KU Giving Issue 9

Diabetes in transition p.18 | Environs: 25 years p.28 | Stunning Steinway p.24

For Friends of the University of K ansas • SPRING 2010 • kuendowment.org

Cancer Pathways

Hope and healing in the heartland p.12

VISIONS OF KU David F. McKinney / KU University Relations

Spring sunlight warms the red tile roofs of Danforth Chapel, and the campus bursts into bloom.

KU GIVING KU Giving is published three times a year, in spring, fall and winter, by KU Endowment, the private fundraising foundation for the University of Kansas. You are receiving this magazine because you support KU. We welcome your comments, suggestions and questions. Contact the editor at kugiving@kuendowment.org or 800-444-4201.

building a greater university

KU Endowment’s mission is to solicit, receive and administer gifts and bequests for the support and advancement of the University of Kansas.

SPRING 2010 I volume 3 I number 3

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Features

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Cancer pathways

Hope and healing in the heartland.

By Lisa Scheller

After her surgery and chemotherapy at The University of Kansas Cancer Center, Shannon Cortez said she and her husband, Edward, now have hope.

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DEPARTMENTS 3

LETTERS

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PRESIDENT’S NOTE Our shared responsibility

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EVERY GIFT MATTERS Award honors doctor’s commitment

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ACROSS KU

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WHY I GAVE

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NEW AT ku Steinway lands at Lied Center

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WAYS OF GIVING Three-part harmony

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GREATER KU FUND All smiles: meet Chancellors Club Scholars 2009

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AMONG FRIENDS

Growing up with diabetes

A new clinic at the KU Medical Center helps young adults cope with Type I diabetes.

By Lisa Scheller

KU VOICES Environs at 25 years

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PAST AND PRESENT Elbow room: west campus

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29 Evening sun hits the Chamney Barn, on the tract that completed KU’s west campus.

Orion Kinkaid, Topeka, is a 10-year diabetes veteran at 27. The transition clinic will help patients manage diabetes through adolescence and into adulthood.

ON THE WEB Many employers will match gifts.

Does yours? Check here: kuendowment.org/matching

COVER: Step by step, KU moves toward National Cancer Institute designation.

See story page 12 ILLUSTRATION BY AMANDA WARREN

Photo gallery: Lied Center gathering welcomes new piano kuendowment.phanfare.com

David F. McKinney / KU University Relations

Our core values Passion for KU The generosity of alumni and friends influences the very fabric of KU, helping the university advance the frontiers of knowledge. We are dedicated to serving the university and helping it achieve its aspirations.

Partnership with donors Our donors empower us to accomplish our mission. We pledge to faithfully administer their gifts, adhere to their philanthropic intentions and respect their requests for privacy.

Perpetual support The long-term vitality of KU represents our ultimate, unwavering goal. We strive to wisely invest funds and steward property, with the goal of achieving the greatest possible assurance of long-term financial support for the university.

People-centered approach Our team of employees, trustees and volunteers guides our present and shapes our future. We seek to attract and develop the best talent, value each individual’s unique contributions and celebrate diversity as a strength.

Dyche Hall

ways to support ku 100% of your gift benefits the area of your choice at the University of Kansas.

Online Giving — You may make a gift securely online using your debit or credit card. Visit kuendowment.org/givenow.

Gifts of Stock — By donating appreciated securities or mutual fund shares, you can provide a lasting contribution while receiving tax benefits, such as capital gains tax savings.

Real Estate — Your gift provides a convenient way for you to enjoy a charitable deduction based on the current fair market value of your property, and it can reduce the size and complexity of your estate.

Give by mail — Gifts made by check should be payable to KU Endowment and mailed to: KU Endowment P.O. Box 928 Lawrence, KS 66044-0928 Estate Planning — To remember KU in your will or estate plan, be sure to name The Kansas University Endowment Association (our legal name) as beneficiary.

Our federal tax i.d. number is 48-0547734.

If you already have named KU Endowment in your estate plan, please contact us so we can welcome you to the Elizabeth M. Watkins Society.

We also offer life-income gifts that provide income and immediate tax benefits.

Call our director of gift planning at 800444-4201 during business hours, or visit kuendowment.org/giftplanning.

SPRING 2010 I VOLUME 3 I NUMBER 3 KUENDOWMENT.ORG CHAIR, BOARD OF TRUSTEES Kurt D. Watson President Dale Seuferling Senior Vice President, Communications & Marketing Rosita Elizalde-McCoy Editors Kirsten Bosnak Charles Higginson Contributing Editors Lisa Scheller Art DIRECTOR Chris Millspaugh gr aphic designer Melissa Meyer professional consultant Carol Holstead KU Associate Professor of Journalism Budig Teaching Professor of Writing

CONTACT US

KU Endowment Communications & Marketing P.O. Box 928 Lawrence, KS 66044-0928 785-832-7400 or toll-free 800-444-4201 Email: kugiving@kuendowment.org kuendowment.org POSTMASTER: Send address changes to KU Endowment, P.O. Box 928, Lawrence KS 66044-0928

- FOUNDED 1891 -

LETTERS

We recently sent a reader survey to about 10 percent of our readers.

It drew an excellent response. We thank readers for their thoughtfulness and interest. We will use your suggestions and comments to improve KU Giving.

— the editors

Fall 2009 Our previous issue featured stories on KU’s service programs and its ongoing efforts to increase diversity. Find all issues of KU Giving online:

kuendowment.org/publications

Road to Diversity

Like Maruel Unrein, a student quoted in the article, I grew up in Beloit, Kan. My parents, my sister and I moved there in 1962. We were one of only two Asian families in that small town. My parents are from China, and we owned and ran a restaurant. The other family included a Japanese woman who had married a Caucasian man from Beloit. She was a war widow and raised her three boys there. I graduated from Beloit JuniorSenior High in 1977 and from KU in 1981. There was an Asian club at the time I attended KU, but it was mostly made up of Asian students from foreign countries. I did feel a little out of place among them and never joined. I bet the current Asian American Student Union is quite different.

It was quite an experience growing up in a small town, as Maruel noted.

My parents moved to Concord, Calif., in 1983. After graduation, I worked at KU Medical Center and lived in Kansas City before moving to Northern California in 1988.

I had wonderful times at KU and got an education that has served me very well in life. Thank you for your magazine.

DEBBIE MAH LEE College of Liberal Arts and Sciences ’81 Union City, Calif.

Chemical reactions

A number of important KU diversity milestones occurred before 1965, all having to do with the Department of Chemistry. The first black teaching assistant, I. Wesley Elliott, was appointed in the chemistry department in, I think, 1944. A young chemistry professor, Calvin A. Vander Werf, found it necessary to go to Chancellor Malott to get Elliott’s appointment approved. Dr. Vander Werf was also on the Faculty Athletic Committee and was both involved in recruiting Wilt Chamberlain in 1955 and became his academic advisor. The movie theaters in Lawrence remained segregated in the ’50s, as were many of the restaurants. The story was told me, by both Dr. Vander Werf and his wife, that when Wilt arrived in Lawrence, Cal accompanied him to one of the theaters on Massachusetts Street and said to the owner, “Surely Wilt needn’t sit in the back row of the balcony, must he?” The answer was obvious.

The chemistry department, led by Professors Vander Werf, Davidson, Kleinberg and others, was very encouraging to young blacks from the south in the ’50s and ’60s, recruiting them actively to pursue graduate study. Several were awarded Ph.D. and master’s degrees in the period

from 1955-1965. Many went on to distinguished careers in industry and the academy. Wes Elliott spent his teaching career at Fisk University in Nashville.

One Fisk alumnus who enrolled but did not finish was Marion S. Barry Jr. D.C. NECKERS Ph.D., chemistry ’63 McMaster Distinguished Research Professor (retired) Bowling Green State University Perrysburg, Ohio

Write to us KU Giving, KU Endowment P.O. Box 928, Lawrence, KS 66044-0928 Email: kugiving@kuendowment.org Fax: 785-832-7493 We welcome your comments on our magazine and invite you to share your KU experiences with our readers. Please include your name, address, email and daytime phone. Letters may be edited for length and clarity; we assume letters are intended for publication unless the writer indicates otherwise.

KUENDOWMENT.ORG |

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PRESIDENT’S NOTE

Our shared responsibility lisa scheller

Roy Jensen, director of The KU Cancer Center, and Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little share a vision for the future of the Cancer Center.

