The College of Liberal Arts & Sciences is the heart of KU. We educate the most students, produce the most research and collaborate all across KU. As the destination for more than half of the undergraduate population, we are in a unique position to prepare a broad population of Jayhawks to enter their careers with a blend of intellectual curiosity and hands-on skills.
KU is known as one of the top research universities worldwide. This distinction offers experiences students can find at few other institutions. Imagine, as a young student, working in close collaboration on cutting-edge research with experienced and renowned scholars who invite you to join their research project or advise you on your own research questions. This is exactly the experience our undergraduates have here, to work alongside some of the most accomplished professors in the world.
This goes far beyond reading texts for classes and writing papers. Students manage projects, work through problems, collaborate in teams, train on new technology, and communicate their findings through conference presentations, journal articles, exhibitions or performances. Students involved in undergraduate research in the College often describe this hands-on experience as a memorable and transformative part of their time at KU that boosted their confidence, improved their grades, facilitated lasting relationships with other students and their faculty mentors, and enhanced their career readiness. You can see this firsthand in our video highlighting the experiences of students and recent graduates: Victoria Bogner, Justin Kim, Taylor Leibbrandt and Kierstin McMichael.
Our goal is to ensure that every liberal arts and sciences student has the chance to pursue an undergraduate research experience while at KU. We invite you to help us achieve this bold goal by supporting the Research Excellence Fund in the College. The Research Excellence Fund supports cutting-edge research in the College that impacts our communities in Kansas and across the globe, and it supports our ability to ensure that our students are front and center in these efforts.
