The Higher Learning Commission Peer Review Team will be on the Lawrence campus today and tomorrow for KU’s reaffirmation of accreditation. Students, faculty and staff are invited to attend the site visit forums below. The full detailed schedule is available on SharePoint (KU login required). Highlights include: 

Faculty, staff and students attending the HLC site visit sessions on March 3-4 can park for free in the Mississippi Street Garage. A valid KU parking permit is required.

In early February, the Campus Constituent Surveys Implementation Team provided updates addressing recommendations rising from the last faculty and staff job satisfaction surveys. Thirty-two of the 57 recommendations have either been accomplished or put into operation.  

Among the changes are enhanced resources to support faculty with peer review of grant applications and manuscripts: 

Eleven recommendations currently in progress or prioritized in fiscal year 2025 will continue to ensure faculty and staff survey responses drive action at KU.    

Visit the Campus Constituent Surveys online document for current recommendations and status updates. 

March 10

Provost Barbara Bichelmeyer will host the next Lawrence and Edwards Campus virtual town hall from 4-4:50 p.m., Monday, March 10.  

The KU community can watch the town hall livestream at the Provost Office website. A recording will be available later behind single sign-on. 

Details and topics for the March 10 town hall are still in development; however, the goal is to conduct these town hall sessions regularly over the spring semester. To ensure similar information is shared across all campuses, a new question submission and feedback form has been developed. To submit a question or comment for consideration, please use the new form. 

Taking care of your mental health and wellness is important. The Office of Mental Health and Wellbeing has information about wellness programs and resources that can support all employees with their wellbeing.

The site lists mental health support options, including therapy and counseling information and on-demand workshops. The site also has a comprehensive database for on-campus and community resources that support physical, social, spiritual, environmental, financial, occupational, psychological and intellectual wellbeing.  

March 6,12 and 25 

KU employees considering retirement in the next few years or wanting to understand more about their retirement plan are encouraged to attend a seminar series on March 6, 12 and 25. The seminars are designed to help faculty and staff plan for financial security and an enjoyable retirement. Topics include wills, trusts and estate planning; long term care; social security benefits and health insurance after retirement. KPERS and Voya representatives will also hold retirement planning information sessions. 

Reservations are not required. These seminars are free of charge and open to all faculty, staff and their families. These seminars are not intended to provide individual investment advice. 

Elections: March 17-21

KU staff can nominate themselves or a colleague to serve on the Staff Senate, beginning in late spring of the current academic year. Elections will be held March 17-21.  

Staff Senators provide a voice in the university community and collaborate with partners across campus. Open seats are in the academic, administrative, administrative management, operations, research, student services, support and IT job categories.  

Staff Senate meetings are held on the second Wednesday of every month and senators are encouraged to participate in staff senate committees. 

Continuous improvement at KU is about recognizing that our journey toward excellence is an ongoing process of reflection, learning and action, where we constantly seek to better our operations, educational environment and community engagement. 

Jayhawks Elevate gives a voice to KU employees to bring up ideas and solutions to improve our work at KU by saving time and resources. Submit your idea through the online form. To see ideas being considered, ongoing projects or completed projects, visit the Jayhawks Elevate webpage. 

Feb. 18 - July 6

The Spencer Museum of Art recently opened “Bold Women," an exhibit that presents the work of visionary women artists with 75 works in a variety of mediums across four galleries. The exhibit will be on display until July 6. 

The next Move-N-Learn event will tour the exhibit from 12:10-12:50 p.m., Wednesday, March 5. This event is full, but participants can be added to the waitlist. To be added to the waitlist, KU employees are asked to register through MyTalent and KU affiliates should email wellness@ku.edu. 

March 5

As part of a statewide tornado drill, KU Emergency Management will test both the KU Alerts mass notification system and the emergency public address system at 11 a.m. Wednesday, March 5. At the same time, Douglas County Emergency Management will activate the outdoor warning sirens in concurrence with other counties across Kansas. 

The statewide drill is part of Severe Weather Awareness Week, an annual outreach campaign sponsored by the National Weather Service to raise awareness of severe weather hazards.  

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.