R

esponsibility is a hefty word. We tend to apply it to others rather than ourselves.

I guess it’s more comfortable that way.

But once in a while, we come to terms with the fact that it’s up to us to make something happen, that others are depending on us.

Then responsibility is much harder to ignore.

This is the reality when it comes to cancer treatment and research at The University of Kansas Cancer Center. KU has a responsibility to ease the suffering of cancer patients in Kansas and western Missouri, which amounts to more than 25,000 people every year.

I’ve learned that cancer rates in our two-state region are falling at one-third of the rate in the rest of nation. Is this the kind of reality we can live with?

This is why achieving Comprehensive Cancer Center designation from the National Cancer Institute can’t wait.

NCI designation carries a stamp of approval that says you are among the best in

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the world. The breadth of intellectual inquiry and research activity at KU means that achieving this distinction isn’t a far-fetched dream.

This is much more than a matter of prestige and distinction. It’s about giving you and me a fair chance to survive cancer if we are ever confronted with it.

KU would never shirk its duty to provide an outstanding education. It stands to reason that it cannot sidestep its duty to achieve this goal.

It bears noting that applying for NCI designation — like most worthy goals — carries a great deal of risk. The process is highly competitive, and success is not guaranteed.

It’s going to take a significant investment in research, facilities and human capital.

In this issue of KU Giving, we celebrate donors who have made a commitment to this goal — names like the Brandmeyers, the Hall Family Foundation, Burns & McDonnell and others. Their generosity is providing momentum to this quest.

Cancer patients deserve to have an NCIdesignated cancer center in the heartland.

Their very survival may depend on our ability to achieve this goal.

Some of these people love the Jayhawks, others couldn’t care less. Some even cringe at the sight of the crimson and the blue (hard for me to believe). But regardless, KU has a duty to serve them all.

The way I see it, it’s more than a responsibility. It’s a moral obligation.

Dale Seuferling, President

“KU has a responsibility to ease the suffering of cancer patients...”

EVERY GIFT MATTERS courtesy of ron and pat fredrickson

Doren Fredrickson traveled to Banff, Canada, in summer 2008, shortly before his death. His parents, along with other donors, created an endowed fund in his honor for students in KU’s master’s in public health program in Wichita.

A purpose-driven life Student award honors doctor who “walked the talk” After Doren Fredrickson died in August 2008, more than a hundred memorial gifts poured in.

Fredrickson, 53, was one of the first recruits to the newly formed Department of Preventive Medicine at the KU School of Medicine-Wichita in 1993.

His parents, Ronald and Patricia Fredrickson of Osage City, Kan., witnessed the expression of appreciation for their son’s life through the gifts. They decided to fully endow a new award fund in his name at KU Endowment. The fund honors a student completing the master’s of public health program in Wichita, and the Fredricksons will present the award at graduation in May. The couple described their son as a humanitarian who focused his career on helping the uninsured or medically underserved.

“Our son was all about social justice.

We wanted in some way to carry on what Doren was doing and what he was all about,” said Ronald Fredrickson.

“It’s a way of helping ourselves with the

grieving process. We’re missing Doren, and it’s nice to be able to help someone who is concerned in the same way that he was about helping people.”

Ed Dismuke, a former department chair and dean of the school, said Fredrickson’s concerns for the underserved affected his life deeply. He could have afforded a house in an upscale Wichita development but chose an apartment in a low-income neighborhood.

“Through the end of his life, he was ethically and morally committed to the underserved,” Dismuke said. “All this money he was saving from having a low-cost apartment he very quietly donated for a social cause for the uninsured, and so forth. The guy just really lived what he believed in.”

Fredrickson was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 12. His father attributed his early death to complications related to the disease.

He was named a National Merit finalist in high school and earned bachelor’s degrees in English literature and Spanish from KU in 1979, then taught in the Kansas City area. His drive to help others soon turned his career to medicine. He completed

an M.D. at KU in 1986 and a Ph.D. in epidemiology at the University of North Carolina in 1995. At KU, he was the Kansas Health Foundation Distinguished Professor of Preventive Medicine and Public Health. He also served as the health officer for Sedgwick County Health Department.

Fredrickson spoke five languages, was active in church and enjoyed woodworking. He applied his passion for auto mechanics to a couple of old trucks at the farm he owned near his parents’ home. He spent weekends improving the farm, installing terraces to prevent erosion, and tending the walnut trees and other trees he planted.

“He always said you should leave the world better than you found it,” his father said.

— Lisa Scheller

SUPPORT DOREN’S CAUSE To contribute to the Doren Fredrickson Award Fund, give online at kuendowment.org/doren, or contact Heather Clay, hclay@kuendowment.org or 316-293-2601, at KU Endowment’s office at the School of Medicine-Wichita.

KUENDOWMENT.ORG |

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ACROSS KU

Rise to the challenge David F. McKinney / KU University Relations

The KU African Drumming and Dancing Ensemble performs outside the front entrance of the Spencer Museum of Art.

A $200,000 gift from The Anschutz Foundation of Denver significantly advances an academic programs initiative launched by the Spencer Museum of Art at the University of Kansas.

The donation counts as a match toward the $1 million challenge grant awarded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to the Spencer in 2008.

This represents part of a long-term Mellon effort to promote collaboration between university museums and academic departments, to deepen faculty engagement with museums, and to strengthen the educational role of collections. The match must be fulfilled

by September 2011; the Spencer now has received commitments of $578,797 toward the challenge.

“This gift from The Anschutz Foundation recognizes the essential role that the Spencer Museum plays in the life of the university,” said Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little. “It is my hope that this generous gift will help inspire other gifts, so that we can swiftly complete the Mellon Foundation’s challenge grant.”

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Saralyn Reece Hardy, director of the museum, said The Anschutz Foundation’s contribution will enhance efforts to strengthen existing collaborations, develop new ones and cultivate joint events, improving the quality of education at KU in the arts, humanities and sciences. Expanded curricula and research also will deepen formal and informal learning at all levels. The museum has recruited Celka Straughn, Ph.D., to develop the initiative and ensure that projects are relevant to interests of students and faculty.

Philip and Nancy Anschutz established the foundation in 1983.

A native of Russell, Kan., Philip Anschutz earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from KU in 1961. His father, Fred Anschutz, attended KU in 1933. Philip’s sister, Sue Anschutz Rodgers, graduated from KU, as did her daughters Melissa Rodgers Padgett, Melinda Rodgers Couzens, and Susan Rodgers Drumm. The foundation also has provided financial support to the School of Business, the Marian and Fred Anschutz Library, the Dole Institute of Politics, the Anschutz Sports Pavilion and the Adams Alumni Center.

“We are deeply honored to receive this gift,” Hardy said. “We are confident that, like The Anschutz Foundation and the many other generous donors who have contributed to this initiative, additional KU alumni and friends will step forward to assist us in meeting the Mellon endowment challenge.”

— Lisa Scheller

KU’s Educational Opportunity Programs help students like Ahmad Khalil, ’00, find a great direction.

HELP MEET THE MATCH

Answer the Mellon challenge by visiting kuendowment.org/spencermatch, or contact Dale Slusser, dslusser@kuendowment. org or 785-832-7458.

Vosper, right, and Joe Rubinstein, head of special collections, unpack the Yeats Collection in 1956.

Ahmad Khalil

Finding hidden talent Ahmad Khalil arrived at KU from Wichita in 1996. He was a Kansas Honor Scholar and a first-generation college student.

In high school, he wasn’t sure where to go beyond a bachelor’s degree. Today he lives in Boston, where he’s completing a post-doc in epigenetics and RNA biology at Harvard Medical School and the Eli and Edythe Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT. The McNair Scholars Program at KU helped him find his path.

“The program gave me guidance in practicing for the GRE, then with the application to graduate schools,” he said.

“That support made all the difference.”

Allyson Flaster, academic services coordinator of KU’s McNair program, said that while Khalil’s résumé may be impressive, his ability, background and work ethic are typical for McNair Scholars.

Since the 1960s, U.S. educators, researchers and policymakers have stepped up efforts to find the oftenhidden gifts in students like Khalil.

Specifically, they have reached out to students from low-income backgrounds and those whose parents didn’t go to college.

KU is part of the national effort to help low-income students succeed in college.

Its Educational Opportunity Programs — including the McNair Scholars, Upward Bound and others — help nearly 4,000 participants each year. Many are from underrepresented backgrounds, are veterans or have documented disabilities.

