A new year for our academic community

Welcome back, Jayhawks!

I am excited to begin another semester with you as we continue our mission of education, service and research on behalf of Kansas and the world. With classes now in full swing across our campuses, I’d like to highlight some of the exciting initiatives we will discuss throughout the academic year. 

Enrollment 

If our campuses seem crowded this morning, it’s because they are! Official data will be available in late September, but we already know we have another large class of first-year Jayhawks in Lawrence. The start of the semester is crucial for these new students, and I know I can count on you to help welcome them to our academic community. 

New “One KU” leadership structure 

We begin this semester with a new “One KU” leadership structure designed to leverage the assets of our Lawrence, Medical Center and Edwards campuses and strategically align the university to more effectively meet our mission. I encourage you to view my Chancellor’s Weekly Update from August 13 to learn more about this initiative and how you can be part of it. 

Improving health care for Kansans 

One of the most meaningful ways KU serves Kansas is by training health care practitioners and caring for patients in need. Last spring we broke ground on a new health education campus in Wichita for our schools of Medicine and Pharmacy to train the next generation of health care providers. Additionally, we continue fundraising for a new KU Cancer Center facility that will enhance collaboration between clinicians and researchers to produce better treatments for patients battling cancer. 

Lawrence campus budget  

In recent years we have balanced our annual budget by drawing on cash reserves while working to shrink our structural deficit. We are optimistic this current fiscal year will be the final year of having to do this, but this presumes we continue our efforts to find efficiencies and increase revenues through initiatives such as continuous improvement, strategic hiring and budgeting, and fundraising. Thanks to stable budgets and funding from the Legislature, we have provided cost-of-living increases for three straight years, including a 2% increase effective this month. We have also made progress on our living wage initiative. We know we are still behind many of our peer institutions in terms of salaries, and we will continue addressing this gap. 

Research 

As one the nation’s leading research institutions and a member of the Association of American Universities, KU strives to make discoveries that benefit Kansas and the world in tangible ways. Thanks to the efforts of so many of you, we have increased our research expenditures for seven consecutive years, and we expect that trend to continue. As an example of this type of work, last week we were delighted to announce that Foundation Distinguished Professor Mark Shiflett was awarded a $26 million grant from the National Science Foundation to establish a new center to pursue sustainable and circular refrigerant technologies. In the semester ahead, our talented faculty and staff will continue their work on similarly impactful research in areas such as cancer, cybersecurity, brain health, and drug development.  

Economic development 

KU drives economic growth in the region by recruiting students, partnering with companies and attracting visitors to our campuses. To advance our position as an economic engine for the state, this year we will maintain our focus on growing the KU Innovation Park, which is currently home to more than 70 companies, many of which are partnering with KU on research and internship programs. We will continue our partnership with Panasonic on battery technology and talent development. And we continue work on our Gateway District, a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform campus in a way that benefits student recruitment and positions KU to host hundreds of thousands of guests throughout the year. 

HLC accreditation 

This academic year, we achieve a major milestone — the culmination of our current 10-year cycle for reaffirmation of accreditation. Please mark your calendars with these important dates: 

• September 9-10, HLC Mock Site Review
  • September 9 for KU Lawrence and Edwards
  • September 10 at KU Medical Center
• March 3-4, HLC Site Visit 

You can learn more about what to expect at the Mock Site Review on our KU HLC Accreditation website. This site also provides a link to the assurance argument KU submitted in July. 

Welcome back, Jayhawks. I look forward to another great year with you. 

Respectfully, 

Doug 

Douglas A. Girod 
Chancellor