Winter 2013
The business at hand School of Business seeks new building
You said it: donor comments To celebrate future leaders
Snow Hall, sunny snow slope, soaring sockless.
KU Giving is published three times a year 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 A. Drue Jennings
President Dale Seuferling
Senior Vice President, Communications & Marketing Rosita Elizalde-McCoy
Editor Charles Higginson
Contributing Editors Katie Coffman Valerie Gieler Rachel Meyers Jessica Sain-Baird Lisa Scheller
Art DIRECTOR Sarah Mosher
We welcome your comments, suggestions and questions. KU Giving magazine P.O. Box 928 Lawrence, KS 66044-0928 785-832-7400 kugiving@kuendowment.org
Postmaster: Send address changes to: KU Endowment P.O. Box 928
Earl Richardson
Lawrence KS 66044-0928
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KU GIVING | WINTER 2013
contents | winter 2013
features building business | 8 KU’s School of Business seeks a new building for global reach and local leadership
you said it! | 12 Donors tell us why they give educate future leaders | 14 Far Above: The Campaign for Kansas looks to the future of our state and our world
Students Sam Albers, Tara Nickelson and Stephanie Stoss, with a developmental model and onscreen rendering of the new School of Business building.
KU prepares students for careers, fulfilled lives, responsible citizenship — and the occasional world premiere performance.
DEPARTMENTS PRESIDENT’S NOTE | 2 Exceptional dedication
greater ku fund | 19 A career boost for staff and faculty
EVERY GIFT MATTERS | 3 Honor for public service
ku voices | 20 Hixson scholar knows financial aid, inside and out
ON THE COVER A new building is at hand for the School of Business. rendering courtesy perkins & Will / NSP architecture; photograph by earl richardson
WHY I GIVE | 4
across ku | 16 Hit the trail; kudos to KU Endowment; preserving the Panorama; lifesaving training
the faithful | 21 Community commitment
LET’S BE SOCIAL
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PRESIDENT’S NOTE
Exceptional dedication is taken in deeds rather than words. Al Self, a testament to this old adage, died in January. He was precise and concise — a man of few words who valued efficiency and results. Al was a Kansas farm boy and first-generation college student when he came to the University of Kansas in 1939. He met his wife, Lila, here, earned a degree in chemical engineering and went on to be a successful international CEO. He lived in the Chicago area most of his life, but one of his final wishes was to be buried in Lawrence. During his lifetime, he and Lila donated more than $44 million to KU, which has grown to $60 million in permanent endowments. They are KU’s most generous individual donors to date. Al’s journey from farm boy to CEO and philanthropist has a lot to do with what happened while he attended KU. Al credited his KU education not just with preparing him as an engineer, but also with developing him as a leader — and he never forgot it. Thus, he put his philanthropy to work by providing fellowships and scholarships to develop leaders through the Self Graduate Fellowship Program and the Self Engineering Leadership Fellows Program. We have a strong tradition of donors who, like the Selfs, have established leadership programs for generations of KU students. Two similar icons are Elizabeth Watkins and Solon Summerfield. The influence of their philanthropy is palpable among our alumni ranks — the thousands of students who drew from their support and became leaders in medicine, business, education, law, public policy and dozens of other fields. This is precisely why we made “educating future leaders” one of the key themes of Far Above: The Campaign for Kansas. We know that the next Al Self is sitting in a classroom at KU right now, being transformed into a leader. The true measure of our lives
Lila and Al Self at the dedication of Eaton Hall, October 2003, outside the Al and Lila Self Computing Commons, made possible by their donation.
courtesy of the school of engineering
Dale Seuferling, President
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every gift matters
Public service, public honor
lisa scheller
To call John and Carol Nalbandian
public servants is a bit of an understatement. John, a professor in KU’s School of Public Affairs and Administration, has taught every master of public administration (MPA) student specializing in local government since 1976. He served eight years on the Lawrence City Commission, including two terms as mayor. He and his wife, Carol, a private consultant, have conducted dozens of workshops and consultations on team building, strategic planning and other aspects of highperformance government for cities, counties, universities and organizations from Maine to California. A new scholarship to support MPA students honors the Nalbandians’ service to KU and the community. Marilu Goodyear, director of the school, initiated efforts to create the scholarship, which has generated nearly $50,000 from 67 donors and will be awarded for the first time this year. “I am honored by this scholarship, which was beyond my imagination when I joined the faculty,” John said. “In my eyes, this scholarship is a tribute not as much to the Nalbandians as it is to the school’s commitment to professionalism in local government, which I hope Carol and I embody.” Carol said, “I hope this scholarship will contribute in some small way to continue KU’s tradition of educating students for the profession.” Scholarships for MPA students are vital in attracting high-achieving students, Goodyear said. U.S. News and World Report ranks the school as No. 1 in city management and urban policy, ensuring plenty of applicants to KU. However, without scholarship packages, students with promise may go elsewhere.
