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KU Gets $58 Million from Estate Of Al & Lila Self; Largest Private Gift Ever

J. Schafer

The University of Kansas has received its largest private donation ever - $58 million. KU Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little announced the gift on Tuesday from the estate of Al and Lila Self.

"The Selfs have given the largest, single gift that we've ever received from an individual. This gift, in combination with what they've given before, totals 106 million dollars," the chancellor said.

KU alumni Al and Lila Self died last year, both at the age of 91. The largest part of the couple's $58 million gift will be used for graduate fellowships.

With Tuesday's gift, the school's "Far Above" fundraising campaign has exceeded its original goal and now totals more than $1.2 billion.

J. Schafer is the News Director of Kansas Public Radio at the Univeristy of Kansas. He’s also the Managing Editor of the Kansas Public Radio Network, which provides news and information to other public radio stations in Kansas and Missouri. Before joining KPR in 1995, Schafer spent 10 years as a commercial radio and TV newsman. During his career, he's filed stories for nearly every major radio news network in the nation including ABC, NBC, CBS, AP, UPI, the Mutual Broadcasting System, NPR and the BBC. This seems to impress no one. At KPR, he produces feature stories, interviews and newscast items and edits the work of others. In the fall of 2000, he performed contract work for the U.S. State Department, traveling to central Asia to teach broadcast journalism at newly independent radio stations in the former Soviet Union. One of his passions is Kansas; learning about and promoting the state’s rich heritage, people and accomplishments. Schafer gives presentations about Kansas to various organizations around the state to remind residents about our awesome history and incredible people. A native of Great Bend, he studied journalism and mass communications at Barton County Community College and at the University of Kansas. He was also an exchange student to Villingen-Schwenningen, Germany. The “J.” in J. Schafer stands for Jeremy, but he doesn’t really care for that name. He also enjoys the pretentiousness of using just a single initial for a first name!