Featured news at KU


Our top featured stories

Stock photo of woman's hands with psychologist in consultation office for assessment or evaluation.
A researcher from the University of Kansas has led a large-scale study of veterans to better understand how psychological conditions such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and eating disorders are connected.

Other featured news

A hand arranges blocks that represent different aspects of business relationships, from ideas to profitability to manufacturing to sales.

Marketing expert develops framework providing retailers strategies for organizing around ecosystems

In a new article, Murali Mantrala, the Ned Fleming Professor of Marketing at the University of Kansas, provides a practical framework for how retailers can deploy an ecosystem-centric strategy focusing on interdependent sets that jointly create and capture customer value.
Stock photo of woman's hands with psychologist in consultation office for assessment or evaluation.

Research aims to identify underlying causes for linked mental health issues

A researcher from the University of Kansas has led a large-scale study of veterans to better understand how psychological conditions such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and eating disorders are connected.
Three paintings by Barry Fitzgerald, side by side

Home on the range: Kansas sabbatical inspires artist

Barry Fitzgerald is returning to Lindsborg to show paintings he made while spending a month at the nearby Red Barn Studio. It was his first artistic residency after a long and successful career as an illustrator.
An image of students in a classroom taking a pen and pencil test.

New book guides teachers on using best method of assessment to balance research, realities of the classroom

"Classroom Assessment in the Real World" guides teachers in the best methods of gauging what their students have learned by balancing best practices with examples on how different approaches work, helping to select the best method for each unique classroom.

Research



Barry Fitzgerald is returning to Lindsborg to show paintings he made while spending a month at the nearby Red Barn Studio. It was his first artistic residency after a long and successful career as an illustrator.
"Classroom Assessment in the Real World" guides teachers in the best methods of gauging what their students have learned by balancing best practices with examples on how different approaches work, helping to select the best method for each unique classroom.
Graphic made up of a cluster of lines and dots, depicting the network studied
According to a new study from the University of Kansas, nonprofit organizations that seek to build resilience — or the capability to enact a rapid, robust response to challenges — should cultivate a broad network of relationships and view those ties as assets on par with financial and other important resources.

Kansas Communities



In a cardboard box tucked away in an office in the 18th and Vine District, a decade of Kansas City history was slowly turning into a collection of unreadable plastic circles. A KU librarian and three undergraduate students stepped in to preserve the archives from The Call.
Researchers in the KU School of Social Welfare have updated training materials that prepare health care providers to prevent, identify and treat substance use disorders across Kansas. SBIRT — Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment — is an evidence-based approach to talking with people about their substance use.
An illustration of people in different employment roles
University of Kansas researchers have launched the second phase of the Kansas Employment First project, expanding access to competitive integrated employment for Kansans with disabilities.

Economic Development



Research and development expenditures spanning all University of Kansas campuses climbed to $610.6 million in fiscal year 2025, surpassing the previous record of $546.1 million by 12% and marking a full decade of sustained research growth.
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.
Bronze Jayhawk statue
The National Academy of Inventors ranks the University of Kansas 39th among public universities for the number of utility patents granted in 2025, marking the fourth consecutive year the University of Kansas is listed among the United States’ top 100 institutions receiving patents.

Student experience and achievement



Twenty-one students have been selected to receive the University of Kansas Madison and Lila Self Memorial Scholarship for the 2026-2027 academic year. The award is given to outstanding seniors from KU who will be transitioning into their first year of a master’s or doctoral program at KU in the fall 2026 semester.
Wyatt Vaughn, a KU junior from Olathe double majoring in chemical engineering and English-creative writing, has received a federal Udall Undergraduate Scholarship. The award recognizes students who demonstrate leadership, public service and commitment in the fields of tribal public policy, Native health care or the environment.
The KU-ASCE Chapter at the ASCE Symposium
Department of Civil, Environmental & Architectural Engineering student groups took home several awards at the 2026 ASCE Symposium at the beginning of April. The KU ASCE chapter, Concrete Canoe and the Steel Bridge program traveled to Carbondale, Illinois, to take part in their respective competitions.

Campus news



Dr. Donna Sweet understands the importance of a University of Kansas School of Medicine education. Sweet, a School of Medicine-Wichita alumna and longtime faculty member, has pledged a $1 million estate gift in support of the Donna Sweet, M.D., Internal Medicine Program Fund.
KU leaders, alumni, donors and community partners gathered April 24 to celebrate the start of construction for the new KU Entrepreneurship Hub, a donor-funded building designed to serve as an academic launch point for student entrepreneurs.
Stauffer-Flint Hall exterior.
The University of Kansas has selected Judith Rosenbaum-Andre, associate dean for faculty affairs and administration in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Maine, as the next dean of the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications. She will start her new position July 19.

Latest news

The KU-ASCE Chapter at the ASCE Symposium

KU Engineering student groups continue to excel at annual ASCE championship

Department of Civil, Environmental & Architectural Engineering student groups took home several awards at the 2026 ASCE Symposium at the beginning of April. The KU ASCE chapter, Concrete Canoe and the Steel Bridge program traveled to Carbondale, Illinois, to take part in their respective competitions.
ku school of pharmacy

School of Pharmacy to host David Sinclair for Takeru Higuchi Memorial Lecture

David Sinclair, professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School, will deliver a public lecture June 2 at KU. The researcher is best known for his work in reshaping how scientists think about aging.
Flowers outside Joseph R. Pearson Hall

KU School of Education & Human Sciences to honor Bob Swift with 2026 Distinguished Alumni Award

Bob Swift, University of Kansas alumnus, will receive the Distinguished Alumni Award from the School of Education & Human Sciences during the school’s spring convocation ceremony May 16. He is the founder of 3rd Decade, a nonprofit providing free financial education to young adults.
Amy Hansen

Amy Hansen receives Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award for water research in Chile

Amy Hansen, associate professor of civil & environmental engineering at KU, has received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award to conduct research in Chile during the 2026-2027 academic year. She will study how water sources of different densities mix in natural environments, collaborating with Chilean researchers.