Featured news at KU


Our top featured stories

Members of the KU Marching Jayhawks perform in front of a football crowd.
The University of Kansas will announce the recipients of the 2026 Fred Ellsworth Medallion and the 2026 Homecoming Awards at the Oct. 24 football game. The honorees include alumni, volunteers, students and faculty recognized for their leadership, service and commitment to KU.

Other featured news

Headshots Emily Case and Michael Vitevitch over a stylized background including Watson Library.

KU Libraries name 2026 Shulenburger Award recipients, honor contributions to open scholarship

Michael Vitevitch and Emily Casey, two University of Kansas faculty members whose work expands access to scholarship through public engagement, open publishing and research resources, have been named recipients of the 2026 Shulenburger Award for Innovation and Advocacy in Scholarly Communication by KU Libraries.
A closeup photo of a an adult's hand holding a child's hand.

KU researchers will evaluate program aimed at supporting adoptive families

Researchers in the University of Kansas School of Social Welfare have received a $1.8 million federal grant to evaluate FosterAdopt Connect, a program that supports adoptive parents and children to prevent disruptions or dissolutions of adoptions among families in Kansas and Missouri.
Spruce populate the view from the Shég’ Xdaltth’i’ site, with the Alaska Range in the distance.

Bering Land Bridge base camp reveals what life was like nearly 14,000 years ago

In a new article, Kelly Graf, professor of anthropology at the University of Kansas, highlights the research her team did excavating an early base camp in Beringia from 13,800 years ago, revealing important information about late-glacial peopling and settling-in behavior in this far northern setting.
Illustration of uintatheres

Study: ‘Classic example’ of sexual dimorphism in fossil record actually shows nuance between males and females

A new study from the University of Kansas appearing in the open-access, peer-reviewed journal PLOS One shows the differences between male and female uintatheres might not be as vast as paleontologists have long believed.

Research



In a new documentary, a professor of sociology at the University of Kansas weaves together personal testimony, historical analysis and creative artistic expression to illuminate the layered realities of racial trauma in AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islander) communities.
Stephen Ware, a University of Kansas professor of law, has written the book “Principles of Negotiation, Mediation, and Other Processes of Dispute Resolution,” a book aimed at helping law students and practitioners understand how to negotiate, the different approaches and why it’s a vital skill.
Headshots Emily Case and Michael Vitevitch over a stylized background including Watson Library.
Michael Vitevitch and Emily Casey, two University of Kansas faculty members whose work expands access to scholarship through public engagement, open publishing and research resources, have been named recipients of the 2026 Shulenburger Award for Innovation and Advocacy in Scholarly Communication by KU Libraries.

Kansas Communities



El Centro, a Latino-led, Latino-serving nonprofit organization based in Kansas City, Kansas, is leading an initiative to create a comprehensive, community-led portrait of the Latino experience in Kansas with the KU Center for Community Health and Development.
The University of Kansas celebrated the opening of two new facilities at the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center near Hutchinson with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Oct. 2, marking a major milestone in expanding training opportunities for Kansas law enforcement and public safety partners.
A closeup photo of a an adult's hand holding a child's hand.
Researchers in the University of Kansas School of Social Welfare have received a $1.8 million federal grant to evaluate FosterAdopt Connect, a program that supports adoptive parents and children to prevent disruptions or dissolutions of adoptions among families in Kansas and Missouri.

Economic Development



The website, partner.ku.edu, serves as a gateway to KU’s business-focused resources, connecting employers with world-class research, core laboratories, workforce training and top talent.
The Center for Workplace Excellence supports career development in the Greater Kansas City area, helping businesses and nonprofit organizations strengthen workforce skills, improve organizational effectiveness and navigate today’s rapidly changing workplace environment.
sunflowers blue sky
State lawmakers, experts and policymakers will convene at the University of Kansas for its 50th Kansas Economic Policy Conference. The 2026 event on Oct. 29 will address the “Future of the Kansas Economy,” with a talk by Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly.

Student experience and achievement



Kenzie Besgrove, a University of Kansas junior in speech-language-hearing, was named a member of the 2026-2027 Newman Civic Fellow cohort. Newman programming emphasizes personal, professional and civic growth that empowers fellows to collaborate effectively and create large-scale positive change.
As college football made its debut at London's Wembley Stadium, eight William Allen White School of Journalism & Mass Communications students were there to tell the story.
illustration of a king standing on someone's shoulders and another person holding up the moon
This fall the University Theatre is staging a sci-fi rom-com by Aphra Behn, a 17th century writer whose success inspired a future generation of women authors. Performance, direction and design work by both undergraduate and graduate students shine in “The Emperor of the Moon: A Farce,” which has been brought forward in time to the 1950s.

Campus news



The University of Kansas will host its 114th Homecoming, sponsored by Central Bank, Oct. 19-25. The week culminates with the KU football game against Baylor on Oct. 24 at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.
The University of Kansas School of Music will present its annual Vespers concerts Dec. 6, with performances at 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at the Lied Center of Kansas. Tickets are now available.
Members of the KU Marching Jayhawks perform in front of a football crowd.
The University of Kansas will announce the recipients of the 2026 Fred Ellsworth Medallion and the 2026 Homecoming Awards at the Oct. 24 football game. The honorees include alumni, volunteers, students and faculty recognized for their leadership, service and commitment to KU.

Latest news

Headshots Emily Case and Michael Vitevitch over a stylized background including Watson Library.

KU Libraries name 2026 Shulenburger Award recipients, honor contributions to open scholarship

Michael Vitevitch and Emily Casey, two University of Kansas faculty members whose work expands access to scholarship through public engagement, open publishing and research resources, have been named recipients of the 2026 Shulenburger Award for Innovation and Advocacy in Scholarly Communication by KU Libraries.
Members of the KU Marching Jayhawks perform in front of a football crowd.

KU Alumni to celebrate 2026 Fred Ellsworth Medallion, Homecoming Award honorees

The University of Kansas will announce the recipients of the 2026 Fred Ellsworth Medallion and the 2026 Homecoming Awards at the Oct. 24 football game. The honorees include alumni, volunteers, students and faculty recognized for their leadership, service and commitment to KU.
illustration of a king standing on someone's shoulders and another person holding up the moon

‘The Emperor of the Moon: A Farce’ showcases physical comedy, shares messages of love, longing, trickery

This fall the University Theatre is staging a sci-fi rom-com by Aphra Behn, a 17th century writer whose success inspired a future generation of women authors. Performance, direction and design work by both undergraduate and graduate students shine in “The Emperor of the Moon: A Farce,” which has been brought forward in time to the 1950s.
A closeup photo of a an adult's hand holding a child's hand.

KU researchers will evaluate program aimed at supporting adoptive families

Researchers in the University of Kansas School of Social Welfare have received a $1.8 million federal grant to evaluate FosterAdopt Connect, a program that supports adoptive parents and children to prevent disruptions or dissolutions of adoptions among families in Kansas and Missouri.