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Kingston to lead center for testing, evaluation

Neal Kingston, associate professor of education, is the new co-director of KU's Center for Educational Testing and Evaluation, which administers the Kansas State Assessment program for all public school students across the state. Kingston will serve as co-director of the center with John Poggio and Doug Glassnap, who will step down as directors of the center June 30, 2009, after 25 years of leadership. Kingston will become the sole director July 1, 2009. Kingston has served in key roles in developing and administering large-scale assessments, including working with the Educational Testing Service in Princeton, N.J.

Davidman named Beren professor

Lynn Davidman, an internationally recognized sociologist and a founder of interdisciplinary Jewish women's studies, has been appointed the Robert M. Beren Distinguished Professor of Modern Jewish Studies. The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences has announced that Davidman will join the faculty of the departments of religious studies and sociology in August.

Brinkley earns U.S. Army award

Cindy Brinkley

Cindy Brinkley, a KU supply technician, was recently honored with the "U.S. Army Cadet Command Incentive Award" for excellence for the second time. Brinkley was named Cadet Command's Supply Technician of the Year for 2008. She has previously received the honor in 2005 and was runner up in 2007. Brinkley has been the supply technician for KU's Army ROTC program since 2003.

Harris takes new international post

A new position has been created in International Programs that focuses exclusively on H-1B and permanent residency support. International Programs scholar adviser Linda Harris will assist departments and units with H-1B petitions for eligible international university employees. Charlie Bankart, Malika Lyon and Harris will be working closely together to further develop and enhance advising and support resources for all international employees and visiting scholars.

Rodriguez new director of MSP

Fred Rodriguez, an associate professor of curriculum and teaching with a long history of leadership at KU, has been named executive director of the Multicultural Scholars Program. He succeeds Renate Mai-Dalton and assumed the role July 1. Rodriguez has been co-director of the program since 2003. He was named the inaugural director of the Center for Teaching Excellence in 1997 and kept the role until 2001.

Kondrat picked for academy's first class

Mary Ellen Kondrat, dean of the School of Social Welfare, has been selected as a fellow in the Leadership Academy in Aging's inaugural class. The organization is supported by the Hartford Foundation and the New York Academy of Medicine. Kondrat was chosen for her record of commitment to the study of aging.

Leeds named Fletcher law fellow

A KU law professor has joined a distinguished handful of scholars, writers and artists who have been named Fletcher Fellows. Stacy L. Leeds, professor of law and director of KU's Tribal Law and Government Center, is among four academics in the country to receive the honor this year. The award comes with a $50,000 stipend for work that contributes to improving racial equality in American society and furthers the broad social goals of the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education. While a justice on the Cherokee Nation Supreme Court, Leeds authored the majority opinion in Allen v. Cherokee Nation, a judicial decision that upheld the tribal citizenship rights of the "freedmen" and is considered a decision parallel to Brown v. Board.

Student Success adds tech services

Paul Farran

Paul Farran

Paul Farran has been named director of the newly formed Student Success Technology Services department, which replaces Academic Technology Services. The unit provides desktop support, Web development and database services for Student Success employees. The reorganization was made to enhance technical support for Student Success departments and to improve staffing for services available through PeopleSoft Student Administration.

Pasik-Duncan to join awards committee

Bozenna Pasik-Duncan, professor of mathematics, courtesy professor of electrical engineering and computer science and investigator in the Information and Telecommunication Technology Center, will join the Executive Awards Committee of the International Federation Automatic Control as the chair of the Harold Chestnut Control Engineering Textbook Prize Award Committee. The award recognizes authors of textbooks judged to have most contributed to the education of control engineering. She will also join the Technical Activities Board of the IFAC as the 2008-11 Triennium Chair of the Technical Committee on Education. Pasik-Duncan chairs two other Technical Committees on Education of the IEEE Control Systems Society and the American Automatic Control Council. This is the first time one person has chaired these three education committees. Pasik-Duncan has been a strong advocate and mentor for women in STEM. She is a founder of the CSS Women in Control Group and the CSS Liaison to the IEEE Women in Engineering Committee. As a leader in education, she promotes and has been involved in bringing together academia and industry.

Hamilton to oversee KPR development

Sheri Hamilton, external affairs director at Kansas Public Radio, has been named KPR's director of development. Hamilton had been one of five people in the development office and now will oversee the entire department. She had been in charge of KPR events and major-donor relations. With her new position, Hamilton will oversee budgeting, promotions, public relations, sales and membership. Hamilton has been at KPR since 1997.

Tibbetts earns Governor's award

John Tibbetts, associate professor of theatre and film, is among the recipients of 2008 Governor's Arts Awards. The Kansas Arts Commission recognized recipients at a dinner and awards ceremony June 26 at Washburn University. Gov. Kathleen Sebelius presented the awards. Tibbetts won the award for arts in education.

KU HISTORY:

Time magazine took note of KU's aspirations of greatness in an article on July 16, 1951. In a piece about the departing Chancellor Deane W. Malott and his replacement, KU Medical Center Dean Franklin D. Murphy, the magazine wrote, "In the last 12 years, KU has begun to climb from its place as a solid but unspectacular state university ... Under Chancellor Murphy, it hopes to climb even faster." For more, see www.kuhistory.com.