University of Kansas Information: The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university that is the state's largest. The main campus is located in Lawrence, on Mount Oread, the highest location in Lawrence. Branch campuses are in Wichita, Overland Park, Salina and Kansas City, Kansas. The University Medical Center and the University Hospital are located in Kansas City, Kansas, with branches in Wichita and Salina. Enrollment across the system is about 30,000 students.
Founded March 21, 1865, the university was opened in 1866, under a charter granted by the Kansas State Legislature in 1864, following enabling legislation passed in 1863 under the Kansas State Constitution, adopted two years after the 1861 admission of the former Kansas Territory as the 34th state into the Union following a very famous bloody internal civil war known as "Bleeding Kansas" during the 1850s.
KU is home to the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics, the Beach Center on Disability, Lied Center of Kansas and radio stations KJHK 90.7 FM, which is student-run, KANU 91.5 FM, which is NPR-affiliated, and KUJH-LP, an independent station that primarily broadcasts public affairs programs. The university is host to several museums, including the University of Kansas Natural History Museum and the Spencer Museum of Art. The libraries of the University include the Watson Library, Spencer Research Library, and Anschutz Library, which commemorates the businessman Philip Anschutz, an alumnus of the University.
During World War II, Kansas was one of 131 colleges and universities nationally that took part in the V-12 Navy College Training Program, which offered students a path to a Navy commission.
KU's School of Business launched interdisciplinary management science graduate studies in operations research during the Fall Semester 1965. The program provided the foundation for decision science applications supporting NASA Project Apollo Command Capsule Recovery Operations. KU's academic computing department was an active participant in setting up the Internet and is the developer of the early Lynx text-based web browser. Lynx itself provided hypertext browsing and navigation prior to Tim Breners Lee's invention of HTTP and HTML.
The Community Tool Box is a public service of the University maintained by the Work Group for Community Health and Development. It is a free, online resource that contains more than 7,000 pages of practical information for promoting community health and development, and is a global resource for both professionals and grassroots groups engaged in the work of community health and development. Access the Community Toolbox: here
Founded March 21, 1865, the university was opened in 1866, under a charter granted by the Kansas State Legislature in 1864, following enabling legislation passed in 1863 under the Kansas State Constitution, adopted two years after the 1861 admission of the former Kansas Territory as the 34th state into the Union following a very famous bloody internal civil war known as "Bleeding Kansas" during the 1850s.
KU is home to the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics, the Beach Center on Disability, Lied Center of Kansas and radio stations KJHK 90.7 FM, which is student-run, KANU 91.5 FM, which is NPR-affiliated, and KUJH-LP, an independent station that primarily broadcasts public affairs programs. The university is host to several museums, including the University of Kansas Natural History Museum and the Spencer Museum of Art. The libraries of the University include the Watson Library, Spencer Research Library, and Anschutz Library, which commemorates the businessman Philip Anschutz, an alumnus of the University.
During World War II, Kansas was one of 131 colleges and universities nationally that took part in the V-12 Navy College Training Program, which offered students a path to a Navy commission.
KU's School of Business launched interdisciplinary management science graduate studies in operations research during the Fall Semester 1965. The program provided the foundation for decision science applications supporting NASA Project Apollo Command Capsule Recovery Operations. KU's academic computing department was an active participant in setting up the Internet and is the developer of the early Lynx text-based web browser. Lynx itself provided hypertext browsing and navigation prior to Tim Breners Lee's invention of HTTP and HTML.
