KU Giving Issue 19

Summer 2014

STUDENTS + SCHOLARSHIPS = OPPORTUNITIES Alina Zheng is one among many

COMMENCEMENT COUNTUP TOTALING THE YEAR’S BIG EVENT

TO DRIVE ECONOMIC GROWTH REGIONAL REWARDS

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 A. Drue Jennings

PRESIDENT Dale Seuferling

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING Rosita Elizalde-McCoy

EDITOR Charles Higginson

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Valerie Gieler Rachel Meyers Jessica Sain-Baird Lisa Scheller

ART DIRECTOR Sarah Meiers

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

DAVID MCKINNEY/KU MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS

Lawrence, KS 66044-0928

CONTENTS | SUMMER 2014

FEATURES THREE AMONG MANY | 8 Meet three KU scholarship students — each one typical in a unique way.

TO DRIVE ECONOMIC GROWTH | 12 Far Above: The Campaign for Kansas supports discovery and development to seize the opportunities of the future.

THIS JUST IN

COMMENCEMENT COUNTUP | 14 It lasts just a couple of hours, but Commencement entails months of planning and preparation.

DEPARTMENTS PRESIDENT’S NOTE | 2 All in the family EVERY GIFT MATTERS | 3 Replant Mount Oread takes root WHY I GIVE | 4

ACROSS KU | 16 Undergraduate researchers rewarded; Business building plans revealed; home for Rules of Basket Ball; the buzz is back; tripartite support for medical education

KU VOICES | 20 Janet Pierce researches recovery from shock while teaching in the School of Nursing KU CROSSWORD | 21 Hail to Old KU

Late June brought news that, for the third year in a row, the foremost international association of educational institutions has honored the University of Kansas for the quality of its fundraising programs.

The Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) named KU and just three other public research universities to receive its 2014 Educational Fundraising Award. Judges make the selections through a blind study of national data, recognizing growth, breadth of support and other indications of a well-maintained program.

CASE also conferred additional recognition on KU for three years of success: a Sustained Excellence in Educational Fundraising Award.

ON THE COVER Alina Zheng just completed her freshman year at KU. She is one among thousands of students benefiting from scholarships created by donors to KU Endowment.

LET’S BE SOCIAL

Photograph by Mark McDonald.

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PRESIDENT’S NOTE

ALL IN THE FAMILY but they knew they would land at the University of Kansas some day. After all, their father and grandfather had been well served by their KU educations. What they didn’t know at the time is that the Jennings name would live in perpetuity at their alma mater.

This family’s story mirrors the history of our state and country.

Their grandfather, James Thomas Jennings, moved to Kansas as a young boy in 1885 when his family bought some land to start a farm. Tragedy struck when their great-grandfather became handicapped by an illness, leaving James to manage a 160-acre farm at the tender age of 10. He recalls in his journal that “discouragement was strong” during that time. Yet, James was able to save enough money to attend KU, traveling to Lawrence from central Kansas on horseback.

Their father, James Jennings Jr., followed in his own father’s footsteps, arriving at KU during the Great Depression. Times were tough, but he had a burning desire to learn. Later in life, he established an endowed scholarship in memory of his father.

Tom and Steve Jennings graduated from KU in the 1960s, a decade of turmoil and social change. After their father died, they contributed some of their inheritance to increase the scholarship he had established.

Through KU Endowment, they met Ryan Huang, an Overland Park student benefiting from that scholarship. Ryan’s heart-warming story inspired the Jennings brothers to create an additional endowed scholarship of their own.

We now have two endowed scholarships at KU Endowment from the Jennings family. Since they are permanently funded, they will live in perpetuity. We have captured this family’s indelible story in a video, which you can view at vimeo.com/ kuendowment/jennings. It includes some vintage KU football game footage, captured by their home cameras.

Long after Tom and Steve are gone, the Jennings name will endure through generations of students benefiting from the funds they created. Future recipients of their scholarship will learn a little about this family’s generosity. It’s a story of the perseverance and humility that is typical of people from the heartland. And it’s punctuated by gratitude, generosity and devotion to KU.

TOM AND STEVE JENNINGS GREW UP IN KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI,

Tom and Steve Jennings

Rock Chalk,

JIM JEWELL

Dale Seuferling, President

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KU GIVING | SUMMER 2014

EVERY GIFT MATTERS

OUT FOR A LIMB grace the lawns in front of Stauffer-Flint Hall and Watson Library. They were planted April 11, largely by students.

The planting session was rooted in a fundraising effort called Replant Mount Oread. Every year, KU loses about 70 trees to age, disease or storm damage.

The Replant effort unites several campus groups and intends to reverse that loss of trees by providing funding for replacements. New tree varieties are selected for hardiness and their resistance to insects and diseases as well as their beauty.

Student tree-planters represented the School of Law, Alpha Tau Omega fraternity, KU Environs and Engineers Without Borders, along with numerous unaffiliated individuals — even a small group from the University of Colorado who were on campus for a conference.

