KU Endowment board elections

The KU Endowment Board of Trustees elected several alumni as leaders at their annual meeting in September. David B. Dillon was elected as chair and William R. Docking as vice chair. John G. Brandmeyer and Gayle A. Sims were chosen as new trustees.

A gift for languages

Established in the fall of 2014, the KU School of Languages, Literatures & Cultures has received a $247,000 gift from the estate of Helen Brownson to support scholarships. A Kansas native, Brownson studied French, German and Spanish, earning her bachelor’s from KU in 1938. A pioneer in the field of information science, Brownson dedicated her life to public service as a federal employee.

New Center for Construction Safety

A $3.5 million gift from KU alumnus Craig Martin and his wife, Diane, of Pasadena, Calif., established the Craig & Diane Martin National Center for Construction Safety. Based in KU’s civil engineering department, the center advances safety management, research and development with the goal of directly improving safety outcomes and productivity in the construction industry. Martin graduated in 1972 with a bachelor’s in civil engineering and later earned an MBA at the University of Denver. He retired from Jacobs Engineering Group in 2015, where he worked for nearly a decade as its CEO. “I would like to thank the Martins for their generosity and ingenuity in creating a center that will put KU in the national spotlight for innovation in construction safety leadership,” said KU Chancellor Douglas A. Girod.

Lectureship honors late professor

The inaugural R. Neil Schimke, M.D. Lectureship welcomed KU alumna, Dr. Louanne Hudgins, as its featured speaker in September. Hudgins, who was mentored by Schimke, is a national leader in genetics at Stanford University. Schimke was a KU alumnus and a KU Medical Center Professor of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics who died in 2016. He had expertise as both a clinical geneticist and endocrinologist for more than 40 years with over 180 medical publications on topics as broad as cancer, birth defects, endocrinology, heart disease, kidney disease, connective tissue conditions and developmental delay. More than 45 donors have contributed to the fund.

Self Fellows continue KU education

Thanks to the generosity of two late KU benefactors, Madison “Al” and Lila Self, the inaugural class of Self Graduating Senior Fellows started earning their graduate degrees last fall. The fellowship recognizes outstanding undergraduate seniors who have been accepted into a master’s or doctoral degree program at KU. The selected students receive $10,000 and participate in professional development.

KPR raises $327,000

Kansas Public Radio, the Kansas Association of Broadcasters 2018 Station of the Year, raised $327,000 during their fall membership drive. In 2017, state budget cuts to higher education resulted in a reduction of $200,000 to KPR’s budget, so private support is more important than ever.

Tech company supports future of blockchain

A $2 million gift from the Silicon Valley financial technology company Ripple will support a KU program to research technologies related to blockchain, cryptocurrency and digital payments. It will advance research in the Information and Telecommunication Technology Center at the KU School of Engineering. Ripple’s $50 million University Blockchain Research Initiative began in 2018 with 17 universities; KU is part of the second wave of eight universities.

“There are 2 billion people worldwide who do not have a bank account or access to a financial institution,” said Brad Garlinghouse, Ripple CEO and KU alumnus. “Financial inclusion is key to reducing poverty, and technology, specifically blockchain, could play a huge role in solving this global issue.”

Honors at Edwards Campus

Academically gifted students in Kansas City have new opportunities through the KU Edwards Campus Honors Program. An extension of KU’s top-ranked University Honors Program, students take specifically designed courses, participate in hands-on learning, and receive personalized advising to help them succeed.

Wind powered by 2020

KU will become the first university in Kansas to be entirely powered by wind. Westar Energy will provide the Lawrence campus with 31 megawatts of energy from a wind farm in Nemaha County. It is expected to be operational by the end of 2020. The contract will potentially save KU as much as half a million dollars the first year.

You said it

“I am giving on behalf of my late father who was a KU grad and avid KU football and basketball fan.”

Laura Bailey, Charlotte, N.C. | 1990 KU alumna

“I am supporting this fund because as a graduate student in the Department of Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology, I was the initial recipient of the William King Candlin Award.”

Jerry Mitchell, Detroit, Mich. | doctorate in comparative biochemistry and physiology 1969

“I’m giving to the Laurence G. Long scholarship fund. It was set up after my brother’s death to benefit a student of the trombone.”

John Long, Evanston, Ill. | bachelor’s in civil engineering 1971

“This is being given to sponsor the Humanities Think Tank.”

Adam Wray, Kirkland, Wash. | bachelor’s in English 1993