During December and January, KU Lawrence and Edwards Vice Chancellors, Vice Provosts and Deans will deliver presentations to Provost Barbara Bichelmeyer and other senior leaders covering the work underway in their respective units, as well as providing an honest assessment of the challenges and opportunities in the unit, and their longer-term aspirations. The annual Strategic Alignment Meetings facilitate transparency, collaboration, accountability and budgetary processes and ensure alignment with Jayhawks Rising institutional priorities as unit leaders plan their strategic priorities for the coming year.

There are three general goals for these meetings:

• Create transparency and linkage between all plans at the campus and unit levels — i.e., strategic, research, hiring and retention, facilities and space plans, fiscal and endowment requests, enrollment and academic programming.

• Engage in active stewardship of KU resources by providing structure for planning and implementing strategic priorities.

• Facilitate collaboration across units by identifying common challenges and redundancies.

Unit leaders are encouraged to share these presentations with faculty and staff in their units during the spring semester.

KU's 2024 Campus Master Plan is now available for the community to view.

The 2024 Campus Master Plan for the Lawrence campus was developed to address pressing needs like technology, amenities, inclusivity and improved accessibility. It is designed to align the physical campus with the Jayhawks Rising strategic plan to ensure buildings, facilities and infrastructure support KU’s mission, values and priorities. The Kansas Board of Regents voted to approve the plan in September.

The document is being reviewed to ensure it is fully accessible. If you find anything within that needs revision, please send an email to masterplan2024@ku.edu.

As part of KU’s recent International Education Week celebration, the university was recognized for 75 years of reporting to the Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange. KU is one of 600 institutions that have provided data to Open Doors since the first report was issued in 1949. That year, KU had 73 international students.

In the most recent Open Doors Report, KU had 2,020 international students who enrolled in 2023-2024 or received a visa through KU to work in their field of study after graduation. 

The Office of Research will be closed over winter break and has established deadlines to ensure services are provided to meet the research community's needs. Proposal documents with deadlines from Dec. 25 to Jan. 2 must be submitted to Pre-Award Services by Tuesday, Dec. 17.

Consult with your Office of Research Awards contact for questions regarding December or early January business.

The Campus Cupboard will be closed from Dec. 21 through Jan. 12. To continue serving our community during the winter break, the Campus Cupboard is planning to provide take-home bags to supplement those in need.

Faculty and staff can donate items to these bags by purchasing from the food pantry’s Amazon wishlist. All donations need to be made by Friday, Dec. 6.

KU CIO Ed Hudson recommends that most database access subscriptions are exempt from the Technology Procurement Request process. These services are lower-risk from a cybersecurity perspective because they offer centralized security controls, role-based access and minimal local data storage.

Employees should first check whether the service requires downloading data, installing software or a direct connection to KU’s internal tools, which increase risk. If unsure, submit a Technology Procurement Request at the Finance Service Portal. View the IT News article for more details

The 2024-2025 Staff Fellows application deadline has been extended to Friday, Dec. 6. This program is open to staff employees at all levels of the university. 

The 2025 Staff Fellows cohort will join the IRISE fellow cohort in researching the current level of integration of IRISE values across the university. They will research best practices in values-based organizations and make recommendations for integrating and sustaining these values throughout KU's campuses.

A Concur Travel Request & Booking training session will take place from 10:30 a.m.-noon on Thursday, Dec. 5. This program will provide an overview of KU Travel policies, processes and resources and an instructional demonstration of the KU Concur system including how to book, change or cancel a trip.

The session will also cover how to submit receipts and funding information to your travel contact so they can process your travel expenses in Concur on your behalf.

Your KU email account is the official channel for important university communications.

The University of Kansas prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, ancestry, disability, status as a veteran, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, gender identity, gender expression, and genetic information in the university's programs and activities. Retaliation is also prohibited by university policy. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies and procedures and is the Title IX Coordinator for all KU and KUMC campuses: Associate Vice Chancellor for the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX, civilrights@ku.edu, Room 1082, Dole Human Development Center, 1000 Sunnyside Avenue, Lawrence, KS 66045, 785-864-6414, 711 TTY. Reports can be submitted by contacting the Title IX Coordinator as provided herein or online and complaints can be submitted with the Title IX Coordinator or online.

The University of Kansas is a public institution governed by the Kansas Board of Regents.