This year, Watson Library celebrates its centennial as the cornerstone of the campus community. Opened on September 11, 1924, the library was named after longtime librarian Carrie Watson, the first academic building on KU’s campus named for a woman. Many dedicated library leaders and generations of the university community have worked toward expansion and improvements at Watson Library, with five additions between 1938 and 1963, and a large-scale renovation completed in 1982. Watson Library is the flagship of the KU library system, which at 5.8 million volumes is the largest library collection in the state and welcomes nearly half a million visitors annually.
For more information, visit: lib.ku.edu/watson100
KU Giving is published by KU Endowment, the private fundraising foundation for the University of Kansas. You are receiving this magazine because you support KU.
CHAIR, BOARD OF TRUSTEES
CREATIVE
I AM FILLED WITH GRATITUDE.
A few weeks ago, Pam and I met our first grandchild. I was excited to be sure, but the experience was even more than I expected. Surrounded by family, I held my precious granddaughter and could not help but wonder what future lies ahead for her. In that moment, I made a promise to do all I could to ensure that her life is as wonderful as possible.
I suspect you’ve made that very same commitment to your loved ones and your community. Many of you have also made a commitment to a younger generation whose lives will be improved by their experiences at the University of Kansas.
This job has taught me that everyone has their own vision for KU and unique hopes for the difference they can make. Individually those dreams may seem small, but when the dreams of many combine, we can build a university so much greater than the state alone can build.
Just a year ago we launched our ambitious Ever Onward campaign and we have already seen so many impactful moments:
• Donors who have stretched to make legacy commitments in the tens of millions.
• Brand new donors giving their first $25.
• Gifts for band uniforms, medical research and contests for aspiring entrepreneurs.
• Investments in new buildings to inspire new generations. Together, our visions have created incredible momentum. You, our donors, set a record for gifts given to KU in a single year — more than $500 million to benefit the causes you love.
Jayhawk Nation has contributed a remarkable $1.9 billion so far in this campaign, fueling the wonderful tomorrow I’ve promised my granddaughter, and you’ve promised your loved ones. The progress we’ve made is inspiring, but we know there is more work to be done.
I am grateful for you and your work to ensure more generations experience all that KU can provide. Thank you for sharing our message and for bringing your friends. Thank you for investing your time. Thank you for giving.
With gratitude, we continue to proudly march Ever Onward.
CONNECT WITH US and learn more about the Ever Onward campaign at kueveronward.org.
HISTORY PROFESSORSHIP GIFT REFLECTS PARENTS’ APPRECIATION FOR LIBERAL ARTS EDUCATION
WHAT’S THE MEASURE OF A GREAT UNDERGRADUATE COLLEGE CLASS?
It could be when parents want to sit in along with their students.
John Black was a student at the University of Kansas during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. When classes went online, he moved back home with his parents, Julie Cheslik and Paul M. Black, of Kansas City, Missouri.
John Black’s return home gave his parents a chance to watch his growing enthusiasm for his classes. He was particularly engaged in those led by Roy A. Roberts Distinguished Professor David Farber and others in the KU Department of History.
“I looked up ‘best teachers at the University of Kansas,’ because I was trying to find some electives to take,” John Black said. “Dr. Farber’s name was one that came up, and that’s really what started all of this.”
Cheslik was beyond impressed with the education her son was receiving, particularly in his history classes. She even joined him in watching films during his HIST 356 class, At the Movies: U.S. History on the Silver Screen, taught by Jonathan Hagel, and delved into assigned readings for Farber’s HIST 374 class: The History of Modern American Conservatism, both of which ignited lively family discussions.
“For us, as parent and adult child — having that experience with him was really valuable to me,” Cheslik said.
Cheslik and Paul Black were already avid KU basketball fans. They also appreciated the power of a liberal arts education. Their experience with those history classes during COVID-19 was the inspiration for a $1 million gift through KU Endowment to establish the John P. Black Professorship in History. They named it for their son, who graduated in 2022
with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a minor in history. The professorship honors the faculty who inspired John Black and provides the opportunity for more students to be taught by top scholars in the field.
In August, the University of Kansas Department of History selected Erik Scott as the inaugural John P. Black Professor of History.
A KU faculty member since 2012, Scott is a leading scholar of modern Russia, the Soviet Union and the global Cold War whose expertise has led to appearances on MSNBC, NPR and C-SPAN. In 2023, Scott was recognized with a University Scholarly Achievement Award.
“We are delighted to draw on the generosity of the Black-Cheslik family to recognize an excellent scholar who gives so much to the KU community — and beyond,” said Laura Mielke, KU professor of English and interim chair of the Department of History.
Scott expressed his gratitude for the gift and the opportunity it presents.
“It is truly an honor to serve as the inaugural John P. Black Professor of History at KU,” Scott said. “The generous and timely gift of the Black-Cheslik family will enable me to pursue my research on the global legacies of the Cold War and offer classes that give students the historical skills and context needed to understand the world around them.”
—MICHELLE STRICKLAND AND ANNE TANGEMAN
From left, KU alumni Maddie Dolan, John P. Black, Paul J. Black, and Julie Cheslik and Paul M. Black.