The EOP programs at KU serve its students, as well as middle school and high school students, adults enrolling in GED and postsecondary programs, and lowincome veterans. They provide tutoring, test-taking workshops, campus visits, academic advising, and events and trips, working in partnership with more than 70 community agencies and schools.

Khalil graduated in 2000 in biology, then earned a doctorate from the University of Florida and did postdoctoral work at the Scripps Research Institute in Florida.

He thinks the EOP programs are key to helping many students continue their education: “They gave me all the momentum I needed to make that difficult transition. Without them, I think many talented students would miss the chance to build their careers.”

— Kirsten Bosnak

Educational Opportunity Programs staff members have created a scholarship for KU students in the EOP programs.

Working with KU Endowment, the EOP office seeks to raise at least $30,000 for an endowed scholarship fund. The staff members themselves contributed the first $5,600.

Support the scholarship online at kuendowment.org/eop, or contact Dale Slusser, dslusser@kuendowment.org or 785-832-7458.

KU ARCHIVES

A force for intellectual freedom Robert Vosper spent nine years as director of KU Libraries, from 1951 to 1960, and went on to become an internationally acclaimed champion of libraries.

He shaped the KU Libraries collections through many of their most important acquisitions and through innovative student outreach, such as the Snyder Book Collecting Contest, which continues today. He was known for his defense of intellectual freedom, mounting an exhibition on banned books during the height of the McCarthy era, with strong support from Chancellor Franklin D. Murphy. The exhibition gained international notice, and more than 20,000 copies of its catalog were printed and distributed. It remains in demand and has

been recreated in a digital version at http:// spencer.lib.ku.edu/exhibits/bannedbooks/ bannedbooks.html.

Vosper’s contributions to the field of librarianship spanned more than four decades. He received many awards, including a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1969 and the prestigious Lippincott Award from the American Library Association in 1985. He died in 1994.

The importance of libraries in the fight for intellectual freedom remained a theme for Vosper throughout his life. “The Library is an open sanctuary,” he wrote at UCLA in 1970, responding to pressure to close the library during campus riots.

“It is devoted to individual intellectual inquiry and contemplation. Its function

is to provide free access to ideas and information. … Since it is thus committed to free and open inquiry on a personal basis, the Library must remain open, with access to it always guaranteed.”

— Rebecca Smith, KU Libraries

KU Libraries recently established the Vosper Society to recognize its donors, who support the libraries in three essential areas: collections, services and facilities. Members will be invited to private sessions with visiting speakers and to special events to learn about features of the libraries. Visit kuendowment.org/libraries.

KUENDOWMENT.ORG |

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WHY I GAVE

Joan Upshaw Gus Meyer Sr. and Gu

s Meyer Jr.

Joel Zeff

To travel the world Donor: Gus Rau Meyer Sr. and Cheryl Meyer, Prairie Village, Kan., along with family members and friends.

Gift: $32,000 Purpose: To create the Gus Rau Meyer Jr. Scholarship award for KU students studying abroad.

The scholarship honors the Meyers’ late son, a 2005 KU alumnus, fourthgeneration Jayhawk, project manager at Rau Construction and enthusiastic traveler. As a Boy Scout, he attended the World Jamboree in Santiago, Chile.

He spent a year in Venezuela on a high school exchange program and a semester in Australia through KU Study Abroad.

He may have inherited the wanderlust from a great-grandmother who kept a world map on her wall with colored pins marking places she had visited. As he grew older, he kept track of places he had visited on a world map of his own.

Meyer Jr. was an avid outdoorsman, created a company recycling plan at Rau Construction and was studying to become LEED-certified. He named the American Red Cross of Greater Kansas City as the beneficiary of his life insurance policy, valued at more than $50,000.

Why I Gave: “We decided to honor our son with a scholarship because he loved education, he loved learning.

The study abroad scholarship covered everything — including his love for traveling. It fit him.”

— Gus Rau Meyer Sr.

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Diversity in social welfare

Donor: Joel Zeff, journalism ’90, president of Joel Zeff Creative, Dallas.

Donors: Joan King Upshaw, social welfare ’71, master’s in social welfare, ’73, Olathe. Upshaw is owner and president of Social Work p.r.n., the company she created in 1988.

Gift: $30,000

Gift: $50,000

Purpose: To establish the Joel Zeff Chicken Piccata Scholarship for journalism undergraduates with academic merit and financial need.

After working as a newspaper reporter, public relations executive, consultant and author, Zeff has built a career as a motivational speaker specializing in bringing humor to the workplace. He says fun produces passion and is the most important commodity in the workplace today.

True to his emphasis on humor, he named the scholarship after one of his favorite Italian dishes.

Purpose: The gift includes $30,000 for an endowed scholarship and $20,000 for expendable scholarship assistance for a minority graduate or undergraduate student with an interest in aging issues.

Upshaw’s contribution is the lead gift for the School of Social Welfare’s Dorothy Hodge Johnson Initiative, created to build diversity among the school’s students and faculty.

Johnson, who was AfricanAmerican, earned a journalism degree from KU in 1937, graduating Phi Beta Kappa. She was a social work administrator, community activist and civic leader in the Kansas City area. She completed a master’s in social welfare at KU in 1960 and was awarded KU’s Distinguished Service Citation in 1974.

Journalism piccata

Why I Gave: “The skills I acquired and refined at the journalism school provided the foundation for my success.

The time was right to turn around and thank my professors and KU. Journalism students need to understand how much in demand and how valuable they are to organizations and business.

“Like most careers, journalism is a serious business. And like most people, we can sometimes take ourselves too seriously and forget to add a little fun and whimsy to our lives.”

­— Joel Zeff

Why I Gave: “I, through Social Work p.r.n., have been given the opportunity to continue to support the efforts of the School of Social Welfare in increasing diversity in our profession. Diversity is essential both to better serve the needs of our individual clients and ultimately shape our profession’s future.”

— Joan Upshaw

Cris and Jef frey Co x

Tom Bowser Philip and Peedee Brown

ONLINE DONOR

Family medicine

Nontraditional support

Donor: Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City, led by president and CEO Tom Bowser, journalism ’68, chairman of Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.

Donors: Philip and Peedee (English ’88) Brown, Fairway, Kan.

Gift: $25,000 Purpose: To provide scholarship support for fourth-year medical students who plan to practice family medicine in the Kansas City area. The first two scholarships were awarded this spring semester to Elizabeth Schepker and Kelsie Kelly. Schepker, originally from St. Louis, plans to work with underserved patients.

Kelly grew up in Edgerton, Kan., and earned a master’s in public health from KU. She hopes to work with patients from a variety of backgrounds.

Why I Gave: “Physicians are the engine of our health care system, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City is proud to finance their good works. Funding a KU Medical School scholarship is one small token of our appreciation for all that these men and women do to help us all live longer and better.”

— Tom Bowser

doug barth

Online Gifts

Gift: $33,325 Purpose: To augment the Peedee Brown Nontraditional Student Scholarship Fund for undergraduate English majors. The gift brings the Browns’ total contributions for the fund to $93,000.

Peedee Brown said she grew up in a family that believed “girls didn’t need an education.” Her parents agreed to send her to the University of Wisconsin for a year for one reason: “to find a husband.”

She first enrolled at KU in 1979 at what was then called KU’s Regents Center, in Johnson County. At her graduation in May 1988, KU basketball player Danny Manning was just a few feet behind her.

“I pretended all the cheering was for me,” she said.

Why I Gave: “I was a nontraditional student, and I walked down the Hill at age 48. My diploma from KU is, next to my family, my most treasured possession. My hope is that the recipients will value their education as much as I value mine.”

— Peedee Brown

December 2009 – February 2010 Total giving: Average number of donors/month: Average gift amount: Largest gift:

$ 355,536 288 $ 412 $ 15,000

Fitch Natural History Reservation Donor: Jeffrey Cox, biology ’76, master’s in biology ’78, and Cris Cox, comparative literature ’75, Tulsa.

Gift: $200 Purpose: To honor Henry S. and Virginia Fitch. Henry Fitch, a professor of herpetology who came to KU in 1948, lived at what is now KU’s Fitch Natural History Reservation for almost 50 years.

He died in September at the age of 99.

The Coxes have been steady donors since 1979, contributing to many areas of KU. Why We Gave: Both Jeff and Cris took natural history classes from Fitch that included weekly field excursions.

