To the editor:

The rambling Saturday Column (Nov. 6) resonates. The central theme, folks should pay a lot more attention to academics and a lot less to sports, especially in a university town, is rather like Mark Twain’s famous observation on the weather, “Everybody talks about it, but…” The Journal-World is in an excellent position to DO something about it.

Consider the makeup of a typical edition: six pages of sports, much of it local. What about equal coverage for academics, which involves many more people in the community? Every day, in season, there is a feature about some KU athlete, no matter how obscure. What about a feature on a distinguished professor, honored teacher, or outstanding scholar, exploring what makes them tick? National sports rankings are a constant topic. Why not the rankings of academic departments? Every incoming coach and athlete gets an introductory feature, but not the many new faculty at all levels who become our neighbors each year. Might it be interesting to learn something about this year’s crop of Watkins and Summerfield scholars? Or Nobel Prize winners? There are features on where local star athletes plan to attend college, but very little on where our National Merit Scholars are headed or even who they are. We can learn how many points Paul Pierce scored every game, but what about the achievements of fellow KU graduates Alan Mulally, Sheila Bair, Juan Manuel Santos, or Kathleen Sebelius? These are just a few of the possibilities for trying to change the lamentable dynamic.