KU Kudos September 2025: Celebrating Jayhawk achievements
LAWRENCE — It’s time to celebrate Jayhawk colleagues’ achievements: KU News Service accepted submissions and combed websites, social media and newsletters for recent external honors and awards for current faculty and staff at the Lawrence, Edwards and Medical Center campuses and affiliates.
KU Kudos is published 6-7 times a year. Have something to share? Submit by Nov. 7 for the next edition. Self-nominations are encouraged. Learn more about how to submit your professional achievements.
Kudos
Jordan Atkinson, program director and professor of the practice in the School of Professional Studies, recently served as the primary planner for the 2025 Eastern Communication Association conference in Buffalo, New York. Atkinson also ascended to the role of president of the organization during the conference and will hold the role for one year.
The University of Missouri’s Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science has inducted Shannon Blunt, KU's Roy A. Roberts Distinguished Professor of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, as one of the inaugural members of its EECS Alumni Hall of Fame.
Lauren Bruno, assistant research professor with the KU Center on Disabilities, and assistant researcher Ben Edwards presented earlier this month at the 20th annual Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopment Conference in St. Louis. Their presentation, "Power of Choice: Building Self-Determination for Lifelong Impact,” focused on the importance of self-determination for autistic youth.
The University & College Designers Association honored KU Marketing for social design work related to KU’s new brand, Towering Toward the Blue. Team members include Brett Glannon, Morgan Hogsett, Meg Kumin, Christy Lynch, Corey Ransberg, Dave Toplikar and Andy White.
Darcy Gray, digital communications coordinator at the School of Medicine-Wichita, was named one of the Women Who Lead in Marketing by the Wichita Business Journal.
Melissa Greene-Blye, assistant professor of journalism, has been elected to the board of the American Journalism Historians Association and will serve a three-year term.
Jie Han, Roy A. Roberts Distinguished Professor of Civil Engineering, will deliver the 2025 Ardaman-Wissa State-of-the-Practice Lecture at the University of Florida Engineering School of Sustainable Infrastructure & Environment. He will present “Rigid Inclusion Systems for Embankment and Building Support: Past, Present, and Future” on Oct. 8.
The documentary "Trauma: The New Epidemic“ has been selected to play at additional festivals of note since its January premiere: the Thurrock International Film Festival in Essex, England, and the Awareness Film Festival in Santa Monica, California. Collaborators on the documentary include Archie Heddings, associate professor of orthopedic surgery, and Matt Jacobson, professor of film & media studies.
Yolanda Huggins, executive associate with the Office of Faculty Affairs, and Carrie Poe, program coordinator with the KU Small Business Development Center, were selected for the Leadership Lawrence Class of 2026.
Kelsey Hunter, assistant director of the Sexual Assault Prevention and Education Center, received a National Association of Student Affairs Professionals IV-West Innovative Program Award for her Prevention is Possible academic seminar. Hunter will be honored at the 2025 NASPA IV-West Regional Conference.
Meagan Karvonen, director of Accessible Teaching, Learning, and Assessment Systems, spoke on a panel earlier this month at the 2025 Reidy Interactive Learning Series conference.
Daniel Keleti, clinical associate professor of radiation oncology, was appointed to the American Society for Radiation Oncology History Committee.
Michelle Keller, director of professional graduate studies in the William Allen White School of Journalism & Mass Communications, traveled to Emporia earlier this month to give a presentation at Red Rocks, the home of William Allen White. Titled “Free Speech Still Matters,” the lecture was centered around the idea put forth in White’s Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial, “To An Anxious Friend,” that free speech is not to be curtailed in times of civil unrest.
Christopher Koliba, Edwin O. Stene Distinguished Professor of Public Administration, Policy & Governance, will speak on a panel at the Public Service Under Pressure conference next month from the National Academy of Public Administration.
Jonathan Mayhew, professor in the Department of Spanish & Portuguese, was invited by the Federico Garcia Lorca Foundation to participate in a scholarly event focused on the relation between the famous Spanish poet and flamenco that will be organized in Granada, Spain, in November.
Edward Morris, professor emeritus of applied behavioral science, received the Career Achievement Award from the Society for the History of Psychology (Division 26 of the American Psychological Association). Career achievement awards are given to individuals who have made sustained, outstanding and unusual contributions to the history of psychology over a career. Morris gave an address, "When Complements Are Not Compliments: The Relationship Between B. F. Skinner and J. R. Kantor,” in conjunction with the award presentation in August at the American Psychological Association meeting.
Kristi Northcutt, director of the KU Public Management Center, will speak at the International City/County Management Association conference in October. Northcutt and colleagues will present on “Find & Keep Your Passion for Public Service.”
The Kansas Supreme Court presented a Justice Award to John Peck, Connell Teaching Professor Emeritus of Law at the School of Law, for his significant contributions to the improvement of justice in Kansas.
Teresa Schultz, director of licensing for the KU Center for Technology Commercialization, has joined the board of trustees at Kansas Wesleyan University.
John Schwaller, research associate in the Department of History, was appointed the Jay I. Kislak Chair in the Study of the History and Cultures of the Early Americas at the Library of Congress, effective Sept. 1 and lasting the academic year. The chair is part of the Kluge Center of the Library.
Nikia Smith Robert, assistant professor of religious studies, will be recognized by Morehouse College’s MLK Jr.’s Collegium of Scholars. She will be inducted next month into the 40th annual Martin Luther King Jr. College of Ministers and Laity.
Ingrid Stölzel, associate professor of music composition, served as guest composer at three festivals over the summer: the Brasília Orchestral Summit with the Brazilian National Symphony Orchestra; the Summer Composition Intensive at St. Mary’s College, Indiana; and the Sewanee Summer Music Festival Composition Intensive in Tennessee. Her works were featured at several conferences, including the 2025 World Saxophone Congress in China, the 2025 International Double Reed Society Conference in Indianapolis and ClarinetFest 2025 in Fort Worth, Texas.
Elaina Sutley, associate professor of civil, environmental & architectural engineering, is a finalist for the 2025 Blavatnik National Awards for Young Scientists, one of the country’s most significant prizes for early-career researchers. She’s a finalist in the Physical Sciences and Engineering category. Winners will be announced Oct. 7.
Stephen Wolgast, Knight Chair of Audience and Community Engagement in News, presented research at the Future of Journalism conference at Cardiff University in Wales, United Kingdom, earlier this month. His topic was "Shared Press Distress: The Effects of a Police Raid on a Newspaper.”
Stephanie Zelnick, professor of clarinet, recently returned for her third summer as clarinet faculty at the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Youth Orchestra Los Angeles National Festival. In addition to her role in the orchestral program, Zelnick served this year as the woodwind faculty for the festival’s newly launched chamber music program.
Recently in the news
University of Kansas Chancellor Douglas A. Girod has been appointed to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Board of Directors and the NCAA Board of Governors.
The Kansas Board of Regents named five KU professors among its 2025 Faculty of the Year award recipients. They are Vitaly Chernetsky, professor of Slavic studies; David O. Johnson, teaching professor of electrical engineering & computer science; Dinesh Pal Mudaranthakam, assistant professor of biostatistics and data science and director of research information technology; Laurie Steen, clinical assistant professor of occupational therapy education and program director of the post-professional OT doctoral program; and Sufi Mary Thomas, professor of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery.