To the editor:

In the past several weeks there have been a number of articles in the Journal-World related to the future of Kansas University, including an announcement of a committee charged with looking at the university image.

The university has several excellent images. The first is the Jayhawk. A logo recognized across the country and admired (if not down right envied). With the Jayhawk is a basketball tradition that keeps Kansas known among the best schools. That tradition is admired, not only because of great players and coaches and winning teams, but because the vast majority of those players and coaches were gentlemen/women committed to excel and took honest pride in their accomplishments and in KU.

KU has other positive images, such as the Spencer Museum of Art, which is considered by art education professionals as one of the top teaching museums in the United States. Another is the Dole Institute of Politics, which last year started with excitement and a truly visionary look forward.

The university is currently looking for a new director for both the museum and the Dole Institute. People who know the past accomplishments of Richard Norton Smith did not expect him to stay at KU much beyond a year or two. Many hoped that his dynamic thinking and energetic leadership would guide search committees to attract others with similar attributes.

Perhaps some of the resources going into the “image” study might be used to enhance these searches so the museum and institute do not look like the Adams Alumni Center in five years!

Phyllis Tiffany,

Lawrence