Goodyear said John, who is on phased retirement through May 2014, has been integral in elevating the school’s reputation and leading minority outreach. She said, “John is unique in his ability to walk the line between academic and public administrative life.” She also praised Carol’s expertise in organizational development, unique teaching ideas and genuine character: “She is great at helping people know their individual strengths. People instantly take to her.” One of John’s former students, Rosemary O’Leary, is leaving a chaired distinguished professorship at Syracuse University this year to join the KU faculty. Calling her classes with John “lifechanging experiences,” she said, “Out of the nearly 100 professors I had while earning my degrees, John easily stands out as the best.” — Jessica Sain-Baird
YOU CAN HELP If you appreciate effective local government, you can support the Nalbandian Scholarship by visiting kuendowment.org/nalbandian, or contacting Nancy Jackson at njackson@kuendowment.org or 785-832-7357.
John Nalbandian, right, received the 2012 Chancellors Club Career Teaching Award. With him, from left, are his sister, Terry Hare, his son, John B. Nalbandian, and his wife, Carol.
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why i give | snapshots
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“Research isn’t always about the disease itself but also about the toll this disease takes on everyone involved. Our commitment to the cancer center is a top priority, set by our board many years ago. Masons are known for their commitments, and we will continue to support the cancer center in its endeavors to seek more effective ways to prevent and treat cancer.” Mark Nelson, executive director, Kansas Masonic Foundation $1 million commitment — to establish the Midwest Cancer Alliance Behavioral Health Therapist Fund through The University of Kansas Cancer Center. 1
“It is gratifying to make a gift that will benefit the journalism school’s new doctoral program. It is important for dedicated students to have the opportunity to take their education to a higher level. When the university advances a student’s education, it is good for Kansas.” Robert P. Sigman, B.S. Journalism 1951, Leawood, Kan. $50,000 outright — to establish the Robert P. Sigman Family Journalism Scholarship for students in the Ph.D. program of the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications. 2
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“We wanted to do something to provide a long-term commemoration of the lives of my children, Jason and Brooke Meckfessel. They died in a car accident when they were young. It was important to us to have a lasting way to memorialize their lives.” Vergie Anderson, master’s in Social Welfare 1990, and her husband, Mark Anderson, Kinsley, Kan. $150,000 gift commitment — for scholarships for graduate students in the School of Social Welfare, with a preference for students planning a career in mental health. 3
“We wanted to do something that not only would contribute to Far Above but that also would help launch the campaign for the law school. This campaign, and the private support it will generate, is important for the law school, especially as state funding is getting harder to come by.” Lydia Beebe, B.S. Journalism 1974, J.D. 1977, and her husband, Chuck Doyle, B.S. Accounting 1975, J.D. 1978, San Francisco $500,000 outright, $500,000 estate commitment — $955,000 for the Beebe/Doyle Family Scholarship and $45,000 for classroom renovation, both in the School of Law. 4
“We chose to make a donation in Linda Houde’s name because of her involvement with our school’s Living Courtyard. Parents collect monarch eggs over the summer, and each classroom has the opportunity to watch the process from egg to monarch. We have a huge butterfly release in late September. For years, Linda was the parent volunteer who ran this process. When her daughter graduated from our elementary school, we wanted to recognize her years of service.” Jeff Wallowitz, principal, Webster Hill School, West Hartford, Conn. $50 outright — to KU’s Monarch Watch, recognizing Linda Houde’s dedication to her school’s own Monarch Watch program. 5
why i give | estate gifts
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the last full measure Many people make their final gifts to KU their most significant, by including KU Endowment in their estate planning. Recent estate gifts included these bequests:
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Mary D. Austin: for a graduate fellowship, School of Journalism and Mass Communications William T. Belt, B.A. 1939, M.A. 1941, Ph.D. 1954: for graduate studies Barbara Cooper, B.A. 1947: for Kansas Public Radio Lynn M. Bretz, B.A. 1971: for the Janet Hamburg Visiting Artist Series, Department of Dance Duane E. Dunwoodie, B.S. 1952: for power laboratory equipment, School of Engineering
“The Dream Maker Fund is about KU students helping other KU students and the community. It will allow quick response to a need, from an individual student’s financial setback or tragedy to a student group traveling to Joplin, Mo., to assist with tornado relief.” Matt Moore, Human Biology 2013, Executive Producer, Rock Chalk Revue $5,000 — to establish the Rock Chalk Revue Dream Maker Fund. The Revue will donate half of the proceeds from their annual production to the fund until it reaches $500,000. 6
“Since my graduation from KU, our family has been blessed by the fruits of my career. None of this would have been possible without the high-quality education I received within the School of Journalism and, specifically, without the mentorship of Dr. Bengtson, who took a personal interest in my success.” Mark Mears, B.A. Journalism 1983, and Stacy Mears, Valencia, Calif. $65,000 outright — to establish the Dr. Tim Bengtson Journalism Faculty Mentor Award in the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications; a $5,000 award will be presented each spring to a student-nominated faculty member. 7
