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University of Kansas receives top-five ‘Military Friendly School’ ranking
LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas ranks fifth nationally among Tier 1 research institutions in the annual “Military Friendly Schools” survey. The annual 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 1,800 institutions participated in the 2024-2025 survey, with 537 earning special awards for going above the standard.
Black-Cheslik family provides $1 million gift to support Department of History professorship
LAWRENCE — Members of the Black-Cheslik family of Kansas City, Missouri, are avid University of Kansas basketball fans and equally passionate about the power of a liberal arts education. Julie Cheslik and her husband, Paul M. Black, provided a $1 million gift through KU Endowment to establish the John P. Black Professorship in History. It was named for their son John Black, of Fairway, who graduated in 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a minor in history. The professorship honors the faculty who inspired John Black and provides the opportunity for more students to be taught by top scholars in the field.
Religious demographic change shifts support toward Christian nationalism, study finds
LAWRENCE — Newly published research from a University of Kansas professor of political science suggests that exposure to religious demographic change shifts support for Christian nationalism and perceptions of discrimination against whites and Christians, but exposure to racial demographic change has limited influence. Don Haider-Markel’s work was published in Public Opinion Quarterly.
Full stories below.
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Contact: April Blackmon Strange, Lt. Gen. William K. Jones Military-Affiliated Student Center, 785-864-6715, [email protected], @KUvets
University of Kansas receives top-five ‘Military Friendly School’ ranking
LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas ranks fifth nationally among Tier 1 research institutions in the annual “Military Friendly Schools” survey.
The annual 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 1,800 institutions participated in the 2024-2025 survey, with 537 earning special awards for going above the standard.
“This ranking reflects KU’s long-standing commitment to serving our more than 1,900 veterans, service members, spouses, dependents and ROTC students,” said April Blackmon Strange, director of the Lt. Gen. William K. Jones Military-Affiliated Student Center. “It’s also a testament to the collaborative efforts across campus that foster a welcoming and inclusive environment for our military-affiliated community.”
Methodology, criteria and weightings were determined by Viqtory with input from the Military Friendly Advisory Council of independent leaders in the higher education and military recruitment community. Final ratings were determined by combining the institution’s survey scores with the assessment of the institution’s ability to meet thresholds for student retention, graduation, job placement, loan repayment, persistence (degree advancement or transfer) and loan default rates for all students and, specifically, for student veterans. The rankings and survey criteria are available online and will be published in G.I. Jobs magazine’s May and October issues.
The Military-Affiliated Student Center at KU – a nearly 3,000-square-foot center in Summerfield Hall – serves as a centralized resource for KU’s military-affiliated community. It includes a lounge with 24-7 access, study spaces, headquarters for the KU Student Veterans of America organization, VA Work Study opportunities, staff to help with GI Bill benefits, military tuition 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 VSOC counselor on campus.
In addition to the center, KU has several scholarships and an emergency fund 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 service members in strategic languages and regional area studies.
The KU Edwards campus has a Veterans and Student Leadership Lounge. Additional KU academic programs and certificates are available both on Fort Leavenworth and in Leavenworth for military and civilians in the area. KU also has a 4,000-member Veterans Alumni Network.
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Contact: Jon Niccum, KU News Service, 785-864-7633, [email protected]
Religious demographic change shifts support toward Christian nationalism, study finds
LAWRENCE — The proportion of Christians relative to non-Christians in the United States has been declining for decades. For those identified as “Christian nationalists,” this religious falloff is considered inseparable from the decline of America itself. Simultaneously, the nation is becoming more racially diverse.
While some might assume this implies a correlation between Christian nationalism and racism, a new study indicates the relationship is more complex.
“This paper reveals that a big part of what’s driving support for Christian nationalism is in fact this fear and anxiety over religious demographic change and not specifically about racial demographic change,” said Don Haider-Markel, professor of political science at the University of Kansas. “That being said, we still find those with higher racial resentment are more supportive of Christian nationalism.”
His new paper, titled “Fear and Loathing: How Demographic Change Affects Support for Christian Nationalism,” suggests that exposure to religious demographic change shifts support for Christian nationalism and perceptions of discrimination against whites and Christians, but exposure to racial demographic change has limited influence. This effect is mediated by emotion because such religious change increases anxiety and disgust.
It’s published in Public Opinion Quarterly.
Co-written with Brooklyn Walker, who earned her doctorate at KU and now teaches at Hutchinson Community College, the research notes how modern Christianity is increasingly packaged around a political identity.
“I don’t see Christian nationalists as true believers,” Haider-Markel said. “They are just people who are willing to use the language and symbols of Christianity to appeal to a broader public. They aren’t necessarily adhering to or especially concerned with the underlying theology.”
However, he said he was surprised to learn the extent to which non-whites will also adhere to the beliefs of Christian nationalism – even when it seems potentially detrimental to their own community.
“When I first thought about titling this piece, I wanted to title it ‘Christian Nationalism So White,’ Haider-Markel said, before settling on the infamous Hunter S. Thompson reference.
“But instead we see how support for Christian nationalist beliefs isn’t just occurring amongst whites. It’s also happening amongst Blacks and Hispanics. It suggests that maybe for whites, their Christian identity is very much tied up with their whiteness, and I wouldn’t dispute that. But for racial minorities, their Christianity isn’t specifically tied up with their racial or ethnic identity.”
