Your daily dose of news, notes and links from around Kansas University.

• KU’s search for a new dean of graduate studies is entering its wrap-up stages, as three of four candidates have been announced for the post.

The position became vacant after Sara Rosen was chosen to become senior vice provost for academic affairs.

The three announced finalists for the position are Arvin Agah, professor of electrical engineering and computer science; James Lichtenberg, associate dean of graduate studies in the School of Education; and Thomas W. Heilke, a professor of political science and former associate dean of international programs in the graduate school and the office of international programs.

A fourth candidate has yet to be announced. The search was limited to internal candidates.

Joshua Rosenbloom, associate vice chancellor for research and graduate studies, is serving as the interim dean.

• Kelly Stroda, the current editor of the University Daily Kansan, made her way into the Wall Street Journal this week, talking about a topic that’s on a lot of people’s minds these days: student debt.

She’ll be carrying more than the average $25,250 debt load among students who have debt when she graduates in December 2012.

“But it hasn’t hit me yet, because I haven’t gotten that first bill,” she told the newspaper.

That average level of debt? Yeah, it’s about 5 percent higher than it was the previous year, according to the newspaper, which cited a report from nonprofit Project on Student Debt.

• Here’s an interesting infographic on cellphone use from the fine folks at HackCollege.com, based on a survey of college students on Facebook (which may admittedly skew these results a bit).

It certainly shows, as they put it, “Students love their phones. A lot.”

Ninety-four percent of students text every day, and 60 percent report feeling “addicted” to their phone.

Half (?!) of students reported they have secretly read a friend’s or significant other’s texts. And one-quarter admitted they use their phone in every single class period. Yikes.

• I’ll admit it — I read a fair amount of the tips you send me for Heard on the Hill to ahyland@ljworld.com on my trusty iPhone. But I’m not addicted. I could leave it any time I want to. Really. Truly. Any. Time. I. Want. To.