LATEST NEWS FROM THE HILL
John Green passion rages on as KU Reads prepares for spring events
John Green fever will continue to sweep Lawrence with KU Reads’ spring slate of events themed around the author’s essay collection “The Anthropocene Reviewed.”
MORE KU NEWS
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
Lawrence forum expands on ways to improve accessibility in arts
Folks involved in Lawrence’s arts scene during a forum Wednesday came up with ways beyond audio description that they can incorporate accessibility into the arts for people who are blind or visually impaired.
Merry Sun/Off-Site Art Space
‘A force of nature’: Posthumous show at Lawrence gallery celebrates the feminist textile art of Becky Johnson
Viewers are invited to contribute to a communal weaving at an exhibition celebrating the work of Becky Johnson, a textile artist and KU grad student who died last year.
Renovations to Kansas Union to include WWI memorial, game day watch spot and more
KU Memorial Unions have announced a renovation to the level four lobby and Jayhawk Ink space in the Kansas Union will include a WWI memorial, moveable furniture and a TV for game days.
Molly Adams/Lawrence Times
Couple donates $1M to construct accessible entrance to KU’s Natural History Museum
A gift of $1 million from KU alumni Jann and Tom Rudkin will fund a new accessible entrance to Dyche Hall, home of the university’s Natural History Museum.
KU nominates Free State alum, 4 other students for Goldwater Scholarship
KU on Friday announced five nominees for prestigious Goldwater Scholarships, including a Free State High School alum from Lawrence.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
KU research advances functional fitness to help people with mobility limitations build strength
KU researchers are partnering with a Lawrence gym to advance functional fitness, helping people with mobility limitations in their day-to-day lives.
Upcoming Watkins Museum exhibition to celebrate 5 decades of KU’s Hall Center for the Humanities
An upcoming exhibition at the Watkins Museum will look at 50 years of growth and impact at the Hall Center for the Humanities, a research center at KU.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
KU’s living library of fungi, key to restoration and sustainability, threatened by shrinking federal funds
For a team of researchers at KU, fungal doomsday looks less like parasitic mushrooms transforming people into zombies, and more like the loss of a fungi collection that serves as a major global resource for sustainability and restoration.
August Rudisell/Lawrence Times
Spring programming at Dole Institute themed on America’s 250th birthday
The Dole Institute of Politics will recognize America’s 250th birthday with its spring 2026 programming, including a series by a Kansas journalist and a former state senator and a Holocaust film screening.
Kansas is paying millions for a Barbie and Hot Wheels theme park. It’s another STAR bond
Bonner Springs is giving more than $200 million of tax incentives for Mattel Adventure Park. City officials say it will boost the local tax revenues. But a public finance expert says the deal will mostly cost the state.
Nathan Kramer / Lawrence Times
KU announces dates of provost finalist candidates’ public presentations
Four finalists for the provost and executive vice chancellor role at the University of Kansas will give public presentations in January and February. KU aims to fill the position by March.
Details, renderings unveiled for KU entrepreneurship hub planned for former bookstore site
The former Jayhawk Bookstore/McLain’s Bakery building has been demolished to make way for KU’s entrepreneurship hub. The project team has shared more details about what the hub will entail and renderings of the planned building.
Jeff McPheeters/Contributed photo
KU band’s new album showcases student talent, music that’s ‘fun to play’
Student musicians are set to blow listeners away on the KU Wind Ensemble’s new album, “Midnight Sun,” a triumphant entry in the group’s repertoire.
Kansas lawmakers may censor how universities talk about race in classes
A state law requires Kansas agencies and universities to eliminate any policies related to diversity, equity and inclusion. Republican lawmakers are questioning whether they should also regulate the content in college courses.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
KU student art sale to offer creative gifts in an abundance of art forms
It’s hard to say what forms of art won’t be available at an upcoming KU student art sale, which will offer a comprehensive array of goodies for winter and holiday shoppers.





