KU News Release

LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas School of Education will kick off a yearlong celebration of its centennial with a presentation by KU alumnus and respected special education scholar Tom Lovitt.

Lovitt will begin the marking of a century of success with the Edward L. Meyen Distinguished Lecture at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 10, at Alderson Auditorium in the Kansas Union. A reception will follow in the Malott Room. The lecture series is named for Edward L. Meyen, professor of special education and director of the eLearning Design Lab at KU.

Lovitt, professor emeritus of special education at the University of Washington, earned two music degrees and a doctorate in special education from KU. He is an internationally respected scholar who specializes in topics such as educational excellence, equity issues in schools, effective instruction, learning disabilities, teacher education and behavior management.

“Dr. Lovitt has had a profound effect in the field of special education practice including classroom interventions and teacher development,” said Rick Ginsberg, dean of the School of Education. “His work on evidence-based practices has helped move the field to better serve students with disabilities. We are proud to be able to say that Dr. Lovitt is a graduate of the School of Education at KU.”

Lovitt is the author of 10 books, including “In Spite of My Resistance, I’ve Learned from Children” and “Promoting School Success,” and has edited five books, including “Integrating General and Special Education.” He received the 1994 Seattle Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Education and the 2005 Vanderbilt University Peabody College of Education Honoree Award.

KU’s School of Education, founded in 1909, is consistently rated among the best in the nation. U.S. News and World Report rated its graduate program 10th in the nation in 2009, extending a steady climb over the past several years. The Department of Special Education’s graduate programs retained their No. 1 spot in the same rankings.

The centennial celebration will include lectures, social gatherings and alumni events through June. The 16th annual Gale Sayers Golf Tournament is slated for Sept. 25 at Alvamar Country Club. Education experts from KU and around the country will be the featured lecturers. A complete list of events is below. More information about the School of Education and centennial events is available at www.soe.ku.edu.

Sept. 10 — Ed Meyen Special Education Lecture by Tom Lovitt, 7 p.m., Alderson Auditorium in the Kansas Union
Sept. 25 — Gale Sayers Golf Tournament, 7 a.m., Alvamar Country Club
Sept. 26 —  Party on the Patio, 9 a.m., Joseph R. Pearson Hall east patio

Oct. 5 — Jerry Pinckney book signing at 6 p.m., lecture at 7 p.m., 150 Joseph R. Pearson Hall
Oct. 29 — Budig Lecture by Lisa Wolf-Wendel, 4:30 p.m., 150 Joseph R. Pearson Hall

Nov. 1-3 — New Voices in Creativity and Intelligence Conference (Topeka alumni event)

Dec. 12 — Fall convocation

Jan. 28 — Special Education Distinguished Lecture by Charles Eldridge

Feb. 12 — Schools of Education: Past, Present and Future lecture by David Labaree, Stanford University

March (exact date is to be determined) — Budig Lecture by Rich Simpson, Autism Spectrum Disorders: Challenges, Hyperbole and the Search for Effective Methods, 4:30 p.m., 150 Joseph R. Pearson Hall
March (exact date is to be determined) — Wichita alumni event

April 2 — Graduate student research conference
April 9 — James Naismith Lecture Series
April 15 — The Future of Educational Research Lecture by David Berliner, Arizona State University
April 24 — Department of Health, Sport and Exercise Science fitness event
April (exact date is to be determined) — Kansas City alumni event
April (exact date is to be determined) — Lawrence alumni event

May 16 — Spring convocation

June 11 — Summer conference and celebration barbecue
June 12 — Reading plaza dedication
June 12 — Gala event