Earlier this month, the 2025 cohort of Staff Fellows presented recommendations for embedding the core IRISE values of integrity, respect, innovation, stewardship and excellence into the KU community. The presentation, “IRISE for KU: Integrating IRISE Values into KU Culture,” outlined proposed initiatives, expected outcomes and steps KU can take to deeply integrate the values into its culture.    

The eight-person Staff Fellows cohort collaborated with the IRISE Fellows cohort to assess the current integration of IRISE values across campus. As part of the project, the fellows heard from campus leaders, conducted a literature review, held focus groups, administered a staff survey and analyzed best practices from corporate organizations. Final recommendations centered around communication and accountability, recognition, HR integration, and professional development programs.    

During the presentation, Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Barbara Bichelmeyer expressed her appreciation for the cohort’s work, the depth of the report and the ideas it generated. 

Sponsored by the Office of the Provost and coordinated by Human Resources, the Staff Fellows Program is an opportunity for staff to build leadership skills, gain experience and work together on strategic campus projects.  

Pictured above: Staff Fellows, left to right, Kim Beets, Christopher Anderson, Becca Grube, Wyatt Haywood and Kendra Ikenberry. Staff fellows not pictured are Mariya Borisova, Dina Massoud and Trina Weekly. 

Don’t wait until the end of the year to earn HealthQuest credits. Summer is a great time to work toward the 40 credits needed for the $480 premium incentive discount on health insurance and an additional $500 that could go into health reimbursement or saving accounts for Plan C, J and N.

Here are three simple ways to start earning credits now: 

After a claim is submitted, it can take up to four weeks for credits to appear. Visit the FAQ page or the HealthQuest portal for more information. 

Staff should complete their self-evaluations by the end of today. Since mid-May, notifications have been sent via email. The evaluations are available in MyTalent, under the “For You Today” section of the homepage or under “Performance" in the dropdown menu. Step-by-step instructions for completing self-evaluations are available on the Human Resources website. 

When staff complete their self-evaluations, supervisors will receive a notification email. Step-by-step instructions for accessing, evaluating and acknowledging a direct report’s performance evaluation are available on HR’s website.

Other upcoming deadlines include:

Each fall incoming students learn the skills to be active bystanders through Jayhawks Give a Flock, a program that empowers students to take an active role in preventing sexual violence.

Volunteer facilitators are needed for sessions on Aug. 10 and Aug. 16. Volunteers will receive training prior to the sessions and can sign up for a single session or multiple ones. Those interested in volunteering should complete the Jayhawks Give a Flock Interest Form.

KU IT will perform maintenance on the university’s border network from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. on July 10 and again on July 17. During these windows, KU internet, phone service and access to KU websites may be briefly interrupted for up to three minutes. No disruption is expected, but brief outages are possible. 

This work has been scheduled overnight to minimize impact. KU IT will also notify students through Canvas in case of late-night coursework deadlines.

This Wednesday Naismith Drive’s northbound lanes will be closed from 18th Street to Schwegler Drive. Traffic will be diverted to westbound 18th Street, along Irving Hill Road and then connect back to Naismith Drive. 

The City of Lawrence will be completing a sewer line project. The closure is anticipated for just Wednesday morning. The southbound lanes will remain open. For the latest on road and parking lot construction projects, visit the Construction Information and Closures webpage. 

KU Dining oversees vending machines fulfillment throughout the Lawrence campus. For vending machines that need to be replenished or for other issues, email KU Dining at kudining@ku.edu. KU Dining will send concerns along to the vending machine company. 

Visitors have one more week to explore the Spencer Museum of Art exhibit “Bold Women." The exhibit presents the work of visionary women artists with 75 works in a variety of mediums across four galleries.

The artworks examine the ways that women have pushed the boundaries of art and spurred critical social and cultural changes across generations and geographies. The exhibit will be on display until July 6. 

This spring during the University Research Awards ceremony, Chancellor Doug Girod celebrated some of KU's most outstanding researchers and their impact. 

Markus Potter, associate professor in the Department of Theatre and Dance, received a University Scholarly Achievement Award. In the video above, Potter talks about his work on the short film and off-Broadway play “Stalking the Bogeyman."

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.