Kansas University’s College of Liberal Arts & Sciences this week recognized four of its distinguished alumni.

This year’s winners include the chairwoman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Commission, the director of the New York Library for the Performing Arts, a professor of biochemistry and a federal appellate judge.

They are, respectively, Sheila Bair of Potomac, Md.; Jacqueline Z. Davis of New York; Robert Hill of Durham, N.C.; and Deanell Reece Tacha of Lawrence.

All four are recipients of the Alumni Distinguished Achievement Award, the college’s highest honor bestowed upon its graduates.

“While these four extraordinary individuals have distinguished themselves in diverse fields, a broad liberal arts and sciences education provided the foundation for all of them to make a difference in their communities and in the world,” college Dean Joseph E. Steinmetz said in a statement.

Bair was sworn in as the chairwoman of FDIC in June 2006. She has also served in various government, academic and financial positions. She has a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and a law degree from KU.

Davis oversees more than 9 million items related to performance as the director of the New York Library for the Performing Arts. She oversaw the Lied Center at KU from 1993 until 2000, and is vice president of KU’s Theatre and Film advisory board. She received a master’s degree in French from KU.

Hill is the James B. Duke Professor of Biochemistry at Duke University. He was the chairman of the biochemistry department from 1969 to 1993, and has written two textbooks and more than 340 articles and academic treatises. He earned bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees in biochemistry from KU.

Tacha was appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit in 1985. She has served as associate dean of the KU School of Law and as its vice chancellor for academic affairs. She received a bachelor’s degree in American studies from KU.