Leadership Search

OVERVIEW

The university has launched an internal search for its next Provost/Chief Academic Officer for the University of Kansas and Executive Vice Chancellor of the Lawrence Campus. This role offers an opportunity for a visionary leader to:

• shape the university’s academic direction
• advance the university's "One KU" initiative to enhance alignment among KU's campuses
• champion KU's mission of education, service and research

The search committee has identified four candidates for consideration, each of whom will give public presentations to the university between January 22 and February 4, 2026.

TIMELINE

The search committee has identified four candidates for consideration and is currently finalizing details for campus-wide forums, which will take place between January 22 and February 4, 2026. These open sessions will provide opportunities for members of the KU community to engage with each candidate, hear their vision for the university, and share feedback with the search committee.

Candidate names will be announced two days before their forum. For now, you are encouraged to mark your calendars, as your participation and perspectives are essential.

• Candidate 1 - January 22; Burge Union, Forum D; 3pm
• Candidate 2 - January 26; Burge Union, Forum A & B; 3pm
• Candidate 3 - February 2; Kansas Union, Woodruff Auditorium; 3pm
• Candidate 4 - February 4;  Kansas Union, Woodruff Auditorium; 3pm

Finalist presentations will be live-streamed, and recordings will be made available online for 48 hours.

The Chancellor has expressed a goal of having the selected leader in place by March 1.
 

SEARCH COMMITTEE

Chancellor Douglas A. Girod has appointed a search committee to help advise the process and make recommendations to him. The committee members are as follows:

• Perry Alexander – Distinguished Professor, School of Engineering; Director of the Institute for Information Sciences
• Stuart Day – Dean, School of Professional Studies; Vice Provost of the Edwards Campus
• David Dietz – Dean, School of Pharmacy
• Tammara Durham – Vice Provost for Student Affairs
• Jean Giddens – Dean, School of Nursing
• Melissa Greene-Blye – Assistant Professor, School of Journalism
• Misty Heggeness – Associate Professor, School of Public Affairs & Administration; Associate Research Scientist, Institute for Policy and Social Research; Faculty Senate President, Lawrence Campus
• Ryan King – Senior Associate Athletics Director for Student-Athlete Support Services, Kansas Athletics
• Sean Kumer – Interim Chair, Department of Surgery
• Marissa Marshall – Business Coordinator, Office of Audit, Risk & Compliance; and Staff Senate President, Lawrence Campus
• Lauren McKown – Associate Vice Chancellor for Civil Rights & Title IX
• Andrew Murga – Student Body President, Lawrence Campus
• Kelly Nalani Beym – Self Graduate Fellow
• Karrie Shogren – Distinguished Professor, School of Education; Director, Kansas University Center on Disabilities; Senior Scientist, Life Span Institute
• Charlotte Tritch – Assistant Teaching Professor, School of Business; Director, Entrepreneurship Degree Programs
• Jamie Walters – Professor, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences; and UAKU Representative 

COMMUNICATIONS

Finalist presentation dates for Provost/Chief Academic Officer for KU and Executive Vice Chancellor of the Lawrence Campus
12/22/2025
Chancellor Girod shares the dates and locations for each finalist's public presentation to the KU community.

Announcing the search committee for the next Provost/Chief Academic Officer for KU and Executive Vice Chancellor of the Lawrence Campus
11/10/2025
Chancellor Girod announces the search committee that will help advise this process and provide recommendations to him.

Launching the search process for our next Provost/Chief Academic Officer for the University of Kansas and Executive Vice Chancellor of the Lawrence Campus
10/27/2025
Following the recent announcement of Barbara Bichelmeyer’s decision to step down from her leadership role, Chancellor Girod shares next steps in our process to identify her successor.

Provost and EVC Bichelmeyer to step down from her leadership role
Tue, 10/14/2025
Chancellor Girod announces that Barbara Bichelmeyer, provost and executive vice chancellor for the Lawrence and Edwards campuses, has decided to step away from her role. She will remain in her position until KU’s next provost and EVC is selected, at which time she will return to the faculty.

POSITION DESCRIPTION

Note: The position description below can also be downloaded as a PDF.

Position

Provost/Chief Academic Officer for the University of Kansas and Executive Vice Chancellor of the University of Kansas Lawrence Campus

Background

The University of Kansas operates as a highly matrixed organization (One KU) that thrives on cross-functional teams, where members from all areas of the university collaborate to achieve the strategic goals of the university. Under the direction of the Chancellor, this matrixed approach fosters innovation and problem-solving by bringing together different perspectives through cooperation and united purpose within the university. The One KU approach creates the agility the Chancellor’s leadership team (the University Cabinet) needs to thrive in complexity and deliver meaningful results. The success of One KU is dependent on clarity, collaboration, empowerment and responsibility among all university leaders that is replicated throughout each area of the university.

