor is deceased.

ALUMNI UPDATES

Matthew Dominic Farley’s “SnoWaffle”

President Juan Manuel Santos

The Suarez Sisters

Marla Spivak

NEWS FROM CLAS GRADUATES Scott A. Chadwick (doctorate in communication studies ’95) has accepted the position of provost and chief academic officer at Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio. Chadwick had served as vice president for academic affairs, the mission and identity officer and professor of communication studies at Canisius College, Buffalo, N.Y., since 2007. The most recent work by Mark Scott (history, Russian, and Slavic and so-

viet area studies ’70, master’s in Slavic

and soviet area studies ’76, master’s of

philosophy in history ’79, and doctorate

in modern Russian history ’80) has been

published in both English- and Russian-

language editions. “Eyewitness Accounts of the World War II Murmansk Run,

1941-1945” is a collection of American

eyewitness accounts of one of the most

hazardous military operations of World War II - the Murmansk Run.

Recent graduate Matthew Dominic

Farley (visual art, ’08) achieved a rare feat in the realm of public art. His work has been selected as a top public art project not just once, but twice and in consecutive years, by the Americans for the Arts’ Public Art Network. Both winning sculptures were installed at KU: “SnoWaffle” (2011) on west campus and “Frozen Assets” (2010) at the Chi Omega Fountain. David Van Eekeren (economics ’91) has been selected as chief executive officer of Land O’Frost, America’s third-larg-

est and fastest growing lunchmeat brand.

Thief of the Suarezes,” is one of the oldest

O’Frost full-time in 1991 as a manufactur-

North America. The twins discovered jaw

Van Eekeren started working for Land ing plant supervisor. He has served in

every branch of the 52-year-old company. He served as the company’s president from 2008 until being named CEO.

The Hon. Karen Arnold-Burger (psychology, personnel administration, and political science ’79) was sworn in as the newest judge in the Kansas Court of Appeals. Former Gov. Mark Parkinson appointed Arnold-Burger to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Chief Judge Gary W. Rulon. Prior to her appointment, she served as presiding judge of the Overland Park Municipal Court since 1996. President Juan Manuel Santos (economics ’73) was sworn in for a four-year term as leader of the Republic of Colombia in August 2010. His promised continuity of hard-line security policies won the election with 69% of the vote. President Santos previously served as Colombia’s Minister of Foreign Trade, Minister of Finance, and most recently the Minister of National Defense. Colombia has a population of more than 45 million people, and has the fourth largest Latin-American economy. Celina Suarez (doctorate in geology ’10) and Marina Suarez (doctorate in geology ’10) were honored as name-sakes for a new species of dinosaur. Geminiraptor suarezarum, Latin for “Twin Predatory

dinosaurs of its type ever identified in

bones of the dinosaur in an area of eastern Utah now called the Suarez Sister’s Quarry. James Kirkland, the paleontologist

responsible for publishing the discovery

and naming the dinosaur, said the sisters’ honor reflected not only their discovery of the quarry, but also their passion for

paleontology. Worldwide, there are fewer than 800 named dinosaurs.

Marla Spivak (doctorate in entomology ’89) was named a 2010 MacArthur “Genius” Fellow. Spivak has spent years studying bee health, and her current research investigates “colony-collapse disorder.” The MacArthur Fellowship is an award given each year to 20 to 40 experts of any field, who “show exceptional merit and promise for continued and enhanced creative work.” Jun Kuribayashi (dance ’05) has been selected as the Dance Captain for the Pilobolus Dance Theatre. Founded in 1971, Pilobolus is a globally acclaimed dance company known for athleticism and unique artist expression. One of their best-known appearances was at the 79th annual Academy Awards in 2007, where they morphed their bodies behind a translucent screen into silhouette representations of many Oscar nominated films. S U B M I T YO U R N E W S B Y E -M AI L TO K H E N D E R S O N @ K U. E D U.