“I believe our country’s greatest economic challenge is the education of underserved minorities. The Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP) is the leader in charter schools that are focusing on educating poor minorities with a goal of not only a quality K-12 education, but also for their students to enter and graduate from college. The recent KIPP-KU partnership and our scholarship will help achieve the graduation goal.” Bob Peebler, Engineering 1970, and Susie Peebler, Houston, Texas $258,840 outright and $250,000 matching gift from Ion Geophysical Corporation — to establish the Bob and Susie Peebler/KIPP KU Engineering Scholarship to support KIPP graduates who enroll at KU. 8
E. Clifford Gordon, B.S. 1933: for unrestricted use by the university Anita Landrum Isaac, B.A. 1946, M.D. 1949, M.C.R. 1955: unrestricted use by the School of Medicine Philip and Jeune Kirmser: for Kansas Public Radio James N. Little, B.S. 1962: for unrestricted use by the Department of Chemistry Norma Jean Milton: for scholarships, School of Law Betty E. Overshiner, M.S.Ed. 1968, Ed.D. 1972: for the Betty Overshiner Opportunity Fund Esther Patterson, B.A. 1942: for unrestricted use by the university Jean Humphrey Proffitt: for the Humphrey School of Law Discretionary Fund Robert Talty, B.S. 1949: for scholarships in the School of Engineering and the College M. Hall Taylor, B.A. 1933: for the M. Hall Taylor Opportunity Fund Rodger Vaughan: for support of tuba/euphonium in the School of Music Arthur P. Young: for Parkinson’s disease research, Department of Neurology
Estate gifts to benefit KU should be designated for KU Endowment. Please contact Andy Morrison, Director of Gift Planning, 1-800-444-4201, when you set up your estate to make sure your wishes can be fulfilled. If you have included KU Endowment in your estate plans, please let us know so we can recognize you in the Elizabeth Watkins Society. We respect all requests for confidentiality.
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why i give | featured gifts
Breath of life Gift supports asthma research and education
Why I Give
“We lost our daughter to asthma, and we hope this gift will alleviate this pain for others.
”
—Gary Padgett
Pam Padgett
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KU GIVING | WINTER 2013
gift to create the Pam Padgett Asthma Education and Research fund at the University of Kansas Medical Center. Their gift will permanently support symposia, fellowships, education and research, all focused on asthma, in the Pulmonary and Critical Care Division of the Department of Internal Medicine. One of the fund’s initiatives will be to create an asthma education network for physicians across Kansas, to help keep them abreast of the latest asthma research and treatments. As a pulmonologist, Steven Stites, professor and chair of internal medicine, knows firsthand the significance of the Padgetts’ gift. “Thanks to the generosity of Gary and Sue Padgett, our pulmonary division will be able to provide even more educational programs,” Stites said. “Our faculty, students and future patients will benefit enormously from additional research opportunities this fund will provide.” The Padgetts both have bachelor’s degrees from KU — Gary in business and Sue in fine arts. They live in Greenleaf, Kan., and in Lawrence. Their two sons, Brad and Brent, both of Lawrence, also graduated from KU. — Lisa Scheller
courtesy of the padgett family
Gary and Sue Padgett’s daughter, Pam, died from an asthma attack at the age of 14. A golden-haired girl with a smile as wide as her love for literature, Pam had suffered from asthma since the age of 2 and understood the serious nature of her illness. As a young teen, she had taped this unattributed quote to a bookshelf in her bedroom: “Although I can no longer see your face nor hear your voice, through you I walk the earth.” In hopes that they can help prevent loss and heartbreak for others, Gary and Sue Padgett have made a $2 million In 1974,
Room for debate Gift supports head coach David Pittaway remains proud of KU debate. “The team has won five national championships, as many as the men’s basketball program,” he said. “In addition, KU ranks in the top five universities in debate nationally. The others are all private universities — Harvard, Northwestern, Dartmouth and Emory. KU is absolutely by leaps and bounds the best public university in debate.” To support KU’s debate team, Pittaway has given $500,000 to create an endowed fund to support the team’s head coach. This is the largest gift in the debate program’s history. A sixth-generation Kansan whose ancestors moved to Kansas before the Civil War, Pittaway considers Kansas his home despite living elsewhere since graduating from KU in 1972. He and his wife, Jeannine, live in Rochester, Mich., and Naples, Fla. He is Senior Managing
bottom: courtesy of KU marketing commuications/Top: courtesy of david pittaway
Former KU debater
Director of Castle Harlan, Inc., a New York City private equity investment firm where he has worked since its founding in 1987. Pittaway arrived at KU in the fall of 1969 as a Summerfield Scholar with plans to participate in debate throughout college. When he decided to take a heavier course load and graduate in three years, he left the debate team to allow more time to study. He earned a bachelor’s degree in History, Political Science and American Studies, then went to Harvard University, where he earned a Juris Doctorate and an MBA. He said his gift reflects inspiration from his former debate coaches — Donn Parson, a professor of communication studies at KU, and the late Gerald Ashen, a KU alumnus who coached debate at Shawnee Mission South High School. — Lisa Scheller
Why I Give
“ Debate helps in negotiations because you understand what arguments the other side will be making, so you can be prepared to co-opt or refute them to come to a successful agreement. This has been invaluable in my career.