The Chancellor leads the university, supported by the guidance, counsel, and leadership of the University Cabinet. The Chancellor delegates responsibility to members of the University Cabinet to lead mission-critical and core functional areas, providing collective leadership to advance the university mission and vision. The University Cabinet works collaboratively to establish principles, policies, and processes that are clearly articulated and guide operations throughout the university. The University Cabinet also reviews and provides counsel for decision-making to the Chancellor on major unit reorganizations, significant financial commitments, strategic intercampus initiatives, and matters that impact external relations. The University Cabinet ensures communications of strategic matters to organize and align activities across campuses and throughout the university.

Job Summary

The Provost serves as the Chief Academic Officer for the University of Kansas and, as Executive Vice Chancellor, serves as the strategic leader of the Lawrence campus and all of its locations. Serving as a key member of the University Cabinet, this position reports directly to the Chancellor and collaborates closely with the Chief Health Sciences Officer/Executive Vice Chancellor for KU Medical Center (CHSO/EVC) to provide leadership for campus-specific matters and counsel to the Chancellor for strategic matters critical to the advancement of One KU. The EVC of the Lawrence campus also partners with the Chancellor and the EVC of KU Medical Center to establish the vision, metrics, and strategic priorities of the university.

As Provost, the Chief Academic Officer leads the charge to support and promote academic excellence, scholarship and creative endeavors that advance KU’s mission to educate leaders, build healthy communities and make discoveries that change the world. The Provost works closely with the Chancellor and CHSO/EVC on strategy creation and execution for the university, with responsibility for academics on all KU campuses. The Provost also works closely with Lawrence and Edwards campus Deans to support the advancement of the university’s mission. Specifically, the Provost ensures the exceptional quality of a KU education through forward-thinking academic planning that links research priorities with educational and service experiences, through close collaboration with University Cabinet members, Deans, and other campus leaders on all KU campuses, and a commitment to shared governance. This role also ensures healthy enrollment and student outcomes at all stages of the student lifecycle and at all degree levels.

As Executive Vice Chancellor, the position partners with members of the University Cabinet leading various core areas (i.e. Research, HR, Finance, Operations, Strategy/Data, External Affairs, Athletics, General Counsel, etc.) to advance institutional strategy, responsible financial management, and operational excellence for the Lawrence campus and its reporting locations.

Job Responsibilities 

This position will:

• Serve as an essential partner with the Chancellor in driving excellence through the creation of innovative strategic goals that place KU at the forefront of the evolving higher education landscape.
• Work closely with the Chancellor, Chief Health Sciences Officer, and the Chief Research Officer to create and enact strategies and policies for advancing the university’s education, service and research mission; work closely with the University Cabinet and other leadership, including shared governance, to execute institutional strategy; and engage external stakeholders and donors, as appropriate, to support the university’s mission and goals.
• Be responsible for monitoring effectiveness of short- and long-term institutional goals relating to enrollment, academic program quality and student success, as well as the university’s key performance indicators and accreditation.
• Provide direction and support to the Vice Provosts and Deans to ensure the academic units are aligned to the university’s strategic plan and serving the needs of faculty, staff, students and the broader community.
• Ensure agile academic offerings and the exceptional delivery of academic objectives and outcomes and efficient operations.
• Coordinate and facilitate all aspects of academic and administrative operations that support the overall student experience, achievement of learning outcomes, and student persistence and success.
• Oversee the lifecycle of faculty careers, including the approval and appointment of faculty, orientation and on-boarding, all promotion and tenure decisions, and sabbatical requests.
• Monitor successful reaffirmation of university and specialized accreditation.
• Partner with the university CFO to support the effective management of campus finances on the Lawrence campus, and as Provost/CAO, advise on appropriate strategic and ongoing financial investment needed to achieve the academic mission and vision of the institution; and work with the Provost’s leadership team to leverage all resources effectively to position academics to meet the goals of the institution.
• Leverage data and financial information to inform and monitor strategic plans and align the work of academic units and administrative units on the Lawrence and Edwards campuses to support campus strategic plans; and partner with the Chief Strategy & Data Officer to execute data-informed processes of strategic alignment and university strategy advancement.

As Provost, the Chief Academic Officer provides strategic direction and supervision to the following areas and functions for all KU campuses:

• Academic Affairs
• Faculty Affairs
• Student Affairs
• Registrar
• Enrollment Management
• Memorial Union
• Housing
• Dining
• Higher Learning Commission Accreditation and other specialized accreditation
• Interdisciplinary programs
• Graduate studies
• Faculty Governance
• International Affairs

For the above functions that have units on KU Medical Center campuses, the Provost works in close coordination and collaboration with the EVC for KU Medical Center, as well as the KUMC Deans and campus leaders.

Job Qualifications

Required qualifications include

• Terminal degree
• Academic credentials consistent with the rank of professor
• Experience as a senior leader in a public university, preferably a flagship, with oversight of budget, academic offerings and faculty
• Demonstrated commitment to access, belonging and student success
• Extensive experience with strategy creation and execution
• Clear understanding of the higher education landscape with the ability to apply knowledge to support KU’s positioning as a leading research institution