Shade Little, the Chancellor’s husband, wielded a shovel, and several Facilities Operations workers offered advice, assistance and commiseration with the challenge of digging in Mount Oread’s rocky soil.

A recent fundraising push by Replant Mount Oread launched with a goal of $5,000, and as of publication, almost $16,000 had been received, from more than 60 donors. Organizers say they’re delighted with the response, which will allow them to plan additional planting events.

The campaign received significant support from Douglas R. May, who gave to honor his father, Wallace R. May. Wallace May earned a doctorate from KU in speech communication and human relations in 1978, and then worked as associate dean of Continuing

STEVE PUPPE

A DOZEN NEW 12-FOOT TREES

Education and professor of Communication studies. He retired from KU in 1991 and opened a photography gallery in Lawrence. His first show, called “One Tree, One Year,” chronicled a year in the life of a massive Osage orange tree that stood on Campanile Hill.

— Charles Higginson

WHY I GIVE

“ I think this is a great project and want to ensure the beauty of the campus. And besides, you just can’t have too many trees!

”

—Jenny L., Leawood, donor to Replant Mount Oread

YOU CAN HELP To plant your own tree literally, watch for announcements from Replant Mount Oread. To plant your tree figuratively, contact Dale Slusser, dslusser@kuendowment.org or 785-832-7458, or visit kuendowment.org/replantmountoread.

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WHY I GIVE | SNAPSHOTS

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“I gave to KU Law because my husband and I realize that much of our family’s happy, comfortable life flowed from the scholarshipfunded education I received at Green Hall. We are just plain grateful every day.”

Kansas Supreme Court Justice Carol Beier, B.S. journalism 1981, law 1985, and Richard Green, Topeka $100,000 estate commitment — unrestricted to the School of Law. 1

2 “It’s not what you get in life that’s important — it’s what you share. I’m concerned about young people and their education, because I’ve lived long enough to know that if you don’t have an education, you can get by — and some people get by very well without one — but most of the time, the young people who have an education are able to go farther in life.”

Lavon Brosseau, Concordia, Kan. $150,000 outright — to establish two funds at the Spencer Museum of Art: a Creativity Award for undergraduate students and a Student Education Fund for travel to galleries, internships and special programs. The gift also created a Special Opportunity Fund to enhance the experience of students in the University Honors Program.

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KU GIVING | SUMMER 2014

“Study abroad is absolutely essential for a well-rounded education. Students who study abroad come home with a broader understanding of the world in which they live; cultural differences can challenge our assumptions on the most ordinary of daily experiences as well as issues of broader significance. Overseas study broadens the horizons and helps us to think globally as well as locally. Our future leaders need this ability, and today’s students will become those leaders.”

Carol Ann Brown, B.A. French 1972, and Clifton Brown, Alexandria, Va. $30,000 outright — for a scholarship for students studying abroad in a non–English-speaking country.

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4 “I had a desire to do something for the university in acknowledgement of and return for what it had done for me. KU gave me a foundation for my life. It also was important to me that this gift be meaningful to Barbara, and that it be a reflection of her career.” — Jon Eicholtz Jon Eicholtz, B.S. architectural engineering 1962, and actress Barbara Eden, Beverly Hills, Calif. $300,000 outright — to provide an undergraduate scholarship for

theatre students in the School of the Arts in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences who plan to be professional actors.

5 “The foundation was formed in memory of my brother Chris, after he succumbed to brain cancer in 2003. We have held more than 30 Head for the Cure 5K events since then. Our commitment is to fund brain cancer research and the Brain Tumor Trials Collaborative, and as a Kansas City-based foundation, we feel it is critically important to keep some of our funds local.

We are delighted to support The University of Kansas Cancer Center and look forward to building our partnership.”

Matt Anthony, President, Head for the Cure Board of Directors $65,000 outright and $200,000 pledge over the next four years — to support the Head for the Cure / Chris Anthony Brain Cancer Research Fund at The University of Kansas Cancer Center.

6 “Local 124 has long been committed to being a community partner. Our involvement with notfor-profits like KU Endowment has continued to grow in recent years.

I was particularly drawn to the KU Alzheimer’s Center because the disease is so pervasive and terrible.

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.

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Most of our members have been personally touched in one way or another by the disease. We want to help rid the world of Alzheimer’s.”

Terry Akins, principal officer, Local Union No. 124, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, of Kansas City, Mo. $10,000 outright — to support research conducted as part of the Alzheimer’s Prevention Program within the Alzheimer’s Disease Center at KU Medical Center.

7 “As a junior at KU, after working through Prof. Allen Ford’s difficult intermediate accounting course, I changed my major from accounting to general business. When he learned of the change, he tracked me down and called me. He

said, ‘I heard you dropped out of accounting, and I wanted to tell you that’s a mistake. I think you should stay in accounting, you can do it, and it will be good for your career.’ So much of what I’ve done in my career, I can trace back to that moment when Allen Ford called me and I decided to go back to accounting — it was completely pivotal.”

Bill Plybon, B.S. accounting 1982, and Suzanne Plybon, Atlanta, Ga. $100,000 outright — to establish the Allen Ford Tax Fellow fund in honor of Prof. Allen Ford, Larry D. Horner/KPMG Peat Marwick Teaching Professor of Professional Accounting.