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— David Pittaway
KU’s fifth national debate championship, and the first for KU debate coach Scott Harris, came in 2009, when Brett Bricker and Nate Johnson won the National Debate Tournament.
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“Today’s world is so complex that it’s not possible for an individual to solve our problems.”
— Neeli Bendapudi, dean of business
Peter Smith, Ph.D., holds a slide containing sections of the injured spinal cord of a rat.
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KU GIVING | WINTER 2013
Building business By valerie gieler Renderings courtesy of Perkins + Will / nsp architecture
A stroll down Naismith Drive takes you past a new University of Kansas landmark, a new School of Business building across from Allen Fieldhouse. Outside, the modern limestone, brick and glass building reflects KU’s traditional character and contemporary spirit. Inside, a cutting-edge learning environment connects students to business leaders, Wall Street and the world. Imagine: An open, welcoming building that inspires future business leaders with the latest workplace strategies. Collaborative work areas, specialized learning labs and modern technology provide catalysts for innovation. A professor teaches exclusively with an iPad, encouraging students to share content from their devices. In the financial markets lab, student teams monitor global news and its influence on stock markets in real time. Visiting executives direct a focus group demonstrating how consumer opinion drives marketing for smartphone accessories. Graduate students work with peers in India and Brazil via videoconference to help an airplane manufacturer discover untapped global markets. hink ahead a few years:
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These generous donors have given $1 million or more: The Hall Family Foundation
“ Dean Neeli Bendapudi has energized the entire community associated with the School of Business. We hope our gift will help address the dire need for a new building, giving KU the facility it deserves. It is critical that the school’s alumni and
”
friends help make this project a reality.
— Dana and Sue Anderson
“ As a proud alumnus of the KU School of Business, I am pleased to contribute to the new building effort. My gift is a vote of confidence in the school’s leadership, and I look forward to watching the school grow and provide further value to its students and alumni. I’m also grateful to my fellow alumni for their generous contribu-
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tions to this effort.
— David Booth
“ We gave to the building project because our top ranked public business school program deserved to be housed in a new building that would not only further elevate our own business program, but that of the university.
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— Howard and Debbi Cohen
“ We were so inspired by Dean Neeli Bendapudi’s energetic leadership and clarity of vision for the School of Business that we doubled our pledge for the building construction project within days
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of meeting her.
— Roger and Julie Davis
“ Bob Riss believed that the University of Kansas and its School of Business should be top tier institutions. This gift, made in
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his honor, is consistent with that belief.
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— The Family of the late Robert B. Riss
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“Education in a lot of ways hasn’t changed in 1,000 years, because it is a good model, but the process of how we excite students and motivate them to think and get engaged has changed,” said Mark Haug, School of Business teaching fellow. “To adapt to students of today, this new building promises to deliver a lot on that front.” Integrated technology and flexible classrooms will allow faculty to tailor room layouts to fit the day’s instruction. Haug envisions beginning a negotiations class with a lecture and then quickly rearranging the room for small-group strategy discussions, a simulated negotiation and finally back to a large group to analyze the results. “Today’s world is so complex that it’s not possible for an individual to solve our problems,” said Neeli Bendapudi, dean of the school. “We need teams working together. We need spaces for them to discuss, to debate, to engage — and that is something that the new building will provide. Developing solutions to today’s market challenges with students, faculty and business leaders here at KU will be good for the university, the state of Kansas and the entire region.” Summerfield Hall has been home to the School of Business since 1960, and, despite a 1983 expansion, the school has physically outgrown it in two ways. One-quarter of KU incoming freshmen express an interest in studying business, but there is simply not enough room. Nor does the building offer the kinds of spaces needed to support today’s business education and research. Students must leave the classroom to find places to work together and often flood the halls. Bendapudi said, “We don’t have the collaborative spaces or the technology we need to train our students to be competitive in today’s marketplace.” A lead gift of $20 million from the Capitol Federal Foundation, and support from numerous business leaders, alumni and friends, have put the school well on its way to achieving the vision for the new $60 million building. “We’re glad to be able to help out the university and the School of Business, and most importantly, the students who will be able to go through this school,” said John B. Dicus, chairman, president and CEO, Capitol Federal Savings and KU alumnus. “They are going to be the leaders of tomorrow.
