Former KU assistant returns to coach men’s basketball

Kathryn Nemeth Tuttle, director of the Freshman-Sophomore Advising Center, helps scholarship hall residents, students of color and others through her gifts for KU.

Photo courtesy of KU Endowment Association

By Micki Chestnut

A small-town girl from western Kansas, Kathryn Nemeth Tuttle received quite an education when she came to KU in the late 1960s to earn her undergraduate degree.

“I was here during a time of student protest and disruption,” she said. “KU opened a whole new world for me. A lot of my positive feelings about KU reflect back on my experience as an undergrad.”

Today, as the director of the Freshman-Sophomore Advising Center, Tuttle wants to ensure that students have as good an experience at KU as she did. Every year, the advising center helps more than 7,000 students make the transition into college life. But Tuttle doesn’t stop there. She also supports students through her gifts to the KU Endowment Association.

Tuttle’s gifts count in the University Family Campaign, an opportunity for KU faculty and staff members to participate in KU First: Invest in Excellence. With a goal of raising $500 million, KU Endowment is conducting KU First on behalf of the university through 2004 to raise funds for scholarships, fellowships, professorships, capital projects and program support.