To explain this apparent incongruity, Haider-Markel found the answer in community perception.
“If I’m an ethnic minority or racial minority, having a strong racial identity doesn’t really help me that much. But having a Christian identity does elevate me. So adhering to Christian nationalist beliefs — and basically believing that my religion should play a bigger role in our government — really helps Black and Hispanic people elevate themselves within this broader social system.”
He notes groups such as the Proud Boys or Boogaloo Boys that took part in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection often call themselves “Western chauvinists.” That’s seen by many as coded language for being white nationalists. But the Proud Boys actually have non-white members. In fact, leader Enrique Tarrio, who was just sentenced to 22 years for seditious conspiracy, is Hispanic.
“So how is it that non-white people can adhere to a group that seems to have white supremacist beliefs?” Haider-Markel said. “It’s for that same kind of reason. Because they’re not explicitly racist, non-whites can affiliate with this group and elevate their own status.”
For the research, he embedded an experiment from an online survey of 1,459 total participants from across the country. Among the survey questions asked: “How do religious and racial change emotionally affect white Christians? How does awareness of demographic change affect Christian nationalism and perceptions of anti-white and anti-Christian discrimination?”
Now in his 27th year at KU, Haider-Markel has done extensive studies in criminal justice, policing, gun rights and LGBTQ rights.
“I hope ‘Fear and Loathing’ helps people understand what’s motivating Christian nationalist beliefs. Because I do see it as a potential threat to a multiracial democracy,” Haider-Markel said. “Presumably, if strong supporters of Christian nationalism had their way, the role that religion might play in our politics and policymaking in the future would be ‘problematic.’”
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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: Michelle Keller, KU Endowment, 785-832-7336, [email protected]; @KUEndowment
Black-Cheslik family provides $1 million gift to support Department of History professorship
LAWRENCE — Members of the Black-Cheslik family of Kansas City, Missouri, are avid University of Kansas basketball fans and equally passionate about the power of a liberal arts education.
Julie Cheslik and her husband, Paul M. Black, provided a $1 million gift through KU Endowment to establish the John P. Black Professorship in History. It was named for their son John Black, of Fairway, who graduated in 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a minor in history. The professorship honors the faculty who inspired John Black and provides the opportunity for more students to be taught by top scholars in the field.
During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, John Black moved home with his parents, which provided a unique window for them to witness his growing enthusiasm for his KU classes. He was particularly engaged with those taught by Roy A. Roberts Distinguished Professor David Farber and others in the KU Department of History, which is known for its award-winning faculty.
“I was just floored by the great education he was getting, particularly in his history classes,” Cheslik said. She even joined her son in watching films during his HIST 356 class, titled At the Movies: US History on the Silver Screen, and delved into assigned readings for another course, HIST 374: The History of Modern American Conservatism, both which ignited lively family discussions.
“For us, as parent and adult child — having that experience with him was really valuable to me,” Cheslik said.
The family has previously made gifts to support Kansas Athletics and the University of Kansas Medical Center, as well as numerous programs with other organizations.
Laura Mielke, KU professor and current interim chair of the Department of History, said the gift is transformational.
“Julie Cheslik and Paul M. Black have recognized our department as a home to scholar-teachers who, like Professor David Farber, bring their research and wisdom into the classroom to create spaces of transformative exchange,” Mielke said. “This gift will allow us to add and retain world-class scholar-teachers to our faculty. We also see the John P. Black Professorship as a unique opportunity to celebrate the students like John who bring a passion for learning to KU.”
The couple’s eldest son, Paul J. Black, is a doctor who also began his path in liberal arts, earning his undergraduate degree at the University of Notre Dame before attending KU Medical Center, where he graduated in 2023. He lives in Omaha, Nebraska, where he is completing his residency in urology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
“I was always pushing the kids to be liberal arts majors, and I think it served them both well,” Cheslik said. “We’re happy to be able to provide this professorship so other kids from Kansas or who come to Kansas to get this great education can learn from the best.”
Cheslik is a professor of law at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and serves on the law foundation board of trustees. She received her bachelor’s degree and juris doctor from the University of Iowa, both with highest distinction.
Paul M. Black is a health care consultant who was previously COO of Cerner and CEO of Allscripts. He earned his bachelor’s degree at Iowa State University and holds a master’s in business administration from the University of Iowa. He serves on the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library board of directors and The University of Kansas Health System Advancement Board.
“I think it’s really important for everyone to have somewhat of a liberal arts background to know a little bit about authors, historians and events that have taken place that have shaped where we are today,” said John Black, who works in sales at Community CareLink, a health software company that serves nonprofits, community health organizations and government agencies. He discovered his minor and some of his favorite professors through a simple internet search.
“I looked up ‘best teachers at the University of Kansas,’ because I was trying to find some electives to take,” John Black said. “Dr. Farber’s name was one that came up, and that’s really what started all of this.”
Farber has written and edited numerous books on modern issues from World War II to the war on drugs and is regularly tapped by news organizations to provide expert commentary.
“I think the humanities provide a massively important background and understanding for our democratic citizenry,” Farber said. “It’s wonderful to see the Black family offer support for what we in the humanities do and what we in the history department, in particular, do. I’m grateful, and I think it demonstrates the importance of the kinds of things historians teach.”
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