MINI COLLEGE

Photos by Grant Franklin Fitch Photography

TALES FROM ‘SUMMER CAMP’ Mini College inspires new pursuits for lifelong learners Without the pressure of tests or degrees, a “summer camp for adults” at the University of Kansas has inspired participants to pursue a wide variety of interests they may not have otherwise.

A JAYHAWK CONVERT

and a Tar Heel in a family of Jayhawks, she

“I have found a new life through my ex-

After attending this “summer camp,” offi-

for herself the “mystique of Mount Oread.”

appreciate KU and all it offers its students

cially known as Mini College, one couple redesigned their backyard to attract

monarch butterflies. Another participant became a docent at an art museum and yet another released a new CD.

Mini College, a weeklong program

developed by the College of Liberal Arts

and Sciences, has been providing lifelong learners the opportunity to rediscover

the student experience since the summer of 2009. More than 125 participants attended in each of the first three years. Year after year, Mini College has continued to offer a plethora of options

to discover new passions. Among the

many options this summer were arts and dance, natural and biological sciences, literature and aging and health.

Lynn Russell attended the first Mini College in the summer of 2009. A Hawkeye

saw Mini College as an opportunity to see “We had just moved to Lawrence in the

spring of ‘09. My husband, sister-in-law,

niece and nephew had all attended KU or were attending. I went to the University

of Iowa and worked for the University of North Carolina for several years. Two of

our three sons had attended UNC,” Russell said. “Needless to say, I took a lot of grief!” Russell was drawn to the art offerings at Mini College. In her nursing and science training, she had always been interested in art but never had the time to fit it in her schedule.

She spent much of her week in classes

at the Spencer Museum of Art. She was so inspired that she became a docent at

the museum and has audited art and art

history classes at KU. She also returned for Mini College in 2010 and 2011 with her husband.

perience with Mini College and learned to and the greater Lawrence community,” she said.

LEARNING NEVER ENDS Shirley Andrews is no stranger to lifelong learning. After several years away from

college, she came to KU in 1996 to pursue a master’s degree in religious studies.

So, when she saw an article about Mini

College in the KU Collegian, she couldn’t resist the opportunity for her and her husband, Bill, to explore new topics.

After attending in 2009, 2010 and 2011,

both Shirley and Bill Andrews have been

surprised at how many new interests they have discovered.

“Flamenco had never, ever ‘called’ to me

before. But I had great fun learning the

methods and rhythms. The ‘talking and

cell phones’ discussion was way more interesting than I expected. I don’t talk and drive anymore,” Shirley Andrews said.

One of the sessions they attended, about

KU’s Monarch Watch program, has even

resulted in a major change at their home.

When they returned to Salina, they hired a local planner to draw up plans to de-

velop their backyard with a monarch way station so Bill Andrews could apply what he learned during Mini College.

“I still talk about Mini College to everyone who is interested,” Shirley Andrews said. “It enriches us more than we can say.”

NEWFOUND INSPIR ATION Steve Parke had been working on an

process of finishing a CD was exciting, it was also challenging and frustrating.

“I was beginning to ask, would we or should we even finish,” Parke said.

So, Parke came to Mini College and took a series of classes taught by KU faculty

who had created feature-length films. In

listening to the filmmakers discuss all the years of work they invested to create their projects, Parke felt renewed energy to complete his CD.

The CD has brought not only personal

satisfaction to Parke but some celebrity as well. After sending his completed album, “Seasons,” to the Mini College staff, he

was invited to perform at the graduation party in 2010 and 2011.

album of songs he had written and

The film classes also strengthened his

first Mini College, in 2009. Although the

his music.

performed before he signed up for the

desire to tell more stories of Kansas in

“After graduating from high school and leaving Western Kansas a number of

years ago, most of my adult life has been

lived in states other than Kansas,” he said. “Yet over the years, many return trips to Kansas have increased my appreciation

of the people, place and history. Spend-

ing time at Mini College has added to this appreciation as well as built a newfound respect for the University of Kansas as a place of education and culture.”