“He was quiet and unassuming, and I didn’t realize he was a top snake and lizard expert,” Jeff said. “He knew more about wildlife than anyone I’ve ever met.

He’d say, ‘Now, under this log there will be a ringneck snake that has lived there for the last three years and grew up about 100 feet from here.’ He’d hear a noise: ‘That sounds like a leopard frog being eaten by a water snake.’ It was fascinating to be out in the field with him.”

Why We Gave online: “I read his obituary on the Lawrence Journal-World online and jumped right over to the KU Endowment website, where I could donate with a credit card and did not have to write a check or mail anything. Could hardly be easier!”

­— Jeffrey Cox

In calendar year 2009, we received $698,850 online, 45 percent of which arrived during December. Visit kuendowment.org/givenow today!

KUENDOWMENT.ORG |

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WHY I GAVE FEATURED GIFTS

Long-distance love for KU courtesy of Valdosta State University

KU faculty members set Jerry Jennett on the path to a major in business, which he said opened his life to career opportunities he never would have expected. He and his wife, Kay, hope the scholarship they established at KU will provide a similar incentive to students.

Scholarship will help KU students majoring in business Though the years have taken Jerry Jennett, business ’63, many miles away from the University of Kansas, he still holds KU dear to his heart.

He and his wife, Kay, live in Valdosta, Ga., where Jerry is CEO of Georgia Gulf Sulfur Corporation. Kay is an artist who graduated from the Columbus College of Art and Design. They remain avid KU basketball fans, and the family Jayhawk fan base also includes Kay’s 86-year-old mother, who lives in Ohio and follows KU basketball like clockwork.

The Jennetts recently provided $200,000 to establish an endowed scholarship at KU. The Jerry and Kay Jennett Scholarship is for undergraduate

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KU GIVING | SPRING 2010

business majors who work for or hold internships with KU Athletics.

“We’re trying to help the business school and potentially help those students who work around athletics,” Jennett said.

Jennett knows firsthand the importance of scholarships and jobs for college students. He worked his way through KU by working numerous odd jobs, including a semester helping in the kitchen of the Chi Omega sorority house.

His “pay” consisted of meals and an apartment in the basement. He took other jobs in the summers. He didn’t always have as much time as he would have liked for recreational activities. But the important thing, he said, was that his jobs, and financial assistance from his parents, gave him the college education he needed.

When Jerry thinks about helping others, particularly students, he recalls an uncle who grew up in a single-parent home during the Depression. A high school football coach helped his uncle gain a college scholarship. Then, his college football coach let him live in his own home during college. The uncle ended up earning a Ph.D. and leading a successful career in education.

“My uncle would have had a much more difficult life had people not stepped up to help him make it through school,” Jennett said. “That’s why we feel it’s important to do what we can to help students today.”

Since moving to Valdosta 30 years ago, the Jennetts have developed deep ties to the community. They have supported Valdosta State University, where Jerry has served on the university foundation’s board of trustees. Jerry is one of only two non-student adults who sing with the Valdosta State University choir. He also has volunteered with the Alapaha Area Council of the Boy Scouts and participates in the National Scout Jamboree. Kay serves on the Valdosta Symphony Board of Directors and volunteers with the local Humane Society.

Nonetheless, KU will always hold a warm place in his heart, Jerry said.

“In the first third of my life, the most important thing to me was graduating from the School of Business at the University of Kansas.”

Gift: $200,000 Why I Gave: “Every program has some students who are helping, and most of the time they’re unsung people,” Jennett said. “If there’s a way some of those students can be encouraged to get some business classes, or some sort of marketing or statistics courses, that would be great.”

­— Jerry Jennett

lisa scheller

$2.5 million bequest for scholarships Estate of Paul Brooker

Left to right: Jennifer Klemp and Barbara Unell with Dr. Carol Fabian, director of the Breast Cancer Prevention Center.

A pillar of hope for breast cancer survivors After the surprise of being diagnosed with breast cancer, rearranging her life, going through rounds of treatment and finally getting word that all is clear, the former patient faces a new task: rebuilding her healthy mind, body and spirit.

Following her own treatment for breast cancer, Barbara Unell, of Leawood, Kan., wanted to help others in the same situation. To accomplish her mission, she founded the nonprofit, Back in the Swing, in 2000.

“Everyone needs to know the answers to these questions: How do I build back my immune system? What exercises should I be doing? How do I take care of my heart and my bones? — all the things that are affected by the disease and the treatment,” Unell said.

To help breast cancer survivors prevent cancer recurrence, improve their overall health and recover from the effects of treatment, Back in the Swing has given $1 million to KU Endowment for the Breast Cancer Survivorship Center, part of The University of Kansas Cancer Center.

The support includes the organization’s most recent gift of $300,000.

The Breast Cancer Survivorship Center opened in 2007 on The University of Kansas Hospital’s Westwood Campus.

“This Center would not exist without Back in the Swing,” said Jennifer Klemp, Ph.D., associate director. She also cited

support from The KU Hospital and the medical center.

Klemp described the survivorship center as a “pillar of hope” that offers consolidation of post-treatment care.

“We actively research specific aspects of survivorship care and are leading the pack to change the way post-treatment care is provided,” Klemp said.

Rather than having to go to different providers and locations for cardiac care, long-term and follow-up care, genetic counseling or meeting with a dietitian, patients can receive all of these services within the Breast Cancer Survivorship Center.

Back in the Swing is the only national nonprofit exclusively dedicated to helping breast cancer survivors access individualized, multidisciplinary, post-treatment health care as a standard part of recovery, Unell said. Its signature event in Kansas City, Back in the Swing Retail Therapy, has grown to include more than 800 participating stores and restaurants throughout the bi-state area. Learn more at www.BackintheSwing.org.

Paul Brooker carried a lifelong passion for what he had learned at KU. He thought so much of his alma mater that he left an estate gift to KU Endowment for two new general scholarships.

Brooker grew up in Marion, Kan. He and his wife, Mildred Hoffman, earned bachelor’s degrees in 1931.

Mildred died in 1991, Paul in 2000.

His estate gift to KU took effect in 2009 after the death of his second wife, Virginia Brooker.

Paul Brooker established a scholarship named for Mildred in 1975. His estate gift creates two additional scholarships.

Their daughter, Diane Wingate, Wichita, said four generations of her family graduated from KU. She said her father devoted much of his career to his firm, Brooker Sales, which helped retail stores throughout the U.S. and Canada manage special promotions and store closings.

Today, Wingate and her husband, Garold, own and operate the company, known as Wingate Sales.

Gift: $300,000 Why I Gave: “To improve and protect everyone’s health following treatment, we want every breast cancer survivor to have access to the most advanced research-based, individualized healthcare possible as a standard part of her cancer care.”

— Barbara Unell

Mildred and Paul Brooke

r

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CANCER PATHWAYS

Hope and healing in the heartland

By Lisa Scheller Illustration by Amanda Warren

E

veryone knows someone who has made a journey through cancer. Each pathway is different. In this story, three patients map their individual journeys. All received treatment at The University of Kansas Cancer Center; one has become a cancer researcher. Along the way, we’ll chart four years of progress by the university along its own pathway toward designation as a Comprehensive Cancer Center.

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KU GIVING | SPRING 2010

alan honey

Cancer is no walk in the park, especially for a young mother of four. As Brenda Kennedy continues on her path to recovery, she’s grateful that her family moved to Kansas shortly before her cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment at The University of Kansas Cancer Center. Her surgeon, Dr. Kim Templeton, was named the first Joy McCann Professor for Women in Medicine and Science in 2003.

Best care, right here

These days, her friends call her “Bionic Brenda.”

A year ago, Brenda Kennedy, a 32-year-old Fort Riley, Kan., mother of four, was constantly on her feet. She chased after her kids, taught a bicycle spin class and was training to run a half-marathon. She never dreamed a malignant cancer was growing in her right femur.

She went to her doctor, thinking her arthritis had flared up again. Instead, X-rays showed a four-inch mass just above her right knee. The diagnosis: chondrosarcoma — a rare form of bone cancer.

Kennedy’s physicians referred her to Dr. Kim Templeton, an orthopedic oncology surgeon at the KU Medical Center.

Because chondrosarcoma does not respond to radiation or chemotherapy, Kennedy’s only option was surgical removal of the tumor. Until recently, removing a mass so large would have meant the use of cadaver bone or even an above-theknee amputation. However, Templeton saved Kennedy’s leg by installing a titanium OsteoBridge spacer in the gap.

