Lawrence&State
Lawrence Journal-World l LJWorld.com/local l Saturday, September 12, 2015 l 3A
Celebrating service
KU alum receives presidential medal for textile works President Barack Obama on Thursday presented a National Medal of Arts to 1979 Kansas University textile design graduate and visual artist Ann Hamilton. The medal is the highest award given to artists by the United States government, and Hamilton received hers in a batch of 11 artists that included writer Stephen King and actor Sally Field. Hamilton “uses time as process and material, and her work demonstrates the importance of experiencing the arts firsthand in the digital age,” according to prepared comments from the White House. Hamilton’s unique, large-scale work was recently on display here in Lawrence, when she teamed up with her former KU teacher and textile artist Cynthia Schira for an exhibition titled “An Errant Line.” In the 2013 installation, the artists used digital tools to cast a new lens onto the architectural features and existing artworks at KU’s Spencer Museum of Art. Hamilton is widely recognized for large-scale, multimedia installations that respond directly to the sites they occupy and immerse viewers, according to a description from the Spencer. In one example, a Park Avenue Armory installation she completed became a cultural phenomenon in New York City, inspiring crowds of people to return daily to the site.
Touring nuns bring activism to Topeka ———
Catholic social reformers riding cross-country for pope’s visit By Peter Hancock Twitter: @LJWpqhancock
T opeka — A group of Catholic nuns who are known for their political activism will be in Topeka today, carrying what they say is Pope Francis’ message of so-
cial and economic reform. The “Nuns on the Bus” tour is led by Sister Simone Campbell, executive director of NETWORK, a national Catholic social justice lobby group. Please see NUNS, page 5A
City will consider spending $215,000 to lure track events
M John Young/Journal-World Photo
THE 2015 RECIPIENTS OF THE KANSAS UNIVERSITY ALUMNI ASSOCIATION’S Fred Ellsworth Medallion for Extraordinary Service, Carolyn Brada, of Lawrence, and Ray Evans, of Leawood, were honored during the KU Alumni Association’s board meeting Friday. Brada has served on the advisory boards for the Chancellors Club, Women Philanthropists for KU and the Greater University Fund, and Evans has served on the Edwards Campus Advisory Board and the Board of Advisers of the KU School of Business, according to the KU Alumni Association’s website.
— Sara Shepherd
ove over, basketball. Lawrence may become a track and field town, or at least spend some money in an effort to become one. City commissioners on Tuesday will consider spending about $215,000 in transient guest tax
Town Talk
Chad Lawhorn
Please see TRACK, page 5A
clawhorn@ljworld.com
SATURDAY COLUMN
Key hires could help KU reverse rankings slide Within the past several days, Kansas University has been tagged with two national rankings: The university’s men’s basketball team has been ranked sixth best in the country, and the university as a whole has been ranked 115th best in the country. In the eyes of alumni, friends, the general public, donors, current and past members of the Kansas Board of Regents, state legislators, the governor, high school guidance counselors, teachers, parents and high school seniors, which of these two rankings is more important? Time and time again, many at KU have said rankings are not important, that they are overemphasized and don’t mean much. Wonder what they say today about the most recent rankings of their university. What does KU want to be known for? How do alumni want their school to be recognized? Is KU a “basketball school” or a highly ranked, nationally recognized academic institution? All excuses, explanations, rationalizations and justifications aside, KU’s academic ranking and reputation is sinking. The current 115th place ranking on the U.S. News and World Report Best Colleges list should be a shocking embarrassment to alumni and friends. It should be, but is it? How many alumni and friends really care? Not too many years ago, U.S.
News ranked KU 32nd in the nation among state-aided universities. Last year, KU was ranked 50th, and the latest rating places KU at 55th. In the ranking of all universities, KU was 101st in 2014, 106th last year and 115th in the newest listing. How many more years will KU be included among the prestigious Association of American Universities? A sizable number of schools with high academic and research rankings are waiting in line and campaigning to be invited to join the elite club, which is limited to 62 members. What’s the trouble on Mount Oread? Obviously not enough alumni, friends, state legislators, governors, donors, students, taxpayers, school administrators and parents care enough to make enough noise, exert enough pressure and call for the necessary changes and priorities to reverse the school’s steady drop in national rankings. It is dangerous to live in the past, but how many KU alumni and friends remember when KU was the “flagship institution” in the old Big 6 and Big 8 conferences? At times, KU shared this recognition with Colorado and Iowa State, but, year after year, KU was a leader. Now it is a follower. In the latest ranking, Texas, Baylor, Texas Christian, Iowa State and Oklahoma all top KU. Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and West Virginia fill out the Big 12 scorecard.
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COMMENTARY One is the dean of the College of Liberals Arts and Sciences, and the other is the president of the KU Alumni Association. These are key positions. The dean of the College should be recognized as a true visionary leader with a superior national and academic reputation. The College is KU’s largest school with approximately 17,000 students and the largest number of faculty. The new dean should be able to step in and go to work immediately. This is not a “learning curve” exercise. Faculty and students should respond with a loud and excited “Wow” when they learn about the individual who has been selected as dean. Will any of the four finalists for the College deanship elicit an enthusiastic “Wow” or “I didn’t think we would be able
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to land such an outstanding leader” or “How could we be so fortunate?”? Is KU going for the best or second best? Do salary limitations place severe handicaps on seeking the best, and, if so, shouldn’t the KU Endowment Association offer assistance? It has in the past. The Alumni Association post represents another opportunity to aim high. Kevin Corbett, who has stepped aside, did an excellent job but he would be the first to say there always is the opportunity to do an even better job. This position is key if KU is to elevate its academic reputation. The individual moving into this position should be an excellent communicator and, in every respect, a top-flight representative of the university. He or she should have a record of top achievement in his or her field of activity and a vision of what the university can achieve. That person should be a hard worker and someone who will deliver an honest, accurate and convincing story about the university, its history, its importance to the state and the importance of excellence. He or she is not merely a cheerleader for the school at an athletic event but someone with a deep pride in the institution, its academic mission and opportunity and its importance to the state. The Alumni Association president holds a powerful position because he or she should have the ability to marshal and rally the interest and commit-
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ment of more than 40,000 paid members of the association, as well as the thousands of other KU alumni and non-alums who recognize the importance of an outstanding university. Relative to both the dean and alumni positions, it is important that those on the selection and interview committees give sufficient time to personal visits and interviews with spouses of the candidates. Spouses can play a significant role in the level of success of their partner and there should be no surprises after an individual is hired. For whatever reason, concerns about the current situation at KU and the falling national ratings seem to fall on deaf ears, or uninterested ears. This is not a “cry wolf” matter. How or why has the school dropped from a 32nd position and a New York Times “fourstar” rating not too many years ago to today’s 55th and 115th positions? Will KU continue to drop in national rankings or will the upcoming hires for the College and Alumni Association, and likely other openings in the coming year, offer evidence that people both on and off the campus realize there is no justification for complacency? Major changes are needed if KU is to climb out of its current malaise and start the climb back to top state and national recognition for its academic excellence and provide new excitement and energy for the future.
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Obviously, there has to be courageous and visionary leadership that inspires faculty, students, alumni and even state legislators and governors. More than mere minimal state fiscal support is essential if the university is to elevate its academic program, but that will not come about without evidence of leadership. Currently there are two extremely important job openings at KU that search and interview committees are in the process of filling.
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