“We owe much to KU. There, we met some very passionate people called faculty, who said to students then and continue to say to students now, come and share my passion. It was a magical experience for us.
In addition to a strong academic program, KU offered many other growth experiences, including exposure to fellow students with a variety of backgrounds, leadership opportunities in student organizations, superior athletic programs, and a variety of exchange programs.
It is our hope that recipients of the Enberg Scholarship will also have a magical experience at one of the nation’s great universities.”
Dr. Robert N. Enberg, bachelor of arts in philosophy and political science 1965 and M.D. 1969 and Linda Enberg, bachelor of science in nursing 1968
“In deciding to establish the Throne Family Journalism Scholarship, we wanted to honor the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications that provided the basis for Tom’s lifelong work in the field of journalism, but also to assist average students who don’t always have the scholarship opportunities to further their educations. The other key component of the scholarship is community service, which the Thrones feel is important in making the places where they’ve lived better.”
Tom Throne, bachelors of science in photo journalism, 1972 and Pamela Throne
“I chose to give to the KU English Department and to KU Honors because they, and KU as a whole, gave so much to me. Coming from just outside a town of 150 or so, to me KU was both a shock and an expanding experience. The Honors program, and the English department, gave me a foundation that prepared me for the rest of my life: newspaper journalism, computer science, 23 years at NASA, even the Egyptology hobby I’ve pursued for 32 years. The times and the people I met at KU were unforgettable, and what I received there goes far beyond what I’ve given.”
Glenn Meyer, bachelor of arts in English, 1973
“Our family had the privilege of living abroad for nearly 20 years, an experience that impacted our lives in countless ways. We are delighted to be able to help give KU students a chance to learn and grow through international travel and to support the School of Journalism in its mission to develop fair, impartial and inquisitive journalists, something the world needs now more than ever.”
James D. Small, bachelors of science in journalism, 1987 & Michal Small
“We both made career changes to become nurses. When we were working on our nursing degrees, we were surrounded by so many people who were striving against the odds to better themselves and their families by becoming nurses. We knew that if we were ever able, we wanted to do something to make becoming a nurse just a little bit easier on those who were inspired. Now that we’ve settled in the Kansas City area, it made sense to help nursing students at the University of Kansas School of Nursing.”
Charles J. Gallardo & Evelene D. Gallardo, Kansas City, Mo.
Gift to establish the Charles and Evelene Gallardo Nursing Scholarship
“I am the daughter of an Aboriginal woman and an African American soldier who was serving in Australia during WWII. I grew up on North Stradbroke Island, a small island off the coast of Brisbane, Australia. After moving to Topeka, Kansas, in 1962 I met my husband, Mike Shinn, and we married in 1964. Mike worked with General Electric, and I worked at KeyBank. We started our married life with nothing, and due to hard work and education, we became financially secure. We began a serious investment, financial and estate planning program that gave us the financial wherewithal to help others, and this led us to opening our hearts and recognizing the importance of giving back. We began giving to organizations and individuals in Australia and the U.S., with KU being the primary beneficiary. Our lives became richer, and the more we gave, the more blessings came our way.”
Joyce Shinn and Michael Shinn (deceased), bachelor of science in aerospace engineering, 1966
MAKING AQUATICS ACCESSIBLE TO ALL
SPECIALLY TAILORED SWIM LESSONS
HELP CHILDREN WITH AUTISM DIVE INTO WATER SAFETY AND LIFE SKILLS
BY EMILY BECKER
On its surface, KU Sensory Enhanced Aquatics (KU SEA) is a program that provides swim lessons to children and adults with autism. But in between learning to float or to hold their breath underwater, participants are also gaining safety skills and confidence that translate to life on dry land.
Children with autism are 160 times more likely to drown than other children, but most swim lessons aren’t designed with the unique needs of those on the autism spectrum in mind. KU SEA is one of the few swim programs in the country focused on children with autism, giving participants an experience that best sets them up for success. Not wanting to be a statistic is one of the initial reasons Adam Courter and his family, including his son Pierson, who has autism, were drawn to the program. Courter said they expected Pierson would learn basic water safety skills, but now, after more than six years of KU SEA classes, Pierson has not only learned how to survive in the water but knows specific strokes and has grown in a way that makes driving the 45 minutes to classes each week well worth it.
“We’ve seen a lot of additional things outside of just his ability to survive and thrive in the water: his confidence is better, his social skills are better, and we think a lot of that has to do with us participating in this program as long as we have,” Courter said.
Founded in 2012 by Lisa Mische Lawson, Ph.D., CTRS and KU SEA program director, and her colleague Lauren Foster, the classes are focused on one-on-one learning and partner students with a teacher who is a health professional or KU student majoring in a relevant area such as occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, physical therapy or nursing.
“The kids really need one-on-one support, especially in community settings where there’s
a lot of other things going on,” said Mische Lawson. “We have games at the end of each lesson so kids can still benefit from socialization, but to really maximize their learning, having individualized support is really helpful.”
This format also allows instructors to meet students where they are in terms of their skills and comfort level in the water and build a trusting relationship.
“It seems like swimming is always kind of secondary with these lessons,” Courter said. “What I mean by that is they create a relationship first and foremost. And then once they’ve established that, then the swimming really starts to show up.”