Opposite page: The 2011 class of Mini College gathers for a group photo in front of Spooner Hall on the first day of ‘camp.’ This page, top row: a watercolor created during a Mini College course; yoga class; three-year Mini College participant Lynn Russell has a laugh during an art class; Steve Parke, another three-year attendee, performs at a Mini College graduation ceremony. Bottom: Mini College attendees explore part of the 3,400-acre KU Field Station during an allday excursion. They learned about topics including prairie ecology and native medicinal plants.

“I still talk about Mini College to everyone who is interested. It enriches us more than we can say.” Shirley Andrews, three-time Mini College attendee

Mini College 2012, June 4–7 $225 registration fee Open to all adults, not just KU alumni

minicollege.ku.edu, (785) 864-1767 or minicollege@ku.edu for more information

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI

DISTINGUISHED GRADUATES CHANGE WORLD WITH LIBERAL ARTS EDUCATION An entertainment executive, the CEO of a Fortune global 500 company, a visionary environmentalist and a Nobel Prize-winning economist are the recipients of the prestigious Alumni Distinguished Achievement Awards, the highest honor bestowed by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences on its graduates. These outstanding four individuals represent the breadth of the College and serve as inspiration for liberal arts and sciences students who want to help shape our future.

Mark Amin has earned credit in more

Cynthia Carroll has been named one

budget independents to television films

by Forbes for her work as CEO of Anglo

than 50 feature films ranging from lowand major studio productions as vice

chairman of Lionsgate Entertainment and CEO of Sobini Films. He founded what became Trimark, which later merged

with Lionsgate Entertainment. Under

Amin’s leadership, Trimark Holdings,

Inc. developed into one of the entertain-

ment industry’s leading publicly traded,

independent production and distribution companies. His film credits as executive

producer included “Eve’s Bayou” and he

spearheaded the acquisition and distribu-

tion of “Swimming with Sharks,” starring Kevin Spacey and Frank Whaley. In 2002, Amin executive produced “Frida” with

Miramax Films, which has garnered six Academy Award nominations. Sobini

Films has produced independent films including “The Prince and Me” (2004),

starring Julia Stiles, and “Peaceful War-

rior” (2006), starring Nick Nolte. Current

films in production include “Hemingway and Fuentes” (2010). He established the

Mark Amin Scholarship in Film for Ira-

nian students within KU’s Department of

Film and Media Studies. Amin earned his undergraduate degree in economics from KU in 1972 and an M.B.A. from UCLA.

of the most powerful women in the world American, a mining company with in-

terests in platinum, coal, gold, industrial minerals and diamonds. Prior to joining Anglo in 2006, Carroll spent 17 years in

the aluminum industry with Alcan and

six years in gas and oil exploration. Carroll previously worked with the Mon-

treal, Canada, headquartered Alcan, as

president and CEO of the Primary Metal Group since 2002. She joined Alcan in

1989. In 1996, she was promoted to managing director of the Aughinish Alumina

division. Before joining Alcan, she worked for Amoco, which is now part of British

Petroleum, for eight years as a petroleum geologist, from 1982 to 1987, working

in gas and oil exploration in Colorado,

Alaska, Wyoming, Utah, and Montana.

She formerly served as a director of Sara

Lee and AngloGold Ashanti Limited. She also sits on the Boards of American Alu-

minum Association and the International Aluminum Institute. Carroll graduated from Skidmore College with a B.S. in

geology, holds a master’s in geology from KU in 1982 and an M.B.A. from Harvard University.

For information on how to nominate a CLAS graduate, go to clas.ku.edu (follow the “Alumni and Friends” link) or contact cpwoods@ku.edu or 785.864.3516.