“We’re glad to be able to help out the university and the School of Business, and most importantly, the students who will be able to go through this school. ”
This facility will give them the chance to succeed and be those business leaders.” The larger building will enable the school to boost enrollment by about 30 percent. The six-story building will have 166,000 square feet, compared with Summerfield’s 95,000 square feet. It will include a variety of seminar rooms, case-based classrooms, learning labs and flexible collaboration areas that encourage interaction and small group learning. KU Student Body President Hannah Bolton, a business senior, said her fellow business school Get down to business students take pride in their education, Competent, innovative award-winning faculty and their work out- business management benefits side the classroom. A new facility will also local, regional and worldwide communities. To help build instill pride in their place of study. “With this building, please contact Brian Moore, 785-832-7462 or the construction of a new business school, bmoore@kuendowment.org, professors will be able to bring more or visit kuendowment.org/ resources to the classroom,” Bolton said. businessbuilding. “These resources are essential to creating an environment for learning and a place for growth.” The building will position KU as a leader in business education and research in a sustainable, LEED-certified facility that incorporates today’s best workplace practices. It will elevate the school’s ability to recruit highachieving students, retain world-class faculty and staff, and become a center for innovation and outreach. “We want a business school that will compete with, not only any in the country, but with any in the world, and that is the path we are on,” said Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little. “Once the building is complete, it will be a symbol of the aspirations of the university to new students, potential students, potential faculty and the community.”
— John Dicus, chairman, president and CEO, Capitol Federal Savings
These generous donors have given $100,000 to $1 million: The Anschutz Foundation Tony and Vicki Batman The late Fred Ball and JoAnn Ball Wayne and Patricia Boeckman John Bumgarner Norm and Shirley Cochran Bill and Judy Docking Lori Ernst Dykeman and Steven R. Dykeman Ernst & Young Foundation Keith and Kathie Finger Jeff and Polly Gentry The Hartley Family Foundation Ed and Helen Healy Chuck and Kathleen Heath The Estate of Melba Hughes Todd and Ann Hunter Richard Martin Bill and Carolyn Patterson John and Mary Peppercorn Tom and Kathy Plimpton Todd and Colleen Preheim Joanna Rupp Bill and Marilyn Taylor KUENDOWMENT.ORG
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You said it!
We invite donors through our website to leave comments along with their gifts — and they do. These are just a few that came in over the past year.
“ I not only benefited greatly from being in the KU Honors Program, but I also had the privilege of taking the Senior Honors Seminar
I am a breast cancer patient and my
in 1962 from Dean Francis Heller
husband is a head and neck cancer patient
himself. I will always remember
nurturing, brilliant and fair teacher. ”
him as a
at The University of Kansas Hospital — I also work at the hospital. My gift is for the Missys’ Boutique Patients in Need Fund,
to
help patients in need be able to purchase
“ My daughter would love
continue the family tradition of going to college to
”
items in the boutique.
at KU, hopefully enrolling as a
”
freshman in the fall of 2014.
“ I’m donating to provide scholarships to well-deserving recipients. I was honored with the Emery Slosson Scholarship from Endowment — thanks to previous donors — during my undergraduate education at KU,
would simply like to show my gratitude with this small donation.
and
”
This contribution is
in memory of
Dr. James Ralston and is intended for the Graduate Scholarship in
Choral Conducting that has been
”
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KU GIVING | WINTER 2013
bottom: steve puppe/top: mark mcdonald
Rock Chalk Jayhawk!
Please have the money go to the Department of Family Medicine at KUMC, to be used for medical student and resident activities.
I greatly
appreciated my excellent training there. I’m now
in my 24th year of practice after residency, now training Family Medicine residents and medical
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students in North Carolina. KU grads rock!
“ I am a two-time breast cancer survivor, and I do not hesitate to donate to a worthwhile cause.
100 percent of the gift for research. ”
I like the fact that you use
“
The donation is for the Friends of KJHK. As a Texas A&M alum,
“ Hi friends! I’m so excited to
“ Just want to send my appreciation
donate for the first time as an alumna. I can’t wait to hear
to the folks who organized the Allan
about the new and exciting
Cigler Enrichment Fund; Dr. Cigler was
things Alternative Breaks will
a major contributor to my education
do this coming year! AB Love,
as well as so many other Political
”
Whitney.
Science students over the years, so
I ordinarily wouldn’t be giving
I’m glad there’s an opportunity to give back in his honor. ”
the radio station is a tremendous student endeavor and learning
“ This is from my pledge in April.
experience for those involved.
the full amount pledged, and can
I pick up the live stream on the
only do $50. I realize this is not
took me to Costa Rica in 1976-77,
Internet but hope the station’s
the amount I originally stated,
and
over-the-air signal will someday
but I also did not expect my
be grateful for her enthusiasm
to another institution, but
”
reach the Kansas City area.