KU SEA is currently offered three times a year — a spring, summer and fall session — in partnership with community organizations including the cities of Lenexa, Merriam and Fairway and previously with the Johnson County Parks and Recreation. The classes have grown from a group of five students in the very first class to teaching more than 300 swimmers total and the addition of adult classes — with a waitlist of 20-40 students every session, according to Kayla Hamner, MOT, OTR/L and KU SEA program manager.
While there is a small fee for the classes, Mische Lawson and Hamner don’t want financial barriers to be an issue for students and offer scholarships for families. They created a LaunchKU fundraiser this past summer to cover equipment needs for the class, such as aquatic toys and swimsuits for instructors, and support
Adam and Pierson Courter with KU SEA instructors
Kayla Hamner, Krista Else and Lisa Mische Lawson.
Kayla Hamner, KU SEA program manager, and Lisa Mische Lawson, program director.
Clara Dowling swims with instructor Paige Molstad.
scholarships for swimmers. The event raised more than $15,000, including a $3,000 match from Mische Lawson and her husband.
“I enjoyed summer swimming and still enjoy swimming, and I want everyone to have that opportunity, regardless of disability or other challenges,” Mische Lawson said. “My husband and I feel strongly that we should be supporting this because it’s important, and we also feel strongly that we should be supporting this if we’re going to ask anyone else to support it.”
In the future, Mische Lawson and Hamner hope to be able to continue to grow KU SEA — whether it’s through partnering with more community centers, developing training materials to increase the capacity of current staff or training others in different cities to create their own swim lesson programs, which the KU SEA team has already started.
In addition to learning important skills that will hopefully translate into a lifetime of recreational physical activity, Hamner says she has witnessed the classes turn into a community that creates a new sense of engagement for the students.
“They feel like they can, maybe for the first time, do something other than just their normal therapies,” she said. “The classes are a safe place for them to get to engage and enjoy leisure and recreation in ways that other kids get to do on a consistent basis that they may not be able to.”
That sense of trust extends to the program participants and their families. Courter says he’s witnessed not just his son but others in the program get a little bit better each year. This progress has helped him and his wife, Jill, feel more comfortable in other situations, like taking Pierson to the neighborhood pool, for example.
“We’re not as scared as parents,” Courter said. “There’s such a need for kids just learning how to swim to have that place where they can connect and continue to grow socially. It’s pretty awesome.”
Logan Shurtz with instructors Sophie Sparks and Victoria Pettay
Brody Christiansen with Kayla Hamner
Brayden Redmond with instructor Megan Gordon
Leni Mejia with instructor Lauren Holmes
“I feel I need to educate people that this weed is also a prairie plant and a favorite cooked spring green — with salt and butter. Yum.”
A BOUNTIFUL SEASON ON THE PRAIRIE
BY ANNE TANGEMAN
When the University Press of Kansas approached Kelly Kindscher three years ago about creating a new edition of his iconic first book, “Edible Wild Plants of the Prairie: An Ethnobotanical Guide,” first published in 1987, he had a simple answer for them — no.
A month later, the senior scientist at the Kansas Biological Survey and Center for Ecological Research and professor in the Environmental Studies Program changed his mind, realizing he had more to say. There were new native plant species and variants to add, a deeper understanding of plant ecology and uses to share and, he says, something more important.
“There are different cultural approaches now, and the new version better acknowledges traditional ecological knowledge,” said Kindscher, whose work over the last four decades has involved numerous, ongoing collaborations with Native American tribes through his ethnobotany research on the human uses of plants, medicinal plant research, sustainable harvests of native plants and prairie restoration work.
In addition to updating the title sections for indigenous plant names from “Indian Names” to the preferred “Native American Names,” he added plant monikers used by the Arikara, Comanche, Kansa, Plains Apache and Ho-Chunk (Winnebago) Tribes to the new edition.
The new edition features more than 119 additional entries on less common plant species and especially in groups of species, such as plums and onions. Descriptions of plants, uses, stories and new maps with better distribution data are paired with lush color photographs, most of which he took himself, to help the reader more accurately identify species.
Kindscher’s favorite edible wild plant of the prairie is lambsquarters.
“I feel I need to educate people that this weed is also a prairie plant and a favorite cooked spring green – with salt and butter. Yum.”
The Syracuse, Kansas, native’s respect for the prairie bioregion and his never-ending sense of curiosity are reflected in the book and have been at the heart of his work since he was young. He first learned about prairie plants from his father during summers working on his family’s homesteaded farm near Guide Rock, Nebraska, which he and his brother now own.
“I delight in learning about plants and am fascinated about human-plant interactions, especially around food and medicine,” he said.
Kindscher followed his growing passion for plants to KU, earning his undergraduate degree in the burgeoning Environmental Studies Program in 1979. After graduation, he stayed in Lawrence, doing carpentry and odd jobs, with no thoughts of graduate school. A long walk with a friend, Vicky Foth, changed all that.
“We both had interest in exploring the region, so we took the summer to walk from Kansas City to the Rocky Mountains, doing about 10-12 miles a day.” Along the 690-mile route of unpaved roads and wild areas, he noted plant species in a journal and his interest brought more questions. His love of writing also grew and his path to study ethnobotany, or the interrelationships of humans and plants, emerged.
