University Communities and Campuses

The University of Kansas has educational, research, and service centers throughout Kansas—including the central campus in Lawrence, the Medical Center campus in Kansas City, and the Edwards Campus in Overland Park in the Kansas City metropolitan area. There is a clinical campus of the School of Medicine in Wichita and a public administration program in Topeka, the state capital. KU’s Institute for Life Span Studies has facilities in Lawrence, Parsons, and Kansas City.

Lawrence

KU’s central campus is in Lawrence, Kansas, a youthful, thriving community with a population of more than 90,000. The campus is in the heart of the city on a ridge called Mount Oread. The tree-lined main downtown district a few blocks from campus has an abundance of small specialty shops. Other shopping centers are nearby. The community has 32 public parks, three community swimming pools, an arts center, a public library, a community center, and active community education and recreation programs. The Lawrence Community Theatre, Lawrence Chamber Orchestra, and Seem-to-Be Players children’s theatre group present music and theatre events. The Lawrence Arts Center offers classes in arts, crafts, music, dance, and other subjects for children and adults, as well as gallery shows. Local galleries sponsor art exhibits.

Lawrence campus. The 1,000-acre Lawrence campus has 100 major buildings. See the Campus Buildings Directory, www.buildings.ku.edu, for a complete list of academic, research, athletic, and residence facilities. New facilities on KU’s west campus include the Multidisciplinary Research Building, completed in 2006, and the Structural Biology Center, completed in 2008. Together, these adjacent laboratory buildings added 150,000 square feet of new research space at KU. The facilities support 250 faculty, staff, postdocs, and graduate students on grant-funded research in medicinal chemistry, pharmaceutical chemistry, and other disciplines.

Ground was broken in May 2009 for an 110,000-square-foot School of Pharmacy building on KU’s west campus that will house teaching facilities and administrative offices. It was funded by $50 million in bonds from the state of Kansas that includes about $4.5 million for an addition for the pharmacy school on the Wichita campus. KU plans to build additional research, teaching, and business incubation space on west campus during the coming decade.

Other recent projects include expansion of Hilltop Child Development Center and renovation of Wescoe Hall. A $55-million renovation is under way at the Allen Fieldhouse complex; it is expected to be completed in 2009.

Kansas City and KU Medical Center

Metropolitan Kansas City, about 45 minutes from Lawrence by interstate highway, encompasses seven counties and 50 municipalities in two states. Kansas City International Airport provides easy access to the area, and interstate highways provide access to 12 lakes, more than 140 parks, and various vacation and resort areas. Popular attractions include the Kansas City Jazz Museum, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City Art Institute, Union Station, Science City, and Kansas City Museum of History and Science. Sports fans enjoy NASCAR racing, Kansas City Royals baseball, and Kansas City Chiefs football.

KU Medical Center. The KU School of Medicine began in 1905 with a merger of three proprietary medical schools to form a four-year school directed by the university. By 1924, the institution had outgrown its original location, and the first building on the present campus was occupied. KU Medical Center is involved with teaching, patient care, medical research, and community service. There are 764 full- and part-time faculty members, more than 2,600 students, and 2,700 employees. KUMC is centrally located in the metropolitan Kansas City area. It offers educational programs through the Schools of Allied Health, Medicine, and Nursing, and the Office of Graduate Studies. Visit KUMC online at www.kumc.edu.

KU Edwards Campus, Overland Park

KU offers a variety of graduate and undergraduate programs on the KU Edwards Campus in Overland Park, Kansas. The campus offers late-afternoon and evening classes, catering to those employed full time. The campus has recently expanded, adding a new classroom building that more than doubles the space and a student union featuring an expanded KU Bookstore, Wi-Fi environment, and outdoor seating terrace. The Student Success Center provides on-site services from the Academic Achievement and Access Center/Disability Resources, Writing Center, and University Career Center. For more information, call the Edwards Campus at 864-8400 from Lawrence or (913) 897-8400 from other locations. Visit the Edwards Campus online at http://edwardscampus.ku.edu.