Points of Distinction
Alumni
Former U.S. Senator Robert J. Dole
Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius
Brian McClendon, vice president of engineering for Google
Cynthia Carroll, CEO of Anglo American mining company
Mary Murguia (left), U.S. District Court judge, District of Arizona, and Janet Murguia, president and chief executive officer of the National Council of La Raza
Alan Mulally, president and CEO of Ford Motor Co.
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Alumni family leads donations to new School of Business building
An alumni father and son who have led Capitol Federal Savings and the Capitol Federal Foundation of Topeka have committed $20 million of foundation money to a new building for the KU School of Business.
John B. Dicus, chairman, president and CEO of Capitol Federal Savings, earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration from KU in 1983 and 1985. His father, John C. Dicus, chairman emeritus of Capitol Federal Savings, earned a bachelor’s degree in business from KU in 1955. The chairman's grandfather, Henry A. Bubb, also was an alumnus.
The six-story, 166,000-square-foot building will be located on the east side of Naismith Drive, across from Allen Fieldhouse and south of Robinson Health & Physical Education Center. It will feature modern learning labs, auditoria and space for collaboration and research. A conceptual rendering has been submitted, and a completion date will be determined once additional funding is secured.
The gift is part of Far Above: The Campaign for Kansas, the university’s $1.2 billion comprehensive campaign. KU Endowment is working with alumni and friends to complete private funding for the building, which is expected to cost about $60 million.
The 95,000-square-foot Summerfield Hall, which opened in 1960, will house other units to be determined at a future date.
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Mother Earth News names Lawrence one of '8 Great Places'
Mother Earth News includes Lawrence in its 2012 list of "8 Great Places You've (Maybe) Never Heard Of," all setting a high standard for livability, sustainability, and civic pride.
The magazine praises the town's sense of Civil War history, the rich cultural opportunities available at KU and Haskell Indian Nations University, and the appreciation of local food and farmers markets. The newhydroelectric power plant scheduled to open in late 2012 at Bowersock Dam was also noted.
The other cities on the list: Golden, Colo.; Dover, N.H.; Charleston, S.C.; Port Townsend, Wash.; Red Lodge, Mont.; Hilo, Hawaii; and Denton, Texas.
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Lawrence a top 10 town for college students
The American Institute for Economic Research 2012 College Destinations Index ranks Lawrence No. 8 in the top 75 U.S. towns and cities for college students.
Manhattan, home of Kansas State University, was ranked No. 14.
Criteria included the concentration and diversity of college students, cost of living, arts and leisure venues, employment opportunities, and entrepreneurial activity.
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President of Colombia, a KU alumnus, receives distinguished achievement award
Juan Manuel Santos, president of the Republic of Colombia and 1973 University of Kansas graduate in economics and business, received the Alumni Distinguished Achievement Award, the highest honor bestowed by the KU College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, in a campus visit Sept. 24, 2012.
Other events during his visit included meetings with students and a conversation at the Dole Institute of Politics led by institute director Bill Lacy.
Before his election in 2010, Santos, 58, served three years as defense minister and two years as finanace minister.
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