“I quickly realized I needed to learn about plant use from people who were here before and in that way, another type of conservation was realized,” said Kindscher. “There needed to be conservation of indigenous knowledge.”
He turned the notes from the journal into his first book and went on to earn both his master’s degree and doctorate in systematics and ecology at KU, now in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. He’s been a researcher with the KU Biological Survey and Center for Ecological Research since 1992 and a professor in the Environmental Studies Program since 1996. He also serves as a courtesy associate professor in the Indigenous Studies Program, ecology and evolutionary biology and geography, in addition to providing faculty guidance to a variety of KU student groups and clubs.
Much of Kindscher’s varied work changes with the seasons, from fieldwork in Colorado and New Mexico in the summer and fall, to teaching environmental studies in the spring and research and grant writing in the winter.
This is a particularly busy season. Along with the book release, Kindscher was presented with the George B. Fell Lifetime Achievement Award from the Natural Areas Association at the group’s national conference in October. He was also recently awarded two research grants, both of which include opportunities for KU students.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) awarded Kindscher a two-year, $400,000 grant to add Native American names and plant uses to the USDA Plants Database. Funding within the grant will provide for collaborative work with five tribal nations language programs in the first year. A new KU Indigenous Studies Program graduate student in Kindscher’s lab, George Growingthunder (Assiniboine/Dakota), will be working with him on the project.
The United States Forest Service also awarded Kindscher a two-year, $180,000 grant to collaborate with Midwest tribes to create databases of edible, medicinal and pollinator friendly plant species, for future restoration projects of prairie and open canopy sites on U.S. Forest Service lands. Additionally, the grant supports a two-year fellow for the program, which brings former KU undergraduate Kahheetah Barnoskie (Pawnee) back to KU.
“It has the longest title of any grant I’ve ever received: Restoring with Culturally Significant Plants to Strengthen Food Webs for Pollinators and Tribal Community Well-being,” said Kindscher. He added that a greater awareness of the importance of pollinator species has had an effect on his work, though it was a surprise to him.
“I never would have thought that small bees and butterflies might drive some of our restoration of prairies,” he said.
His research on the medicinal properties of plants also continues, including one he’s studied throughout
“ I delight in learning about plants and am fascinated about human-plant interactions.”
his career: echinacea, or purple coneflower, a native prairie plant taken in various forms by many people to boost immunity and ward off colds. He currently has 800 echinacea plants growing at the KU Biological Survey’s Field Station for a study funded by ExAlt™ R&D, LLC to investigate potential beneficial seed properties. The plot is overseen by Lisa Castle, who joined the Kindscher Lab and Native Medicinal Plant Program last year and is also a lecturer with the Environmental Studies Program. She is a former student of Kindscher’s who earned her doctorate in ecology and evolutionary biology at KU in 2006.
“He’s the expert on prairie ethnobotany,” said Castle. “He uses his knowledge to make connections and is very good at spreading rather than sequestering information.”
Sharing knowledge through teaching is also central to Kindscher’s work and his impact is prolific, from drawing students to the fields of ecology and environmental studies to mentoring them through projects, fieldwork and on to careers. Students interested in working with him beyond the classroom are often supported through KU scholarships, including the Environmental Studies Program’s Zadigan Scholarship, which provides funds for undergraduate research opportunities. Students may work at the KU Native Medicinal Plant Garden at the Field Station or assist in the Native Medicinal Plant Program office or lab. He often draws on these students when seeking assistants for fieldwork in Colorado or New Mexico.
These experiences have led alumni to varied careers in environmental work and across academics. Todd Aschenbach, who earned both his master’s degree and doctorate at KU in ecology and evolutionary biology, is a professor of natural resources management at Grand Valley University. He was an environmental consultant in 1996 when a brief chat with Kindscher at a conference led him to graduate studies at KU. He says his former mentor has a unique ability to engage wide audiences in conservation.
“Kelly masterfully combines both the science and art of studying natural areas,” Aschenbach said. “His research addresses important questions, but he’s adept at telling the stories of natural areas and the plants that inhabit them — their past, present and future.”
Kindscher’s new book, an updated edition of his classic 1987 work, is now available from the University Press of Kansas.
MUSIC TO YOUR EARS
FROM THE HILL TO THE BOB DYLAN CENTER, KU MUSIC STUDENT TAYLOR ZICKEFOOSE’S FELLOWSHIP IS A SONGWRITER’S DREAM COME TRUE.
BY MICHELLE STRICKLAND
Taylor Zickefoose is no ordinary songwriter.
Zickefoose, a graduate student working toward a master’s degree in music composition in the University of Kansas School of Music, studied with Composition Professor Forrest Pierce, Ph.D., who said the music she creates “just makes your brain sparkle as you’re listening.”
That musical glitter put Zickefoose in a small, prestigious club: She is one of two people chosen from a worldwide pool of applicants for the Bob Dylan Center Songwriter 2024 Fellowship program, based at the Bob Dylan Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The fellowship, a partnership between the Dylan Center and Universal Music Publishing Group, was created to mentor and develop aspiring songwriters.
