After being diagnosed with breast cancer, Hays resident Barb Grabbe received innovative treatment without ever leaving town. Grabbe, pictured in her convenience store, was treated by a KU cancer specialist, Dr. Gary Doolittle, through interactive video networking, or telemedicine. It was "totally amazing, actually seeing the doctor one-on-one, almost like being in the same room," Grabbe said.
Annual Report
KU works for Kansas
Kansans have long had a commitment to education and learning. The state constitution required the establishment of a state university. Kansans responded by founding three of them.
Those early leaders recognized that Kansas would never prosper without institutions of higher learning. One hundred and forty-two years after the founding of the University of Kansas, that belief in the power of education still exists and that vision of a better future still motivates us.
KU works for Kansas in so many ways, and in countless places all throughout our state. The benefits provided by the university reach from the smallest child who receives care from a KU-trained doctor, carry on through to a Kansas business made successful by a KU graduate, and finally on to a world that is better informed about our changing climate as a result of KU researchers' work on ice sheets.
It's an exciting time to be at KU. This past spring we had one of our largest graduating classes ever, sending more than 6,000 graduates out into the world. They add to the more than 142,000 KU graduates that call Kansas home and make up the backbone of a workforce in fields ranging from teaching to business, medicine to engineering, and every other profession in between.
Chancellor Robert Hemenway greets guests at a reception for students of color.
KU researchers are converting vegetable oil into fuel.
As we said farewell to graduating Jayhawks, we also welcomed the class of 2011 to campus. This is the most talented and most diverse incoming class ever, and everyone on campus is thrilled to have the opportunity to work with these outstanding students.
KU is a place dedicated to knowledge and learning. Our first priority has always been teaching, and it makes all of us proud to see students we've worked with for several years walk down the Hill at graduation, and go on to productive careers and successful lives.
But we're also a research university, and our scientists and investigators are making exciting discoveries -- discoveries that will lead to new technologies, new treatments and cures for illnesses, and a better understanding of the world around us.
KU researchers are at the front lines in the fight against cancer, seeking to discover the drugs and therapies that will one day rid us of this and other diseases. Our scientists are studying new ways of producing fuel from plants that will help free us from our dependence on fossil fuels; at the same time, other researchers are investigating the causes of -- and treatments for -- autism.
These discoveries don't stay within the lab, however. KU is dedicated to serving the citizens of our state and nation, providing them with opportunities for happier, healthier lives.
Through telemedicine and our Area Health Education Centers, people throughout Kansas can benefit from the expertise of KU doctors right in their own communities, saving patients time and money. Audio Reader gives print-disabled Kansans the opportunity for greater personal independence by providing access to the printed word. And our Certified Public Manager program has organized a special training program for public servants in southwest Kansas, bringing a KU education to their doorsteps.
These are just a few of the ways KU is working for Kansas every day, fulfilling our mission and proving that a great university doesn't confine its activities within the four walls of a classroom or laboratory.
It's a testament to our state's founders that the University of Kansas exists, but our work could not continue without the ongoing dedication of KU students, staff, faculty, alumni, and other supporters.
The vision to create a brighter future, shared by the Kansas pioneers in the beginning just as it is by the KU community today, still inspires us, and it is the fulfillment of that vision which is detailed in this year's annual report.
Thank you for your continued support of KU and best wishes for a successful 2008.
Robert E. Hemenway
