Posted on Jun 16, 2017
in Alumni News and News
Find out what fellow Jayhawks are up to in our biweekly edition of “In the News.” It’s like an online version of Class Notes. If you’ve seen Jayhawks in the news who should be featured, email us at share@kualumni.org.
Derby native Casey Combs walked across the stage at KU earlier this month, as she earned her Doctorate in Audiology. Casey is profoundly, or totally for a more practical term, deaf.
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Bryan Sperry made national headlines two years ago at the KU football alumni game scoring a touchdown. The World War II veteran also spent 35 years at Pittsburg State as a math professor.
Watch video.
The Summer Venture in Business program is open to high-achieving 10th-, 11th- and 12th-grade minority students or those who would be the first in their families to attend college. Former KU student body president Stephonn Alcorn and his Student Senate coalition had proposed such a camp last year as one way to help increase campus diversity.
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The alumni team included Ben McLemore, Mario Chalmers, Sherron Collins, Perry Ellis and Keith Langford, to name a handful of former KU stars.
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Tom Eblen, who mentored a generation of journalists as general manager and news adviser for the University Daily Kansan, died Saturday at age 80 in Prairie Village. As general manager and adviser of the Daily Kansan, Eblen oversaw the newspaper’s business affairs and provided lasting advice to students on writing and editing.
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Former KU big man Scot Pollard tells current Jayhawks coach Bill Self that his teams would beat Self’s more current teams at the KVC Hero Luncheon on Thursday, June 15, 2017.
Watch video.
Perry Ellis was one of the many fan favorites participating in an exhibition game that featured more than 40 former KU players and coaches including 12 members of Kansas’ 2008 national title squad.
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Robert Cobb, a University faculty member and administrator for over 30 years, passed away last week at the age of 91. In his time at the University, Cobb was an English professor, department head, dean, executive vice chancellor, professor emeritus and more.
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The Sacramento Kings hosted a second pre-draft workout on Wednesday with last season’s National College Player of the Year – Kansas’ point guard Frank Mason III. Upon arriving in Sacramento on Tuesday, Mason caught the attention of social media for inviting a Jayhawks fan to meet him at his downtown hotel.
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Have you heard news about a fellow Jayhawk, or maybe you have news of your own to share? Email us at share@kualumni.org, or fill out our Class Notes form to be included in a future issue of Kansas Alumni magazine. Read more about newsworthy Jayhawks.
Tags: Alumni, Basketball, Bill Self, Bryan Sperry, Casey Combs, Devonté Graham, English, Football, Frank Mason III, In the News, Men's basketball, Mentoring, Robert Cobb, School of Business, School of Journalism, Scot Pollard, Sports, Stephonn Alcorn, Tom Eblen
Posted on Oct 14, 2016
in Alumni News and News
Ten finalists have been selected for the 26th annual Excellence in Community, Education and Leadership Awards at the University of Kansas. The finalists, all seniors, will participate in the Homecoming parade at 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 21, along Massachusetts Street in downtown Lawrence. Two winners, one male and one female, will be announced during halftime of the KU-Oklahoma State Homecoming football game Oct. 22 at Memorial Stadium.
The Ex.C.E.L. Award provides an annual $250 scholarship to two students. The winners will present at the Blueprints Leadership Conference next spring in conjunction with KU’s Student Involvement and Leadership Center. Nominees were selected on the basis of leadership, effective communication skills, involvement at KU and in the Lawrence community, academic scholarship and ability to work with a variety of students and organizations. The selection committee included representatives from Student Union Activities, the Board of Class Officers, the Student Involvement and Leadership Center and the Homecoming Steering Committee.
The award was first given in 1991 to recognize one male and one female student for achievement. Names of winners are listed on a plaque on the fifth level of the Kansas Union. To be eligible, applicants must be full-time undergraduate students with an overall grade-point average of 3.0 or higher. Each finalist completed an application and participated in an interview. The finalists and their academic majors are listed below, along with highlights of their campus achievements.
