Leading researcher on hope to bring Hope Day tour to KU

LAWRENCE – Shane Lopez, a positive psychologist and the world’s pre-eminent expert on hope, will bring his Hope Day tour to the University of Kansas, where he will meet with faculty, administrators and student leaders on how hope drives well-being, achievement and professional development.

KU’s Hope Day will take place March 27 in the Kansas Room of the Union. The series of events will begin at 2:30 p.m., with a session for KU faculty, staff and administrators. At 4 p.m., Lopez will lead a development session with student leaders from across KU’s campus.

“The science of hope shows that how we think about the future is a key determinant of success in school, work and life,” said Lopez, a Gallup senior scientist and professor of the practice at the University of Kansas School of Business. His research indicates that hopeful thoughts and behavior are crucial for well-being and success, regardless of income level or IQ. Lopez has made it his mission to teach people that investing in their future pays off today.

His new book, “Making Hope Happen: Create the Future You Want for Yourself and Others,” released this month by Atria Books, provides an accessible guideline for mobilizing the power of hope in every area of your life – and for communicating that hope to others. Copies of his book will be available for purchase at the event.

The Hope Day tour will include events at Kansas State University, the University of Missouri and the University of Minnesota, among other institutions. Lopez also will host a community event, Making Hope Happen in Our City, 7 p.m. March 28 at the Lawrence Arts Center.

Lopez is chief architect of the Gallup Student Poll, which measures the hope of hundreds of thousands of students each year, and research director for the Clifton Strengths Institute. He has published seven professional books, including the Encyclopedia of Positive Psychology.

KU’s Hope Day is sponsored by the KU School of Business and KU’s Office of First-Year Experience, which was established in 2012 to support first-year students through programs, including Orientation, Hawk Week, KU Common Book, PRE 101, First-Year Seminars and other initiatives implemented as part of Bold Aspirations.

Lopez holds a doctorate in counseling psychology from KU, where he spent 10 years as a professor of education. In 2006, Lopez received KU’s W.T. Kemper Fellowship for Teaching Excellence, which recognizes outstanding teachers and advisers.

He is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association. Lopez’s extended biography can be viewed online.

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