KU Endowment celebrates 125th anniversary

Jeff Weinberg, a KU alumnus, a trustee of the Jedel Family Trust and one of the honorees for whom the fund is named, was a cousin of the late Harrison Jedel.

Weinberg served the university in several capacities before retiring in 2014 and returning to KU as an Honors Fellow in the University Honors Program. He came to KU in 1970 as Assistant Director of Student Financial Aid and was subsequently named assistant vice chancellor for Student Affairs. He served as assistant to Chancellor Robert Hemenway, a role he held for Hemenway’s entire chancellorship and then continued under current Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little.

Harrison Jedel was a Kansas City, Mo., native. He served in the U.S. Army, and upon graduation from the University of Oklahoma joined his family business in Kansas City. He died in September of this year.

“Harrison Jedel knew there were exceptional opportunities open to students who were admitted to the KU Honors Program,” Weinberg said. “This fund will allow students to enhance their education, and their lives, by participating in such activities.”

C. Bryan Young, director and associate professor with the University Honors Program, said the support will enable transformative opportunities for students in engineering and the pre-medical field, such as study abroad, conference attendance and participation in substantial service activities.

“We are so grateful for the generosity of Harrison Jedel and the trustees of the Jedel Family Foundation,” Young said. “This gift is a wonderful tribute to Jeff Weinberg and recognizes his commitment to the students in the KU Honors Program.”