The Community Tool Box is a public service of the University maintained by the Work Group for Community Health and Development. It is a free, online resource that contains more than 7,000 pages of practical information for promoting community health and development, and is a global resource for both professionals and grassroots groups engaged in the work of community health and development. Access the Community Toolbox: here
Notable University of Kansas Alumni: Frank Sherwood Rowland, the 1995 Nobel Prize in Chemistry; Vernon L. Smith, the 2002 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics; William H. Avery, 37th governor of Kansas; Sheila C. Bair, former Chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC); Kay Barnes, former Mayor of Kansas City, Missouri; Carol A. Beier, Kansas Supreme Court Justice; Robert Frederick Bennett, 37th governor of Kansas; Sam Brownback, current Kansas governor; Jonathan M. Davis, 22nd governor of Kansas; George Docking, 35th governor of Kansas; Robert Docking, 38th governor of Kansas; Bob Dole, former U.S. Senate majority leader and Senator from Kansas, presidential and vice-presidential nominee; Sam C. Ford, the 12th governor of Montana; John B. Gage, former mayor of Kansas City, Missouri; Jane Dee Hull, 24th governor of Arizona; Todd Ames Hunter, former member of the Texas House of Representatives; Nancy Landon Kassebaum, first female U.S. senator elected without having been preceded in office by her husband; Alf Landon, 26th governor of Kansas and Republican nominee in the 1936 presidential election; Delano Lewis, former National Public Radio CEO and ambassador to South Africa; Deane Waldo Malott, former Chancellor of KU and 6th president of Cornell University; David McClain, President, University of Hawaii; Merritt C. Mechem, 5th governor of the State of New Mexico; Franklin David Murphy, Chancellor of the University of Kansas and Chancellor of the University of California, Los Angeles; Jim Ryun, former U.S. Congressman Kansas District 2, three-time U.S. Olympic runner and silver medalist; Juan Manuel Santos, President of Colombia, elected in 2010; Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services under Obama, 44th governor of Kansas; Walter R. Stubbs, 18th governor of Kansas; Sanora Babb, novelist, best known for An Owl on Every Post and Whose Names Are Unknown; Scott Bakula, actor, star of Quantum Leap and Star Trek: Enterprise; Etta Moten Barnett, actress and singer and the first black artist to perform at the White House; Danni Boatwright, former Miss Teen USA and Miss USA contestant, winner of Survivor: Guatemala; Kara Brock, television and film actress; Trai Byers, actor, star of Empire; Christina Chang, television actress; Steve Doocy, Fox News anchor, New York Times best-selling author; Bill Downs, CBS and ABC News correspondent; Cara Gorges, Miss Kansas USA 2007, controversial 2nd runner-up in Miss USA pageant; Moses Gunn, actor, TV mini-series Roots; Kevin Harlan, broadcaster for CBS and TNT sports; Bob Holtzman, ESPN bureau-reporter for SportsCenter; Don Johnson, actor, co-star of Miami Vice and Nash Bridges; Samantha Ryan, adult film actress; Joe Engle, former NASA astronaut and a retired U.S. Air Force colonel; Ronald E. Evans, former NASA astronaut and a retired U.S. Navy captain; Steve Hawley, former NASA director and astronaut; Professor of Physics and Astronomy at KU; Richard F. Johnston, ornithologist and author, and one-time curator of the Natural History Museum; Elmer McCollum, co-discoverer of Vitamin A; Nariman Mehta, pharmacologist, developer of the antidepressant and smoking cessation drug bupropion; Clyde Tombaugh, astronomer and discoverer of the dwarf planet Pluto; K. S. "Bud" Adams, Jr., CEO of Adams Resources; owner of the Tennessee Titans; Kenneth S. "Boots" Adams, former President and CEO of Phillips 66 Petroleum Company; Kjell Almskog, Norwegian businessman; former chief executive officer of Kværner and many other companies; Philip Anschutz, billionaire, founder of Qwest; Cynthia Carroll, CEO of Anglo American, one of the world’s largest independent mining companies; Linda Z. Cook, executive director of Shell Gas & Power, part of Royal Dutch Shell; David Dillon, Chairman and CEO, Kroger Co.; Robert Eaton, former CEO of Chrysler Corporation; Lou Montulli, co-founder of Netscape; Alan Mulally, President and CEO of Ford Motor Company; Christopher A. Sinclair, Chairman and CEO of Mattel and former CEO of Pepsi-Cola, Co.; Harry F. Sinclair, founder of Sinclair Oil Corporation; Charles E. Spahr, former CEO of Standard Oil of Ohio; Kenneth A. Spencer, Spencer Chemical Company founder whose philanthropies to KU include the Kenneth Spencer Research Library and the Helen Foresman Spencer Museum of Art; Cheryl Womack, founder of insurance company for National Association of Independent Truckers, who donated the money for Arrocha Ballpark on the KU campus; Forrest "Phog" Allen, head basketball coach; won three national championships, 10th winningest coach in college basketball history and #1 winningest when he retired; Bill Bridges, All-American, 