Zickefoose, of Edmonds, Washington, has been interested in writing music and songs since high school. For her, the fellowship is a dream come true.
“I’ve studied composition in college, but I feel like I truly chose songwriting 100% when I began studying with Dr. Pierce at KU,” Zickefoose said.
Pierce had high praise for Zickefoose’s talent both as a songwriter and as a performer.
“She has an extraordinarily creative personality overflowing with inspiration and inventiveness,” he said. “She’s a singer of great ability and someone who is extremely knowledgeable about all sorts of genres of singing.”
She also is an inventive lyricist who can communicate well with listeners, he said.
“One of the things that I always appreciated in our lessons together was to see the types of wordplay and alliteration and sophisticated expansion and modification she created,” Pierce said. “There’s also a powerful, soulful humanness about the subject matter that she writes about.”
As part of the fellowship, Zickefoose must write and record demos for five new original songs each month. She’s currently preparing for the fellowship’s first official concert.
“It’s forcing me to be creative with the boundaries I give myself while also having the freedom to experiment in any way I feel moved to,” she said.
Zickefoose keeps her phone close by to record musical ideas on the fly. She likes to listen to them later as a starting point for some writing sessions.
Along with her phone, she also carries a spiral notebook with blank paper and colored ink pens. She favors notebooks from Denik with designs from artist Felicia Chaio.
“I always carry a notebook to write down any lyrics, ideas or doodles that come to mind,” she said. “A good, smooth-feeling pen makes all the difference. I choose whatever color feels right in the moment.”
“
They are brilliant composers, but also wonderful people and educators. I wouldn’t be in this fellowship without their support and encouragement.”
Zickefoose plays piano and ukelele but considers her voice her main instrument. Her background is in vocal jazz singing, and her influences include Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan and Carmen McRae. Her compositional influences are jazz standards writers such as Cole Porter, Fats Waller and Antônio Carlos Jobim. But her musical interests are far from limited.
“I really like complex music that stretches the boundaries of genres,” she said. “There are so many artists I admire who write very different music than I do. Hiatus Kaiyote, Everything Everything and Sylvan Esso incorporate electronic elements I haven’t experimented with yet.”
Zickefoose is away from KU and Lawrence for the yearlong fellowship, but while she was on campus she taught second-year theory in the previous academic year to sophomore and junior music students. It was that graduate teaching assistantship that made attending KU possible, and being the educator rather than the student is an experience she doesn’t take for granted.
“I feel like when you teach, you have to quickly overcome your fear of being wrong, and you have to know the topic well enough to explain it,” she said.
The quality of the faculty drew her to KU’s School of Music, and Zickefoose has enjoyed studying with Pierce as well as Ingrid Stölzel, Ph.D., associate professor of composition.
EXTRA SPARKLE
“They are brilliant composers, but also wonderful people and educators,” she said. “I wouldn’t be in this fellowship without their support and encouragement.”
Pierce reflected on his weekly sessions with Zickefoose, which he likened to album release parties.
“It was always just a surprise,” he said. “She would show up with a release-ready pop song and I would get to sit there in the lesson and listen to this amazing performer deliver the world premiere every week, and that was a real joy.”
Colin Roust, associate dean of academic affairs in the School of Music, noticed Zickefoose’s willingness to collaborate. She helped organize a songwriting collective, a group of students who met on their own every week to perform and critique new songs they had written.
“It’s a fantastic model that pushed these students even beyond the requirements of the curriculum and made them all better songwriters,” Roust said.
Among Zickefoose’s goals are writing and performing her own songs as well as collaborating with and writing for other artists. She will be releasing her own music soon on streaming platforms.
Listen to some of Taylor Zickefoose’s music and follow her journey:
Instagram: @tayzick
Website: www.taylorzickefoose.com
“Expect to hear melodies that beg you to sing along, and lyrics that ask you to pause and think,” she said. “Songs have a unique ability to calm the anxiousness in my soul. This power drives me to share my music, hoping to find at least one person whose world might be changed by listening.”
Roust said the school was thrilled to see Zickefoose receive this fellowship.
“It’s incredibly exciting for us to see Taylor’s name linked with a Nobel Prize-winning artist who’s considered by many to be the greatest songwriter who ever lived,” he said. “With the launch of our new BA in Music Production & Technology this fall, we hope to see more student songwriters come to KU to hone their craft and, hopefully, to enjoy the kinds of successes that Taylor has achieved.”
Zickefoose inside the Bob Dylan Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She is one of two 2024 Bob Dylan Center Songwriter Fellowship Winners.
WHAT’S IN YOUR BACKPACK?
“A COPY OF THE CONSTITUTION,” said Naomi Franklin, third-year student at KU Law School. “It reminds me why I went to law school. When I get sworn into the bar, I will take an oath to ‘support the Constitution of the United States,’ which protects the liberty and sovereignty of ‘we the people.’ Those words are inspiring because they remind me that our government is by and for the people.”
If there is a typical way to make your way to Green Hall, Franklin didn’t take it. When COVID-19 paused her bourgeoning career as a flutist, Franklin reconsidered her career path. It was in E.S. & Tom W. Hampton Distinguished Professor of Law Stephen McAllister’s first-year constitutional law class that things really clicked for Franklin.