CROSSWORD PUZZLE SOLUTION Puzzle appears on page 21.

Ann Reisner Jacobson came to the United States in 1939 from Austria; her family was among the last Jews to leave for the U.S. She attended high school in Kansas City, Mo. She earned a bachelor’s degree in modern languages from the University of Kansas City (now University of Missouri-Kansas City), and she spoke four languages. She earned a master’s degree in social work at KU in 1967. She came to be a central figure in Kansas City social and community development. She started a program intended to reduce prejudice against Japanese Americans, and she worked as executive director of both the Kansas City United Way and the only African American agency in the city at the time, the George Washington Carver Neighborhood Center. Her work led President Nixon to appoint her to the board of the National Center for Voluntary Action. When she died in early 2014, her estate created an award fund for a first-year master’s student in social work; she had received and appreciated such an award herself.

Paul Roofe earned a bachelor’s degree in agronomy from Kansas State University in 1924, and a bachelor’s in divinity and Ph.D. in anatomy, both from the University of Chicago. He served as chair of KU’s anatomy department from 1945 to 1962, retiring in 1970. He established a strong graduate program, often welcoming students into the home he shared with his wife, Helen. He was interested in the whole of human experience and encouraged a broad perspective in his students. He held a lifelong interest in the nervous system and its effects on behavior and human interaction. When he died in 1988, he left a charitable gift annuity that first benefited his daughter, Nancy Roofe Dunn, of Lawrence. She died in 2013, and the remainder of the annuity came to KU Endowment. It has established an endowed professorship in sociology and funds to support special collections at the Spencer Research Library and teaching or research regarding the nervous system and behavior.

Estate gifts to benefit KU should be designated for KU Endowment. Please contact Andy Morrison or Dan Almanza in our Office 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

TO WORK THROUGH IT didn’t receive scholarships himself while at KU; he has said he didn’t really know about them then. He certainly knows now.

He and his wife, Kay, of Valdosta, Ga., have made a $1 million gift to establish the Jerry and Kay Jennett Finance Scholars Program in the School of Business.

The gift will provide scholarships for students in the school’s existing Finance Scholars Program.

Jerry is CEO of Georgia Gulf Sulfur Corporation, which manufactures milled sulfur used in fruit agriculture. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business from KU in 1963. Kay, a commercial artist, graduated from the Columbus College of Art and Design.

“I hope that students in the new program will be at least partially working their way through college,” Jerry said.

He certainly did so himself: While attending KU, he was night supervisor

ALUMNUS JERRY JENNETT

WHY I GIVE

“ I am encouraged to help others, because I’ve personally seen how much it matters.

”

—Jerry Jennett

in a warehouse, delivered appliances, painted houses, serviced cars at a gas station, and assisted in the kitchen of the Chi Omega sorority house in return for room and board. In addition, his parents provided what financial assistance they could.

Jerry also recalls an uncle whose high school coach helped him get a college scholarship and even provided a place for him to live. He went into education and had a long, successful career.

Prof. Catherine Shenoy started the Finance Scholars Program in 2005, under the name Jayhawks on Wall Street; it was renamed in 2008. It prepares finance students for successful careers and facilitates their placement in top-tier financial institutions. Scholars have been placed at top financial institutions in New York, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Dallas, London and Mumbai.

This is the second scholarship fund the Jennetts have established for KU. In 2010, they provided $200,000 to KU Endowment to establish a scholarship in the School of Business for undergraduates who work for or hold internships with KU Athletics.

— Lisa Scheller

Finance scholars attending a trip to Wall Street.

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KU GIVING | SUMMER 2014

TOP: COURTESY OF JERRY JENNETT; BOTTOM: COURTESY OF PROF. CATHY SHENOY

Alumnus creates scholarship for finance scholars

THE FINISHING TOUCH Gift will support design studios, scholarships at the School of Engineering of Garmin International, Inc., has made a $1 million gift through the Kao Family Foundation to support programs and scholarships at the KU School of Engineering. Half of the gift will create the Min H. Kao Engineering Design Studios, and half will establish the Garmin Excellence Scholarship in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. In addition, a mentoring program will be established between KU engineering students and engineers at Garmin.

The studios will support senior capstone courses in electrical engineering and computer science. These courses are the culmination of the program, the bridge between the classroom and industry. Seniors work in teams to design, build and analyze systems that adhere to industry standards, while gaining communication and presentation experience.

Glenn Prescott, chair of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, said, “Dr. Kao’s generous support of the studios will strengthen our capstone experiences for students, enhancing learning and industry readiness. Capstone courses require seniors to use their full knowledge as they design a project prior to graduation, and are critical to a graduate’s early success in the workforce. Providing a state-of-the-art workspace, such as these design studios, will be a definite advantage.”

R. STEVE DICK/MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS

DR. MIN KAO,

WHY I GIVE

“ Ensuring a highly-skilled engineering workforce is vital to the future of Garmin, the state of Kansas and our nation as a whole. I am delighted to support the University of Kansas in its mission to educate its students and to encourage engineering and technology innovation.