Wes Jackson is a visionary environmentalist who serves as president of The Land Institute, a Salina-based non-profit research, education, and policy organization dedicated to developing an agricultural system with the ecological stability of the prairie and a grain yield comparable to that from annual crops. He resigned a professorship with tenure at California State University – Sacramento, where he established and chaired one of the first environmental studies programs in the U.S., to found The Land Institute in 1976. Among the many honors for his work’s impact on the future of agriculture and environmental sustainability, he has been named a Pew Scholar, MacArthur Fellow, and received the Right Livelihood Award. His books include “Man and the Environment,” “New Roots for Agriculture,” “Meeting the Expectations of the Land,” “Altars of Unhewn Stone,” and “Becoming Native to This Place.” Life magazine named Jackson one of 18 individuals it predicts will be among the 100 “important Americans of the 20th century.” He was named one of Smithsonian magazine’s “35 who made a difference” in November 2005. Jackson earned a B.A. in botany from Kansas Wesleyan, a master’s in biology from KU in 1960, and his Ph.D. in genetics from North Carolina State University.

Vernon L. Smith was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences in 2002 for his groundbreaking work in experimental economics. He currently has joint appointments with the Argyros School of Business and Economics and the School of Law at Chapman University; is a research scholar at George Mason University Interdisciplinary Center for Economic Science; and serves as a Fellow of the Mercatus Center. He is the founder and president of the International Foundation for Research in Experimental Economics and an Adjunct Scholar of the Cato Institute in Washington, D.C. Smith has authored or co-authored more than 250 articles and books on capital theory, finance, natural resource economics and experimental economics. Previous faculty appointments include the University of Arizona, Purdue University, Brown University, the University of Massachusetts, and George Mason University. Smith completed his undergraduate degree in electrical engineering at the California Institute of Technology, his master’s degree in economics at KU in 1954, and his Ph.D. in economics at Harvard University.

GIVING BACK

SCHOLARSHIPS CHANGE LIVES FOR KU STUDENTS KU wasn’t an option for high school senior William Dale. He had no way of paying to attend the university. Then he received a letter that changed the course of his college path.

leader in the process.

The letter was a scholarship offer from

we can do to help attract the brightest stu-

KU and the College of Liberal Arts and

Sciences. Thanks to the generosity of an alumnus, the College was able to offer

Dale a scholarship that paid for his tuition and fees for up to four years.

Now, KU was at the top of his list. “After I received my scholarship letter, I committed within a week,” Dale said. His story is one the College and the

University of Kansas hope to replicate for many more students in the coming years. KU is dedicated to enhancing its recruitment offers to prospective students and the College has taken the charge as a

receive formal scholarship offers within

“As the largest academic unit on campus,

two weeks of being admitted.

the College can play an important role in

Scholarships supported by alumni play a

Dean Danny J. Anderson said. “Anything

ship Dale received was established by Da-

raising the profile of the student body,”

dents here benefits not only the College, but the university overall.”

Starting with the fall 2012 incoming class, KU hopes to enable more stories like

Dale’s. The university is realigning its

crucial role in the initiative. The scholarvid M. Wall, who received his bachelor’s degree from the College. He created the fund for Topeka High School graduates

seeking a degree from the College. Dale is the first student to receive funding from the David M. Wall Scholarship Fund.

scholarship process to automatically award

Now in his sophomore year, Dale is pur-

to $40,000 to prospective students accord-

Studies. His experiences on Mount Oread

four-year renewable scholarships of $4,000 ing to criteria based on a combination of

high school GPA, ACT or SAT test scores and in-state or out-of-state residency.

suing degrees in English and American

have greatly influenced his future plans. He currently plans to pursue a career in the education non-profit sector.

Prospective students who apply by Nov.

“It sounds cliché, but my scholarship has

they qualify for when they apply, and will

Jayhawk without it!”