JOHNSON COUNTY
From Gardner
Stephonn Alcorn, finance, is student body president. He was a member of Student Senate, where he served as director of government relations, and he also served as director of member and leadership development of the Interfraternity Council. He has been a peer mentor for the School of Business and the Black Student Union. He is a first-generation college student and Hawk Link graduate.
From Leawood
Kevin Tenny, chemical engineering, is an engineering student senator and co-founded the Electrochemical Society at KU. He has worked for three years as a teaching assistant for the Kansas Algebra Program, and he has conducted research at Iowa State University, the University of South Carolina and MIT. He was awarded the national Barry M. Goldwater scholarship in spring 2016.
From Olathe
Sean Murray, business and journalism, is president of the Student Endowment Board and vice president of the advertising club. He is a member of Beta Sigma Psi fraternity, where he serves as recruitment chair.
From Prairie Village
Elizabeth Gray, business management and applied behavioral science, serves on the Panhellenic Association, where she is director of interfraternal relations and member development. She is a member of Kappa Alpha Theta sorority and is a CARE sister. She is president of the Society of Human Resources Management Club and works as a peer instructor and adviser in Business Career Services.
From Stilwell
Rajvi Shah, neurobiology, psychology and French, was president of the Honors Program Student Council. She served on the Student Health Advisory Board and the executive boards of MEDLife KU, the KU Society of Scientists and the South Asian Student Association. In 2015, she was honored as a KU Woman of Distinction, and she received the Kathleen McCluskey-Fawcett Outstanding Contribution Award in 2016.
POTTAWATOMIE COUNTY
From Wamego
BreShawna Briggs, management and leadership with a minor in leadership studies, was vice president of Mortar Board. She has been involved with the Kansas Women’s Leadership Institute for three years, and she helped found the Women’s Leadership from the Heartland Program. She was the finance coordinator for Alternative Breaks.
SEDGWICK COUNTY
From Wichita
Abdoulie Njai, human biology, is director of diversity and inclusion in Student Senate and president of the Minority Association of Premedical Students. He is a member of Phi Delta Epsilon premedical fraternity, where he serves as academic chair.
SHAWNEE COUNTY
From Topeka
Travis Kesinger, elementary education, is a member of Alpha Tau Omega fraternity and serves as director of member development and leadership on the Interfraternity Council. He is executive director of KU Dance Marathon and a member of the University’s Sexual Assault Task Force. He was student leadership coordinator for the Student Involvement and Leadership Center, and he served on the executive board for KU’s Big Event.
WASHINGTON COUNTY
From Hanover
Katie Gerard, supply chain management and information systems, is president of the supply chain management club and senior vice president of Delta Sigma Pi business fraternity. She is vice president of administration for the School of Business Ambassador Program, and she also serves as a teaching assistant and peer mentor in the school. She has served on the Homecoming Steering Committee for two years.
MISSOURI
From Blue Springs
Jordan Hildenbrand, chemical engineering, is a member of the Self Engineering Leadership Fellows Class of 2016 and a KU Admissions student ambassador. She is a member of Delta Gamma sorority and has served on the Homecoming Steering Committee. She also has conducted research at KU and the Mayo Clinic.
KU’s 104th Homecoming celebration, Rock Chalk Super Hawk, takes place Oct. 16-22. For a full list of activities and events during Homecoming week, fun facts and historical information, visit www.kualumni.org/homecoming. Share your photos with us by posting on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #kuhomecoming, and follow the hashtag to see more pictures of the celebration. Click here to read more stories about Homecoming.
Tags: Abdoulie Njai, Awards, BreShawna Briggs, Elizabeth Gray, ExCEL Award, Homecoming, Jordan Hildenbrand, Katie Gerard, Kevin Tenny, Rajvi Shah, Sean Murray, Stephonn Alcorn, Students, Travis Kesinger