This gift adds to Dr. Kao’s past support for the KU School of Engineering, which exceeds $500,000 to date in scholarships. He is co-founder and executive chairman of Garmin Ltd., with U.S. headquarters located in Olathe, Kan. He earned a doctorate in electrical engineering from the University of Tennessee.

— Lisa Scheller

”

—Dr. Min Kao

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Three among

many

Scholarships create opportunity

BY VALERIE GIELER AND CHARLES HIGGINSON PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARK MCDONALD

KANSAS GRANDMOTHER COMPLETING HER NURSING DEGREE ONLINE — A 15-YEAR-OLD COLLEGE FRESHMAN WHO CONDUCTS RESEARCH AND PLAYS THE CELLO — A PEER LEADERSHIP MENTOR FROM OKLAHOMA WHO ENVISIONS A CAREER IN PUBLIC SERVICE — WHAT DO THEY HAVE IN COMMON?

This isn’t a trick question, but the answer might surprise you: These three KU undergraduates are able to follow their dreams here thanks to the scholarships they receive. And just a few minutes spent talking with them reveals even more similarities: Passion. Gratitude. Ambition. A genuine desire to use what they learn to help others.

Private philanthropy makes it possible for nearly 6,000 deserving students to pursue an education at the state’s flagship university. On the following pages, meet three of them: Alina Zheng, Debra Taylor and Evan Traylor.

Without scholarships, many KU students would not be able to complete their degrees. Others would graduate with unmanageable debt. Others might not be here at all. We are proud that one in four students receives support — but we could triple the amount and still not meet all needs.

Far Above: The Campaign for Kansas seeks to dramatically increase four-year-renewable scholarships regardless of major. So far, donors to the campaign have created 317 scholarships; however, unmet need remains.

To boost KU’s ability to enroll and graduate deserving students, contact Dan Simon, dsimon@kuendowment.org or 785-832-7378, or visit kuendowment.org/scholarships.

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KU GIVING | SUMMER 2014

ALINA ZHENG, LAWRENCE, KAN. CLASS OF 2017 MAJORS: POLITICAL SCIENCE, MECHANICAL ENGINEERING COCA COLA SCHOLARSHIP, JOHN LONNBORG SCHOLARSHIP, FRANK G. CROWELL SCHOLARSHIP, ROBERT M. CAREY SCHOLARSHIP 15 YEARS OLD; HAS PLAYED CARNEGIE HALL TWICE

I really like the opportunities here, especially in the Honors Program. My dad works at KU and we live here, so it just made sense. I’m doing some research right now, and that’s another reason I chose KU. When I was a senior in high school, I got involved with the QuarkNet Program, so the summer after I graduated I did research for Dr. David Besson. Now that I’m a KU student, I just get to continue working on the same project.”

“I’m double-majoring in mechanical engineering and political science. I actually plan to attend law school, and a lot of degrees in law require a science degree to practice, so I figured, for patent law and that sort of thing it would be useful to know how products work. Mechanical engineering seemed like a good fit.

I chose the political science major because I am hoping for a career in international relations, particularly in China. My parents moved here from Shanghai, and we have family there. Ever since I was a child I’ve been interested and involved in what’s going on over there. I’m studying abroad this summer in Beijing. I plan to get deeper language proficiency so I can understand the politics and culture better.

I CHOSE KU BECAUSE

Basically, scholarships have made it so I’m able to continue my education.

Without them, I probably wouldn’t be able to continue with music. It’s rather an expensive hobby to keep going. My cello teacher is a KU professor, Edward Laut, and he has a little cello ensemble.

We meet once a week. And I also take private lessons from him once a week.

Mr. Laut found a cello that was good for, not a professional, but more for a student who has some ability to develop. It was more affordable.

Money’s tight these days.

I’ve had a lot of good experiences at KU. Recently I became an Honors Ambassador. At the spring reception we had the seniors who were already accepted into the Honors Program coming into the Union, and we tried to convince them to come to KU. It was a lot of fun. I actually attended that reception last year when I was an accepted senior, and it was great to let them know about all the opportunities at KU. Knowing how it was to be in their shoes, and to be able to help them out, was great.

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DEBRA TAYLOR, PRATT, KAN. CLASS OF 2015 MAJOR: ONLINE RN-TO-BSN PROGRAM ONLINE NURSING EDUCATION SCHOLARSHIP, FALL 2013 & SPRING 2014 WITH GRANDDAUGHTER ADDILYNN TAYLOR

because I had financial responsibility for three children. My husband was ill for years, unable to contribute much to the household; he passed away in 2009. I have also changed career paths from hospital nursing to teaching nursing students, and continuing my education is no longer an option but a necessity.

My youngest son is a 2011 KU graduate, and my daughter just finished her sophomore year at KU. So, KU was the first place I looked for my bachelor’s degree. My associate’s degree in nursing from Pratt Community College is now 25 years old, so I was concerned I would have to retake numerous courses, but KU did not require this. To me, there was no decision, and I was thrilled when I received my acceptance letter into the KU School of Nursing!

