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KU School of Business gift creates scholarships for former Summer Venture in Business participants
LAWRENCE – A gift from University of Kansas alumna Rebecca Lyons will provide scholarships for School of Business students who have participated in its Summer Venture in Business program. The program invites high school students who are underrepresented and/or potential first-generation college students to KU’s Lawrence campus to explore business topics and academic resources. The scholarship covers the cost equivalent to in-state tuition for either one School of Business student with academic merit, or the amount can be divided among a few recipients.
Audio-Reader programs recognized by International Association of Audio Information Services
LAWRENCE — Audio-Reader Network, an audio information service for blind, visually impaired and print-disabled individuals, has been recognized for excellence in its programming by the International Association of Audio Information Services. An audio production of the city of Lawrence’s Outdoor Downtown Sculpture Exhibition brochure won a Program of the Year Award in the Consumer Information category, and two other Audio-Reader programs received honorable mentions.
Full stories below.
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Contact: Lauren Cunningham, School of Business, 785-864-9540, [email protected], @KUbschool
KU School of Business gift creates scholarships for former Summer Venture in Business participants
LAWRENCE – A gift from University of Kansas alumna Rebecca Lyons will provide scholarships for School of Business students who have participated in its Summer Venture in Business program.
The program invites high school students who are underrepresented and/or potential first-generation college students to KU’s Lawrence campus to explore business topics and academic resources. The newly established scholarship fund will provide support to enrolled undergraduate KU Business students who participated in Summer Venture in Business.
Lyons, who graduated from KU with an accounting degree, worked for more than 30 years with Johnson & Johnson (J&J). She started out in a finance role and over the years held positions including plant manager, call center manager and eventually became a vice president of supply chain operations.
She also participated in J&J’s leadership development programs and, as she rose through the ranks, helped lead the Finance Leadership Development Program. Additionally Lyons led a global team that established the company’s Global Operations Leadership Development Program. She credits the mentorship and support she received from these programs with instilling in her a desire to help connect others to personal and professional development opportunities. That same mindset inspired her scholarship gift.
“I hope that this scholarship will help give a leg up to deserving students,” Lyons said. “In addition to wanting to help underrepresented students, I appreciate knowing that there’s an infrastructure in place at the school for these students to receive guidance and support. In addition to wanting to help students pay their tuition, I want to see them be successful.”
The school’s Impact Programs staff oversee the Summer Venture in Business, among other programs that provide mentorship and professional development opportunities to School of Business students. This summer marks the eighth time the school has offered the program.
“This scholarship provides students who first connected with our school through the Summer Venture in Business program with a boost of support,” said Paige Fields, KU School of Business dean. “We are grateful for the assistance and encouragement this gift will provide in students’ pursuit of a KU business degree.”
The scholarship covers the cost equivalent to in-state tuition for either one School of Business student with academic merit, or the amount can be divided among a few. Three students will receive support from the scholarship fund this fall.
Lyons said she hopes her gift encourages others to consider giving back, whether through financial support, mentoring or other engagement opportunities.
“It’s not for me to say how or when people give back, but I hope that the people who have an opportunity to do so will in some way,” she said. “My gift is a result of me having received opportunities and mentorship, and I hope it helps perpetuate a cycle of giving.”
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Don’t miss new episodes of “When Experts Attack!,”
a KU News Service podcast hosted by Kansas Public Radio.
https://kansaspublicradio.org/podcast/when-experts-attack
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Contact: Martha Kehr, Audio-Reader, 785-864-2900, [email protected], @KUAudioReader
Audio-Reader programs recognized by International Association of Audio Information Services
LAWRENCE — Audio-Reader Network, an audio information service for blind, visually impaired and print-disabled individuals based at the University of Kansas, has been recognized for excellence in its programming by the International Association of Audio Information Services (IAAIS) at its annual conference, hosted virtually June 12-14.
An audio production of the city of Lawrence’s Outdoor Downtown Sculpture Exhibition brochure won a Program of the Year Award in the Consumer Information category, and two other Audio-Reader programs received honorable mentions.
In the Consumer Information category, volunteer Tracy Harrison voiced the now award-winning audio tour of the sculpture exhibit. Harrison has been an Audio-Reader volunteer since 2015 and regularly reads the Reader’s Digest and Saturday Post program. The annual Outdoor Downtown Sculpture Exhibition was founded by Jim Patti in 1987 and is sponsored by the Lawrence Cultural Arts Commission.
Steve Grimm also started volunteering for Audio-Reader in 2015 and voiced a production promoting Audio-Reader’s audio description events that was recognized in the Now Hear This category.
Originally an Audio-Reader volunteer since 2018, Martha Kehr became outreach coordinator in 2023 and hosts the “Good Works in the Heartland” podcast for Audio-Reader. The podcast’s November 2023 Medicare Open Enrollment episode with Lori Phillips from the Senior Resource Center for Douglas County was awarded an honorable mention in the Interview category.
All programs were engineered and produced by Nick Carswell, Audio-Reader program manager.
The IAAIS program awards were created to promote quality programming among audio information services and to showcase the variety of programs available on audio information services. Entries are judged by staff and volunteers of member stations. Points are awarded for production values as well as pace, timing and vocal quality. An honorable mention is a point or less between first and second place.
Outgoing IAAIS President Maryfrances Evans said, “We are so fortunate to be surrounded by such talented volunteers and dedicated staff to bring the printed word to life to thousands of print-disabled people throughout America. These awards highlight some of the extraordinary programs reading services around the country are producing.”
Most states offer a radio reading service similar to Audio-Reader. A full list of the over 70 available services is on its website.
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Lawrence KS 66045
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http://www.news.ku.edu
Erinn Barcomb-Peterson, director of news and media relations, [email protected]
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