KU News Release

April 15, 2008
Contact: Ann Eversole, Student Success, (785) 864-4060.

10 graduating seniors selected for Chancellor’s Student Awards

LAWRENCE — University of Kansas officials visited the classrooms of 10 graduating seniors April 1-3 to announce that they were Chancellor’s Student Award recipients. The awards recognize the students’ academic, volunteer and leadership accomplishments during their time at KU.

Marlesa Roney, vice provost for Student Success, and Ann Eversole, assistant vice provost for Student Success, made the presentations to the following award winners:

— Raymond M. “Studie” Red Corn, Donald K. Alderson Award
— Anne Kretsinger, Class of 1913 Award
— John Michael Kuhn, Class of 1913 Award
— Oswaldo Bravo de los Rios, Alexis F. Dillard Student Involvement Award
— Ebony S. Howard, Alexis F. Dillard Student Involvement Award
— Hannah B. Love, Rusty Leffel Concerned Student Award
— Elizabeth P. Stuewe, Rusty Leffel Concerned Student Award
— Peter T. Curzon, Caryl K. Smith Award
— Ryan Cedric Rowan, Agnes Wright Strickland Award
— Ellen C. Stolle, Agnes Wright Strickland Award

As part of the 136th commencement at KU, Chancellor Robert Hemenway will host a reception to honor the students Saturday, May 17, at the Kansas Room in the Kansas Union. The honorees also will sit on a platform with the chancellor during commencement May 18 in Memorial Stadium, and their portraits will be in the commencement program.

The Chancellor’s Student Awards committee selected the winners from universitywide nominations submitted by students, faculty and staff. The 15-member selection committee includes students, faculty and staff. Winners receive cash prizes, except recipients of the Agnes Wright Strickland Award, which comes with lifetime membership in the KU Alumni Association.

The Class of 1913 Awards annually go to a graduating man and woman who show evidence of intelligence, devotion to studies, personal character and promise of usefulness to society.

The Donald K. Alderson Memorial Award goes to a graduating senior who has demonstrated loyalty to and interest in the university and who has been active in events and services that benefit other students. The award was established in memory of Alderson, former dean of men and dean of student services.

The Alexis F. Dillard Student Involvement Awards goes to a graduating student who has unselfishly contributed to the university through campus involvement. The award was established in 1993 by Dillard’s family and friends to remember and honor him.

Rusty Leffel Concerned Student Awards annually go to students who demonstrate a concern for furthering the ideals of the university and higher education. The award was established by a group of seniors in 1973 to honor their fellow student, Leffel.

The Caryl K. Smith Student Leader Award goes to a graduating fraternity or sorority member who has demonstrated commitment to the local chapter, the KU greek community, the university and the Lawrence community. The award was established in 1993 to honor Smith, a former dean of student life.

The Agnes Wright Strickland Awards were established in 1953 in memory of Strickland, a member of the class of 1887. The awards annually go to graduating seniors in recognition of their academic records, demonstrated leadership in matters of university concern, respect among fellow students and indications of future dedication to service in the university.

Brief biographical information about the winners is listed below.

CLOUD COUNTY
From Jamestown and Salina
John Michael Kuhn is an English major who entered KU as a biochemistry major focused on a career in medicine. In his sophomore year, he took an elective course in Shakespeare that transformed not only his opinion of the study of language and literature but eventually his career plans. He is focused on researching and teaching connections between language, identity and nationalism. Last fall, Kuhn was a semi-finalist in the competition for a 2008 Rhodes scholarship. This semester he has worked as a teaching assistant for a journalism course on media and the environment taught by Simran Sethi, the Lacy C. Haynes Professional-in-Residence at KU. He has also worked as an undergraduate teaching assistant for introductory biology and chemistry lab classes. He is the son of Daniel Kuhn of Jamestown and of Carla Moore of Salina and is a Concordia High School graduate. Kuhn co-directs Students Tutoring for Literacy, a KU instruction program for diverse populations learning English as a second language, including students and adults. He was a National Merit Scholar, a Chancellors Club Scholar, a Kansas-Asia Scholar and a University Scholar. As a junior, he was selected for membership in two national honor societies: Pi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi.