“He has a great way of challenging us to think more critically about cases and their ramifications,” Franklin said. “His class inspired me to go further into constitutional law, and the experience has been transformative to my career path.”
Franklin has maximized her experience, having served as comment editor for the Kansas Law Review, president of the KU Federalist Society and a judicial extern to Judge Holly Teeter on the United States District Court for the District of Kansas.
“I know the skills I developed as a musician have benefitted me in law school,” Franklin said. “Discipline and attention to detail are essential in music, and they are equally important when studying law. I was nervous my background wouldn’t properly prepare me for this adventure, but I’m proud of how well I’ve done.”
As Franklin prepares to spend two years clerking on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit after graduation, she is grateful for the generosity of others.
“I would not have been able to attend KU Law School if not for scholarships,” she said. “I am incredibly grateful to those who have helped me thus far and hope my work in the future can begin to pay them back.” —DEREK
WHAT’S IN YOUR BRIEFCASE?
“PHOTOS ON MY COMPUTER,” said Joseph Hines II, senior director of research operations at The University of Kansas Cancer Center. “My lock screen is a photo of Henrietta Lacks, and desktop is a photo of the gentlemen who participated in the U.S. Public Health Service experiment at Tuskegee. Lacks’ cells were used without her consent in 1951, leading to groundbreaking medical advancements, yet neither she nor her family were informed or granted permission for her cells to be utilized, shared and sold for future research. The Tuskegee syphilis experiment, conducted from 1932 to 1972, deceived Black men with syphilis by withholding treatment, even after penicillin became available, to study the long-term effects of the disease.”
The desire for more ethical trials, and wanting students to learn more about the process, drove Hines to launch the CAREERS in Clinical Research Program (C-CLEAR Program) at The University of Kansas Cancer Center. The groundbreaking initiative introduces college students to the impactful and often-overlooked
field of clinical research. The eight-week program allows interns hands-on experience to all aspects involved in clinical research.
“I didn’t know working in clinical research was a viable option,” Hines said. “When I was younger, I thought it was medical school or nothing. I want more students to know about the opportunities I didn’t know were available when I was starting my career. When I majored in biology, I had no idea working on clinical trials was an option.”
The C-CLEAR program’s curriculum allows participants to earn a Good Clinical Practice (GCP) certification, which ensures the rights, safety and well-being of human subjects are protected and clinical trials are conducted in accordance with approved plans and with rigor and integrity.
“It’s imperative to me that people involved in clinical trials understand their rights,” Hines said. “We need to ensure that the trials are more representative of the population at large while maintaining the highest ethical standards.”
—DEREK HELMS
CAMPUS HAPPENINGS
MEDICAL STUDENT SELECTED FOR NFL’S INITIATIVE FOR ASPIRING SPORTS MEDICINE PHYSICIANS
Elizabeth Holmes, a fourth-year medical student at KU School of Medicine, joined the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs at training camp this year. Holmes participated in the NFL Diversity in Sports Medicine Pipeline Initiative, created by the National Football League, the NFL Physicians Society (NFLPS) and the Professional Football Athletic Trainers Society (PFATS). Students matched with NFL clubs across the league for one-month clinical rotations focused on the fundamentals of care provided to players from an orthopedic, primary care sports medicine and athletic training perspective. Launched in 2022, the program’s goal is to increase and diversify the pipeline of students interested in pursuing careers in sports medicine.
JAYHAWKS WELL REPRESENTED AT PARIS OLYMPICS
The Kansas Jayhawks were represented in several sports at the 2024 Paris Olympics with Michael Joseph, Yoveinny Mota, Sharon Lokedi, Bryce Hoppel, Hussain Al Hizam and Alexandra Emilianov joining head coach Stanley Redwine and event manager Tim Weaver in track and field. Joel Embiid competed in men’s basketball, and Liana Salazar was a member of Columbia’s women’s soccer team. Joseph, the standout sprinter and only current student-athlete, was the flag bearer for his home country of Saint Lucia during the opening ceremony. Embiid helped Team USA win gold, Hoppel broke the American record in the men’s 800meter and finished fourth overall; and Lokedi was fourth in the women’s marathon.
THEATRE DESIGN STUDENTS EXCEL AT NATIONAL CONTEST
Two gifted theatrical designers represented KU at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival national competition in Washington, D.C. Edmund Ludlum, a 2024 graduate with dual degrees in theatre design and history of art, won a first-place national award for costume design for “Cabaret,” the University Theatre’s 2022-23 season finale. Hana Rose North was a finalist in sound design for work on “Collective Rage: A Play in Five Betties,” KU Theatre’s 2023-24 season opener. KU Theatre celebrated 100 years in 2023.
JOURNALISM PROFESSOR CHOSEN AS A JUROR FOR PULITZER PRIZE
Patricia Weems Gaston, Lacy C. Haynes Professor of Journalism at the University of Kansas, served as a juror for the 2024 Pulitzer Prize in the international reporting category. The Pulitzer Prizes are considered the highest national honor for outstanding work in journalism and the arts. The jury nominated three to the Pulitzer Board, which selected the winner. It was a full circle moment for Gaston, who co-edited a winning project that explored the universality of violence against women in 1994 while working at the Dallas Morning News. A 1981 journalism school graduate, Gaston returned to KU in 2018 after a long and successful career at The Washington Post.
