Barbara Bichelmeyer

Barbara Bichelmeyer, Ph.D., serves the University of Kansas as Provost/University Chief Academic Officer and Executive Vice Chancellor of the main campus in Lawrence and the Edwards Campus in Overland Park. As Provost she oversees academic standards and planning as well as student engagement and faculty development activities. As Executive Vice Chancellor she oversees and coordinates the mission of the KU main campus and leads the Jayhawks Rising strategic plan for KU Lawrence and Edwards, guiding faculty, staff and students toward the vision of being an exceptional learning community that lifts each member and advances society. The plan is informed by three institutional priorities: Research & Discovery, Student Success and Healthy & Vibrant Communities. This plan recognizes that higher education at KU is a unique economic enterprise that centers the talent development of students, faculty and staff to serve the growth and aspirations of the state, the region, the nation and the world.

Bichelmeyer has a long and rich history with the university, having earned four degrees from KU: B.S. in journalism; B.A. in English; M.S. in educational policy and administration; and a doctorate in educational communications and technology. Bichelmeyer held numerous leadership roles at Indiana University and IU-Bloomington, including professor in the Department of Instructional Systems Technology, executive associate vice president for University Academic Affairs, and senior director of the Office of Online Education. In 2015, Bichelmeyer joined the University of Missouri-Kansas City, where she served as provost and executive vice chancellor and professor of management in the UMKC Henry W. Bloch School of Management. She has also served as interim chancellor of both Indiana University Southeast and UMKC. Bichelmeyer rejoined KU in February 2020 as provost and executive vice chancellor, with an academic appointment as professor in the KU School of Education & Human Sciences.

Bichelmeyer’s research and grant activities focus on the study of how educational systems integrate new technologies and how the introduction of new technologies changes educational systems in order to promote personalized learning and improve human performance. She has served as a consultant for the design, development and evaluation of instructional programs and performance improvement initiatives with leading businesses, agencies and organizations including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Indiana Supreme Court Commission for Continuing Legal Education, Procter & Gamble, Eli Lilly, Microsoft, Sprint, the United States Coast Guard, and the National Collegiate Athletic Association.