Chancellor's Weekly Update

May 14, 2025 -- Chancellor Girod provides updates on key initiatives, including the university’s Higher Learning Commission reaffirmation of accreditation process; KU’s tuition proposal for the upcoming year; collaboration with AAU peers in Washington; the Gateway District project and last week’s city commission approval of financial tools to support the project’s next phase; the KU Cancer Center building; and the Wichita Biomedical Campus.

April 16, 2025 -- Chancellor Girod visits with Kyle Christian and Kelly Whitten from the KU Office of Government Relations to discuss the latest policy developments coming from Washington DC and the Kansas Legislature, respectively.

April 4, 2025 -- Chancellor Girod visits with Matthias Salathe, chief research officer and senior vice chancellor, and Shelley Hooks, vice chancellor for research for Lawrence, to discuss the current federal policy environment as it relates to university research. The three leaders also discuss the future of KU research and KU's efforts to recognize and support researchers.

December 11, 2024 -- Chancellor Girod visits Chief Financial Officer Jeff DeWitt to share KU's vision for the second phase of the Gateway District project. This phase seeks to develop new facilities that benefit the campus community while driving economic growth in the region.

November 7, 2024 -- Chancellor Girod visits Mike Denning and Todd Copeland to discuss military-affiliated students at KU and their unique contribution to our university. The trio also discuss Veterans Day activities and commemorations happening at KU in the days ahead.

October 11, 2024 -- Chancellor Girod visits with KU administrators Nick Stevens, Lisa Pinamonti Kress and Jen Roberts to discuss this year's record-setting enrollment at KU.

October 1, 2024 -- Chancellor Girod visits with Mark Shiflett, Foundation Distinguished Professor in the Department of Chemical & Petroleum Engineering, to discuss his $26 million NSF grant to develop sustainable refrigerant technologies and practices that will improve quality of life and combat climate change.

September 26, 2024 -- Chancellor Girod visits with Barbara Bichelmeyer, provost and executive vice chancellor for the Lawrence and Edwards campuses, to discuss HLC reaffirmation of accreditation, the Lawrence campus master plan, new space for the School of Architecture & Design, and the new "One KU" leadership structure.

September 18, 2024 -- Chancellor Girod visits with Dr. Steve Stites, executive vice chancellor of KU Medical Center, to discuss how the new "One KU" initiative enhances collaboration across campuses and benefits the university.

August 28, 2024 -- With classes now in full swing, Chancellor Girod highlights key initiatives for the upcoming year. Topics include enrollment, the new "One KU" leadership structure, the KU Cancer Center, the Wichita biomedical campus, the Lawrence campus budget, economic development efforts and KU research.

August 13, 2024 -- Chancellor Girod discusses changes to the university's leadership structure as part of the "One KU" initiative.

May 9, 2024 -- Chancellor Girod visits with Kelly Whitten, associate vice chancellor for state relations, to discuss the Kansas Legislative session. Specific topics include new funding for the KU Cancer Center, student financial aid, deferred maintenance, demolition, cybersecurity, and employee merit raises.

May 1, 2024 -- Chancellor Girod gives an update on recent highlights, including next fall's projected enrollment, the new Wichita Biomedical Campus, faculty recognition initiatives, KU Cancer Center fundraising, the Gateway District and the creation of a new faculty union for the Lawrence campus.

April 10, 2024 -- Chancellor Girod welcomes Jen Brockman and Jenny McKee to discuss sexual assault prevention and education, as well as other health and wellness initiatives for students on the Lawrence campus.

April 4, 2024 -- Chancellor Girod welcomes Jennifer Roberts and Michael Werle for an update on KU's reaffirmation of accreditation by the Higher Learning Commission.

March 26, 2024 -- The university's two information technology leaders -- Ed Hudson in Lawrence and Jeremy Pennington at KU Medical Center -- discuss KU's efforts to enhance its IT capacities and protect students, faculty and staff from everchanging security challenges in the digital space.

March 19, 2024 -- Chancellor Girod welcomes Belinda Sturm, interim vice chancellor for research, to discuss research initiatives on the Lawrence campus. Topics include recent hires, research partnership potential with Panasonic, faculty recognition and new compliance requirements from federal funding agencies.

March 5, 2024 -- Chancellor Girod welcomes Heath Peterson, president of the KU Alumni Association, to discuss the Jayhawk Welcome Center, the Jayhawk Career Network, the upcoming Rock Chalk Forever event, and this week's "One Day. One KU." day of giving.

February 29, 2024 -- Provost Barbara Bichelmeyer and CFO Jeff DeWitt discuss fiscal year budget planning, with a focus on their top three priorities: 1) addressing the Lawrence campus structural budget deficit; 2) achieving market pay for employees; and 3) investing in facilities and capital improvements.

February 22, 2024 -- Chancellor Girod welcomes Karla Leeper and Chris Gregory to discuss KU's marketing and branding efforts, as well as Provost Bichelmeyer to discuss strategic alignment on the Lawrence campus.

February 13, 2024 -- Chancellor Girod welcomes Nancy Jackson and Austin Ice to discuss "One Day. One KU.," the university's annual 24-hour giving campaign, which is Thursday, February 15. The trio also discusses how KU Endowment works with donors throughout the year to benefit KU students, faculty and staff.

February 6, 2024 -- Chancellor Girod welcomes Robert Simari, executive vice chancellor of KU Medical Center, to discuss the KU Cancer Center, the new Wichita health education campus, KU's efforts around brain health, and the legacy of School of Nursing Dean Sally Maliski.

January 17, 2024 -- Chancellor Girod kicks off the spring semester with a reminder of key priorities, including our "Ever Onward" capital campaign, development of a new Wichita health education campus, student success, research productivity and employee satisfaction.