KU LAW’S MOOT COURT PROGRAM CONTINUES SUCCESS
According to rankings published by the University of Houston Law Center, the University of Kansas School of Law’s moot court program is 25th in the nation. It is the sixth consecutive year KU has been one of the top 25 programs in the country. This is also the fourth year in a row KU Law has won the National Native American Law Student Association (NNALSA) Moot Court Competition. The winning team of 2024 graduates Jade Kearney and Justin Schock appreciated the guidance of faculty coaches and KU Law alumni including three-time NNALSA winner Emily DePew, who lent her support and expertise to the competition.
TEAM OF PALEONTOLOGISTS CONTINUE FINAL EXCAVATION OF RARE FOSSIL
David Burnham, preparator of vertebrate paleontology at the KU Biodiversity Institute and Natural History Museum, and a team of students and volunteers were back in Montana this summer for the final excavation of a rare dinosaur fossil — a juvenile tyrannosaur. The group first discovered the specimen in 2016 and returned to the dig site, which is in the Hell Creek Formation, in search of additional fossils. The discovery of a juvenile tyrannosaur fossil is extremely unusual, but what makes the KU specimen even more special is the excellent preservation of its teeth, according to researchers. The team will publish their findings about the tyrannosaur later this year.
KU CANCER CENTER RECEIVES $10 MILLION IN FEDERAL INVESTMENTS
This summer, U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas announced $20 million in federal investments for The University of Kansas Cancer Center and The University of Kansas Health System. The KU Cancer Center will receive $10 million for its new building, and the health system will use $10 million for advanced cardiac technology used for patient care. Roy A. Jensen, M.D., vice chancellor and director of The University of Kansas Cancer Center, expressed gratitude noting Moran’s steadfast support of ongoing funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) is critical to everything being done at the center.
WINTER FAMILY PROVIDES GENEROUS GIFT FOR KU GATEWAY DISTRICT PROJECT
WITH TWO GENERATIONS OF THE WINTER FAMILY having played football for the University of Kansas and providing decades of philanthropic support for KU Athletics, one might assume the family’s recent gift to support the Gateway District was prompted by a love of athletics. But it was something more that moved three generations of Jayhawks to give.
“The primary motivation was support for the academic mission of KU,” said Wint Winter, Jr., who followed his father, Wint Winter, Sr.’s path, playing football for KU, earning his law degree in 1978 and serving in the Kansas Senate. Throughout his career, Wint has been a staunch advocate for higher education, including serving on the Kansas Board of Regents since 2021.
Like his father, who met his wife, Nancy (Morsbach) Winter at KU, Wint, Jr. married fellow Jayhawk Mary (Boyd) Winter. Their three children, Katherine, Molly and Elizabeth are also alumnae and all four of Wint’s siblings attended KU.
“The Winters are a true crimson-and-blue Jayhawk family that has shown unwavering
support for Kansas Athletics and the university for decades,” said KU Athletics Director Travis Goff. “This generous gift for the Gateway project demonstrates an understanding of its importance to the future of KU, and we deeply appreciate their commitment.”
When the family discussed a gift for the Gateway District, they all agreed it was an ideal way to support the university. The project is transforming the north entrance to campus and will include a hotel, multiuse space for conferences and improved football facilities — all of which will strengthen KU’s ability to recruit and retain students.
Wint and Mary have a front-row seat to the Gateway District’s progress, living just blocks from David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. On game days, their home serves as a nest for the Winter flock, including their nine grandchildren.
“It’s incredibly fortunate for our family to have the opportunity to support not just the football program and KU Athletics,” said Wint, “but more importantly, the university’s academic programs with this one gift.”
The Winter family. Front row, from left: Ella and Clara Klein, Mary Winter, Enzo, Sal and Rafa DeLeone, Rosemary, Emme and Boyd Lewis. Back row, from left: Katie Winter, Matt Klein, Wint Winter, Jr., Molly and Mark DeLeone, Elizabeth, Jack and Paul Lewis.
CAMPAIGNS
OUR CURRENT FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN, EVER ONWARD, is off to a brilliant start. More than 76,000 Jayhawks and friends of the university have invested a remarkable $1.9 billion already, on our way to $2.5 billion.
Those numbers are hard to get your mind around. But the impact they achieve is crystal clear. Thanks to you, we will have:
• An entrepreneurship hub on the Hill, where students from every school are energized — and receive practical tools — to make their difference.
• A magnetic new Gateway District to campus, featuring a spectacular stadium and conference center that will draw crowds to campus and Lawrence throughout the year.
• A nationally renowned KU Cancer Center, where science enriches treatment and
FOUR REASONS FOR CAMPAIGNS
treatment informs science. Someone you love will live because of the research and care conducted at KU Cancer Center.
• The Wonderful Institute for Sustainable Engineering, where students and faculty work together every day to invent new ways to keep our planet and people healthy.
• Hundreds of new scholarships that will unlock opportunities for thousands of students to reach for their full potential.
These are just a few of the ways these investments will pay dividends, not just for our students but for all of us, the result of our collective impact to our communities, our nation and our world.