She then filled in the surrounding area with bone putty, a material that encourages growth of new bone cells.

“The goal is to get the new bone to encapsulate the OsteoBridge, making my leg as strong, if not stronger, than it was before,” Kennedy said. “That way, I can run and jump again. Of course there are no guarantees, but so far, it looks very promising.”

Before moving to Fort Riley, Kennedy and her husband, Gabriel — a licensed practical nurse in the U.S. Army — lived in Georgia. Kennedy said Kansas was not on her wish list of places to live: “I think my words were something like ‘the middle of nowhere.’”

But now she sings a different tune, knowing the move brought an unexpected blessing — access to the KU Medical Center and Dr. Templeton. With four young children at home, traveling out of state for her medical care would have been extremely difficult. “I guess it’s fate, that we ended up moving here and having Dr. Templeton for my doctor,” Kennedy said. “She is the best. Plus, she’s the only surgeon in the five-state area who does this procedure.”

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More than a number

As it does everyone, cancer caught Shannon Cortez by surprise.

A year ago, Cortez, a 32-year-old U.S. Army veteran, and her husband, Edward, made plans to start a family. She was young, healthy, physically fit. She and her husband had both recently retired from the Army. Both had served in combat zones. Shannon’s tour of duty took her to northern Iraq for a year, to an area nicknamed “Mortarville.”

“There were always incoming mortars,” Cortez said.

“We would always have to run for the bunkers. We were always afraid.”

When she retired from the military, she thought her days of danger were over. “I thought the mortars were as close to death as I could have possibly come,” Cortez said. “But then there’s that little thing out there they call cancer.”

Her tour of duty with cancer, which has put family plans on hold, began with a clear discharge from her left breast. It continued through a regimen of tests, chemotherapy to shrink her tumor, and finally, in January, a bilateral mastectomy.

She never would have sought this journey, but she doesn’t regret it. “After the initial diagnosis, I was crying every day.

You just don’t know what’s going to happen, and of course I feared for the worst,” Cortez said. “I’m not going to say I’m not afraid anymore. But I’m not as afraid as I was before.

I’m hopeful now.”

She credits her hope to her faith, her husband and the care she received and continues to receive at The University of Kansas Hospital’s Breast Cancer Survivorship Center.

The medical staff effectively reassured her everything would be fine. They helped her realize that women who experience breast cancer can still live long, healthy lives. The team — physicians, nurses, technicians, dietitians — provided the care, guidance and emotional support she needed.

“They made me smile, they made me laugh,” Cortez said.

“I felt like they were concerned about me and my situation.

I wasn’t just a number to them.”

Cancer deaths are 25 percent lower at NCI-designated centers, according to a national study.

NCI designation: what it means For patients and residents of the region, NCI designation would mean: • Mortality rates that are 25 percent lower • Access to the most up-to-date research, prevention strategies and clinical trials • Millions of dollars in additional research grants • More than 9,000 jobs and $1.3 billion in annual economic activity in the region NCI designation recognizes institutions for their research in the laboratory, in the clinic and in population science. A designated Cancer Center primarily focuses on one or more of those research areas.

A designated Comprehensive Cancer Center performs broad, cross-disciplinary research that bridges all three areas.

It also provides professional and public education that carries advancements into the community it serves.

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KU GIVING | SPRING 2010

The University of Kansas Cancer Center includes: • The University of Kansas Medical Center • The University of Kansas Hospital • The University of Kansas • The KU School of Medicine-Wichita • Stowers Institute for Medical Research • Midwest Cancer Alliance Children’s Mercy Hospital Goodland Medical Center Hays Medical Center Kansas Bioscience Authority Kansas State University Mt. Carmel Regional Medical Center Promise Regional Medical Center St. Luke’s Health System Salina Regional Health Center St. Francis Health Center Stormont-Vail Health Center Stowers Institute for Medical Research Truman Medical Center The University of Kansas Hospital

brian goodman

“If you love someone, you need to tell them now,” said Shannon Cortez. “It’s time and people that matter, not hair and eyelashes.” She said her breast cancer helped her sort out what’s important in life and has given her an even greater appreciation of time spent with her husband, Edward.

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thad allender

Thanks to the care he received at the The University of Kansas Cancer Center as a child, Jeff Knight waged a successful fight against cancer.

Today he fights the disease for others — as a researcher for the National Cancer Institute. He wants KU to be successful in achieving NCI designation, so that families can find the cancer care they need close to home.

The child is father of the man

Twenty-one years ago, Jeff Knight was a pediatric cancer patient at the The University of Kansas Cancer Center. Today, he is a cancer researcher at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Md., seeking cures for the type of cancer that nearly claimed his life.

As a child, Knight thought of the medical center as his second home. He was diagnosed at age 9 with rhabdomyosarcoma, a cancerous tumor that originates in the soft tissues of the body. It’s a rare diagnosis, assigned to only about 250 children in the U.S. each year.

Knight’s symptoms began with double vision and culminated with the loss of sight in his left eye. The cause — a tumor behind the eye — damaged the optic nerve, which meant that the eye could no longer relay to his brain what it was seeing. Knight’s cancer treatment included five weeks of twicea-day radiation therapy, plus two years of chemotherapy. Now, at 30, he gratefully celebrates 20 years of remission.

As a researcher, he’s trying to help others. He focuses his research on various types of sarcomas. His goal, and that of the researchers with whom he works, is to discover genes or biomarkers within the cancer cells that can be used to guide therapy toward a more individualized treatment.

He’s living his longtime dream. “I knew halfway through high school that I wanted to go to grad school and do this sort of thing,” Knight said. “I’ve been on this path for quite a while.”

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KU GIVING | SPRING 2010

Knight grew up in Prairie Village, Kan. His path led him to KU, where he earned his undergraduate degree in biochemistry, and then to the University of Chicago, where he earned a Ph.D. in cancer biology. In 2009, he began working at the National Cancer Institute, which is part of the National Institutes of Health.

He has not ruled out the possibility of returning to KU someday to conduct cancer research. The university is well known for its rich history in drug development. It has one of the top pharmacy schools in the nation. KU also has held an NCI drug development contract for more than 35 years. Through this contract, the university has formulated many of the most important cancer-fighting drugs to come through the National Cancer Institute’s pipeline since its inception 50 years ago. No other university in the world can claim this accomplishment.

Knight said it occasionally occurs to him that his life would have taken a different path if not for his experience with cancer.

“It’s strange to stop and think of it that way,” he said.

“But I’ve never really regretted the experience — it has given me a purpose. What I want to do is to try to give back to the process that helped me 20 years ago. If I can add to the body of research that leads to better treatment for a child now or another child 20 years from now, I think that’s pretty rewarding.”

NCI designation: step by step

The University of Kansas Cancer Center is on track to apply to the National Cancer Institute for designation as an NCI Cancer Center in September 2011. It’s a major step toward the ultimate goal, the university’s top research priority: designation as an NCI Comprehensive Cancer Center, anticipated in 2016.

More steps remain: hiring top researchers and clinicians; constructing research facilities; enhancing research programs; acquiring grants; through it all, a multidisciplinary approach.

The goal is well worth the effort.

Dr. Roy Jensen, director of The University of Kansas Cancer Center, said cancer patients throughout the state and region will benefit from NCI designation. Among other benefits, it brings access to leading-edge clinical trials that are offered only at NCIdesignated Comprehensive Cancer Centers.

Researchers at the KU Cancer Center already are conducting clinical trials. To extend those trials to more Kansans, the

NCI designation: the pathway 1996 — The University of Kansas Cancer Center is founded (originally the Kansas Cancer Institute) 2003 — The Kansas Cancer Institute is renamed the Kansas Masonic Cancer Research Institute, after the Kansas Masonic Foundation, Topeka, pledges $15 million in support over five years 2004 — With the recruitment of Dr. Roy Jensen as the first full– time director of the Kansas Masonic Cancer Research Institute, the course is set for NCI designation; development begins of what has become The University of Kansas Cancer Center 2005 — Chancellor Robert Hemenway names NCI designation as KU’s No. 1 Priority 2007 — Midwest Cancer Alliance launches 2007 — State of Kansas commits $5 million toward efforts to achieve NCI designation 2008 — Phase I clinical trial opens for Nanotax, a reformulation of the commonly used chemotherapy drug Paclitaxel that greatly reduces side effects; Nanotax is the first drug discovered, developed and delivered by The University of Kansas Cancer Center 2008 — The University of Kansas Cancer Center announces it has been invited to apply for NCI designation in September 2011 2009 — Johnson County voters approve a one-eighth-cent sales tax to support The University of Kansas Cancer Center for its Phase I clinical trials program 2009 — The University of Kansas Cancer Center launches through KU Endowment a $92 million campaign for private fundraising for NCI designation 2009 — Kansas Masonic Foundation launches Campaign 2011, to raise $2 million for the Cancer Center 2011 — September, target date to apply for NCI Cancer Center designation 2016-2017 — Target date to apply for NCI Comprehensive Cancer Center designation

university launched the Midwest Cancer Alliance Clinical Trials Network, in partnership with hospitals in Goodland, Hutchinson, Hays, Pittsburg, Topeka and Salina. Jensen said this network is critical to the program’s success.