DOUGLAS COUNTY
From Lawrence 66044
Elizabeth P. Stuewe is majoring in American studies and political science and has a life goal to be an advocate for women in public leadership. She is the daughter of Beth Wasson and Paul Stuewe and is a graduate of Lawrence High School. At KU, Stuewe served as president of the Commission on the Status of Women for two years. She also served on the advisory board for the Emily Taylor Women’s Resource Center for two years and was a founding member of the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics’ Student Advisory Board. Last fall she was named a KU Woman of Distinction and this spring she was named the Outstanding Woman Student in Leadership by KU’s Commission on the Status of Women and Emily Taylor Women’s Resource Center. In her junior year, she received the KU Alumni Association Junior Class Ring Award for community service and academics. Stuewe has produced a weekly column for the University Daily Kansan student newspaper and is a graduate of the Citizen Journalism Academy offered by KU’s School of Journalism and the Lawrence Journal-World. Stuewe has served for seven years as a state board member of Kids Voting Kansas and served on the Lawrence Arts Council board and the Lawrence School District School Health Advisory Board. She has worked for seven years as an office manager for an organization of women mystery writers called Sisters in Crime and as a barista in local cafes.

FORD COUNTY
From Dodge City
Hannah B. Love is a sociology major who successfully campaigned for affordable textbooks at KU and to increase funding for student groups focused on multicultural education. Elected student body president for the 2007-08 academic year, Love managed an $18.5 million budget from student fee money. She plans to seek a law degree and has an internship this summer with the Expression en Corto, an international film festival in San Miguel, Mexico. She is the daughter of Dan and Beth Love and is a Dodge City Senior High School graduate. As student body president, Love worked to create a university task force, a collaborative effort with the bookstores, libraries, faculty and students, to reduce textbook costs on campus. In addition, she oversaw the completion of the Sabatini Multicultural Resource Center; KU’s tuition compact, which provides incoming freshmen and their families with fixed tuition rates and fees so that they can calculate the cost of an undergraduate degree; and the Wireless Campus Initiative. As a sophomore Love created and administered an online book exchange for students. As a junior she was vice chair of the Multicultural Affairs Committee where she was co-author of legislation to establish a Multicultural Educational Opportunity Fund account that increased funding to student groups with multicultural programs. She has also served on numerous boards, including the student advisory committee to the Kansas Board of Regents, the Kansas Union Memorial Board Corporation and the Dole Institute of Politics Student Advisory Board.

JOHNSON COUNTY
From Prairie Village 66207
Ellen C. Stolle is majoring in biochemistry and genetics in preparation to study medicine. Her long-term goals include exploring the frontiers in medical treatment. She is the daughter of Calvin and Susan Stolle and a Shawnee Mission East High School graduate. She is a Watkins-Berger Scholarship recipient and is a member of several honor societies including Phi Beta Kappa, Mortar Board, Golden Key, Sigma Alpha Lambda and the National Society of Collegiate Scholars. She has been a KU cheerleader for three years, serving as captain in her sophomore year. She was president of the Student Alumni Association and was senior class secretary for the Board of Class Officers. Stolle served as a volunteer clinician for three years at the Health Care Access Clinic in Lawrence. In 2007, she volunteered with AIDS Foundation of Houston through KU’s Alternative Breaks program and also with the Douglas County AIDS project. Stolle has worked as an undergraduate researcher in the lab of Audrey L. Lamb, assistant professor of molecular biosciences and as a legal assistant for a Kansas City area law firm.

From Shawnee 66216 and Pawhuska, Okla.
Raymond M. “Studie” Red Corn. SEE OKLAHOMA

LYON COUNTY
From Emporia 66801
Anne Kretsinger is a communication studies major who served as president of Margaret Amini Scholarship Hall during her junior year. After graduating, she plans to work in the Kansas City area and eventually pursue graduate school. She is the daughter of W. Brock and Mary Kretsinger and a graduate of Emporia High School. As a senior, she has chaired her scholarship hall committee on health and sports promoting programs on topics related to women’s health. During her sophomore year as Amini co-community service chair, Kretsinger organized events to benefit Hurricane Katrina survivors, provide school supplies to an orphanage in Uganda and clean up Lawrence’s downtown area. She has also served on the KU Student Health Advisory Board where she organized events to market KU’s health services. Kretsinger has had internships with KU’s student housing department, Kansas Public Radio and CORO Kansas City, a nonprofit, nonpartisian institution that encourages civic leadership and participation. This year Kretsinger has served as president of the KU chapter of Lambda Pi Eta, the national communications honor society and as historian of Mortar Board honor society. She performs with the KU Concert Choir and has volunteered with the Habitat for Humanity Restore in Lawrence.