I attended a football game last fall and was able to purchase a student ticket and had to pass through the student gate. Two young men tried to redirect me through another gate. I was not insulted; I was quite proud to be able to pass through the student gate as an official student.

I COULDN’T PURSUE MY DEGREE BEFORE NOW

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KU GIVING | SUMMER 2014

There are truly not appropriate words to express my appreciation for my scholarships.

When I began teaching, I took a significant pay cut, and I still provide support to one of my children. The scholarships have meant I have had to incur fewer student loans.

They are a true blessing to a non-traditional, middle-aged student with limited financial resources.

I plan to continue teaching incoming, first-level nursing students. I have 23 years of hospital nursing experience to share, and a strong work ethic to pass on. I feel I can make a significant difference in the quality of nurses who graduate from the program I am involved with.

Barring unforeseen circumstances, I will graduate in May 2015, and I fully intend to walk down the Hill to the cheers of my granddaughter, children, parents and siblings!

And I intend to continue working for a master’s degree.

EVAN TRAYLOR, EDMOND, OKLA. CLASS OF 2016 MAJOR: POLITICAL SCIENCE; MINORS: JEWISH STUDIES, LEADERSHIP STUDIES UNIVERSITY SCHOLARS PROGRAM SCHOLARSHIP PAST PRESIDENT, NORTH AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEMPLE YOUTH, A JEWISH YOUTH MOVEMENT

so I’ve visited the KU campus area all my life. I grew up a Jayhawk fan for sure. I wanted to get away from home a little bit, and KU is far enough but not too far. My junior year I came for a visit, and it was absolutely pouring down rain, so we had to take our tour in a bus, but I thought I definitely could go to school here. So I applied, got admitted, got a scholarship, got accepted to the KU Honors Program, and after those things came together, it pretty much made my decision. KU was the only school I applied to.

AP U.S. History in high school really sparked my interest in politics, government, keeping up with what’s going on in the United States and the world. What really interests me is helping people and making sure our system works to serve our citizens well. I picture a career in public service, working in a department or an agency looking at different policies and administrative roles and seeing how we can make sure our policies really work well for our country.

I’m an intern at KU Hillel, one of the Jewish organizations on campus. I’m also an Honors Program Ambassador, talking I HAVE FAMILY IN KANSAS CITY,

with prospective students and parents about the Honors Program, and really anything about KU. I’m also a peer leadership consultant in the Student Involvement and Leadership Center. We work with student organizations. They identify what they want to improve, whether it’s communication, growing membership, time management, any number of things, and we help them achieve those goals.

I lived on the sixth floor of Ellsworth last year, and we really created a community. It turned into, let’s meet for dinner every day at 6 o’clock, and you’ll have at least 15 friends who want to go. They’re still the friends I connect with, and I’m living with one of them now. That was a great experience.

I love the idea that KU, an entire institution, selected me and is investing in me, with expectations.

You have to take a certain number of hours and maintain a certain GPA — that really is powerful.

It’s a great opportunity.

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to drive economic growth

ithout highly educated workers, businesses cannot reach their full potential. In dozens of ways, Far Above: The Campaign for Kansas is helping our state and region compete successfully in today’s increasingly global, knowledge-based economy.

Our academic medical center, known for effective education, research and patient care, also drives economic activity. The University of Kansas Cancer Center will soon seek comprehensive designation by the National Cancer Institute. Designation efforts already have created 1,830 jobs and counting; economic benefit has reached $930 million, which extends statewide through the Midwest Cancer Alliance.



STRONG MEDICINE —



TECHNICAL EXCELLENCE —



SIMPLY GOOD BUSINESS —

New buildings, both built and planned, will provide contemporary research space where our students and faculty can explore and innovate. One example is the planned Earth, Energy and Environment Center, which will integrate geology, petroleum engineering, exploration and environmental science.

Near right: Giselle Anatol, associate professor of English, teaches a class at the Edwards Campus in Kansas City. With recent expansions, the campus is expected to generate more than $1 billion in regional economic benefit over the next two decades.

Center right: Together, the Bioscience and Technology Business Centers in Lawrence and Kansas City are the largest incubators for small businesses in the midwest.

Far right: Recent expansions in Wichita and Salina of the schools of medicine and pharmacy are estimated to produce economic benefit totaling $80 million annually.

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KU GIVING | SUMMER 2014

DAVID MCKINNEY/KU MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS

Companies will stay in Kansas, move here, or start here, because of the globally savvy people coming out of the School of Business. The new RedTire program keeps existing businesses alive statewide by connecting retiring small-business owners with new graduates ready for opportunity.

Aerospace engineering students fabricate parts for what will be the largest airborne ice-sensing radar array ever built anywhere.