“Cancer has forced too many Kansans to travel outside our state for the latest advances in clinical trials,” Jensen said.

“Through these networks we’ve established, patients can access these treatments close to home. Being able to sleep in your own bed at night can be a huge factor in fighting this disease.”

JOIN THE JOURNEY TOWARD NCI DESIGNATION Unite with other donors in contributing to the general fund for NCI designation, which is flexible to meet greatest needs as this effort proceeds. All gifts are deeply appreciated. To contribute, visit kuendowment.org/nci.

NCI designation: major gifts Of the $92 million goal identified as necessary to achieve NCI designation, $40 million has been secured to date. Three recent major gifts: Joe and Jean Brandmeyer, El Paso, Texas, gave $10 million for an endowed chair in radiation oncology, and to support patient care and other NCI priorities.

“Curing cancer has a special place in our hearts. My mother, sister, and several aunts and uncles died of cancer, and our grandson is a cancer survivor.”

— Joe Brandmeyer

“We have faith in the people running The University of Kansas Cancer Center because they are patient-focused.”

— Jean Brandmeyer

The Hall Family Foundation, Kansas City, Mo., gave $18 million for a Phase I clinical trials building in Fairway and to recruit scholars.

“Kansas City deserves to be one of the 65 places where patients can receive the most advanced cancer treatment. Achieving NCI designation will bring prestige to the entire region as a center for advanced cancer research and treatment.”

— Bill Hall, president of the Hall Family Foundation

The Burns & McDonnell Foundation gave $1 million to establish a clinical high-risk prostate cancer prevention program at the Richard and Annette Bloch Cancer Care Pavilion. It is the largest gift the foundation has ever made.

“With this gift, we are building hope for prostate cancer patients throughout the Midwest. And, we want our gift to build momentum for more companies to support the drive for NCI designation.”

— Greg Graves, chief executive officer of Burns and McDonnell

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GROWING DIABETES

up

with

A new clinic at the KU Medical Center helps young adults cope with Type I diabetes.

By Lisa Scheller

D

iabetes is complicated. So is life — especially if you’re a teen or young adult. During his senior year at Lawrence High School, Orion Kinkaid learned he had Type 1 diabetes.

“I thought my life was over,” said Kinkaid. “It really sucked — before that, I could do anything I wanted to do, and then it was all backwards — it was scary trying to figure it out.”

Kinkaid’s alarming diagnosis meant his body had almost stopped producing insulin, and that his chronic disease would require vigilant attention to avoid life-threatening complications.

He had just turned 18. He was embarrassed to tell his classmates; his girlfriend found it difficult to deal with his illness and broke up with him. Fortunately, Kinkaid found the support he needed in his health care providers, school nurse and teachers, family and close friends.

“I think getting diabetes when I lived at home was probably the best thing,” said Kinkaid, whose grandfather had been diabetic. “My mom was there, and my brother. I had a lot of support and a lot of people who wanted to help me and teach me.”

Within a few years, Kinkaid, now 27, would know how to manage his illness and even take it in stride: “Then it was like, oh no big deal. You just get into a routine, figure out how your body works and get to know what’s going on.”

Not all young diabetic patients have the support Kinkaid had. And even for him, growing up while dealing with his illness was tough at times.

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KU GIVING | SPRING 2010

Ryan Housknecht

Type 1 diabetes no longer is the No. 1 concern in Orion Kinkaid’s life. Since being diagnosed 10 years ago, he has learned to outsmart the disease. He said it’s a matter of monitoring it as if it were a game to extend his life.

Kinkaid looks forward to mentoring fellow diabetic patients through the new diabetes transition clinic.

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mark mcdonald

A NEW BRIDGE That challenge is the inspiration behind the new diabetes transition clinic at the KU Medical Center. One of the first in the U.S., it’s intended to help teens and young adults learn to manage their diabetes during those critical years of growing independence.

The clinic is a joint venture of the KU Department of Pediatrics and the Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Genetics. Now in its beginning stages, it focuses on Type 1 diabetes. It addresses all aspects of care — medical, dietary and psychosocial — and provides peer support and mentoring. The medical center hopes to expand the clinic’s focus to include Type 2 diabetes.

Dr. David Robbins, director of the medical center’s Cray Diabetes Self-Management Center, said the Kansas City area has outstanding pediatric endocrinologists to care for children who have diabetes.

“But when the kids turn 18, they face a vastly different medical situation,” Robbins said. “It’s characterized by overworked endocrinologists, 10-minute doctor visits and long waits for appointments.”

Combine this with complex life events, such as leaving home, starting college or starting relationships, and you’ll find potential pitfalls. “Diabetes inflates all of those challenges associated with growing up,” Robbins said, “because the very essence of diabetes is fighting a loss of control.”

Young adult diabetic patients focused on moving out of their parents’ homes into college or the workforce may not meet regularly with their medical providers, said Dr. Kurt Midyett, chief of the divisions of endocrinology, genetics and nephrology in the Department of Pediatrics.

“What is often lost is intensive care of their diabetes and consistent opportunities for up-to-date information,” Midyett said. “This diabetes transition clinic will provide those opportunities.

David Robbins, M.D., director of the diabetes transition clinic, said diabetes is unique in that the care is largely patient-directed.

When teens and young adults learn to manage their diabetes, they are better able to monitor and control it throughout their lives, avoiding life-threatening complications.

”DIABETES INFLATES ALL OF THOSE CHALLENGES ASSOCIATED WITH GROWING UP, BECAUSE THE VERY ESSENCE OF DIABETES IS FIGHTING A LOSS OF CONTROL.“

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—David Robbins, director, Cray Diabetes Self-Management Center

KU GIVING | SPRING 2010

ONE-STOP CARE The transition clinic provides one-stop medical care for young Type 1 diabetes patients. At the clinic, up to 80 patients, ages 16 to 29, will meet with physicians, a psychologist, a social worker, a nutritionist and diabetes educators.

The diabetes transition clinic represents a one-year clinical research project coordinated by Louise Voelker, a master’s student in nutrition and dietetics. A transition clinic seems essential for addressing the particular needs of this age group, Voelker said: “Our goal is to help patients develop the skills needed to manage their diabetes better and become self-advocates.”

The program is funded by a $50,000 gift from the John W. and Effie Speas Memorial Trust and an in-kind gift of $50,000 from WellDoc Inc. of Baltimore. To continue the program, Robbins estimated a need for private funding of $300,000 to $500,000 each year. This doesn’t include the donated services of physicians and other health-care providers.

The clinic will submit insurance forms for patients, but no one will be turned away because of inability to pay.

As part of the research project, a number of the patients will learn to work with virtual physicians through cell phones provided by WellDoc, a health care company that uses technology to help diabetic patients monitor their status.

WellDoc will provide cell phones to a group of patients to test whether this technology helps them. Participants will be randomly assigned either a regular cell phone or one that is programmed to monitor their blood sugar levels, insulin needs, diet and exercise based on information they enter into the phone.

WELL BY CELL Patients with programmable phones from WellDoc type in their blood sugar levels and list what they have eaten. Through a system of algorithms, a phone message tells the patient how much insulin to take, what to eat and whether they should exercise. If there is a problem — for instance, if the patient is hypoglycemic — the system will check back with the patient and, as a precautionary measure, may notify the patient’s doctor or family about any trouble or issues.

“We think this is a painless and somewhat anonymous way of getting advice to the patients,” Robbins said. “We’re interested in looking at these sorts of technological tools as a way to move some of the traditional care out of the doctor’s office and into the home where the patient is living — making it convenient and user-friendly.”

mark mcdonald

Louise Voelker, a master’s student in nutrition and dietetics, coordinates the diabetes transition clinic as part of her clinical research project. She looks forward to seeing the clinic’s participants learn to take control of their diabetes as they move through their adolescent and teenage years to adulthood.