But why do a campaign? Can’t we raise support for these causes (and many more) without the fuss and expense? The short answer is “yes,” but campaigns have a way of accelerating giving like nothing else.
Campaigns help us raise the volume. We talk — energetically — to as many Jayhawks and friends as possible. Buzz builds momentum and momentum motivates people. As great news about KU’s achievements circulates, our reputation rises.
Campaigns help us expand the flock
Through events, mailings, phone calls and other touchpoints, we invite many more Jayhawks and friends to engage with the university community, whether as volunteers, mentors or donors. As our numbers grow, so does our impact.
Like most deadlines, campaigns add urgency They help us get more done, faster. Programs thrive, buildings rise, research takes bold new paths and more students arrive on campus to have life-changing experiences.
Most importantly, campaigns allow KU to evolve into its next best self — to attract new generations, to provide all kinds of support to students, to propel powerful research, and to create a better tomorrow.
QUALITY OF CARE INSPIRES DONOR’S GENEROSITY IN THE FIELD OF REHABILITATION
SAM PORRITT’S PHILANTHROPIC JOURNEY
BEGAN LONG BEFORE HE TOOK A WRONG STEP THAT CHANGED HIS LIFE.
Porritt, originally from Peoria, Illinois, was a marketing executive at Payless Shoe Source in Topeka, Kansas, when he established a scholarship at his undergraduate alma mater, Illinois Wesleyan. The university’s head of fundraising explained the immense impact of providing for students who needed help filling the “gap” between what they could afford and the cost of attending the university.
The first time he met a student who received his scholarship, he was astounded.
“I gushed,” he said. “I was blown away by her and her vision for who she wanted to be and how my small gift helped make that possible.”
That meeting flipped a switch for Porritt, giving him a new perspective on philanthropy.
“I didn’t realize how little it took to change somebody’s life,” he said. A relatively modest investment on his part made a huge difference for a student in need. He went on to fund a second scholarship for undergraduate students at Illinois Wesleyan. It was an enlightening experience for him.
In 2011, his own trajectory changed with one misstep. While on vacation with his wife in Italy, Porritt lost his balance while taking a photo and tumbled over a 15-foot wall. He suffered a spinal
cord injury and was paralyzed from the waist down. He had surgery at an Italian hospital and stayed for 17 days, uncertain if he would ever walk again. He flew home and was admitted to the The University of Kansas Health System. That’s where he learned to walk again.
During his six weeks of rehabilitation, Porritt was impressed by the qualities he saw in all the health care professionals who cared for him.
“They are amazingly positive, encouraging, supportive people,” Porritt said. “They make a tough journey for a patient much more doable.”
Living through the process of rehabilitation sparked an idea for Porritt, and in 2013, he founded the Falling Forward Foundation, whose mission is to help people in therapy recover fully after catastrophic medical events.
In 2021, Porritt joined the Advancement Board at KU Medical Center and began to consider how he could best give back to the place that provided him with life-changing rehabilitative care.
In 2021, he established the Samuel Porritt Rehabilitation Excellence Scholarship Fund at the School of Health Professions at KU Medical Center for students in rehabilitation fields.
“Scholarships really ring my bell,” he said. “And here I was, benefiting from rehab education programs that are ranked among the top 10 in the country. Who knew? I never would have, if I hadn’t seen it in action myself.”
Abiodun Akinwuntan, Ph.D., dean of the School of Health Professions at KU Medical Center, became acquainted with Porritt while he arranged the details of the scholarship.
“Sam is an exceptional and caring individual — a true giver who derives joy from making others happy,” Akinwuntan said. “Of all the times I have spent with Sam, his happiest moments are when he meets the recipients of the scholarship he established and realizes the impact of the award.”
—MICHELLE STRICKLAND
Porritt with the care team, including nurses and therapists, who cared for him while he was a patient at The University of Kansas Health System.
CELEBRATING A CENTURY OF THE KU SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
WHAT STARTED 100 YEARS AGO
as a simple addition to the university budget has grown into one of the largest schools on campus. According to Frank T. Stockton’s book, “History of the School of Business,” KU established the school in July 1924 to minimal fanfare. The first year, 51 students enrolled.
A century later finds the School of Business boasting record fall enrollment of 4,404 students, including 1,053 freshmen, also a record.
“We are excited to be celebrating a century of excellence in business education at KU,” said KU School of Business Interim Dean Susan Scholz. “The school’s dynamic history reflects the hard work and efforts of countless individuals over the past 100 years. As we celebrate our school’s beginnings, we honor those contributions and look forward to what the future holds for the KU School of Business.”
The School of Business kicked off its yearlong centennial celebration with an Aug. 15 event at Capitol Federal Hall with former and current faculty and staff, Dean’s Advisory Board and Deans Club members, KU leaders,
For more information about the yearlong celebration, please visit: www.business.ku.edu/ about/history/centennial.
Original staff of the School of Business. Frank Stockton, the first and longest-serving dean of the school, is fourth from left, front row, with glasses.
including deans and directors, and state and local officials. Lt. Gov. and Secretary of Commerce David Toland, a KU graduate, shared remarks about business education and its positive influence on the state.
The school has events planned throughout the year to connect students, alumni, donors and professionals.
