Today’s News from the University of Kansas
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Headlines
KU ranked as No. 5 best school in the country for veterans
LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas ranks fifth nationally among Tier 1 research institutions in the annual “Military Friendly Schools” survey, up from a No. 6 ranking last year. The annual Military Friendly Schools survey is the longest-running review of college and university investments in serving military-affiliated students. The rankings are available online and will be published in G.I. Jobs magazine’s May issue.
University announces first cohort of KU Public Scholars
LAWRENCE — A diverse group of University of Kansas researchers from a broad range of scholarly backgrounds will work together to produce public scholarship that speaks to a broader audience. The KU Public Scholars Group will undergo training in accessible communication from The OpEd Project and from local, national and international experts in writing, public speaking and media.
Full stories below.
Contact: April Blackmon Strange, Lt. Gen. William K. Jones Military-Affiliated Student Center, [email protected]
KU ranked as No. 5 best school in the country for veterans
LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas ranks fifth nationally among Tier 1 research institutions in the annual “Military Friendly Schools” survey, up from a No. 6 ranking last year.
The annual Military Friendly Schools survey is the longest-running review of college and university investments in serving military-affiliated students. Institutions earning the Military Friendly School designation were evaluated using public data sources and survey information. More than 1,200 schools participated in the 2021-2022 survey, with 747 schools earning the designation, of which 162 were selected for the “Gold” award status.
KU has ranked a Military Friendly Top 10 school since 2018 and has earned “Gold” award status since 2017.
“We work hard to serve our military-affiliated students as they move to, through and beyond the university,” said April Blackmon Strange, director of the Lt. Gen. William K. Jones Military-Affiliated Student Center. “This award reflects that enduring commitment to the more than 1,500 veterans, service members, spouses, dependents and ROTC students who choose KU for their education.”
The annual 117-question survey assesses services and support for military-affiliated students, and incorporates data on student retention, graduation, job placement, loan repayment and loan default rates for all students and, specifically, for student veterans. The benchmark is set by the score of the leading institution.
The rankings are available online and will be published in G.I. Jobs magazine’s May issue.
The Military-Affiliated Student Center at KU – a nearly 3,000-square-foot center in Summerfield Hall – serves as a centralized resource for students and is open during the 2020-21 academic year. It includes a lounge with extended hours access, study spaces, headquarters for KU Student Veterans of America, VA Work Study opportunities, GI Bill assistance and more.
The university is one of just 104 campuses nationwide to have the Department of Veterans Affairs VetSuccess on Campus program with a dedicated VA vocational rehabilitation counselor. KU also has a partnership with a Kansas Commission on Veterans Affairs representative to assist with VA claims – a once on-campus service currently available remotely due to the pandemic.
The center also offers a variety of opportunities, including peer mentoring, training for staff and faculty who work with military-affiliated students, activities during Veterans Day week and honor cords for graduating military and veterans with a 3.0 GPA or higher.
In addition to the center, KU has several scholarships for military-affiliated students, a Veterans Upward Bound program and a series of Graduate Military Programs. KU is one of more than 50 universities to have all branches of ROTC and one of eight universities designated as a Department of Defense Language Training Center, which educates hundreds of servicemembers in strategic languages and regional area studies. The KU Edwards Campus has a Veterans and Student Leadership Lounge and offers academic programs and certificates in Leavenworth for military and civilians at nearby Fort Leavenworth. KU also has a 4,000-member Veterans Alumni Network.
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Contact: Ani Kokobobo, Department of Slavic and Eurasian Languages & Literatures, [email protected]
University announces first cohort of KU Public Scholars
LAWRENCE — A diverse group of University of Kansas researchers from a broad range of scholarly backgrounds — and including many female and underrepresented voices — will receive training and work together to produce public scholarship that speaks to a broader audience.
The KU Public Scholars Group includes 24 faculty members from the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences and the schools of Business, Education & Human Sciences, Journalism & Mass Communications, Law, Music and Professional Studies.
The initiative will be housed in the Center for Faculty Development and Mentoring, and co-led by Ani Kokobobo, associate professor and chair of Slavic and Eurasian languages & literatures, and Jennifer Raff, associate professor of anthropology.
The KU Public Scholars Group builds on several previous programs designed to encourage public scholarship at KU, furthered by a faculty network to provide peer mentoring and a sustained conversation focused on a series of workshops addressing a variety of formats for public engagement.
Chris Brown, vice provost for faculty development, articulated the importance of public scholarship in its many forms as “a way to share faculty expertise beyond our campus and our professional networks. It opens possibilities for our faculty to engage with the broader public and helps move us toward our vision to be an exceptional learning community that lifts each other and advances society.”
The initiative is made possible through partnership with and support from the Hall Center for the Humanities and the KU Center for Research. Richard Godbeer, director of the Hall Center for the Humanities, a key sponsor for the initiative, noted the importance and timeliness of this initiative.
“The need for informed public conversation has never been greater, and the work we do as academics can enrich that dialogue in so many ways,” Godbeer said. “Humanities scholars have often taken the lead in public scholarship, and I’m delighted that the Hall Center for the Humanities can support this important new program.”
The Public Scholars will undergo training in accessible communication from The OpEd Project and from local, national and international experts in writing, public speaking and media. The participants will consider a range of questions, including how to transition from academic writing to a more accessible ways of communicating; how to pitch public scholarship to major media outlets; and how to respond to media attention.
KU Public Scholars will meet regularly throughout 2021 to assist each other in producing pubic scholarship and placing their work in high-visibility venues. The program also aims to create a group of faculty communicators who are equipped to mentor future cohorts of Public Scholars as well as KU students.
“Insights from KU scholarship and research have their greatest value when they are shared broadly,” said Simon Atkinson, vice chancellor for research. “Public scholars have a special role in connecting our work with a broader audience in Kansas and beyond. I’m excited about what we will hear from this accomplished, diverse group of scholars in the coming months.”
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