Reflecting on the academic year

Colleagues, 

As final exams conclude and we prepare to celebrate Commencement with our graduates, I want to pause to reflect on the academic year and thank you for your efforts. Because of you – our talented faculty and staff – KU continues to fulfill its mission of education, service and research in a way that drives economic prosperity in Kansas and improves the world. 

Education 

We started the year by welcoming our largest-ever freshman class and achieving the highest overall enrollment in KU history. These record-setting numbers confirm that talented students from across Kansas and the world see value in attending KU and joining our academic community — a community that you create. 

Service 

One of the most visible ways KU serves Kansas is by educating healthcare practitioners and caring for patients in need. To advance these efforts, this year we broke ground on our new Wichita Biomedical Campus, which will position us to train more doctors for rural communities. Additionally, later this month we will break ground on our new KU Cancer Center facility, which will transform patient care and enhance discovery of new treatments for patients battling cancer. 

Research 

This year we grew our research expenditures for the eighth straight year, which reflects the outstanding scholarly work being done by so many of you. We also celebrated individual accolades, including Timothy Jackson, Ward Thompson, Jon Tunge and Michael Branicky being named fellows in the American Association for the Advancement of Science; Donna Ginther being named to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences; Ron Barrett-Gonzalez being named a National Academy of Inventors fellow; and Stefan Bossmann being selected by the NAI to join the 2025 class of senior members. 

Economic development  

KU is an economic engine for the state and has a $7.8 billion impact in Kansas — meaning our university provides a tremendous return on investment for taxpayers and legislators. To advance our efforts in this space, this year we continued growing the KU Innovation Park, which is now home to more than 70 companies. Additionally, we continue to develop plans for the second phase of our Gateway District, a once-in-a-generation project that will generate revenue for our academic mission and drive economic growth for the region. 

Alignment  

This year we implemented a new “One KU” leadership structure to better align our Lawrence, Medical Center and Edwards campuses. I want to thank members of the University Cabinet – especially executive vice chancellors Barbara Bichelmeyer and Steve Stites – for their leadership, and all of you for embracing this university-wide perspective and seeking new ways to collaborate across our campuses. 

Additionally, this year we launched new university-wide branding, Towering Toward the Blue, to emphasize KU’s scholarship, discoveries and economic impact in a consistent and compelling way. 

Accreditation 

Earlier this month we learned KU has received a strong preliminary report confirming we met all criteria for reaffirmation of accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission. Our preliminary report will be voted on in June by the HLC Institutional Actions Council, and we look forward to sharing the final report and outcomes with you. I want to thank the many faculty and staff who have contributed to this effort during the past year. 

Thank you 

Along with these successes, this year presented challenges — namely, unprecedented federal activity that has created extraordinary uncertainty for higher education. We will continue working to address these challenges and mitigate the impact on our students, academic programs and research endeavors.  

In the meantime, I am grateful for the opportunity to celebrate our successes and address challenges alongside Jayhawks like you. You make KU special, and for that, you have my sincere appreciation. 

Respectfully, 

Doug 

Douglas A. Girod 
Chancellor