To better align processes and advance One KU initiatives, the annual Conflict of Interest (COI) disclosure cycle for faculty and staff on the Lawrence and Edwards campuses will move from September to February beginning this academic year. 

This change supports the integration of the myDisclosure system, used for Lawrence and Edwards campuses, with the Medical Center's myResearch suite, helping create a more consistent and streamlined disclosure process across all campuses. 

What does this mean for employees on the Lawrence and Edwards campuses? 

Additional information and instructions will be provided prior to the launch. 

The Office of Audit, Risk and Compliance appreciates the cooperation of faculty and staff as it works to enhance and align KU’s compliance systems and processes. Individuals who have questions should contact coi@ku.edu. 

On Aug. 17 and 18, new faculty members met at the Jayhawk Welcome Center to participate in New Faculty Orientation. This year’s new faculty cohort represents 39 units across the KU Lawrence and Edwards campuses. Part-time faculty participated in a virtual orientation Aug. 19, providing an opportunity to connect with colleagues and begin their KU experience. 

In addition to orientation, new faculty had the opportunity to tour the Lawrence campus during the Office of Faculty Affairs’ Coffee and Campus Tour event. For the past two years, members of the KU Endacott Society have provided engaging tours to new faculty, sharing the history and traditions of the Lawrence campus and its landmarks. 

This fall, Faculty Affairs will host New Faculty Mentor Groups for new faculty to connect and share their experiences during their first semester. Additionally, virtual “OFA Faculty How-to at KU” events focused on specific technical topics will be offered to help early-career faculty acclimate to the tools and resources available to them. 

A list of 2026-27 new faculty members is available on the Faculty Affairs website, along with information on early-career events. 

This weekend Maximo, the web platform for submitting service requests to KU Operations, will undergo a major upgrade. As part of that update, the platform is expected to be down between 3 p.m. Friday and 4 p.m. Sunday. While the platform is down, email KU Work Management at facilities@ku.edu or call 785-864-4700 to request service or report an urgent issue.  

When the update is complete, Maximo will have a new layout, as shown above, and users will log in through KU’s Single Sign-On. Access to Maximo will continue through the web address maximo.ku.edu; however, bookmarks and other direct links to the site may need to be updated as the site structure has changed.  

The new layout has been designed to improve the process for submitting service requests. Once the updated version goes live, directions for using the platform will be found on the Maximo Service Request Quick Guide webpage. 

KU is hosting the second annual Falling into AI Summit from Sept. 22-24, bringing together leaders from KU, KU Medical Center, Google, Amazon Web Services, Apple and artificial intelligence industry partners to explore how AI is transforming education, healthcare, research, workforce development and society. 

Presented as a collaboration between the Lawrence and KU Medical Center campuses, the three-day summit reflects KU’s commitment to advancing innovation across disciplines while fostering thoughtful discussions about the opportunities and responsibilities associated with emerging technologies.   

The first day will be held on the Lawrence campus and will include keynotes from leaders at Google and Amazon. The second day will be at the KU Medical Center. The third day will return to the Lawrence campus for the One KU AI Showcase.

Industry leaders, community members, researchers, faculty, staff and students are invited to register online for the free event. For more information and registration details, visit the Falling Into AI Summit webpage. 

The Center for Service Learning is hosting two workshops this semester for instructors looking for ways to incorporate service learning into courses.  

Course Development Workshops:  

The sessions will explore how instructors can:   

Register online for the workshop.  

The Center for Undergraduate Research & Fellowships is offering Research-Intensive Course Mini Grants for faculty interested in challenging students to develop research skills through course-based projects. Sept. 11 is the application deadline for designing a course for the spring semester.  

The grants could support semester-long research projects, or shorter, more focused units that build research skills. The program’s goal is to increase the number of students who have a research experience at KU, as well as to provide professional development opportunities for faculty interested in expanding their teaching toolbox.  

Selected faculty will receive $500 and support through workshops and advising, including from faculty fellows and KU Libraries. More information can be found on the center’s website. 

Faculty can indicate in Simple Syllabus that their courses focus on undergraduate research, allowing for a better way to track data. Recognizing research courses helps support accreditation data and provide ongoing services for undergraduate research efforts.

The Center for Undergraduate Research & Fellowships is asking faculty who teach research-focused courses to toggle on the "Undergraduate Research-Focused Course” component in Simple Syllabus and to include the following text: This research-focused undergraduate course develops an understanding of research methodology applicable to the field; develops critical thinking, creativity, problem-solving, and intellectual independence; utilizes scaffolded assignments to familiarize students with the iterative process of the research/creative cycle; and culminates in the students’ presentation of research or creative artifact to further contribute to knowledge in the field.

