Former KU assistant returns to coach men’s basketball

Bill Self, who began his coaching career at KU in 1985 and since has enjoyed successful head coaching stints at Oral Roberts, Tulsa and Illinois, was named in April as the eighth head men’s basketball coach in KU history. Self, who signed a five-year deal with KU, comes to Lawrence from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Self has 18 years of Division I coaching experience. A native of Edmond, Okla., Self received his bachelor’s degree in business in 1985 and a master’s degree in athletic administration in 1989, both from Oklahoma State. For Self’s career coaching record, visit www.kuathletics.com.

KUSM-W names new chair for internal medicine
Jon Paul Schrage, former Manville endowed chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of Nevada School of Medicine at Reno, is the new chair of internal medicine at the KU School of Medicine-Wichita. Director of medical education at Nevada-Reno before joining KUSM-W, Schrage also has taught at Southern Illinois University and the University of Missouri. He is a diplomate of the National Board of Medical Examiners, the American Board of Internal Medicine, the American Board of Medical Management and the American College of Physician Executives.

Special education finds new leadership in KU alum
Chriss Walther-Thomas will assume the duties of chair of special education in the School of Education effective June 30. Walther-Thomas currently is a professor of educational policy, planning and leadership at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va. Walther-Thomas received her Ph.D. in special education at KU in 1990.