Volume 128 Issue 9
Monday, September 8, 2014
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Kansan.com | The student voice since 1904
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DEDICATED DONORS
KU Endowment receives record-breaking $253.2 million in gifts in 2014
PRIVATE DONATIONS
DALTON KINGERY
@dontonkingnews
On Tuesday, KU Endowment announced a record-breaking level of fundraising in fiscal year 2014, with private donors raising $253.2 million for the University and the University of Kansas Hospital, 45 percent more than last year's total of $174.2 million.
Gifts given in fiscal year 2014 count toward Far Above: The Campaign for Kansas, which began in July 2008.
"Donors are responding to the University's goals and aspirations," said Dale Seuferling, the president of Endowment. "All of it is an increase that provides new resources for KU to achieve its goals."
Projects made possible by donor gifts in 2014 include seven new professorships, which increase salaries for current professors and create new positions, 91 new scholarships and fellowships, and a number of new facilities, such as Capitol Federal Hall; the DeBruce Center; the Earth, Energy and Environment Center; and the hospital's Cambridge
Seuferling said he credits Endowment's success in part to the emphasis that is put on the long-term process of cultivating relationships with donors.
North Project.
"When alumni give gifts to us they're excited to hear from us. You can just hear their passion for KU."
COOPER CHRISTENSEN Student worker at Endowment
"We are taking the University's needs, aspirations and goals, and we're sharing them with donors in a way that donors are being responsive," Seuferling said. "Donors are saying, 'I believe in this, I want to support this.'"
Student callers who work at Endowment are tasked with contacting alumni for donations, and make it possible for alumni to give back to their alma mater, said Cooper Christensen, a junior from Medicine Lodge.
"When alumni give gifts to us, they're excited to hear from
us," Christensen said. "You can just hear their passion for KU. They're still excited about the University after being away for 10, 20 years."
Christensen said he enjoys connecting with alumni on a personal level, and said he's had a number of memorable conversations with donors that went beyond the topic of the donation itself.
"I've taken a donation from a woman that graduated from KU in the 1940s," Christensen said. "She had no idea when the last time she'd even been to KU was, but she was still just incredibly excited about it. People like that are great to hear from."
Seuferling takes pride in the fact that Endowment's efforts are a crucial part of the University's growth.
"It makes myself and the team at KU Endowment proud of our success and proud that we can provide this level of support for the University," Seuferling said. "Knowing what the University of Kansas is all about, relating that to prospective donors, and making that match."
Teachers, students await OK on Spanish minor
Edited by Casey Hutchins
Former student body president Hannah Bolton and former student body vice president Brandon Woodard introduced in 2012 a resolution that would offer a Spanish minor to students on campus. The resolution awaits passage from the Committee on Undergraduate Studies & Advertising.
ALLISON CRIST
@AllisonCristUDK
GEORGE MULLINIX/KANSAI
The University of Kansas is the only institution in both the Kansas Board of Regents and Big 12 that does not offer a Spanish minor. However, Student Senate and the Department of Spanish and Portuguese are working to change that.
The proposed Spanish minor for Fall 2015 is currently set to be heard by the Committee on Undergraduate Studies & Advising [CUSA]. A decision should be made this fall, and if approved, an announcement will be made early next year, said Robert Bayliss, undergraduate studies chair for the department of Spanish and Portuguese.
"I have no idea why the minor wouldn't be approved. I'm really looking forward to it hopefully passing."
MACIE ROHR Freshman from Ellsworth
After many students voiced their desire for a Spanish minor, previous student body president Hannah Bolton and previous vice-president Brandon Woodard researched and met with many groups and administrators before putting an official resolution on the Student Senate floor.
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"We started the minor because Hannah Bolton and Brandon Woodard approached me to let the department know how important the issue was to students," said Stuart Day, associate professor in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese. "This is a
great example of student government in action," Day said.
Bayliss said there's been a student demand for a Spanish minor for as long as he can remember, and he's been with the University for more than 10 years.
"The minor could give students the ability to become linguistically confident and learn more about a different culture without conflicting with their other academic commitments, such as a major would," Bayliss said.
Macie Rohr, a freshman from Ellsworth, is a student who said she would benefit from a Spanish minor.
"I haven't declared a major yet, but no matter what career I choose, I would automatically get a boost in pay for being bilingual, especially in Spanish," Rohr said. "I have no idea why the minor wouldn't be approved. I'm really looking forward to it hopefully passing."
Despite the minor being more condensed than the major, there are plenty of similarities between the two Day said.
The main distinction between the two is the amount of hours required for each. While a Spanish major requires a minimum of 32 hours, the minor would require about 20 hours, depending on what the College Academic Council and the University decide.
"Students minoring in Spanish will have the same great opportunities to study abroad — our programs in Barcelona, Buenos Aires and Salamanca will all offer courses to the minor," Day said.
Day said the department wants to make sure current students have the opportunity
Although the minor has always been an interest among both professors and students, no substantial effort was made to propose the idea — up until about two years ago.
to minor if they want to. To accomplish this, the department will allow students to enroll for the minor upon completing one Spanish class.
"President Hannah Bolton and I were the chief authors
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The resolution ended up passing with a vote of 68-3. Bolton and Woodard then compiled all of the months worth of information and began the lengthy process of
Upon the completion of the formal proposals, the Department of Spanish and Portuguese took over the process of moving the potential minor forward.
of the resolution and were fortunate to have over 40 of the student senators and executive staff members as sponsors to the resolution," Woodard said when writing and passing the resolution back in 2012.
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"The ball is now in their [Department of Spanish and Portuguese] court with structuring, designing and implementing the minor," Woodard said.
After months of diligent work, they are finally preparing the proposal to be heard by CUSA.
making formal proposals to the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, the sssociate dean of Humanities, the dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the provost and the chancellor.
Edited by Drew Parks
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