Faculty should upload all fall 2026 course syllabi to Simple Syllabus by Sept. 8 to comply with KU’s Syllabus Policy.

Game day parking restrictions will go into effect on the Lawrence campus at 1 p.m. this Friday as KU Football takes on Long Island University, and then again Sept. 11 for a game against the University of Missouri.  

By 1 p.m., students, faculty and staff will need to move their vehicles from Lot 1 (southern half), 36, 39, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 65, 72, 91, 96, 98, 128 and the Mississippi Street Parking Garage. These lots include most permitted parking north of Jayhawk Boulevard, the lot on the southwest corner of 15th Street and Naismith Drive, and the lot east of the Burge Union. 

Students and employees can park in lots on the south side of campus where their color zone permit is valid, or anyone with any color permit can use parking lots 34, 61 and the Central District Parking Garage.  

Jayhawk Boulevard will open to all drivers at noon and at 4 p.m., free parking will be available to anyone, with or without a parking permit, in yellow zones on the south side of campus.  

To view a map of parking lots and road closures, visit the KU Parking website. 

Organizers of KU Reads are applying a different kind of string theory to build a brand new universe. Members of the KU community are invited to take part in Crocheting the Universe crafting circles over eight dates this academic year to celebrate the current KU Reads common book, “Orbital,” by Samantha Harvey.  

This community-building activity is one of several activities, presentations and events designed to bring students and other members of the KU community together to explore themes of the book and make connections. Participants in Crocheting the Universe will work together to crochet stars, planets, galaxies and more to create a new cosmos – a shared work of art – over the fall and spring semesters. No previous crochet experience is necessary. 

The first Crocheting the Universe opportunity will be 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday in Watson 3 West. Crochet sessions will continue once a month through April 2027. 

All KU Reads activities are open to the KU community. This project is a partnership between KU Reads and the Office of Community Impact. 

Research Matters, a partnership between the Office of Graduate & Postdoctoral Affairs and Kansas Public Radio, returns to the air on Sept. 7, showcasing how graduate student research contributes to the economic, human, social, and environmental well-being of Kansas and beyond. 

Hosted by longtime KPR engineer Steve Kincaid, new episodes will be broadcast every Monday at 9:04 a.m. on KPR 1 (FM 91.5) and KPR 2 (FM 96.1) with rebroadcasts Wednesday at 8:04 p.m. and Sunday at 1:04 p.m. Listen to current and past episodes anytime on the KPR website.  

This season will feature graduate researchers from across KU, including Rachael Hampton, sociology; Rylie Parr, bioengineering; Anna Quesada, psychology; Dorothy Haggard, chemical engineering; Jack Peterson, chemistry; Anne Chuning, clinical child psychology; Mohsen Fatemi, public affairs and administration; and Sarina Russo, special education.  

Each episode offers listeners an accessible look at innovative graduate research, the people behind it, and its impact on communities in Kansas and beyond. 

The Spencer Museum of Art has created a digital guide with Bloomberg Connects, a free app that shares content from hundreds of museums and cultural institutions worldwide.  

The Spencer Museum’s guide includes maps, tours, and audio and video content to enhance the experience of visitors. Content is available through the app or a web browser. Find more information on the Spencer Museum’s website. 

Beginning Sept. 10, faculty, staff and students will need to enter their full KU Online ID email address when logging in to systems and applications that use KU’s Single Sign-On (SSO).  

Instead of using just a KU Online ID (e.g., j123h456 or jhawk), users will need to add @ku.edu to the end (j123h456@ku.edu or jhawk@ku.edu). Users must log in with the email address that is composed of their KU Online ID + @ku.edu, even if they have a different custom email address (aka “alias”). For more details, see the email KU IT sent on Thursday.

The Campus Cupboard is participating in a “food fight” with the University of Missouri’s Tiger Pantry leading up to the KU versus Mizzou game on Sept. 11.  

Each monetary donation or item donated to the Campus Cupboard will earn a point for KU. Individually packaged items in bulk packs will count as a point per packaged item. The competition starts Tuesday, with a final donation date of Sept. 13. Help KU win the food fight by making a gift through the KU Endowment Campus Cupboard Fund or by purchasing items from the Cupboard's Amazon wish list. 

An interactive, two-hour workshop will provide an opportunity to discuss stress and its challenges, learn proven strategies to counteract the body’s stress response, and begin a personalized plan to implement strategies through daily practice. 

KU employees can register through MyTalent.

Beginning Wednesday, free yoga sessions will be held nearly every week this fall on the Lawrence campus. Taught by a certified instructor, the yoga sessions are for all levels, including beginners. Participants can bring their own yoga mat, but mats will also be available for use. 

View the fall schedule for full details and to register. 

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.