Click the text link to see a calendar or other information concerning upcoming KU-related events.
College of Liberal Arts & Sciences News
KU undergraduates earn first place at mathematics competition
College of Liberal Arts & Sciences honors outstanding alumni award winners
KU Spanish and Portuguese department awarded for excellence in teaching
KU undergraduates earn first place at mathematics competition
A team of three KU undergraduates earned first place at the Kansas Collegiate Mathematics Competition March 30-31 at Wichita State University. The competition was held in collaboration with the Kansas section meeting of the Mathematical Association of America, whose principal goal is to advance mathematical sciences at the collegiate level.Rachel Debes, Hays junior; Brian Moehring, Olathe senior; and Nick Tobaben, Topeka junior, made up the trio that earned the first-place award out of the 12 teams competing from various colleges and universities throughout the state. The teams participated in a three-hour competition in which each individual was given the task of solving five math problems worth ten points each. The overall team score was derived from the sum of the top two individual scores.
Individually, Moehring received 40 out of 50 points, earning third place. Debes, who took fourth individually, received 38 out of 50 points. Other individuals participating in the mathematics competition included Bowe Neuenschwander, Hoxie sophomore; Rong Chen, Atchison freshman; and Bertrand Kotewall, Hong Kong senior. The competition judges recognized Tobaben and Neuenschwander for their noteworthy individual scores.
Jeremy Martin, assistant professor of mathematics, coached the KU teams, while Atanas Stefanov, assistant professor of mathematics, arranged the intercollegiate competition portion of the program.
College of Liberal Arts & Sciences honors outstanding alumni award winners
Nearly 200 people gathered April 13 in the Adams Alumni Center at KU to honor five of the most accomplished alumni to graduate from the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. Steven Hawley, c'73; Rosemary O'Leary, c'78, l'81, g'82; B.H. "Pete" Fairchild, c'64, g'68; Thomas Burish, g'75, PhD'76; and Randy Scott, PhD'84, were the honorees of the banquet."The accomplishments of these award winners are stunning and exemplify the tremendous success that can be launched from a high-quality liberal arts and sciences education from KU," said Dean Joseph Steinmetz. "The diversity of professions and accomplishments of the recipients reflect the broad experiences and opportunities available within the college."
Steven Hawley, a 1973 KU graduate, is an astronaut who has flown on five space shuttle missions. The missions included the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope and its second service mission and the launch of the Chandra X-ray Observatory.
Rosemary O'Leary has become successful in the realm of public administration after earning her Master's of Public Administration at KU along with her bachelor's degree in English and a law degree. She went on to become a professor of public administration at Syracuse University and a twice-named Fulbright scholar.
B.H. "Pete" Fairchild is a renowned poet whose works have been published in the New Yorker, Yale Review, Southern Review and the Best American Poems of 2000 among many others. He received his bachelor's and master's degrees in English at KU and is the Lorraine Sherley Professor of Literature at Texas Christian University. One of his poetry collections, "The Art of the Lathe," was a finalist for the National Book Award and winner of the Kingsley Tufts Award, the William Carlos Williams Award and the California Book Award.
Thomas Burish currently serves as the provost for the University of Notre Dame. He is also a distinguished scholar in the field of clinical psychology. He received his master's degree and Ph.D. in psychology and clinical psychology from KU in 1975 and '76.
Randy Scott is the chairman and chief executive officer of Genomic Health, a company that develops cancer treatments. He also co-founded Incyte, the world's first genomic information content business. With more than 23 years of biotechnology industry experience, he has 25 issued patents for his work and has written numerous scientific publications. Scott earned his doctorate at KU in biochemistry.
The awards are presented annually to select graduates of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. The purpose is to recognize excellence in a variety of areas, including the arts, public service, business and academia.
KU Spanish and Portuguese department awarded for excellence in teaching
"Excelente! Magnifico! Great!"
No matter what language you say it in, the KU Spanish and Portuguese department is exceptional. So exceptional, in fact, that the department has received the 2007 Departmental Award for Exceptional Teaching and Learning from the Center for Teaching Excellence. With the award, the department will also receive $10,000 and will be honored Aug. 14 at the KU Teaching Summit.Members of the Center for Teaching Excellence advisory board chose the Spanish and Portuguese department for its commitment to its students and faculty. Each year the board considers three areas that differentiate potential winners of the award: establishing a tradition of learning with a focus on innovation and cooperation, systematic reflection on department goals and evidence of student learning.
Visit the College of Arts & Sciences Web site for more information.