They’re working in the Composite Materials Lab in the Measurement, Materials and Sustainable Environment Center. KU and donors to KU Endowment provided $12.3 million for the building, along with a $12.3 million grant from the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

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RANDY TOBIAS

STEVE PUPPE

BRIAN GOODMAN

COMMENCEMENT COUNTUP

Commencement is the university’s premier academic event — part ceremony, part acknowledgment, part party, part downhill walk. Preparations for Commencement begin … well, the day after the previous year’s Commencement. Like numerous campus events, Commencement and related activities are enhanced by the Greater KU Fund, KU Endowment’s flagship unrestricted fund. Herewith, numbers related to this year’s Commencement, Sunday, May 18.

4,450 candidates for degrees, 2014

50 10

related recognition ceremonies over 24 days

number of living KU alumni after this May

37˚ 91˚

4

record low and high temperatures for the day (1895; 1956 & 1988)

number of school-specific bachelor’s degree tassel colors

142 commencements in KU’s history

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342,350+

KU GIVING | SUMMER 2014

number of degrees awarded at first commencement, June 11, 1873

360+ academic units represented among graduates

900+

78

number of legacy graduates

Phi Beta Kappa graduates

$5,000 gift from Class of 2014, for Jayhawk Boulevard renovations (to match gift from Class of 2013)

426 loans made by KU Endowment to graduating seniors

414 dozen cookies baked by Union Catering

72 19

age of oldest graduate

age of youngest graduate

20,000 programs printed

94 47 71

Kansas counties home to graduates

states home to graduates (plus Puerto Rico and District of Columbia)

countries home to graduates

90 number of commemorative bricks added to KU’s Legacy Walk this year

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ACROSS KU

WHERE BUSINESS IS GOING on a new fourstory building on Naismith Drive to house the KU School of Business.

Architecture and design plans have been finalized for the building. Donors already have contributed about $62 million in gifts and pledges for construction. The building has been named Capitol Federal Hall in recognition of a $20 million gift from the Capitol Federal Foundation. It is expected to open for classes in 2016.

“Whether you gave $20 or $20 million, the School of Business is humbled by your support,” said Dean Neeli Bendapudi at a ceremonial groundbreaking in October.

“This new building will inspire collaboration of all kinds, and will allow us to attract top students and faculty for many years to come.”

The project’s principal architect is 1997 KU architecture alumnus Dave Broz, of

CONSTRUCTION IS IMMINENT

Gensler, a Chicago-based global architecture, design and planning firm.

The building will face west across Naismith Drive toward the planned DeBruce Center next to Allen Fieldhouse. It will include 19 classrooms, 202 offices and two auditoriums in a modern space with ample natural light and views. North and south wings will meet at a central atrium. Many of its features will encourage interaction between students and faculty; administrative, advising and faculty offices will have full view of labs and classrooms.

“We want students to feel comfortable sticking around, working and socializing,” said Jim Guthrie, William and Judy Docking Professor of Business and co-chair of the building committee. “We don’t want to them feel like they have to disappear after their classes.”

— Jessica Sain-Baird

GENSLER

MORE Learn more about the project: newbuilding.business.ku.edu.

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KU GIVING | SUMMER 2014

THE BEES ARE BACK IN TOWN WHEN A BRUTAL SNOWSTORM SLAMMED Lawrence last February, it

wiped out the observational bee colony in the KU Museum of Natural History. For months, the bee tree, one of the museum’s most popular exhibits, remained hollow and silent.

Now the buzz is back, once again giving visitors the chance to meet KU’s six-legged residents up close. On May 9, a new queen and

AWARD HONORS LONG KU CAREER

her colony moved into the hive on the sixth floor of Dyche Hall. A KU alumna made an anonymous donation to buy three pounds of bees, in

THE JAMES K. HITT AWARD recognizes out-

honor of Lawrence B. and Frances Moore of Lawrence.

standing research by undergraduate students

Aside from the thrill of seeing the inner workings of a beehive

in the Honors Program. The award, named in

without risking a sting, the bee tree has become an essential teaching

honor of the late James K. Hitt, was estab-

tool at the museum. “Visitors identify strongly with the bee colony,”

lished in 2011 by his son, Alan B. Hitt, and his

said Jennifer Humphrey, communications director of the Biodiversity

daughter and son-in-law, Nancy Hitt Clark and

Institute. “The exhibit inspires children and families to think about how

David Clark.

they can help encourage more pollinators, including bees, by limit-

The award is presented each year at

ing the use of pesticides and planting flowers and other plants that

the Undergraduate Research Symposium,

attract pollinators.”

an event that celebrates the diversity of

After months of silence, visitors again can watch the worker bees

research and creative activities at KU. Eight

whir back to the hive after gathering food for the colony while also

students have been honored with the $500

pollinating our local landscape. Next time you’re near the Natural

award since 2012.

History Museum, stop by the bee colony, get a buzz — and thank the bees for keeping Kansas in bloom.

—Rachel Meyers

Mitchell Newton, a chemistry student who will graduate in 2016, researches seizure activity in the brain with the goal to identify therapies or cures for people with epilepsy.

He received the award this spring.

“I rely upon private scholarships and funds for continued research,” Newton said. “The Hitt Award helped fund my research and get the word out about what I do.”