SALINE COUNTY
From Salina and Jamestown
John Michael Kuhn. SEE CLOUD COUNTY

ARIZONA
From Phoenix
Peter Curzon, senior in finance and history, was the male recipient of the 2008 Excellence in Community Education and Leadership award bestowed annually by representatives of KU’s Student Union Activities, the Board of Class Officers, the Student Involvement and Leadership Center and homecoming steering committee. Following graduation, he plans to move to the San Francisco area to work for a boutique investment bank. Curzon is the son of Tom and Anne Curzon and is a graduate of Phoenix Country Day School in Paradise Valley, Ariz. As a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity, Curzon has participated in Rock Chalk Revue, a student philanthropic event, and served on the Interfraternity Council. He has volunteered for the Boys and Girls Club of Lawrence and participated in Jayhawks on Wall Street, a networking program for business students.

MISSOURI
From Kansas City 64133
Ryan Cedric Rowan is majoring in political science and African and African-American studies. He plans to earn a law degree with a focus on constitutional law. He is the son of Dorri and Cedric Rowan and is a Raytown High School graduate. Rowan works as a peer adviser for the University Advising Center. He has also worked as a Multicultural Resource Center student ambassador and as a mentor with the TRIO Talent Search program. Rowan has served as president of the Big 12 Council on Black Student Government and of National Pan-Hellenic Council. He is a member of Phi Beta Sigma fraternity and Student Senate. He is a member-at-large for the Rock Chalk Revue advisory board.

OKLAHOMA
From Pawhuska and Shawnee, Kan.
Raymond M. “Studie” Red Corn is majoring in civil engineering with an environmental emphasis. He is a member of the Osage Nation and plans a career working with the environment and tribal public policy. Red Corn was one of 80 students selected nationally in 2007 for a Morris K. Udall Scholarship. He is the son of Raymond and Louise Red Corn of Pawhuska and of the late Elizabeth Red Corn. His family formerly resided in Shawnee, Kan., where he graduated from Shawnee Mission Northwest High School. At KU, Red Corn researched the benefits of hybrid vehicles for campus police fleets. He has worked on one of the largest student design projects on campus: the design of a series of rain gardens to purify and help infiltrate storm water at the Student Fitness Recreation Center. Red Corn served as regional director for 2020 Vision, a program that promotes implementing renewable energy, and as president of the KU chapter. This year, Red Corn was National Student Activities Coordinator for Vision 2020. He has also served as president of the First Nations Students Association. Active in student government, Red Corn chaired the Multicultural Affairs Committee and the Student Environmental Advisory Board, which manages KU’s recycling program. He has worked as an intern for an engineering firm in Wichita and the U.S. National Park Service.

TEXAS
From Fort Worth and Grand Prairie
Ebony S. Howard, senior in African and African-American studies and American studies, is planning a career of teaching and research in African-American studies. Howard is the daughter of Carol Aidoo of Fort Worth, Texas, and James Howard of Grand Prairie, Texas. She is a graduate of Lamar High School in Arlington, Texas. As a KU senior, she has served as president of the Black Student Union. This year she was named Outstanding Senior of the Year for the Big 12 Council on Student Government. Howard also served as a general education tutor for freshmen and sophomores in a HAWK Link program known as Students Obtaining Academic Resources. In her senior year, she provided marketing and publicity for the first Sisters Keeper Empowerment conference at KU. She has also served as an assistant coordinator for peer health at the KU Wellness Resource Center. She was committee chair for KU’s 2006-07 Blueprints Leadership conference and the student coordinator for the 2006 Black Leadership Symposium. She has volunteered with the Lawrence Community Drop-in Center and has served on several university committees.

PERU
From Lima
Oswaldo “Ozzy” Bravo de los Rios, senior majoring in civil engineering, plans to pursue a master’s degree in geotechnical or structural engineering or both. His goal is to return to his native Peru as a professional engineer focused on developing higher standards in design and construction for civil engineering in the United States and Peru. He is the son of Oswaldo Bravo and Isabel de los Rios. He is a graduate of Markham College in Lima. As a KU student, Bravo de los Rios has served as marshal/editor of Chi Epsilon civil engineering honor society. He has been historian and executive vice president for the American Society of Civil Engineers and an international student ambassador for the School of Engineering. He is also a member of Tau Beta Pi and Chi Epsilon engineering honor societies and of Phi Kappa Phi, Sigma Alpha Lambda and Golden Key honor societies. He has worked as a resident assistant and is a member of the National Residence Hall Honorary. Bravo de los Rios has had internships with firms in Phoenix, Ariz., and Orlando, Fla. At KU he has worked in the engineering lab of Mario Medina, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering and architectural engineering and as a grader for honors calculus.

-30-

The University of Kansas is a major comprehensive research and teaching university. University Relations is the central public relations office for KU's Lawrence campus.

kunews@ku.edu | (785) 864-3256 | 1314 Jayhawk Blvd., Lawrence, KS 66045