Featured news at KU


Our top featured stories

Colin Roust holds a keyed bugle
KU Music scholar Colin Roust has published the first “Complete Works” of early 19th century African American bandleader and composer Francis Johnson. The work includes 282 songs, cotillions, quadrilles, waltzes and quick steps that comprised the popular dance music of Johnson’s day.

Other featured news

Colin Roust holds a keyed bugle

Professor’s ‘Complete Works’ preserves music of pioneering African American bandleader

KU Music scholar Colin Roust has published the first “Complete Works” of early 19th century African American bandleader and composer Francis Johnson. The work includes 282 songs, cotillions, quadrilles, waltzes and quick steps that comprised the popular dance music of Johnson’s day.
Illegal drugs and drug paraphernalia of many types litter a table.

Fractured family relationships increase susceptibility for polydrug use, study finds

In a new study, Jarron Saint Onge, professor of sociology at the University of Kansas, examines the relationship between using multiple types of drugs and social inequality among low-income Mexican American women.
Photo of children at Juniper Gardens Children's Center

Long-running research center in Kansas City celebrated in scholarly journal

Juniper Gardens Children’s Project, part of the Life Span Institute at the University of Kansas, is the focus of a special issue of the peer-reviewed journal Education and Treatment of Children.
An image of a person standing next to a treasure chest and a trophy in a pixelated, animated, video game setting.

New book aims to make gamification simple for higher education professionals

Two University of Kansas scholars began using gamification in their teacher prep courses and had enough success that they decided to write a book dedicated to helping other educators with the strategy. The result was "Gamification Made Simple: A Guide for Higher Education Professionals."

Research



Juniper Gardens Children’s Project, part of the Life Span Institute at the University of Kansas, is the focus of a special issue of the peer-reviewed journal Education and Treatment of Children.
Alan Allgeier, Don W. Green Professor of Chemical & Petroleum Engineering, has been named director of the Center for Environmentally Beneficial Catalysis at KU, effective immediately. The CEBC works to develop cleaner, safer, energy-efficient technologies that protect the planet and human health while training the next generation of scientists and engineers.
A photograph of a man holding a sign outside of the Missouri Capital. He is wearing a red T-shirt and holding signs made by Stand Up KC, an organization advocating for better pay for restaurant workers.
Tadeo Weiner Davis, assistant professor of social welfare at the University of Kansas, earned a grant to preserve materials of Stand Up KC, a movement dedicated to earning better pay for fast food and casual restaurant workers, and record oral histories of those involved.

Kansas Communities



A crew from the Kansas Geological Survey, based at the University of Kansas, along with staff from three field offices of the Kansas Department of Agriculture's Division of Water Resources will be in western Kansas to measure groundwater levels the first week of January 2026, weather permitting.
A new initiative led by the Jayhawk Athletic Performance Laboratory helps Kansas high school athletes train smarter, stay healthier and sets the stage for groundbreaking sports science research.
An instructor demonstrates how to complete an exercise.
With new federal funding, a University of Kansas project is expanding access to exercise for people with disabilities. Life Span Institute researcher Lyndsie Koon says the community-based functional fitness program has shown strong results.

Economic Development



The University of Kansas is a powerful engine of economic growth and job creation for the state of Kansas, according to a new study detailing the university’s impact.
The University of Kansas School of Business received a $10 million gift commitment from an anonymous donor that ensures the construction of a new entrepreneurship hub building that benefits the greater KU community by teaching students to solve problems in meaningful ways. The new gift supplements the donor's lead gift of $50 million in 2023.
Kalin Baca shown working in a KU lab in 2023 with professional portrait superimposed over main image.
A recent report from the Institute for Research on Innovation & Science shows more than 7,000 KU research-funded employees leveraged their experience to build careers in all 50 states and the District of Columbia from 2011 to 2023 — and nearly 40% found employment in Kansas.

Student experience and achievement



These wins mark the KU School of Engineering’s 105th and 106th AIAA Design Awards over the past 49 years, more than any other institution in the history of the AIAA.
The University of Kansas debate team of Rose Larson, Milwaukee, and Luna Schultz, Houston, ended the fall semester as the top-ranked team in the country, according to the 2025-26 College Policy Debate Rankings.
Sunrise at Campanile at the University of Kansas
Five KU students who have been actively involved in undergraduate research during their university careers are competing for Barry M. Goldwater Scholarships, regarded as the premier undergraduate award to encourage excellence in science, engineering and mathematics.

Campus news



The Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics has announced the start of its 2026 programming year with a slate of events, programs and exhibits that feature conversations reflecting on the nation’s history, culture and future in honor of America at 250. Programming also will include other timely discussions on public service leadership, world and military history, and socioeconomic issues.
The American Economic Association awarded the 2025 Carolyn Shaw Bell Award to Donna Ginther, Roy A. Roberts & Regents Distinguished Professor of Economics and director of the Institute for Policy & Social Research at the University of Kansas.
David Pittaway and Arash Mafi standing in front of shelves of books.
A gift from alumnus David Pittaway will create the first named deanship at KU. His $8 million gift establishes the David B. Pittaway Deanship in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences as well as two professorships named in honor of his late parents: the Alan Ralph Pittaway Professorship in Chemistry and the JoAnne Kenney Pittaway Professorship in the Humanities.

Latest news

KLETC 351st Basic Training Class

351st Basic Training Class graduates from the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center

After 14 weeks of intensive training, 22 members of the 351st Basic Training Class at the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center graduated, taking the oath of office in front of family, friends, and supporters.
A photograph of a man holding a sign outside of the Missouri Capital. He is wearing a red T-shirt and holding signs made by Stand Up KC, an organization advocating for better pay for restaurant workers.

KU professor leads project to document history, preserve KC-based movement to fight for better restaurant pay

Tadeo Weiner Davis, assistant professor of social welfare at the University of Kansas, earned a grant to preserve materials of Stand Up KC, a movement dedicated to earning better pay for fast food and casual restaurant workers, and record oral histories of those involved.
sunrise

KU nominates 5 students for Goldwater Scholarship

Five KU students who have been actively involved in undergraduate research during their university careers are competing for Barry M. Goldwater Scholarships, regarded as the premier undergraduate award to encourage excellence in science, engineering and mathematics.
Colin Roust holds a keyed bugle

Professor’s ‘Complete Works’ preserves music of pioneering African American bandleader

KU Music scholar Colin Roust has published the first “Complete Works” of early 19th century African American bandleader and composer Francis Johnson. The work includes 282 songs, cotillions, quadrilles, waltzes and quick steps that comprised the popular dance music of Johnson’s day.