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“WHAT IS OFTEN LOST IS INTENSIVE CARE OF THEIR DIABETES AND CONSISTENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION.”

—Dr. Kurt Midyett, chief of the divisions of endocrinology, genetics and nephrology, Pediatrics Department

MEETING AND MENTORING A central goal of the transition clinic is to bring patients together to share experiences and learn from each other.

In doing so, patients can benefit from a big-brother or big-sister type of relationship that they may never have experienced before.

Until he attended his first support meeting last fall, Orion Kinkaid hadn’t had the opportunity to meet other diabetic patients his age. He quickly realized how much it helped to talk about the challenges — large and small — that he shared with other patients.

“When a couple of the guys and I were leaving, we were talking about the silliest things, like how you keep from getting blood spatters on your T-shirt when giving yourself insulin injections,” Kinkaid said. “This is something I wouldn’t talk about with just anybody. Most people wouldn’t understand, but with these guys it was different. We were on the same page.”

Social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter will further enhance communication among the patients. They can give each other updates on how they’re doing, learn about upcoming meetings or just chat.

DANCE PARTNERS Psychologist Buddy Poje, who will see patients in the clinic, said its approach to dealing with diabetes would go beyond treatment focused solely on medical issues.

The new clinic also will provide support from the psychological and sociological standpoint, along with facilitating the understanding and empathy of peers, Poje said: “It’s a very different approach.”

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KU GIVING | SPRING 2010

Noting the upward trend in the incidence of diabetes, Robbins said, “If we can’t prevent diabetes, and if we can’t cure it with antibiotics, as you can with pneumonia, for example, then our goal is to treat it more effectively and efficiently.”

There’s an art to caring for patients with diabetes, Robbins said. There is no such thing as an unmotivated patient. But sometimes, life’s temptations get the better of them — the chocolate bar on the drugstore counter, the bottle of soda in the fridge, the late night partying with friends. Robbins described his work with diabetes patients as learning how to dance with them — as opposed to wrestling with them.

With the clinic soon up and running, and with funding in place to operate it this year, Robbins sees the next challenge: funding for the future. But he’s optimistic.

“To me this is stone soup,” he said, referring to the fable about a soup that begins with a stone in water and ends, after villagers add food, as a nourishing supper for all. “I believe that when you start something, and you’re committed to it, if there’s a need for it, people will come around and help you get it done.”

BE PART OF THIS

The Diabetes Transition Clinic pilot program has received funding for one year. Continuation of this new program, and the services it offers to young adults with diabetes, depends on donor support. Make a gift online at kuendowment.org/diabetes, or contact Peggy Person, 913-588-5441 or pperson@kuendowment.org.

mark mcdonald

It is critical that Type 1 diabetic patients learn to manage their disease when young, said Kurt Midyett, M.D., chief of endocrinology, genetics and nephrology, Pediatrics Department. The diabetes transition clinic will help young patients during the prime time for them to establish effective lifelong habits.

MANY NOW, MORE LATER An estimated one out of three children born today in

It’s critical to manage diabetes. Complications from

the U.S. will be diagnosed with diabetes at some point

mismanagement can lead to heart disease, kidney failure,

in their lives.

amputation of lower extremities and vision problems.

Roughly 5 to 7 percent of all diabetes patients have Type 1, also called juvenile or insulin-dependent diabetes.

Diabetes is the number one cause of acquired blindness.

When people become diabetic, their medical

In Kansas alone, an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 people

expenses typically increase 11-fold. Nationwide,

have Type 1 diabetes. The prevalence of Type 2 has

approximately one in every 10 health care dollars is

increased more rapidly, but Type 1, which is more serious

attributed to diabetes.

and typically diagnosed before age 30, has increased about 10 percent during the past 30 years.

“If you think we have a problem now, it’s just going to get much, much worse,” said David Robbins, M.D.,

“So we really have to learn how to treat diabetes earlier and more efficiently and more effectively than we are now,” Robbins said, “or we’re going to just totally break the health care system.”

director of the Cray Diabetes Self-Management Center.

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The golden tone This 9-foot Steinway Model D concert grand piano recently took center stage at KU’s Lied Center. Its use will be reserved for world-class visiting pianists, KU faculty and student recitals, and pianists performing with the university symphony.

Four donors provided more than half the $105,000 purchase price to KU Endowment: Barbara Nordling and Dave and Gunda Hiebert, of Lawrence, and Hurst Coffman, of Topeka. Thirty other alumni and friends augmented their gifts.

The four primary donors also traveled, at their own expense, to help select the piano at the Steinway & Sons piano factory in New York City. The selection team included Tim Van Leer, Lied Center’s executive director, Stephen Spooner, assistant professor of piano, and Tom Eversole, piano technician for KU’s music department.

Once Spooner and Eversole had selected three pianos from a roomful, Spooner and Coffman, also a pianist, played each for the group. “That turned out to be very helpful,” Van Leer said. “We were able to hear the same pieces of music on each instrument and select the one that would sound best in our hall, for both professional artists and our advanced students.”

Support innovation at KU’s Lied Center by giving online at kuendowment.org/lied, or contact Dale Slusser at 785-832-7458 or dslusser@kuendowment.org.

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KU GIVING | SPRING 2010

brian goodman

New at KU

WAYS OF GIVING

Three-part harmony When we receive a gift, there’s an ideal three-part scenario: It’s made to KU Endowment, we know who sent it and we know what it’s for. If any of those three elements is missing, we have some detective work to do. “Orphan” gifts have ranged from $5 to $1 million, and they show up surprisingly frequently.

Every gift has a purpose, even if the donor intends for KU officials to define it. At KU Endowment, we are proud to say that every penny given goes to the donor’s chosen purpose (not all university foundations can say that).

But sometimes, our dedication to that ideal can drive a lot of detective work.

Let’s have a look at what can happen if an element of the scenario is missing.

be fully carried out. That’s why the organization was established in 1891 as the designated fundraising entity for KU — the oldest foundation supporting a public university in the country.

We don’t know who sent it

Bequests present no problem here; even the thickest legalese can’t disguise the donor’s identity.

Checks are another matter. Perhaps surprisingly, the information printed on them doesn’t necessarily clarify who should get credit for the gift. Checks from businesses can be especially problematic: Should we credit the business? The owner? The employees?

Some employees? If we have a question, we contact the donor.

Wire transfers of stock or cash are yet another matter. We maintain

“Orphan” gifts have ranged from $5 to $1 million.

It’s not made out to KU Endowment

If a check arrives made out to the university, or an academic department, or a development officer (the list goes on), we can’t cash it. We try to contact the donor, return the check and have the donor issue a new one. It’s timeconsuming, but it’s not a fatal flaw.

Not so in the case of an improperly worded bequest — it’s too late to rewrite.

We can’t accept bequests unless they are made to “The Kansas University Endowment Association” — or a close variation — no matter how clear the donor’s intent might seem elsewhere in the will.

The most common misstep is to name the university as beneficiary.

KU Endowment is bound by laws and rules of fiduciary responsibility, and has in place systems and processes that guarantee the donor’s intent will

illustration by chris millspaugh

Send your info along with your gift and we’ll sing the alma mater.

several brokerage accounts to enable donors to transfer cash or stock directly to us. Occasionally, transfers appear without explanation. This calls for more detective work: Who has used this method before? Who has given this issue of stock before? A $1 million stock transfer once arrived without explanation. Four letters at the end of the transfer code barely provided a clue, but several phone calls later we were able to match things up. Sometimes, however, we have to wait until the donor inquires about the missing receipt — a significant matter when it comes to $1 million.

We don’t know what it’s for

Gifts arrive every day, by check or credit card or online, without clearly designated purposes. When that happens, we try first to contact the donor. If that fails, we’ll check the

donor’s giving history and alumni status. Sometimes we must simply park the money in a holding fund and wait for an inquiry from the donor.

A bequest once came to us that dedicated a large amount of money to scholarships limited to students from a county that produces few KU students.

The result was a scholarship fund that is not used to its full potential. In a brief conversation with the donor, we could have suggested a broader geographic definition.

Solutions exist

You can help create the ideal threepart scenario.

