University Scholars & Global Scholars
Details
University Scholars Program
The University Scholars Program was founded in the spring of 1982 by Judge Deanell Tacha, then Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, and Professor Francis Heller, then the Roy A. Roberts Distinguished Professor of Law and Political Science. The program now counts as alumni more than 750 students.
University Scholars receive a one-time $2,500 scholarship. In addition, they are connected with a faculty mentor who helps them deepen and expand their academic interests.
Global Scholars Program
The Global Scholars Program assembled its first cohort of 15 students in 2011 and has been attracting high achieving, internationally engaged students ever since. In addition to taking the Global Scholars Seminar, Global Scholars conduct internationally focused research on a subject of their own choosing, which they present at the Global Scholars Research Symposium their senior year.
Seminars
Both programs require enrollment in an interdisciplinary seminar that addresses an important topic in contemporary society. Below are course descriptions for 2027's seminars:
Instructor: Dr. Donna Ginther, Roy A. Roberts & Regents Distinguished Professor of Economics
2–4:30 p.m. Thursdays, Nunemaker 102
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming how we work, learn, innovate, and compete. As AI technologies become embedded in education, business, science, and everyday life, they are reshaping the economy in profound and uncertain ways. This course examines the rise of AI and its implications for productivity, employment, investment, education, and economic growth. It addresses the central question: Will artificial intelligence become a productivity-enhancing general-purpose technology that raises prosperity broadly, or will it increase inequality, concentrate economic power, and displace human labor?
Students will learn how modern AI systems developed, how they work, and how AI differs from earlier waves of automation. Through hands-on exploration of AI tools and applications in science, research, and education, students will evaluate the capabilities, limitations, and risks of AI models.
The course will investigate how AI is changing higher education and the labor market. When and how should students use AI in their academic work? Which skills are likely to become more valuable in an AI-enabled economy? Will AI complement human labor and increase productivity, or will it substitute for workers and reduce opportunities for college-educated professionals?
The course will also explore the economic consequences of large-scale investments in AI infrastructure, including data centers, semiconductors, and energy systems, and their implications for scarce resources such as electricity and water. Finally, the seminar will examine the ethical, social, regulatory, and geopolitical challenges posed by AI, including issues of bias, privacy, inequality, national security, and global competition.
Donna K. Ginther is the Roy A. Roberts & Regents Distinguished Professor of Economics and Director of the Institute for Policy & Social Research at the University of Kansas, as well as a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. Prior to joining KU's faculty, she was a research economist and associate policy adviser in the regional group of the Department of Research at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta from 2000 to 2002, taught at Washington University from 1997 to 2000, and at Southern Methodist University from 1995 to 1997. Her major fields of study are scientific labor markets, gender differences in employment outcomes, wage inequality, science policy, and investments in children.
Check back for more information on the Global Scholars seminar, to be announced soon.
Eligibility
At the beginning of the fall semester, second-year students with a strong academic record are invited to apply. Students do not need to be members of the University Honors Program to apply to either program.
Scholars are selected on the basis of academic credentials, commitment to their education, intellectual promise, involvement and interests outside of the classroom, expressed interest in the topic of the seminar(s) to which they have applied, and recommendations. To be considered, applicants must also have a cumulative KU GPA of 3.5.
Application process
While these two programs share a joint application process, they differ in terms of structure, activity, recognition, and compensation. Students should review both programs and the seminars planned for each as they decide which program to apply to.
The application process takes place through the University of Kansas Award & Scholarship Hub (UKASH), powered by AcademicWorks. During the application window, students will sign in, then search for and complete the online form, which asks for a personal statement for each scholars program to which a student is applying.
A complete application will include student essay responses and recommendations from two individuals familiar with your achievements. At least one of your recommendations should come from someone who has taught you in a KU course.
A prompt with a link to the recommendation form is sent once students add their recommenders' names and email addresses and save their applications, not submit them. We encourage students to do this so that faculty members have as much time as possible to receive their request for recommendations and complete them (Students may send additional reminders to their recommenders through AcademicWorks if necessary.) Recommendations must be submitted by the same deadline as the applications.
Applications for the 2027 cohorts will close Monday, Sept. 21, 2026, with finalist interviews taking place on Sunday, Oct. 25.
Have questions? Contact Harry Swartz with the University Scholars Program at hswartz@ku.edu or Global Scholars Program coordinator Michelle Ward at mmward@ku.edu.