Due to unforeseen maintenance
in my house, I am not able to give
”
home to need a brand new AC.
“ For Anita Herzfeld’s international legacy — she believed in me,
changed my life. I will always
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and kindness.
Just a quick thank-you to student
bottom: steve puppe/top: mark mcdonald
caller Jessica for giving us information on how KU helps the
Supporting our troops is very important to me,
Wounded Warrior Fund.
as I am beyond humbled by their sacrifice to protect my freedom.
Thank you, KU, for your help in this
”
cause. Rock Chalk!
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Educate future leaders deserve an opportunity to graduate from the state’s flagship university. One of the four main goals of Far Above: The Campaign for Kansas is “to educate future leaders.” The campaign seeks to increase four-year-renewable scholarships in all majors. We intend to enroll and graduate well-rounded, high-achieving students who now may be attracted to institutions offering more generous aid. Donor support ensures that our state’s most promising students have access to the excellence of a KU education. The campaign also seeks to expand funding for graduate fellowships, which support the success of students and faculty alike. Like a set of keys, scholarships and fellowships turn the promise of a KU education into opportunity and transformation. In sum, we seek support for young people of blooming promise and unlimited potential, students like those shown on these pages, the leaders of today and tomorrow. right Kansas students
Right, the KU Wind Ensemble rehearses George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue with Steven Spooner, professor of piano; below, engineering students celebrate Al and Lila Self’s second gift for the Self Engineering Leadership Fellowship; below right, state and private support enabled the School of Pharmacy to expand, increasing yearly new enrollment from 105 to 170 students.
To help raise future leaders Far Above, please contact Dan Simon,
As a freshman, Leigh Loving organized a medical mission trip to Guatemala, supported by an Honors Program scholarship. She later developed the Jayhawk Health Initiative to focus on experiential learning for pre-health students.
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steve puppe
785-832-7378 or dsimon@kuendowment.org.
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courtesy of ku Marketing communication
courtesy of the school of engineering
Earl Richardson
across ku
Go take a hike lie the KU Field Station and the newly built Stanley D. and Janet B. Roth Trailhead. A gateway to miles of nature trails that meander through the Kansas countryside and offer panoramic Kaw Valley views, the trailhead is more than just a landmark on the prairie — it’s a prizewinner. Officially dedicated in October, the Roth Trailhead was designed and constructed by 10 third-year students from the KU School of Architecture, Design and Planning with assistance from Chad Kraus, assistant professor of architecture. Its design emphasized sustainable building techniques, and it was created primarily with materials harvested from land at the Field Station. The Minutes north of downtown Lawrence
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structure has already received multiple awards, including Best in Show at the Monsters of Design Awards from the Young Architects Forum of the American Institute of Architects’ Kansas City chapter. Construction of the Roth Trailhead and nature trail was made possible by donations to the Stan and Janet Roth Trail and Nature Education Fund at KU Endowment. Longtime Lawrence residents, both Stan and Janet taught biology in Lawrence high schools and together led their students on countless outdoor activities and field trips. Since Stan’s retirement in 1998, he has served as an adjunct naturalist with the Kansas Biological Survey, while Janet has worked in the Center for Research on Learning. The trailhead will stand for generations as a lasting tribute to their years of dedication to the outdoors. — Rachel Meyers
Lisa scheller
These students in Prof. Chad Kraus’ Materials and Tectonics class — also known as “The Dirt Works Studio” — designed and built the trailhead structure.
Janet and Stan Roth greeted a crowd of more than 200 at the trailhead’s dedication.
Fanfare We don’t often blow our own horn, but this
deserves a quick flourish: The Council for Advancement and Support of Education recently named the University of Kansas to its Circle of Excellence for Overall Performance in Educational Fundraising for 2012. KU was one of only seven public research/ doctoral universities nationwide to receive the award, which recognizes exceptional fundraising programs.
“Through their work with our generous donors, they help make it possible to offer scholarships to students and foster outstanding teaching and research by our faculty.” — Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little
“This award is a mark of excellence, and I want to congratulate the staff of KU Endowment on earning this honor,” said Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little. “Through their work with our generous donors, they help make it possible to offer scholarships to students and foster outstanding teaching and research by our faculty.” Institutions can’t apply for this award. Instead, judges select winners by comparing reported data upper Right: courtesy of the Natural History museum
over three years — in this case, from 2009 to 2011. They consider growth in total support, influence of the 12 largest gifts on total support, growth in each program area and other criteria. Donations to KU Endowment broke records in those years: $106.4 million in fiscal 2009, $122.4 million in fiscal 2010, and $153.2 million in fiscal 2011. These gifts benefited KU and The University of Kansas Hospital and count toward Far Above: The Campaign for Kansas. Coda. Applause.
