photo by: Richard Gwin

Kansas University English professor Jim Carothers, an expert on Faulkner and Hemingway, reflects on his 46-year teaching career at the university after retiring at the end of the most recent semester.

This time of year, thousands of Kansas University students graduate and enter a new phase of life: the working world. At the same time, there’s a slice of the KU community clocking out of the working world for good — for some after no less than half a century at the university.

KU recently recognized retiring faculty and academic staff members. I’m listing the long-timers here — those who worked at KU 45 years or more, according to the university — but there are many other names on the list many of you KU readers will recognize. To see the entire list of recently recognized retirees, click here for KU’s full press release.

• Gary Grunewald, medicinal chemistry, 50 years

• Allan Hanson, anthropology, 50 years

• Martin Dickinson, law, 48 years

• Don Marquis, philosophy, 48 years

• Zamir Bavel, information processing studies, 47 years

• John Bricke, philosophy, 47 years

• Harold Godwin, pharmacy practice, 47 years

• James Carothers, English, 46 years (See related story here: “Yoknapatawpha, baseball and ‘a good life’: Retiring English professor reflects on 46 years at KU”)

• Philip McKnight, curriculum and teaching, humanities and Western civilization, 45 years

The university also recognized recently retired unclassified professional staff and university support staff. Here are staffers who worked at KU 40 or more years, according to the university. To see the full list of staff retirees, click here.

• Peggy B. Palmer, Campus Administration & Operations SSC, 44 years

• Wesley R. Hubert, Information Technology, 43 years

• Joy E. Sodders, Libraries-General, 43 years

• Ralph Virgil Oliver, Public Safety Office, 42 years

• Bayliss C. Harsh, Libraries-General, 41 years

• Robert H. Marvin, Libraries-General, 40 years

• William J. Pesek, Jr., Information Technology, 40 years

• Tenure time: Also around this time, the chancellor announces promotions and tenure appointments for the upcoming year. This year, 70 faculty members were promoted or tenured at the KU Lawrence and Edwards campuses, and 66 at KU Medical Center campuses, according to KU. To see the full list, click here.

• On sabbatical: KU also recently announced the names of 55 KU faculty members who will be on sabbatical this fall, spring 2017 or the entire academic year. If you don’t see your favorite professor around for a while next year, check this list — he or she might be on sabbatical.

Among those who will be away this fall is Hall Center for the Humanities director Victor Bailey, who plans to work on a book he began researching in 1999 on criminal justice policy in England during the 20th century, according to a recent Hall Center update. Associate director Sally Utech will be acting director of the Hall Center during Bailey’s leave.

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• I’m the Journal-World’s KU and higher ed reporter. See all the newspaper’s KU coverage at KUToday.com. Reach me by email at sshepherd@ljworld.com, by phone at 832-7187, on Twitter @saramarieshep or via Facebook at Facebook.com/SaraShepherdNews.