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The changes that the Department and the University have undergone
over the last 25 years have been dramatic, though not always obvious to those
outside the academic environment. Within the Department, research labs have
been added and expanded while familiar lecture halls like 1001 and 2074 Malott
have been gradually upgraded to handle state-of-the-art audio-visual equipment.
The Department has seen an almost complete turnover in faculty from the early
80’s, with the number of women increasing from 0 to 3, coupled to over an order
of magnitude rise in external funding.
Unfortunately, what has also risen at an alarming pace for our students is the cost of obtaining a degree at either the undergraduate or the graduate level, a product of the declining level of financial support from the State of Kansas. At the same time, our ability to provide financial aid for deserving students and to maintain and upgrade our research and teaching labs at all levels has grown at only a modest pace. Listed below are the endowed funds that have been created over the years, with an encouraging growth in the number in the last decade. The highest priorities for the Department are those Funds that supply unrestricted support to the entire Department (Physics and Astronomy Development Fund), to graduate students (Lowry Fund), and to undergraduate students (Undergraduate Scholars Fund). However, the additional endowed funds with specific criteria do serve an important need and may target an area of the Department that you feel should be emphasized. We encourage you to look over the options for helping the Department and, if an area suits your interests, you can donate directly and safely to the specific fund by using the appropriate link below - click on the button to the right of the fund name. The current list of endowed funds accessible to the Department is:
Badgley Scholarship Fund |
HONOR ROLL OF DONORS FOR 2006-2007  |
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Departmental Development Fund
This Fund provides unrestricted funds to support any need of the Department, including travel costs for invited speakers, student expenses for research and conferences, publication of the annual newsletter, Momentum, etc. |
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Badgley Fund
Financial support for a a female undergraduate majoring in any program within the Department. (Pictured at left is Elisabeth Callen, first recipient of the Badgely Scholarship) |
Paul G. Hansel Fund
Financial support for a student majoring in Engineering Physics to cover tuition and fees. Normally awarded to a sophomore. |
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Harriett Johnson Fund
Financial support for an incoming freshman majoring in Astronomy within the Department. |
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Financial support for an exceptional graduate student within the Department. |
Nanofabrication Lab Fund
Financial support for a graduate student working within Condensed Matter/Nano Physics and support for the Nanofabrication Lab. |
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Financial support for an outstanding junior in Physics or Engineering Physics. |
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Financial support for an outstanding senior Physics or Engineering Physics major. |
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Financial support for students majoring in Astronomy and support for equipment for the Tombaugh Observatory. |
Undergraduate Scholars Fund
Financial support for an incoming freshman in any major within the Department |
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Zeller Fund
Support for the purchase of instrumentation for research or lab use. |
A top priority within the Department over the next few years is to significantly
increase the principal in two key funds, the Lowry Fund and the Undergraduate Scholars Fund. Details on the campaigns for each of these can be obtained by downloading the brochure materials on the Graduate - Focus on the Future Campaign and the Undergraduate - Focus on the Future Campaign. Growth of the
former fund will allow us to raise the level of support available to each graduate student, while the latter will permit us to aid undergraduate students
who may fall outside the restricted criteria of the individual Funds. Both will
guarantee that the Department remains a competitive option for the best students
in, as well as out of, the State of Kansas.
What can you do to help? We encourage those interested in helping the program to place their emphasis on the two key funds discussed above. This allows us to use our
resources where they are most needed. If, however, you would prefer to support a specific area of interest, simply pick the fund that best suits your needs and, when submitting your donation, emphasize that your donation
is designated for the specific fund.
If you have any questions about helping the Department in any way that you
feel is appropriate, please don’t hesitate to contact us at physics@ku.edu or call Kathleen Brady, Endowment Senior Development Director for the College,
at (785) 832-7357, or toll-free at (800) 444-4201, or via email at kbrady@kuendowment.org.
As noted above, if you wish to contribute, please make your check out to KUEA
and designate the fund or directed use for the donation.You may mail your
contribution to The Kansas University Endowment Association, P.O. Box 928,
Lawrence, KS 66044-0928. Your gift will go even further if your employer has a matching gift program.
In the end, our students are the best advertisement for our program. The future of our program depends upon our ability to serve the needs of our students. Ultimately, our ability to fulfill our responsibility depends in no small part on the personal, professional, and financial contributions of our alumni and friends. As always, thank you for any help you can provide.
