Kansas Board of Regents recognizes ‘outstanding contributions’ of six KU employees
LAWRENCE — The Kansas Board of Regents recognized its 2026 Faculty of the Year and Staff of the Year on Sept. 16. Jayhawk honorees represented the University of Kansas campuses in Lawrence and the KU Medical Center in Kansas City.
The board’s program recognizes faculty and staff at Kansas universities for their contributions to teaching, student success, research, institutional excellence and Kansas communities.
The 2026 recipients from KU are:
- Jeffrey Hall, professor and chair of the Department of Communication Studies
- Jessica Hamilton, associate professor of psychiatry & behavioral sciences
- Yuki Watanabe, assistant director of International Support Services
- AJ Woodworth, director of facilities management projects at KU Medical Center
- Douglas Wright, professor and vice chair of the Research Department of Anesthesiology, Pain & Perioperative Medicine
- Alice Zhang, associate professor of occupational therapy education