1975 NBA Championship with Golden State Warriors; Mario Chalmers, 2007 Big 12 Co-Defensive Player of the Year, 2008 National Champions, MOP of 2008 Championship Game, 34th pick of 2008 NBA draft, Miami Heat; Wilt Chamberlain, two-time All-American, Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer and NBA all-time leader for career rebounds and most points in a single game with 100 points; Nick Collison, All-American, NBA player for the Oklahoma City Thunder also known as "Mr. USA Basketball" for representing the country in international basketball; Clyde Lovellette, All-American, first basketball player in history to play on NCAA, Olympic, and NBA championship squads; three NBA Finals titles and 1952 Olympic gold medal and NCAA Champion; Danny Manning, basketball player and coach; two-time All-American, 1988 recipient of the Naismith and Wooden Awards, Big 8 Player of the Decade for the 1980s, two-time NBA all-star; James Naismith, inventor of basketball; Adolph Rupp, former men's basketball coach at the University of Kentucky and the third winningest coach in the sport; two-time Helms National Championship team member at KU; Dean Smith, basketball coach; Jo Jo White, All-American, 1968 gold medal Mexico City Olympics, named the most valuable player of the 1976 NBA Finals, seven-time NBA All-Star with Boston Celtics; Lynette Woodard, four-time All-American at KU, major college basketball's career women's scoring leader, first female member of the Harlem Globetrotters, and Olympic women's basketball gold medalist; Andrew Wiggins - first pick in the 2014 NBA Draft and current Minnesota Timberwolves player, Gilbert Brown, NFL nose tackle for Super Bowl XXXI Champion Green Bay Packers,11 seasons in NFL; Nolan Cromwell, All-American; in 1976 set NCAA rushing record for a quarterback; 1980 NFC Defensive Player of the Year; four-time pro bowl selection in 11 years with the Los Angeles Rams; Jack Del Rio, former NFL linebacker, former head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, played for the University of Southern California and earned his degree from KU while playing for the Kansas City Chiefs; John Riggins, Super Bowl XVII MVP and NFL Hall of Fame inductee; Gale Sayers, All-American, NFL Hall of Fame running back; Laverne Smith, NFL running back, Pittsburgh Steelers; Dana Stubblefield, NFL all-pro defensive end, drafted in the first round of the 1993 NFL Draft, 26th overall, by the San Francisco 49ers; Darrell Stuckey, NFL safety, San Diego Chargers; Matt Gogel, professional golfer on the PGA Tour; winner of the 2002 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am on the PGA Tour; Bill Alley, javelin, Olympian and US record holder; Billy Mills, the only US Olympic 10,000m gold medal winner; former world record holder; Al Oerter, All-American, four consecutive gold medals in Olympic discus throw; two-time world record holder; Jim Ryun, former U.S. congressman; three-time Olympic runner and silver medalist; held world records in the 880, 1,500m, and indoor and outdoor miles.
Kansas Traditions: Here are some traditions observed by University of Kansas students and alumni:
Colors: KU's colors have been crimson and blue since the early 1890s. Originally, the Board of Regents had decided to adopt the University of Michigan's colors, maize and sky blue. In 1890, when football arrived at KU, a clamor arose for Harvard's crimson to honor Col. John J. McCook, a Harvard man who had given money for KU's athletic field. Faculty members who had graduated from Yale insisted that their academic lineage and Yale blue not be overlooked. In 1896, crimson and blue were adopted officially.
Chant: Since the late 1880s, its two long, low, Gregorian-like phrases followed by three quick repetitions have been recognized around the world: Rock Chalk, Jayhawk, KU!
KU's world famous chant evolved from a cheer that a chemistry professor, E.H.S. Bailey, created for the KU science club in 1886. Bailey's version was "Rah, Rah, Jayhawk, KU" repeated three times. The rahs were later replaced by "Rock Chalk," a transposition of chalk rock, the name for the limestone outcropping found on Mount Oread, site of the Lawrence campus.
Teddy Roosevelt pronounced the cheer as the greatest college chant he'd ever heard. Legend has it that troops used the chant when fighting in the Philippines in 1899, in the Boxer Rebellion in China and in World War II. At the Olympic games in 1920, the King of Belgium asked for a typical American college yell. The assembled athletes agreed on KU's Rock Chalk and rendered it for His Majesty.
Listen to the chant: here
Colors: KU's colors have been crimson and blue since the early 1890s. Originally, the Board of Regents had decided to adopt the University of Michigan's colors, maize and sky blue. In 1890, when football arrived at KU, a clamor arose for Harvard's crimson to honor Col. John J. McCook, a Harvard man who had given money for KU's athletic field. Faculty members who had graduated from Yale insisted that their academic lineage and Yale blue not be overlooked. In 1896, crimson and blue were adopted officially.
