Campus news

Julie Cheslik and her husband, Paul M. Black, provided a $1 million gift through KU Endowment to establish the John P. Black Professorship in History. It was named for their son, a 2022 KU graduate, and provides the opportunity for more students to be taught by top scholars in the field.

The University of Kansas invites news media to cover the university’s Commencement ceremony May 12 for the Class of 2024. News media photographers will need KU credentials to shoot from the photo pen on the Campanile plaza and to get inside the stadium.

The Lawrence campus aesthetic plays a key role in recruiting, and the KU landscaping team works to create a beautiful and welcoming environment for students, employees and visitors.

The University of Kansas community is mourning Morris “Morrie” Faiman, longtime faculty member, who died April 23. He was 91. Faiman joined KU’s Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology in 1965.

The university has honored KU Lawrence employees for outstanding service for the months of January, February and March.

The Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research has awarded $7,500 in funding this spring for student research to be conducted this year. Seven students will receive assistance through the research center’s 2024 Student Research Awards.

Belinda Sturm will be the final candidate for the vice chancellor for research position to share her vision and strategies for the future of research and discovery at KU. Her public presentation will take place at 2:30 May 1 in the 1502 Building Auditorium. The event will also be livestreamed

Taylor Roth began working at KU’s Center for Public Partnerships & Research in August 2023, freshly off a postdoctoral position focused on translating research to policymakers. Colleagues describe Roth as passionate about supporting families of children with disabilities and having taken a keen interest in policy.

Editor's note, April 26: This event has been canceled due to expected inclement weather. The event will be moved to fall 2024, with a new date announced after Sept. 1.

Annie Chuning, Kara Hageman, Natalie Lind and Luke Parker were each honored for their exceptional research and presentations at an event that assembles the top graduate student researchers in the state of Kansas. Their work delved into topics including the effects of food insecurity on rural Kansans' health and solutions to orthopedic joint infections.