News Releases

Chandler Lecturer honors outstanding students

Monday, December 14, 2009

BY LAURA WOLFE

The School of Business awarded the Robert Herndon Scholarship to three students in honor of their academic achievements. The scholarship was funded by the Anderson Chandler Lectureship fund and awarded in honor of Herndon, who gave the 2009 Chandler Lecture on December 1 at the Lied Center. Herndon, FBI Special Agent in the Kansas City FBI Field Office, asked that funds typically used as compensation to deliver the lecture be given as scholarships to deserving students in the School of Business.

Candidates were nominated by Business faculty and the final recipients were selected by the Deans of the School of Business. Undergraduate students Shawn Jung, Mitch Knopp and Gentry Miller were awarded the Robert Herndon Scholarship in the amount of $2,000 each.

"The students who were selected are outstanding students within a larger group of outstanding students," said Associate Dean of Academic Affairs Keith Chauvin.

Jung is a senior in finance from Lansing, Kan. He is a member of the KU Honors program, Finance Scholars, and Delta Tau Delta Fraternity. Jung intends to use the scholarship funds to purchase his finance books for next semester. Upon graduation in May, Jung will move to New York to work as an investment banking analyst for Merrill Lynch.

"It was an honor. I am really thankful to Mr. Chandler and Mr. Herndon for their generosity," Jung said. "It was awesome to meet Mr. Herndon and now I wish I was going to work for the FBI after graduation."

Knopp is a senior in accounting and finance from Manhattan, Kan. He is the Treasurer for Student Senate and is the President of Delta Upsilon Fraternity. In the summer of 2008 he participated in the School of Business CIMBA study abroad program, and in the summer of 2009 he interned with Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins in Washington, D.C. He will begin his master's of accounting studies in fall 2010. Knopp plans to use the funds to pay his tuition.

Knopp was interested in Herndon's career path after graduating from the School of Business with an accounting degree. "I always knew that the FBI hired a lot of accountants, but I never would have imagined that they might end up going undercover and directly prosecuting offenders," said Knopp. "I could easily see myself wanting to do that sort of thing in the not-too-distant future."

Miller is a senior in marketing with a minor in communications studies from Wichita, Kan. This summer she completed an internship with Eli Lilly and Company in Kansas City, and plans to pursue a career in pharmaceutical or surgical sales after graduating from the University. Miller actively volunteers at various organizations in the Lawrence area, and on campus she represents groups such as Pi Beta Phi Sorority, American Businesses Women's Association, Alpha Kappa Psi Business Fraternity, Sigma Alpha Lambda Honor Society, National Society of Collegiate Scholars and Mortar Board Honor Society.

Miller plans to use the funds to pay tuition. "I have funded my entire education 100 percent through scholarships and grants, so each and every one has a huge impact on my life and education," Miller said. "It was wonderful to know our highly esteemed School of Business has recognized my hard work and dedication throughout my 4 years at the University of Kansas."

The Anderson Chandler Lecture Series is offered each year by the KU School of Business. It began in 1997 and is made possible by School of Business alumnus Anderson Chandler.