Glorious to view: How generosity transforms KU’s beauty

July 24, 2026

By Rylie Oswald

Tadpoles and fish dart under the surface of KU’s recently restored Potter Lake. People stroll by on the sidewalk; others gather on the overlooking bench and the overarching bridge. Potter has been the center of many Jayhawk memories, but this version is only possible because of the generosity of Bill and Marlene Penny, both KU alumni, who made a gift for the pond’s restoration, completed in 2025.

People have been enjoying Potter Lake at the University of Kansas for 115 years. Originally meant to be a water source for firefighting, it has worn many hats since 1911. Potter has been the site of cardboard boat races, goal post dunking after a winning game and – though not recommended – ice skating.

However, because of its long history as a KU staple, it was in need of improvements. Before the restoration, Potter had become a “maintenance nightmare,” said Shawn Harding, director of facility services at KU.

Harding said some people like an overgrown look for a pond – like lily pads and weeds –while others do not, and facilities was tasked with striking the balance in between. Maintaining the pond’s overgrowth became difficult. Lily pads and algae, while visually appealing, can also disrupt a pond’s ecosystem by covering too much of the surface, reducing oxygen levels for aquatic life and blocking sunlight for underwater plants.

“There were plants and weeds along the edges,” Harding said. “We had water seeping through the dam. It was seeping into the pumphouse, and then the pumphouse was failing. Algae and lily pads were really bad.”

The Pennys’ gift kickstarted restoration on the pond, which was dredged and made deeper so that nuisances like algae and lily pads are less likely to crop up. New plantings – shrubs, flowers, ground cover – adorn the surrounding area, and a seawall lines the banks to prevent erosion. This gift also acts as a springboard for even more advancements. More plans are underway to enhance the pond’s landscaping and stonework, supported by a LaunchKU fund.

For Mark Reiske, director of facility planning and development at KU, the gift represents the care and fondness Jayhawks have for campus beauty, as well as the value of philanthropy.

“The Pennys didn’t have to give to Potter Lake, but everyone loves Potter Lake,” Reiske said. “Bill and Marlene have a profound love of Potter and the university, and now everyone else has that same love when they come back and enjoy something that we could have easily lost. Because of their gift, it’s now good for many, many years to come.”

Jeff Preuss, project manager and landscape architect at KU, has more plans for Potter. A project is underway to create an arboretum unifying the Memorial Campanile, Marvin Grove and Potter Lake into one park. A flowering tree area used to exist between Potter and Marvin Grove but had been lost over time, and Preuss wants to bring it back.

For this project, Preuss is also aiming to achieve level II arboretum accreditation, which is awarded by ArbNet, an international arboretum network, to green spaces that are the home to at least 100 labeled species of plants. Marvin Grove currently has 45 species. Flora native to Lawrence would be planted in this area, and Preuss has plans to make the grove an interactive experience. Visitors will be invited to use an app that will identify the tree or flower they are looking at and highlight information and facts.

Preuss enlisted the help of Craig Freeman, senior scientist at the Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research, and KU ecology students to determine which plants would be at home in the arboretum.

“We created a list of what is truly unique and native to our area, and so moving forward, we would only replant with these specific woody plants,” Preuss said. “We would not remove the non-natives that are there. We’ll let them go to their end of life, but the overall concept would be to have a place where people could come to see what’s truly native to Kansas and best represents our landscape.”

Campus landscaping is an important part of what makes KU beautiful. During One Day One KU, the university’s annual 24-hour giving day in late April, the unrestricted landscaping manager fund raised over $20,000. This supports landscaping tool and equipment replacement, as well as planting more native species across campus. These efforts also allow for more sustainability, as some non-native plants on campus attract bagworms and need to be treated with pest-control spray, Harding said.

“We don’t like to use pesticides of any kind on campus,” Harding said. “We avoid them whenever we possibly can. So, a grass or a perennial – something that looks better, performs better – is more sustainable without needing a lot of input.”

Beloved campus locations like Marvin Grove and Potter Lake carry generations of memories, and gifts of any amount ensure these spaces continue flourishing for years to come, Reiske said.

Jayhawks can support campus beautification by giving funds for a tree; a gift of $3,000 covers a replacement tree and up to two years of care to ensure the tree is set up to thrive.

“I think sometimes people don’t give because they think, ‘I don’t have $50,000 or $100,000,’ but there’s a lot of ways to give without that,” Reiske said. “We’re blessed by people who love the University of Kansas and want to give back.”

If you are interested in ensuring KU retains its beauty for generations to come, you can give to the unrestricted landscape manager fund. For more information or other ways to give, reach out to Austin Ice, assistant vice president of donor engagement at KU Endowment, at 785-832-7375 or [email protected].

KU Endowment is the independent, nonprofit organization serving as the official fundraising and fund-management foundation for KU. Founded in 1891, KU Endowment is the first foundation of its kind at a U.S. public university.

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July 24, 2026