Cash, check, credit card or online: Help our Gift Processing department allocate your gift correctly. Include a note specifying the donor and the purpose of the gift (a few words on the memo line of a check will do). Call Kathy Sanders, director of gift processing, at (785) 832-7402.

Wire transfer of stock or cash: Let our Investment Division know what you’re sending and what it’s for. Call Stacy Nuss, director of investments, at (785) 832-7419.

Bequest: Contact our Gift Planning Department for help in crafting the most effective language to fulfill your wishes. Call Amy Peters, director of gift planning, at (785) 832-7327.

And please accept our sincere thanks.

— Charles Higginson

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GREATER KU FUND

All smiles

The 2009-2010 KU Chancellors Club Scholars arrived on Mount Oread last fall. And these freshmen — all National Merit Finalists — have a lot to smile about. Each received a renewable scholarship, funded in part through

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your gifts to the Greater KU Fund.

The Chancellors Club Scholarship program began in 1979, and the arrival of this class brings the total number of recipients to 308. We expect great things of them.

To support the Chancellors Club, contact Judy Wright, jwright@kuendowment.org or 785-832-7330, or visit kuendowment.org/chancellorsclub.

AMONG FRIENDS steve puppe

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Fall 2009/ Winter 2010 events

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Chancellors Club members enjoyed a pre-game brunch on Homecoming Day, Oct. 10, in the Kansas Union Ballroom.

From left, Barbara Ballard; Becky and Bob Foster; Sheila and Ken Martinez; Marie and Ed Meyen; and Albert Ballard.

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The Chancellors Club annual gala weekend kicked off on the evening of Oct. 9 with a reception in the Commons at Spooner Hall. From left, KU Endowment President Dale Seuferling, Trustee Sam Evans, Karen Mize and Trustee John Mize. The Chancellors Club recognizes both major donors and annual gifts of $1,000 to the Greater KU Fund.

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Ed Martinko and Orley “Chip” Taylor met with other donors within the KU family for an open house thank-you reception Sept. 9 in the Commons at Spooner Hall.

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If it’s fall, it must be time for the Women Philanthropists for KU luncheon. Beverly Smith Billings, Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little, Gloria McShann Blue and Lester Blue joined other WP4KU members Sept. 18 in the Kansas Union Ballroom.

WP4KU encourages women to support KU through philanthropy and leadership.

See more photos from these four events, and others, at kuendowment.phanfare.com.

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The Advancement Board gathered for a holiday cocktail reception Jan. 12 at the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City, Mo. (5) Karen Miller, dean of the School of Nursing, center, with Ken and board member Judith Calhoun, Emporia, Kan. (6) From left, board members David Wysong and Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little, board chair Cheryl Jernigan, and Jeff Wright, executive director of Cancer Services at The KU Hospital.

The board works to develop support for the University of Kansas Medical Center, The University of Kansas Hospital and Kansas University Physicians Inc.

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KU VOICES

Environs speaks for the earth

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n 1985, a group of KU students created a new campus group, Environs, as a means for addressing environmental concerns. Their very first effort was to prevent mismanagement of the threatened Prairie Acre, a Lawrence campus landmark behind Watson Library and the last remnant of truly undeveloped land on Mount Oread.

Today the Prairie Acre remains intact, and Environs serves the same intent its founders imagined. It has become a force for environmental improvement on campus and in the community. With about 40 active members and a network several times greater, Environs is easily one of the largest, most active student groups at KU. As the current leader of Environs, I have made it a priority to organize the group’s expansive archives this year.

I’ve been overwhelmed by the list of accomplishments. Environs members have been involved in nearly every major campus environmental initiative in the past quarter century. Their efforts were critical in getting recycling on campus. They helped create KU’s Center for Sustainability and have helped plan Earth Day events for the City of Lawrence and KU for more than 20 years. This is just scratching the surface.

As concerns about sustainability have become ubiquitous, our group has become more diverse, attracting members from many majors. Students don’t join Environs to add another bullet point to their resume; they seek us out as a way to make a difference.

Year after year, our group takes meager financial resources and pursues high-impact initiatives and events, many of which have a lasting effect on KU and the community. This year we are focusing our efforts on four fronts.

Campus conservation — We work with departments across campus to bring about sustainable changes,

Ryan and other members of Environs collected native grass and flower seed in late October at the KU Field Station north of Lawrence. The seed will be planted along a new wheelchairaccessible trail nearby.

especially in energy conservation, waste reduction and transportation. Recent projects include installation of LED street lights and power management systems on some of the 12,000 PCs on campus. Projects are designed to save money by curtailing inefficiencies while helping to reduce our carbon footprint.

Environmental preservation — We seek to establish a connection among our members, the community and the natural world. We do this by helping to improve trails at the KU Field Station.

We also organize events and outings to local wetlands to promote the preservation of this unique ecosystem.

Education and outreach — We know education is key. Aside from our Environs newsletter, we go out into the local community, giving science lessons on environmental topics to elementary, middle and high school students.

Local food — We believe that what we eat is an issue too big to ignore. We have worked with KU Dining Services to integrate local foods, including in-season fruits and vegetables, into the menu. We recently held a free showing of the documentary

“Food, Inc.,” which exposes problems inherent in America’s industrialized food system and their effect on our environment, health, economy and workers’ rights. Nearly 400 students and community members attended.

I’m proud to be part of a group with such a rich and productive history.

The leadership, interpersonal and organization skills I’ve gained through Environs are invaluable and will stay with me for the rest of my life. In years to come, you can count on seeing our motivated members striving to make a difference at the university and in its surrounding environment.

Ryan Callihan Senior, environmental studies, Lenexa, Kan. Head Coordinator, KU Environs

SUPPORT ENVIRONS

Give online at kuendowment. org/environs (please specify on the giving page that your gift is for Environs), or contact Dale Slusser, dslusser@kuendowment.org or 785-832-7458. Learn more about the group at http://groups.ku.edu/~environs/.

PAST AND PRESENT

Elbow room Foresight clarifies in hindsight. All the land now known as west campus became available by the action of university and KU Endowment leaders who, decades ago, foresaw needs many others could not imagine.

Forty years ago, the final piece of the west campus puzzle fell into place with the purchase of “Chamney Place,” about 214 acres west of Iowa Street and south of 15th Street (now Bob Billings Parkway).

The Chamney family had run a dairy farm on the land for 70 years. The purchase increased the local campus area by 20 percent, to about 900 acres.

KU Endowment had previously acquired several other tracts west of Iowa.

The Chamney purchase completed a contiguous parcel of land totaling almost 480 acres. KU Endowment used private financing, largely through the estate of Elizabeth Watkins, to acquire all the land.

“The purchase by the Endowment Association is an outstanding example of the way in which private gifts have enhanced the state’s investment in higher education,” then-Chancellor W. Clarke Wescoe said.

“It will ensure for the university further essential area into which its multiplying research activities can grow — as well as those of outside research centers the university has been actively seeking.”

Several structures on the Chamney property were demolished, including two silos, but a barn, a house and a small “pony shed” remain. All are built solidly of limestone and have become local landmarks. Early this year, KU Endowment replaced roofs and upgraded doors and windows on all three buildings; the house received a new heating/cooling system.

Soon after the 1970 acquisition of the property, Sheldon Carey, professor of design, converted the barn into a

glassblowing studio. Since then, design programs have used the house and barn, now called the Center for Design Research.

The barn houses machine tools used by advanced industrial design students, and the house serves as a studio. Ceramics students store materials and supplies in the pony shed and fire their work in woodburning kilns outside the shed.

A complex of warehouses, shops and garages operated by KU Facilities and Operations has been built on Chamney land, along with a KU Libraries annex that houses rarely accessed materials in climate-controlled storage. The westernmost grassland acreage is used for honey bee research.

Aside from that, much of the Chamney land remains undeveloped, thick with dark cedar and hedge trees, home to deer, fox and other wildlife. A gift of foresight, it awaits. It will meet needs that cannot now be imagined.

— Charles Higginson Gregory Thomas

Local icon — KU Endowment recently replaced the roof, doors and windows on this barn, built in 1940. It stands just off Bob Billings Parkway on the Chamney property, which KU Endowment purchased 40 years ago to allow for campus expansion.

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P.O. Box 928 Lawrence, KS 66044-0928

Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Lawrence, Kansas Permit No. 72

See giving opportunities at KU Endowment: www.kuendowment.org/allopps Jaclyn Lippelmann / KU University Relations