Everywhere you look, Jayhawks are coming together and rising to today’s challenges. As the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is felt across the U.S.
Our new video series, I am Seeking, highlights what our faculty are seeking with their research. From finding new ways to treat addiction, to looking for signs of alien life in rocks on earth, or searching for new ways to diagnose cancer, our faculty are innovators and explorers seeking answers and solutions to a myriad of questions.
If you haven’t been to campus lately, you will be in for a surprise the next time you visit. 
Several new building and renovation projects are changing the landscape for learning, with new or enhanced classroom and lab space. At the same time, we’re expanding the heart of campus westward. For example, where once stood the Burge Union and Stouffer Place apartments will soon be a state-of-the-art science building and new union. Our spring 2017 magazine cover story, “Constructive Development,” shares more detail on current projects and how they will benefit the learning and research experience of our students and faculty.
James Gunn thanks KU for lifetime of opportunity with gifts that support legacy of creative output
Part of Craig Marshall’s job as an associate professor of geology is to play with lasers. He’s a specialist in Raman spectroscopy, which involves using lasers to determine the molecular makeup of matter. Marshall frequently employs this technique to analyze minerals and crystals. One application he’s studying is whether Raman spectroscopy could help scientists find evidence of life on Mars.
Chris Brown is a professor of environmental studies and geography
Helping students overcome anxieties about math, Bozenna Pasik-Duncan, professor of mathematics and courtesy professor of electrical engineering and computer science, has been awarded the 2015-16 Chancellors Club Professorship by KU Endowment. These professorships are held by outstanding faculty who are chosen by students and colleagues. Teaching professors retain the title as long as they teach at KU.
Carl Lejuez has been named as the next dean of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences at KU. Lejuez comes to KU from the University of Maryland. He currently serves there as a professor of psychology and associate dean of research for the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences. Lejuez will start as the 14th dean of the College in February. To get to know him before his arrival, we asked him to tell us more about himself.
Two College of Liberal Arts & Sciences professors were honored with teaching awards during the 2015 KU Teaching Summit in August. Associate Professor of Theatre Nicole Hodges Persley received the Byron T. Shutz Award for Excellence in Teaching, and Associate Professor of Communication Studies Jeffrey A. Hall received the Ned N. Fleming Trust Teaching Award. We caught up with both winners to find out a little more about their teaching style and favorite KU memories.
Nicole Hodges Persley, associate professor of theatre
Hometown: Born in Detroit Michigan,