Panoramic preservation walruses don’t have cracks in their skins. Deer and bison are neither white nor covered with dust. Yet that’s what visitors see in KU’s Natural History Museum Panorama, an almost 360-degree exhibit that is one of the largest of its kind in the world and is showing its age. This American cultural treasure, created almost 120 years ago, brought Kansas to the world as the state’s entry in the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. Restoration requires detailed information on the condition of the exhibits — a comprehensive conservation assessment that will cost $100,000. To jump-start an effort to explore how best to conserve, restore and modernize the panorama, KU alumna and Endowment trustee Janet Martin McKinney and her husband, Kent McKinney, have generously given a $50,000 challenge grant. They hope that generations who have cherished the Panorama — KU alumni, friends and supporters — will help meet the challenge by the end of 2013. “It would be great to restore the animals and their environments back to their natural state,” Martin McKinney said. When the challenge is met, the conservation assessment will be the first step toward complete renovation and modernization of the Panorama. — Jessica Sain-Baird In real life,
YOU CAN HELP If you’ve ever watched a child wait for the prairie dog to pop up, you know the power of the panorama. To help meet the Natural History Museum Panorama Challenge, please contact Dale Slusser, 785-832-7458 or dslusser@kuendowment.org, or visit kuendowment.org/panorama.
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across ku
MORE See video of the trailer in action at: bit.ly/ku_gert
Glenn Pribbenow, left, director of the Kansas Fire and Rescue Training Institute, explains the techniques and process used to rescue victims trapped in grain to visitors at the Kansas State Fair.
Between assessing livestock, admiring farm implements and sampling various foods on a stick, visitors to this year’s Kansas State Fair saw a literally lifesaving training tool recently purchased by KU. The Kansas Fire and Rescue Training Institute (KF&RTI), a division of KU Continuing Education, displayed its mobile grain-entrapment rescue trailer at the fair. The trailer simulates grain entrapment and demonstrates an assortment of tools and equipment designed to aid in rescue. It is the key component of a new traveling rescue-training course offered by KF&RTI statewide. YOU CAN HELP Grain entrapment The KF&RTI has been providing fire occurs when a person service training since 1949. In 2011 alone, becomes submerged in the institute conducted 433 training and certification events in 88 Kansas counties, grain and cannot escape serving 7,735 participants. Help keep it without assistance. Grain going by contacting Scott Zerger at 785832-7426 or szerger@kuendowment.org. poses a threat in trucks,
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KU GIVING | WINTER 2013
in grain elevators, and even in the open. In 2010, 51 entrapment incidents were documented nationwide — the highest number ever reported. Half were fatal. Entrapment can occur in seconds, so it’s important to act quickly, but grain creates so much friction that the force required to simply pull the victim out is likely to cause injury. Purchase of the trailer was made possible by a gift of $90,000 from three organizations that represent all segments of the grain industry in Kansas: the Kansas Grain and Feed Association, the Kansas Cooperative Council and the Kansas Farmers Service Association. The organizations’ donations came from private member contributions. “This training will save lives,” said Glenn Pribbenow, KF&RTI director. “It’s crucial that we train first responders and grain workers in communities throughout Kansas.” — Charles Higginson
Courtesy of Glenn Pribbenow
To spring a trap
greater ku fund
mapping the route serve the university. To give them a leg up in their careers and make KU stronger, the university launched the Staff Fellows Program in 2007. It provides a structured program of professional development for 10 to 15 staff members each academic year. It offers training in skills and leadership, as well as exposure to broader knowledge of the university. Kathleen Ames-Oliver, co-chair of KU’s Staff Learning and Development Council, hopes the program not only provides opportunities for staff but also helps weaken the silos that naturally develop at educational institutions. “Staff Fellows make great connections that serve their careers at KU,” she said, “and then they become connectors for their colleagues across campus.” Amanda Schwegler, assistant director for KU’s Center for Service Learning, is a 2009-2010 Staff Fellow alumna. “I was able to work with a cohort of people from multiple departments whom I wouldn’t have had much contact with otherwise,” she said. A similar initiative at KU is the Senior Administrative Fellows program for faculty who have an interest in or talent for administration. Both programs draw support from unrestricted giving to the Greater KU Fund. It’s one more way private giving opens doors for faculty and staff members who seek to advance both their careers and their university. — Katie Coffman More than 3,000 staff members
Amanda Schwegler looks for the next hold on the climbing wall at the Ambler Student Recreation Center. The assistant director of the Center for Service Learning, she went through the Staff Fellows Program a few years ago.
