Pamela Pearson has begun her role as director of the University of Kansas Applied English Center (AEC). She brings over 20 years of experience in English language instruction, curriculum development, and international education, most recently at Colorado State University. At KU, she will lead the AEC in delivering high-quality English instruction and intercultural training to international students and academic departments. Pearson’s leadership will help strengthen the AEC’s longstanding role as a gateway to KU and a national leader in English language programming. She holds a doctorate in applied linguistics and has received numerous awards for teaching, advising, and international research.

>> Read the full news article

From Campus Insider: Recognized for her work to connect KU and the larger community to East Asian languages and cultures and for fostering belonging at KU, LaGretia Copp has been named an August 2025 Employee of the Month. 

Copp, communications and event coordinator for the Center for East Asian Studies, has organized the center’s Lunar New Year, Kite and Mid-Autumn festivals for the past three years. These events each draw more than 500 attendees and contribute to the Jayhawks Rising goal of increasing engagement with local and global communities, as well as opportunities to volunteer, build community and strengthen belonging at KU.  

Copp has also taken on more project management responsibilities for the joint outreach activities of KU’s five area studies centers. She has developed a centralized calendar, coordinates outreach teams, chairs bi-weekly meetings and oversees marketing materials for recruitment and engagement events. 

“Her vision, leadership and proactive collaboration with other units have been truly remarkable,” her nominator noted. View photos of the award presentation.

Chris Cowan joins KUIA as the business coordinator for International Short Programs. Prior to joining the ISP team, Chris served as a program analyst with the Department of Justice Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training, where he helped administer U.S. government rule of law capacity building programs in Africa. He also previously served as a program officer with American Councils in Uzbekistan, managing implementation of State Department-funded English language and youth programs in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.

Between 2019 and 2022, Chris served as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Uzbekistan, working with students and faculty at schools, universities, and American Corners (regional resource centers) across the country. He holds a bachelor’s in international relations and Middle East studies and a master’s in Geography from the University of Arkansas.

Chris speaks conversational Russian, Uzbek, and Arabic, and limited Persian and Spanish. He has studied abroad in Jordan and Oman, conducted graduate fieldwork in Kyrgyzstan, and traveled extensively throughout Uzbekistan.

Danielle J. Price joins the Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies as the managing editor for The Russian Review. She received her B.A. in Russian Area Studies from the University of Alabama in 2004, and then earned an M.A. in Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies from the University of Kansas in 2007.

In 2005, Danielle began her publishing career serving as the editorial assistant for The Russian Review during her graduate studies. After graduating, Danielle worked as a managing editor for Allen Press, where she was involved in the production, coordination, and management for a variety of different scholarly journals, from 2008 until she moved to the Pacific Northwest in 2016.

From 2018 to 2020, Danielle served as the managing editor for Nationalities Papers, the journal for the Association for the Study of Nationalities, where she helped with the journal’s onboarding with a new publisher, created and updated procedures, and improved the peer-review workflow. Danielle also served as the managing editor for Communist and Post-Communist Studies from 2020 to 2025, where she worked closely with the editor-in-chief to reestablish the journal as a destination for high-quality research.

Danielle is happy to be back in Lawrence again. Once a Jayhawk, always a Jayhawk!

A selection of recent sights from the Division:

>> SAGE Global Brunch

>> CREES Global Brunch

>> CREES Multicultural Fair

>> ISS Mingle at the Market  

>> ISS Resource and Involvement Fair

>> ISS Welcome / More

>> ISP Tomorrow CEO

>> CEAS Represented at PIPC

>> CEAS Faculty and Graduate Student Potluck

>> KASC Represented in Morocco

Talk by Abduweli Ayup, Sept. 11: On Thursday, Sept. 11 at 4 p.m., linguist Abduweli Ayup will present at KU’s Hall Center for the Humanities, screening All Static and Noise, a documentary on China’s Uyghur detention camps, and discussing Uyghur language preservation. The 75-minute event, followed by a Q&A and reception, highlights Chinese linguistic imperialism and Uyghur resistance. Co-sponsored by KU’s Linguistics, Political Science, and International Affairs departments, among others, it’s open to all. Learn more.

Mid-Autumn Festival, Sept. 19: Join the Center for East Asian Studies for the Mid-Autumn Festival on Friday, Sept. 19, from 5 - 8 p.m. at the KU Union’s Ascher Plaza (Ballroom if inclement weather). Celebrate this traditional holiday, also known as Chuseok, with performances by KU Taiko, House of Dragons, and the KU Lion Dance Club. Enjoy lantern-making, games, calligraphy, and more—traditional attire from East Asian countries is encouraged. The event is free and open to families, children, and the Lawrence community. Learn more.

The University of Kansas prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, ancestry, disability, status as a veteran, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, gender identity, gender expression, and genetic information in the university's programs and activities. Retaliation is also prohibited by university policy. The following persons have been designated to handle inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies and are the Title IX coordinators for their respective campuses: Associate Vice Chancellor for the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX, civilrights@ku.edu, Room 1082, Dole Human Development Center, 1000 Sunnyside Avenue, Lawrence, KS 66045, 785-864-6414, 711 TTY (for the Lawrence, Edwards, Parsons, Yoder, and Topeka campuses); Director, Equal Opportunity Office, Mail Stop 7004, 4330 Shawnee Mission Parkway, Fairway, KS 66205, 913-588-8011, 711 TTY (for the Wichita, Salina, and Kansas City, Kansas medical center campuses).

The University of Kansas is a public institution governed by the Kansas Board of Regents.