Student experience and achievement

KU Libraries’ LibArt program, a year-round, juried exhibition of student art displayed throughout library spaces, celebrated a diverse exhibit of student work and recognized award recipients Sept. 17 at a reception in Watson Library.

Selected from a record-breaking 76,000 applicants from more than 6,000 campuses worldwide, 21 University of Kansas students were recently chosen for the 2026 Millennium Fellowship, a leadership development program that partners with the United Nations Academic Impact and is overseen by the Millennium Campus Network.

The contemporary musical by Jason Robert Brown shows off KU students’ singing talents and offers audiences variety through song, dance and scene changes. All cast members are students and will be accompanied by professional musicians from the Lawrence and Kansas City communities.

Members of the University of Kansas Marching Jayhawks will travel to London this month to represent KU at the Union Jack Classic, where the band will perform at the KU football game against Arizona State University on Sept. 19 at Wembley Stadium.

Four University of Kansas seniors — Saad Awan, Kaitlyn Carson, Katherine Goodwin and Jaden Huehl — have been endorsed for prestigious fellowships for study in the United Kingdom with the support of KU’s Center for Undergraduate Research & Fellowships.

The University of Kansas Debate program was identified as the No. 1 debate program in the country in a 2026 ranking of the “Top 50 Competitive College Debate Programs in the U.S.” from American Liberty Media.

KU Libraries collaborated with students from the Department of Design for a new mural in The Kettle in Watson Library. The public is invited to an opening reception at 4 p.m. Sept. 24 to celebrate the work and partnership.

The University Honors Program recognized two faculty members and a student for their contributions to the program during Honors Convocation, an annual celebration for first-year honors students, which took place Aug. 23 at the Burge Union.

The University of Kansas School of Architecture & Design will welcome seven accomplished artists and designers for the Fall 2026 Design Professional Lecture Series. Now in its fifth decade, the series features leading voices in contemporary art, illustration, product design, furniture design, branding and visual communication, offering students and the public an opportunity to engage with innovative creative practitioners from across the country.

Fifty-two University of Kansas Theatre & Dance students, including 34 Kansans, were honored for academic merit and potential for the 2026-27 academic year. Jayhawks were awarded approximately $210,00 in scholarships.