Greetings faculty colleagues,

As the weather warms and students take graduation photos across campus, we can’t help but feel a little celebratory. At the Office of Faculty Affairs, that spirit of celebration is also paired with deep gratitude. Reflecting on this academic year, we know that although there has not been a shortage of uncertainty — from research funding challenges to evolving student needs — one constant has been your unwavering dedication to your students, teams, and your KU community.  

This dedication shows up in many ways, but especially in faculty service. Often overshadowed by research and teaching, service is what keeps everything running. From student advising, participating in unit-level and university-level committees to contributing to your discipline and local communities, we recognize the positive impact you make in shaping the campus, community, and your profession. 

We would especially like to thank those who serve on the committees we work most closely with: the University Committee on Promotion & Tenure, the University Committee on Sabbatical Leave, the University Committee on Distinguished Professorships, and the University Teaching Awards committee. Additionally, numerous faculty experts have contributed (and will contribute during Faculty Development Academies Week) to our programming efforts this past year. Thank you all for sharing your expertise, time, energy and commitment to making a meaningful impact.  

As we see you at end-of-year events and celebrations, we’re reminded that we all play a part in this ecosystem that is KU — in the spirit of service and collaboration, it’s incredible to think about what we can achieve together in just one year. 

With gratitude,  

Amy Mendenhall 
Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs  
Professor, School of Social Welfare 

Surprise moments from this year's William T. Kemper Fellowship for Teaching Excellence prize patrol! From L to R: Giselle Anatol, Jennifer Delgado, Sean Gullickson, Eileen Hotze, and Pamela Keller. See more prize patrol photos pop up this week on our social media platforms.

The Policy Library has moved! The Policy Library, the University’s official archive for policy, has transitioned to a new platform, TeamDynamix (TDX), to better meet the University’s policy needs. The transition enhances the overall user experience by improving search functionality, streamlining navigation, and offering advanced capabilities for policy and procedure reporting. If you have any questions about this transition, please reach out to policy@ku.edu. 

CTE will host it's 2025 Celebration of Teaching on Friday, May 9 from 3:00-5:00 p.m. at the Kansas Union Ballroom. Over 80 posters will be on display detailing the discovery and results of learning transformations from CTE programs. Learn more about the event at this link.

Commencement takes place on Sunday, May 18 at 10:30 a.m.! If your students (or you) have questions about the celebration, commencement.ku.edu has all the details for you, your students, and their guests.

As summer approaches, it’s natural to dream about possibilities—whether that’s catching up, getting ahead, or simply resetting after a busy year. A recent NCFDD Monday Motivator reminds us that this is a perfect time to reflect, re-center, and set intentional goals for the year ahead.  

Whether you hope to catch up or get ahead (or both, depending on the area!), resources through NCFDD and also through faculty development programming at KU can help you get started, while you map out goals for next year. There are many resources available in this particular NCFDD Monday Motivator, and we also encourage you to look ahead to some of KU’s awards and recognition opportunities and faculty development programming that will support you in setting goals and scheduling time for the professional development you are seeking as you prepare for the year ahead.   

As a reminder, KU is an institutional member of NCFDD, which ensures all KU academic faculty and staff can register for an NCFDD membership at no additional cost. To join the NCFDD community, be sure to sign up here.  

The Center for Teaching Excellence invites faculty members to submit proposals for workshops and facilitated discussion to be presented at the Teaching Summit on August 14.

Proposals should be one page or less and include:

Please send questions and proposals to Judy Eddy. Proposals are due by June 3. 

The Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program 2026-27 competition is officially open! Applications are due Sept. 15, 2025 by 4:00 PM Central. The following resources are a great place to get started if you are interested in applying:

Ready to get started? Access the application at this link.

Manar Shoshani, assistant professor of chemistry at KU, was recently selected for the Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award, a highly prestigious five-year grant for early-career faculty from the National Science Foundation!

All dates above apply to full semester courses. Some deadlines may exclude certain schools and colleges. See the entire Spring 2025, Summer 2025 and Fall 2025 calendars on the Registrar’s website.  

Internal Research Awards and Support for Prestigious Awards now Featured on Faculty Affairs Site

The Office of Faculty Affairs Faculty Awards site now links to Faculty Research Awards internal to KU, as well as support for growing your research portfolio and exploring prestigious and highly prestigious external awards. Be sure to check out the new Faculty Research Awards section of the site!

Virtual Town Halls

Held on Monday afternoons for the Lawrence and Edwards campuses, virtual town halls provide an opportunity for the provost to discuss with leaders across campus changes in KU’s research and higher education environment.

Previous town halls, are available to watch online (KU login required). To submit a question or comment for a future town hall discussion, please use this form.    

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