Last week, the Kansas Board of Regents approved departmental changes in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences and School of Engineering. 

The changes are effective immediately.  

Ready, set, move! Starting next week, KU Employee Wellness will launch Movetober, a four-week movement challenge for KU employees, running from Oct. 5 through Nov. 1. 

The initiative, which had 245 participants clocking more than 541,700 minutes of movement in its inaugural year, has a few changes for 2026. Participants can choose a movement pathway that is meaningful to them, set a weekly target measured in minutes and build momentum toward that goal. Employees can participate as individuals or in teams of three to six colleagues.  

The movement pathways include: 

After picking a pathway and target, participants must log the previous week’s minutes by noon Monday to be entered for random weekly prize drawings. Movetober also offers in-person and virtual opportunities to connect around weekly themes, which Campus Insider will share throughout October.  

To register and learn more, visit the Movetober website. 

Earlier this month, the Kansas Board of Regents recognized one KU faculty member and one staff member from the Lawrence and Edwards campuses as the Faculty of the Year and Staff of the Year for 2026. 

KBOR honored 19 faculty and seven staff members from across KBOR institutions, including three faculty and one staff member from the KU Medical Center. The award recognizes the state universities' faculty and staff's outstanding contributions to teaching, student success, research, institutional excellence and Kansas communities. 

Each university's faculty and staff senates select Faculty and Staff of the Year nominees. Each faculty senate can submit a tenured faculty, tenure-track and non-tenure track faculty member. Each staff senate may submit a nominee. 

The State Employee Health Plan Open Enrollment for the 2027 plan year will run Oct. 1-31 for coverage beginning Jan. 1. This is an active enrollment, meaning all employees with current coverage or wishing to have 2027 coverage must enroll through the Membership Administration Portal (MAP). 

Review the SEHP Open Enrollment Guide to learn more about changes for 2027 and to select a plan. Details on open enrollment webinars will be coming soon and shared in future Campus Insiders. 

When logging into MAP, employees on the Lawrence and Edwards campuses should choose "University of Kansas" from the drop-down menu and not the "University of Kansas Medical Center." KU single sign-on is required to access MAP. 

Join the Office of Faculty Affairs and Analytics, Institutional Research & Effectiveness this fall to learn more about KU Faculty Insight for activity entry and reporting.  

Representatives from Academic Analytics will visit the Lawrence campus for in-person sessions on Oct. 7, 8 and 9. Online sessions are also available. Participants will learn how to enter faculty activities, time-saving tips, and how to run reports for career progression.

The Kansas Board of Regents’ faculty workload policy applies to all tenure-line faculty and librarians, teaching professors, professors of the practice, and unclassified academic staff, including research professors, clinical professors, curators, specialists, and scientists. To meet the requirements, those affected need to use KU Faculty Insight to enter, store and organize achievement  activity for the 2025 and 2026 calendar years by March 1.    

Launched last week, the annual required compliance training provides an opportunity to build on the knowledge, skills and experience used daily to support students and colleagues.

The training modules are assigned through MyTalent. All KU employees should complete the required training by Oct. 26. For more information on the annual compliance training, including links to the modules and instructions on how to complete them, refer to the Sept. 22 email from the Office of the Provost.

Chief Academic Officer, Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Arash Mafi will deliver his inaugural State of the Campus address to faculty, staff and students at the end of October.  

All members of the university community are invited to attend the program which begins at 3:30 p.m. Oct. 28 in the Kansas Union Ballroom. The presentation will highlight accomplishments of the past year and speak to the challenges facing higher education. The event will be livestreamed and recorded for those who cannot attend in person.  

Following the presentation, faculty and staff are invited to a reception to mingle and continue the discussion. More information, including the chance to RSVP, will be provided in Campus Insider.

The Spencer Museum of Art invites the community to explore art, nature and culture at the Backyard Bash, which will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. Oct. 11. Located in Marvin Grove, which sits west of the Spencer Museum, the event will include performances, games and hands-on activities. Participants are also invited to explore more art and activities in the museum’s galleries. Superhero or comic book-themed costumes are encouraged. 

The event is free and fun for all ages. The Backyard Bash is supported by Duane Morris LLP, Jeff and Mary Weinberg, Spencer Student Advisory Board and KU Student Senate.

More information on partners and activity stations can be found in the KU event listing.

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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.

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