College of Liberal Arts & Sciences news

Danny Anderson named dean of CLAS
Anderson, interim provost at the University of Kansas, is an award-winning teacher and scholar in Latin American culture literature. He will be the next dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences effective July 1.

Mini College registration still open
Rediscover the student experience at KU's Mini College! From May 24-28, 2010, Mini Collegians get to spend a week in Jayhawk paradise, experiencing KU from an insider's perspective in exclusive lecture, tours and activities. Enrollment is open through April for just $225 to any interested adult, not just KU alumni, so make sure to invite friends.

CLAS faculty, students help discover giant fruit-eating lizard
The team of international scientists documented a new species of monitor lizard in the Philippines that can grow up to 2 meters long. The Northern Sierra Madre Forest Monitor displays bright yellow and black stripes and spots across its back and eats mainly fruit and snails.

Debate team makes Final Four in national tournament
The University of Kansas debate team of Dylan Quigley, Wichita senior, and Sean Kennedy, Leawood junior, made it to the Final Four at the Cross Examination Debate Association National Championship Tournament. The team defeated the top seed before losing to Whitman College in the Final Four.

English professor wins prestigious poetry award
Kenneth Irby, associate professor of English has been selected as a co-recipient of the 2010 Shelley Memorial Award, given by the Poetry Society of America. The award, founded in 1929, is given by nomination only. Irby joins an elite group of poets who have won the award, including Marianne Moore, e.e. cummings, Robinson Jeffers, Robert Pinsky and Kimiko Hahn.

Influential alumni celebrate experiences possible with a liberal arts education
Recipients of the 2009-10 Alumni Distinguished Achievement Awards returned to campus Friday this month to share and celebrate the experiences made possible with a liberal arts and sciences education from KU.

Researcher investigates mysterious stone spheres in Costa Rica
John Hoopes, associate professor of anthropology and director of the Global Indigenous Nations Studies Program, recently returned from a trip to Costa Rica where he and colleagues evaluated ancient stone spheres made world-famous by the opening sequence of “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” The report will help UNESCO determine whether to grant the spheres World Heritage Status.

School of Business news

Personal finance course produces personal success stories for students
University of Kansas School of Business Distinguished Lecturer William Lewis’ Personal Finance course has been helping students save thousands of dollars on vehicles, avoid unnecessary bank fees and even hold relationships together since he began teaching the class two years ago.

Former sportscaster turns to MBA program for future challenges
The typical sportscaster rarely wakes up one morning and decides to become an investment analyst; but, two years ago, MBA student Richard Smith did just that.

Master of Accounting students help increase teen financial literacy in Wichita
“It’s vital for high school students to be financially literate, because they are the consumers and homeowners of tomorrow,” Rebecca Feickert, a Master of Accounting (MAcc) student, said. Feickert and two other KU School of Business MAcc students recently created projects focused on financial literacy for the USD 259 Wichita Public School District. The students’ projects will be piloted in four Wichita high schools next fall.

School of Business offers new online course for non-majors
Non-business majors will have a new way to learn about information systems in fall 2010 through an online course. IST 205 “Survey of Information Systems” is one of the six required courses in the Business Minor. The online offering of IST 205 will be conducted entirely on Blackboard and will first be made available to non-Lawrence students.

School of the Arts news

University Dance Company concerts to showcase seven deadly sins
Guest artist and star of “42nd Street” Hayley Mac choreographed “Seven Deadly Sins,” a provocative contemporary work that will be featured in the University Dance Company spring concerts at 7:30 p.m. April 22-23 at the Lied Center.

University Theatre ends season with “Anything Goes”
The longest running musical of the 1930’s, this 1934 hit is the perfect song and dance vehicle to showcase the sophisticated and clever music and lyrics of Cole Porter. Performances, featuring the KU Symphony Orchestra, will run April 23 through May 1.

Film professor produces works for three national civil rights exhibits
In the most recent work, Madison Davis Lacy, associate professor of film and media studies and four-time Emmy Award winner, wrote and produced a short film titled “Our Time At Last” for the monument that honors a sacred space in Manhattan: the burial grounds of the slaves who built New York.

School of Law news

President Obama nominates KU alumna for federal appeals court seat
President Barack Obama has nominated University of Kansas School of Law alumna and Arizona district judge Mary H. Murguia for a vacancy on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

National bankruptcy group selects KU law student for distinction
A second-year student at the University of Kansas School of Law has been selected as a Distinguished Law Student by the American College of Bankruptcy.

Kansas appeals court judges reveal winning strategies to future attorneys during student Q&A
Three judges from the Kansas Court of Appeals shared expert tips with future attorneys during a question-and-answer session last week at the University of Kansas School of Law.

Law students win 10 appeals cases for defendants who did not receive fair trials
Students in the Project for Innocence and Post-Conviction Remedies at the University of Kansas School of Law have persuaded courts to reverse convictions for 10 defendants who did not receive fair trials.

Law school receives grant to support student success program
The University of Kansas School of Law has received a grant from the Shook, Hardy & Bacon Foundation to increase its slate of existing programs aimed at maximizing success for all students.