Chant: Since the late 1880s, its two long, low, Gregorian-like phrases followed by three quick repetitions have been recognized around the world: Rock Chalk, Jayhawk, KU!
KU's world famous chant evolved from a cheer that a chemistry professor, E.H.S. Bailey, created for the KU science club in 1886. Bailey's version was "Rah, Rah, Jayhawk, KU" repeated three times. The rahs were later replaced by "Rock Chalk," a transposition of chalk rock, the name for the limestone outcropping found on Mount Oread, site of the Lawrence campus.
Teddy Roosevelt pronounced the cheer as the greatest college chant he'd ever heard. Legend has it that troops used the chant when fighting in the Philippines in 1899, in the Boxer Rebellion in China and in World War II. At the Olympic games in 1920, the King of Belgium asked for a typical American college yell. The assembled athletes agreed on KU's Rock Chalk and rendered it for His Majesty.
Listen to the chant: here
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| KU Jayhawk and TCU Alum Tom "Midnite" Burke |
Nickname and Mascots: For 40-plus years, the University of Kansas didn't have an established mascot. During at least one early season of KU football, the team used a pig as a mascot. For a while, a bulldog appeared as a mascot at sporting events.
Eventually, Kansas became the home of the Jayhawk, a mythical bird. Its origin is rooted in the historic struggles of Kansas settlers. The term "Jayhawk" was probably coined about 1848. Accounts of its use appeared from Illinois to Texas. The name combines two birds--the blue jay, a noisy, quarrelsome thing known to rob other nests, and the sparrow hawk, a stealthy hunter.
During the 1850s, the Kansas Territory was filled with such Jayhawks. The area was a battleground between those wanting a state where slavery would be legal and those committed to a Free State. The factions looted, sacked, rustled cattle, stole horses and otherwise attacked each other's settlements. For a time, ruffians on both sides were called Jayhawkers. But the name stuck to the Free Staters. Lawrence, where KU would be founded, was a Free State stronghold.
During the Civil War, the Jayhawk's ruffian image gave way to patriotic symbol. Kansas Governor Charles Robinson raised a regiment called the Independent Mounted Kansas Jayhawks. By war's end, Jayhawks were synonymous with the impassioned people who made Kansas a Free State. In 1886, the bird appeared in a cheer--the famous Rock Chalk chant. When KU football players first took the field in 1890, it seemed only natural to call them Jayhawkers.
For years, a single costumed Jayhawk cheered for KU. A second Jayhawk, Baby Jay, arrived in 1971, hatching out of a huge egg on the 50-yard line during Homecoming. Ever since, there have been two Jayhawks in costume: Big Jay and Baby Jay. School tradition dictates Big Jay be male and at least 6 feet 2 inches tall. Though they cannot legally only pick females, traditionally, Baby Jay is a female. The student must be able to fit into the Baby Jay costume, so he/she has to be between 4' 11" and 5' 1" tall.
Eventually, Kansas became the home of the Jayhawk, a mythical bird. Its origin is rooted in the historic struggles of Kansas settlers. The term "Jayhawk" was probably coined about 1848. Accounts of its use appeared from Illinois to Texas. The name combines two birds--the blue jay, a noisy, quarrelsome thing known to rob other nests, and the sparrow hawk, a stealthy hunter.
During the 1850s, the Kansas Territory was filled with such Jayhawks. The area was a battleground between those wanting a state where slavery would be legal and those committed to a Free State. The factions looted, sacked, rustled cattle, stole horses and otherwise attacked each other's settlements. For a time, ruffians on both sides were called Jayhawkers. But the name stuck to the Free Staters. Lawrence, where KU would be founded, was a Free State stronghold.
During the Civil War, the Jayhawk's ruffian image gave way to patriotic symbol. Kansas Governor Charles Robinson raised a regiment called the Independent Mounted Kansas Jayhawks. By war's end, Jayhawks were synonymous with the impassioned people who made Kansas a Free State. In 1886, the bird appeared in a cheer--the famous Rock Chalk chant. When KU football players first took the field in 1890, it seemed only natural to call them Jayhawkers.
