Matt Erickson / LJWorld.com

Staff

Matt Erickson (Kansas University reporter)

Matt Erickson covers Kansas University for the Journal-World.

Recent stories

Sun shines on KU graduates’ smiles as they celebrate commencement: By Matt Erickson; May 19, 2013; The rain ended and the clouds parted just in time for Kansas University’s commencement exercises to begin Sunday morning, and it seemed meant to be, Joel Coon said. “Just divine intervention here,” Coon said, looking up at the sky past the brim of his cap. Coon, an art history and anthropology graduate from Topeka, and several thousand other KU graduates took a few hours to celebrate their moving on. By Matt Erickson
Mother, son to graduate from KU together Sunday: By Matt Erickson; May 18, 2013; Fatimah Al Ghafli and her son Salam have been side by side for much of the past four years as they’ve studied at KU. And they’ll be side by side again Sunday, when they both will graduate. By Matt Erickson
Expanding rooftop garden at KU Union provides herbs, vegetables for campus: By Matt Erickson; May 16, 2013; Focus groups have shown Kansas University students eating food on campus often prefer it to come from a local source, Janna Traver says. Well, it doesn’t get much more local than this: herbs and tomatoes harvested from the roof of the Kansas Union. By Matt Erickson
KU faculty, staff push for improved tuition benefits for themselves and their families: By Matt Erickson; May 13, 2013; Rick Levy is a distinguished professor of law at Kansas University. But when his son, who graduated from KU in 2011, enrolled in courses there, he paid tuition at the same rate as his classmates. A proposed new KU policy would change that and, advocates say, help the university attract and keep talented faculty. By Matt Erickson
Haskell graduates ‘live it up’ at commencement ceremony: By Matt Erickson; May 10, 2013; Tyler Levier told his classmates to “walk slow” during their Haskell Indian Nations University commencement ceremony Friday, saying they’d earned a chance to enjoy some recognition.
Incoming dean praises KU engineering school: By Matt Erickson; May 9, 2013; The choice to come lead the Kansas University School of Engineering wasn’t a tough one, incoming dean Michael Branicky said Thursday. Branicky made his first KU appearance since being named as the next dean of engineering in February at a School of Engineering banquet. By Matt Erickson
Dole Institute’s summer events include Battle of Gettysburg panel, Dole birthday celebration: By Matt Erickson; May 8, 2013; Although the end of the spring semester is nearing at Kansas University, the Dole Institute of Politics on KU’s West Campus will roll on into the summer with several events over the next few months, including an in-depth look at the Battle of Gettysburg and a celebration of former U.S. Sen. Bob Dole’s 90th birthday. By Matt Erickson
Haskell’s president, Chris Redman, leaving for job in Oklahoma: By Matt Erickson; 01:48 p.m., May 7, 2013 Updated 03:59 p.m.; Chris Redman, the president of Haskell Indian Nations University, plans to resign soon to take another position elsewhere, a university official confirmed Tuesday. “The choice was difficult for me,” Redman wrote. “However, my wife and I both are at key points in our careers — she is beginning a career in nursing, and I have a great opportunity to continue to serve Indian Country in a new capacity.” By Matt Erickson
Retired KU professor’s annual Stop Day tour scheduled for Friday: By Matt Erickson; May 6, 2013; Continuing a tradition now 20 years old, Kansas University Professor Emeritus Ted Johnson will again give his annual spring Stop Day tour of the KU campus Friday. It’s open to anyone who’d like to come along. By Matt Erickson
Funny Facebook users stay away from politics, KU researchers find: By Matt Erickson; May 6, 2013; If you use Facebook, perhaps you can think of a friend of yours who posts a lot of politically charged comments there. And perhaps you can think of a friend who often posts things that make you laugh. But Natalie Pennington, a doctoral student at Kansas University, is willing to bet those are two different people. By Matt Erickson

Recent photos

Since July 2011, the University of Kansas has completed 21 of the 49 recommendations outlined by KU’s Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) task force. The significant progress is detailed in the task force’s first annual progress report to Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Jeff Vitter.

Duane Cantrell, hired on Nov. 20 as the new president and CEO of the Kansas Bioscience Authority.

Lawrence City Manager David Corliss discusses plans for a proposed new city recreation center at a public meeting Thursday night at Lawrence Free State High School.

Sen. Jerry Moran speaks with LMH pharmacist Greg Burger about the hospital pharmacy's use of electronic medical records in the administration of medicine.