James Hitt earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics in 1934 and a master’s in mathematics in 1936, both at KU. As an undergraduate, he was a Summerfield scholar, ROTC member and a member of several honors societies, including Phi Beta Kappa. Hitt served as a KU administrator for more than 30 years. When he retired in 1977, he was given

BOTTOM: BRIAN GOODMAN / TOP: STEVE PUPPE

the title University Registrar Emeritus. He died in January 2011.

“KU is important to our whole family,” Nancy Hitt Clark said. “My brother, Alan, and I can think of no better way to honor our father than to challenge and encourage young scholars at KU.” —Jessica Sain-Baird

KUENDOWMENT.ORG

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ACROSS KU

Rendering of the DeBruce Center, with Allen Fieldhouse at left.

HOUSE RULES and the entire university,” Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little said. The 200 people gathered under a clear early May sky couldn’t have agreed more.

The occasion was a ceremonial groundbreaking for a new 32,000-square-foot, three-story building that will adjoin the northeast corner of Allen Fieldhouse.

The building will house a display of the original “Rules of BasketBall,” handwritten by James Naismith in 1891. It also will include a 320-seat student activity center, including retail dining, café seating and an event space. Construction is scheduled to be completed in late 2015.

The building will be named the DeBruce Center in recognition of a gift from the DeBruce Foundation last year, which kick-started the project. Foundation director Paul DeBruce graduated from KU in 1973 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration.

The facility will be funded solely from private gifts.

“IT’S A GREAT DAY FOR KANSAS BASKETBALL

18

KU GIVING | SUMMER 2014

Men’s basketball coach Bill Self pointed from the podium toward the Fieldhouse and said, “It’s no longer debatable that this is the foremost college basketball home court in the country. This will ensure that Kansas basketball continues on for the next 50 years as strong as it has for the last 115 years.”

KU alumnus David Booth and his wife, Suzanne Deal Booth, of Austin, Texas, purchased Naismith’s original basketball rules at auction and offered to display the document at the university. That purchase catalyzed planning for the new center, and ultimately the DeBruce gift.

— Charles Higginson

TOP RENDERING: GOULDEVANS. PHOTOGRAPH: STEVE PUPPE

Coach Bill Self, Paul DeBruce, Coach Bonnie Henrickson

THE POWER OF PARTNERSHIP

has launched the University of Kansas Medical Center’s plans to build a $75 million health education building in Kansas City, Kan. The total cost will be met through a combination of state bonds, university funds and private philanthropy. In April, the Kansas Legislature approved $25 million in construction bonds. KU will provide $15 million, and KU Endowment will raise the remaining $10 million.

“We are pleased to partner with the state of Kansas and university to build a state-of-the-art health education building,’’ said Don Hall, chairman of the Hall Family Foundation. “We applaud the governor and Legislature for their support, and we particularly thank Fred Logan and the Board of Regents for their leadership. This building is key to realizing the vision of Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little, Executive Vice Chancellor Doug Girod, and hospital President and CEO Bob Page to create a leading educational, research and clinical health care enterprise.”

The KU School of Medicine trains 211 medical students annually across all of its campuses in Kansas City, Kan., Wichita and Salina. The new building will enable the school to increase that total by 50 students to help meet the state’s needs. Currently, 89 of the state’s 105 counties are medically underserved, and it is estimated that 30 percent of the current physician workforce will retire or otherwise leave their medical practices within the next decade.

Over the years, the Hall Family Foundation has supported several disciplines at KU, including the life sciences, humanities, business and biology. The foundation’s support was instrumental in KU’s achievement of National Cancer Institute designation, as well as the establishment of the Hall Center for the Humanities.

— Lisa Scheller A $25 MILLION LEAD GIFT FROM THE HALL FAMILY FOUNDATION

LISA SCHELLER

Several members of the Hall Family Foundation celebrated the chancellor’s leadership in creating a partnership among KU, the state of Kansas and private philanthropy to fund the new building.

Among them were Chairman Donald J. Hall and daughter Margaret Hall Pence; to her left is her husband, Keith Pence.

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19

KU VOICES

TEACHING, RESEARCH AND SERVICE The three traditional roles of faculty fit Janet Pierce to a T

joined the faculty of the KU School of Nursing in 1991. After serving 25 years in the U.S. Naval Reserves, she retired as Captain in 2012.

Among other awards, she has won the Chancellor’s Award for Outstanding Classroom Teacher, the Kemper Teaching Fellowship Award and the Phyllis Keeney Lawrence Teaching Award. Last year, she was named the Christine A. Hartley Centennial Professor of Nursing. Her research focuses primarily on cardio-pulmonary measures to address illness management related to hemorrhagic shock.

Dr. Qiuhua Shen, left, worked with Dr. Janet Pierce during her postdoctoral fellowship at KU.

HOW DID YOU BECOME INTERESTED IN YOUR RESEARCH FOCUS?

In U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, many military service members have experienced hemorrhagic shock. I was interested in finding ways to reduce the secondary injury caused when a person loses 40 percent or more of their blood volume. We began by investigating ubiquinol, a form of a coenzyme, used as an antioxidant to reduce reperfusion injury, the damage caused when blood flow is restored.