BY THE NUMBERS In fiscal 2012, unrestricted giving to the Greater KU Fund supported:
1,780+
55+
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2
High ability and
Awards to University
Chancellors Club
Annual Faculty Awards
academic leadership
Scholars, sophomores
Teaching Professorships
for Excellence, the
scholarships
with outstanding
for outstanding
Chancellors Club
academic records
teaching; recipients
Research Award and
retain the title as long
the Chancellors Club
as they teach at KU
Career Teaching Award
140+ Scholarships to help
steve puppe
students study abroad
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ku voices
Oboe and opportunity Danny Sumrall, Leawood, Kan., junior, received a Hixson Opportunity Award, established by Christina Hixson to enable students to attend KU who otherwise could not because of personal or financial hardship. He’s studying oboe with Margaret Marco, associate professor of music.
delivering a clear, beautiful message. It’s a small instrument, a hundred things can go out of adjustment, and the reeds are tiny. It’s like blowing through a pinhole. And you have to learn to make those. I didn’t realize that playing oboe meant spending all day whittling. Tell us about your job in the KU Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships.
I grew up mostly in a single-parent household. When I was in high school, my mother and I moved to Kansas City. About a year later, I decided to become emancipated. That threw college into question for a little bit. Another family helped me through the process and took me in for my final two years of high school, so I could focus on getting to college. What brought you to KU?
I intended to be the first one in my family to get a degree. I expected to just take out lots of loans and try to get a job to pay them back. Going in-state, the costs are much lower. And with music, you have to know who your teacher will be, so I took lessons with Dr. Marco as a senior, and I really liked her. How are your music studies going?
The oboe is challenging. It’s difficult to produce the same quality of sound every time, so you’re YOU CAN HELP With every passing year, more students rely on scholarships to make a KU education affordable. To help, contact Dan Simon, 785-832-7378 or dsimon@kuendowment.org, or visit kuendowment.org/scholarships.
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How has the Hixson Scholarship changed your life?
It meant I could go to college and not take loans. And it is amazing to know that Miss Hixson didn’t have that opportunity. I do have a loan for buying my instrument, which was about $10,000. That’s like a year of school, but I’m going to school nearly debt-free. Miss Hixson meets each one of us. She wants to know who we are, what we’re doing, and she really wants us to be successful. I deeply appreciate what she does for us. It’s hard to describe the relief you feel when someone says, “Work hard and you will get this.” That’s how things should be, and she makes it that way. That’s fantastic. — Charles Higginson
Earl Richardson
Tell us about your background.
I’m a financial aid peer adviser, so I’m the frontline of customer service. I’m on the phone, or at the front desk, answering questions from students and parents who need to know how to get financial aid, what their situation is, what they need to do. We try to help people understand how it works. We constantly try to find ways to make it clear, so students can just do it and not worry about it. When you’re going to school, the last thing you want to worry about is, “How will I pay for this?”
the faithful
giving for 50+ years
courtesy of the johnstons
A list of Don and Alice Ann Johnston’s contributions to the University of Kansas and to the Lawrence community would fill this page. They have given to KU every year since 1962, making more than 375 gifts in total. Alice Ann has been a docent at the Spencer Museum of Art for 30 years. Don, as an officer of Intrust Bank’s northeast Kansas region, has served on countless public boards and KU committees. Native Kansans, Alice Ann from Council Grove and Don from Pittsburg, both learned early about community involvement. “I grew up in that kind of household,” Alice Ann said. “A great effort to be community-responsible continued throughout my parents’ lives. I always knew that you do more than you think you can — that’s just what you should do.” Don added, “The people I saw as role models growing up were involved in the community, and it just became second nature.” Alice Ann graduated from Mount Holyoke College; Don earned a bachelor’s degree in business in 1956 and a law degree in 1966, both from KU. “My family didn’t have any money,” Don said. “I got the Navy ROTC scholarship, which was a really good thing — tuition, books and so much a month. KU Endowment was also an early factor in getting me here.” Later, during Don’s two years in law school, Alice Ann worked for Irvin Youngberg, KU Endowment’s longtime executive secretary. She said, “It was an exciting time at KU, the 100th anniversary of the founding. Even though I didn’t go to KU, I felt like I knew everybody.” They moved back to Lawrence in 1983, when their twin sons were in sixth grade and their daughter was a junior in high school. All three have now graduated from KU, even though most of their friends at Lawrence High wanted to go away to college. Alice Ann said,
“For them, KU was just the only spot in the world, their own little piece of heaven.” The Johnstons have given to more than 50 different funds at KU. Currently, their main interests are campus venues for humanities studies and the fine and performing arts. “Alice Ann was in the liberal arts, and I wasn’t,” Don said. “I met her, and I thought, what am I missing? The comparative absence of liberal arts in my education began to come forward. Things like the Lied and the Hall Center and the Spencer became so important because it was such fun to finally connect in those ways.” Don’s explanation for their commitment to community is simple: “We’re all on this planet together, we’re all in this town together. Our lives are interwoven; they’re not separate.” Alice Ann added, “If you can do some little thing, if it’s no more than a smile, to turn somebody’s day around, that’s worthwhile.” — Charles Higginson
Starting in 1962, Don and Alice Ann Johnston have given to KU every year and now have made more than 375 gifts.
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David McKinney
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Make a gift to build a greater university at www.kuendowment.org/givetoku