1, 2011, will now know what scholarships

changed my life,” he said. “I wouldn’t be a

SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS

William Dale

// Sophomore

Lucy Daldorph

// Sophomore

Sidrah Sheikh

David M. Wall Scholar

Neta Reinhardt Scholar

Multicultural Scholar

American studies and English major; public policy minor

Spanish major

Human Biology major with concentration in anthropology; business minor

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE FUTURE JAYHAWKS?

WHAT DO YOU PLAN TO DO WITH YOUR KU EDUCATION?

WHAT HAS SURPRISED YOU MOST ABOUT YOUR KU EXPERIENCE?

Two words: Get. Involved. Living on Daisy Hill or any other residence hall can be extremely isolating. It is far from Jayhawk Boulevard and any other activities on campus. The easiest way to break out of this isolation is to get involved. There are likeminded people out there for you to meet. You just have to find them!

So far, honestly, I’m not sure! I know that Spanish will be a very prominent factor in my life, and I will possibly live abroad for a few years. Working for a non-profit organization has always interested me, so combining that with time abroad (maybe working in South America), sounds perfect.

The diversity that KU has to offer was an extremely pleasant surprise. I moved here from Chicago, and therefore was not expecting Kansas to be as diverse as Chicago. I was very taken aback and happy to find the diversity within KU. Now I have friends from all around the world and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

More information: KU Scholarship Information > scholarships.ku.edu 28

// Senior

Scholarship Giving Opportunities > kuendowment.org/adoptascholar

OREAD ENCORE

back row to center stage BY MICHAEL R ALPH, ’10

A few years ago I was a young science major at KU with a waning desire to work in a laboratory and a growing need of direction. My interest in education was beginning to dawn. The UKanTeach program was so new that I enrolled in the first iteration of nearly every course. In my second semester of the program, I had the opportunity to attend a national professional conference with Center for Science Education support. My experience at the Na-

tional Association of Biology Teachers conference shattered my paradigm for the college

experience. There was discussion of a relatively new lesson planning method called The

5 E’s. 5-E, sometimes known as inquiry teaching, was exactly what I was learning to use at KU. All of a sudden my classroom work was not tedious. The techniques we have a

chance to practice are not archaic methods – instead, the teachers coming out of UKanTeach are at the cutting edge of the field.

I returned to KU with a fire lit. I soaked up every lesson to the very best of my ability.

Every new technique and activity became something that I can share with other teachers in the field. I suddenly realized that the things I was learning are in very high demand. After graduation I discovered just how much demand exists. I have since worked as a consultant for a school district, taken a classroom teaching position, and presented at

Michael Ralph is a 2010 graduate of the UKanTeach program, which is a partnership with the KU College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the KU School of Education. Ralph is a biology teacher at Olathe East High School and a consultant. UKanTeach provides a pathway for students to graduate with degrees in math and science and to obtain teaching licensure in four years. It was created to address

several conferences across the country sharing many of the lessons I learned at KU.

the deficit in Kansas in science

As I stood listening to another excited pre-service teacher telling me about the similari-

and math teachers as retirements

ties between my presentation and what he was learning at school, I couldn’t help but

smile at the resemblance. What a short time and a long road it has been from where he

create shortages in those fields.

was sitting to where I stood.

Learn more

kuendowment.org/ukan

Are you a CLAS graduate with a story about how your KU experience helped get you where you are today? Send column ideas to to khenderson@ku.edu. 29

KU COLLEGIAN COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS & SCIENCES Strong Hall • 1450 Jayhawk Boulevard, Room 200 The University of Kansas • Lawrence, KS 66045-7535

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HOW ARE YOU CREATIVE? I first decorated a cake for my son's birthday party in 1982. This led to a lifelong passion of creating whimsical, edible art for family and friends. With a little imagination, flour, sugar and eggs become frogs, castles and decadent wedding cakes.” Ruth Allenbrand (Eudora, KS)

Per capita, Kansas leads the nation in personal artistic expression. With so many different art forms and unlimited ways to participate, the arts are for everyone. How are you creative? Share your story. Learn about others. Find inspiration. www.creative.ku.edu