WHEN YOU SIGNED UP FOR THE NAVAL RESERVES, DID YOU ENVISION STAYING INVOLVED FOR 25 YEARS?

When I signed up, I did not think about how many years I would serve. My husband had been on active duty in the Navy and was also a Naval Reservist. He was my role model and mentor. He taught me many things from how to wear my uniform to the proper way to address a senior officer. I decided to stay 20

KU GIVING | SUMMER 2014

because I was useful to my shipmates and I enjoyed the military culture. I found myself wanting to be a nurse caring for military personnel and their families.

WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO KU MEDICAL CENTER?

I came here because I felt this was an excellent School of Nursing and I had an opportunity to be involved in interdisciplinary research. The freedom to teach and conduct research with other disciplines makes the school stand out.

HOW DO YOUR TEACHING AWARDS REFLECT YOUR PHILOSOPHY AND DEDICATION TO TEACHING AND MENTORING STUDENTS?

Each award is special and reinforces the strategies I use to teach students. It is rewarding to be recognized by students and your colleagues as a mentor and educator. I enjoy helping others and want to stimulate students’ creative and intellectual capacity, because it will ultimately translate to better care of patients. One of my best teaching moments was when a former student came to my office to tell me that they saved someone’s life because of what they learned in class. It does not get better than that!

WHAT HAS IT MEANT TO YOU TO BE NAMED THE HARTLEY PROFESSOR OF NURSING?

It has been a great honor and a privilege to be named to this professorship. Private giving through this and other various avenues has helped me continue my efforts to educate students and conduct research.

AND AS FOR YOUR SPARE TIME?

One of my favorite activities is racquetball. I also like to be on the bank of a river, pond or stream, catching fish.

— Lisa Scheller

COURTESY OF JANET PIERCE

JANET D. PIERCE, PH.D., APRN, CCRN, FAAN,

KU CROSSWORD

HAIL TO OLD KU Test your KU savvy — you’ll need crimson and blue to write at least 15 entries.

1.

5.

9.

14.

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PUZZLE BY BENJAMIN TAUSIG

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Pink, as a steak Broadway opening Race car driver Bobby And others, for short Bad name Hit from waaaaay back First part of an Allen Fieldhouse classic phrase Draws attention to visually, as a bit of text Commercial prefix with vision Smaller amount Requirement for admission to many KU grad programs Maxima maker 1970s haircut also called a “natural” Animation tech. in some modern films Debaucher Second part of an Allen Fieldhouse phrase University of Wisconsin city “Aha!” Door part Prayer starter Olin of “Chocolat” Sundae topper, perhaps F.D.R. program, with “the” $1.2 (Far Above campaign goal) Advantage Graduated from an accredited Kansas high school? 980 on the ?

You’re in.

Certain surgeon’s “patient” Westernmost location of our School of Medicine Astronaut Grissom Drops from the sky Tivo ancestor Subject of the 2003 book Power Failure Don’t go through it before you graduate Early wheels Two flags fly Fraser Hall Soon, to a bard Caligula playwright Albert Like a busybody Baker’s dozen?

Solution on page 5

Across

Down 1.

“Cosby Show” episodes now, e.g.

2.

Muscular weakness

3.

One judging by color

4.

Bugling beast

5.

Bloodless

6.

KU’s largest acad. unit

7.

City on the Arkansas River

8.

Aggravate

9.

Drink named after a Scottish hero

10. Soothing plant 11. “The good cholesterol” 12. KU Endowment provides more than $32 million in student financial

annually

13. Guitarist Paul 18. “The Nutcracker” lead 22. Starbucks order 24. 31-Across, famously, is one for KU 26. Greenland coastal feature 27. Beer quantity 28. Ifill of PBS 29. Big furniture retailer

32. Group that builds the Jewish student community at KU 34. KU benefactors who make everything better 35. “Mr. Belvedere” actress Graff 36. Boar’s mate 38. Classified information?

39. Solo at the opera 40. Change states, in a way 45. “32 Flavors” singer Davis 47. Popular Apple music software 49. Generous practice for 34-Down 50. Clear, as a drain 51. Enclosing characters, casually 54. A Muse 55. cup (baby’s drink holder) 56. End of an Allen Fieldhouse phrase 58. Tori of piano ballads 60. “Yadda, yadda, yadda” 61. Pro-firearm org.

62. Backboard attachment 63. Jail, slangily 64. Dumfries denial

KUENDOWMENT.ORG

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P.O. Box 928 Lawrence, KS 66044-0928

Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Lawrence, Kansas Permit No. 72

LISA SCHELLER

Workers uncovered these trolley tracks while clearing the way for this summer’s Jayhawk Boulevard rebuild. Trolleys connected downtown Lawrence with the central campus from 1910 to 1933. They came up the Mississippi Street hill and passed between Strong Hall, visible on the left, and Bailey Hall, to reach a station on what is now the Stauffer-Flint lawn.

Make a gift to build a greater university at www.kuendowment.org/givetoku