For years, a single costumed Jayhawk cheered for KU. A second Jayhawk, Baby Jay, arrived in 1971, hatching out of a huge egg on the 50-yard line during Homecoming. Ever since, there have been two Jayhawks in costume: Big Jay and Baby Jay. School tradition dictates Big Jay be male and at least 6 feet 2 inches tall. Though they cannot legally only pick females, traditionally, Baby Jay is a female. The student must be able to fit into the Baby Jay costume, so he/she has to be between 4' 11" and 5' 1" tall.
Band: Marching Jayhawks: The
University of Kansas Marching Band, known to fans as "The Marching
Jayhawks," is a 270-piece marching band consisting of woodwinds, brass,
percussion and color guard. It was founded in 1887 when a student,
Stuart O. Henry, organized a 12-piece military band. This group
apparently did not receive much support since it did not survive the
summer. There were student-led bands over the years that performed in
concerts and at athletic events.
At home football games, the Marching Jayhawks perform an opening pre-game show and a halftime show that changes throughout the season. The pre-game program beings with the members of the band sprinting down the stairs of the northern bowl of the stadium. The band runs onto the field to a cadence by the drum line. Here the official fight song of KU -- "I'm a Jayhawk" -- is played. The "Kansas Song" is then played as the Marching Jayhawks perform their historic KU counter march. "Fighting Jayhawk" is played after the counter march. The band is then joined by a group of the Rock Chalk Dancers, KU's dance team, for the historic "Sunflower Song" and accompanying drill. The band then performs the National Anthem, KU Alma Mater and the Rock Chalk Chat. Many of the elements and formations of the pre-game have been present for decades.
Songs: Notable among a number of songs commonly played and sung at various events, such as athletic games, are: "I'm A Jayhawk"; "Fighting Jayhawk"; "Stand Up and Cheer"; "Kansas Song"; "Sunflower Song"; "Crimson and Blue"; and "Home on the Range." Learn more and listen: here
At home football games, the Marching Jayhawks perform an opening pre-game show and a halftime show that changes throughout the season. The pre-game program beings with the members of the band sprinting down the stairs of the northern bowl of the stadium. The band runs onto the field to a cadence by the drum line. Here the official fight song of KU -- "I'm a Jayhawk" -- is played. The "Kansas Song" is then played as the Marching Jayhawks perform their historic KU counter march. "Fighting Jayhawk" is played after the counter march. The band is then joined by a group of the Rock Chalk Dancers, KU's dance team, for the historic "Sunflower Song" and accompanying drill. The band then performs the National Anthem, KU Alma Mater and the Rock Chalk Chat. Many of the elements and formations of the pre-game have been present for decades.
Songs: Notable among a number of songs commonly played and sung at various events, such as athletic games, are: "I'm A Jayhawk"; "Fighting Jayhawk"; "Stand Up and Cheer"; "Kansas Song"; "Sunflower Song"; "Crimson and Blue"; and "Home on the Range." Learn more and listen: here
Walking Down the Hill: Each spring, students participate in KU's unique Commencement tradition, known as "walking down the Hill." The tradition of a Commencement procession started at KU in 1907, when faculty and graduates walked from Fraser Hall to Robinson Gymnasium. Today, the procession begins on Memorial Drive and the graduating students ultimately march down the steep hill that leads to Memorial Stadium, where the ceremony takes place.
Waving the Wheat: KU fans have their own version of "the wave." At crucial moments during sporting events, for example, when the football team scores, Jayhawks in the stadium lift their arms over their heads and slowly wave them back and forth. From a distance, this looks like a field of Kansas wheat swaying. Watch here.
The Steam Whistle: Imagine being awakened each morning by the squeal of a very loud whistle. KU students in the early 1900s were subjected to such a thing. The steam whistle's intent was to get students up each morning at 7:45 (it also signaled when evening curfew began). In 1912, that changed. Instead of serving as an alarm clock, the whistle was used to signal the end of hourly classes. It's been that way ever since. Learn more: here
Waving the Wheat: KU fans have their own version of "the wave." At crucial moments during sporting events, for example, when the football team scores, Jayhawks in the stadium lift their arms over their heads and slowly wave them back and forth. From a distance, this looks like a field of Kansas wheat swaying. Watch here.
The Steam Whistle: Imagine being awakened each morning by the squeal of a very loud whistle. KU students in the early 1900s were subjected to such a thing. The steam whistle's intent was to get students up each morning at 7:45 (it also signaled when evening curfew began). In 1912, that changed. Instead of serving as an alarm clock, the whistle was used to signal the end of hourly classes. It's been that way ever since. Learn more: here
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