KU congratulates the more than 100 retiring faculty and academic, support and unclassified professional staff affiliated with the Lawrence and Edwards campuses. 

At a luncheon during the spring semester, the retirees from the 2025 academic year were individually recognized and thanked by Chancellor Douglas A. Girod and Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Barbara Bichelmeyer. 

Roger Rajewski, research professor of pharmaceutical chemistry, won the grand prize of two round-trip tickets to anywhere Southwest Airlines flies. The tickets were donated by the airline through KU Travel Services. Rajewski is pictured above with Girod.

The Office of the Chancellor, Office of the Provost and KU Endowment host the annual retirement reception. Photos of the honorees and event are available to view. 

Visit the Provost Office website to read a list that recognizes KU employees who, before April, indicated to Human Resources that they would be retiring between June 1, 2024 and May 31, 2025. The list includes the last place of employment for retirees and their total years of service at KU. 

As part of the Potter Lake renovation project, students in Courtney Masterson’s field botany class spent Friday morning weeding out invasive species along the lake’s southern edge and replacing them with more than 100 plants representing 16 species native to Douglas County.

The project expands Potter Lake’s restoration area, which will filter stormwater runoff and catch debris before the water drains into the lake. The planting is part of a $1.2 million restoration project for Potter Lake that included dredging the lake, rebuilding portions of the original edge wall, installing a new concrete sidewalk, adding a boat ramp and improving the spillway and sediment basin. 

This spring Masterson, lecturer for undergraduate biology, and Bob Hagen, environmental studies lecturer, met with landscape architect Jeff Preuss about opportunities to care for the land around Potter Lake. Masterson suggested incorporating restoration planting into her course. 

Native Lands Restoration Collaborative, a nonprofit where Masterson is executive director, donated the plants, which were a mixture of native woodland and wetland species. Monarch Watch also provided milkweed.  

The students planting on Friday morning were part of Masterson's two-week short course that finished with a day of service. 

“This is the best gift you can give to your campus,” Masterson said. “What a way to end the class.”  

KU students won’t be the only ones returning to school today. Along with the start of summer classes, June 2 is the beginning of KU Mini College, a chance for all generations of Jayhawks to learn from some of KU's leading experts. 

This year’s Mini College will be held from Monday to Wednesday in the Beren Petroleum Conference Center and feature lectures from KU professors and staff members. Participants will also tour the Field Station, Lied Center and Murphy Hall costume shop. 

A full schedule and more information about Mini College can be found online.  

Throughout the summer, employees can reduce stress and improve their health through a series of free yoga sessions. Provided by the KU Faculty and Staff Wellness Committee and taught by a certified instructor, the yoga sessions are for all levels, including beginners. 

Times, locations and instructors will change from week to week. View the summer schedule for full details. Mats will be provided or participants can bring their own.  

KU employees should register through MyTalent and KU affiliates can email wellness@ku.edu to register. 

Just in time for the growing season, KU Employee Wellness will host a Lunch-N-Learn session covering ways to buy local produce and support community agriculture. Speakers will be Lacy Sauder, a local farmer and supplier for KU’s Crops to Campus program, and Emily Lysen, director of development for the Lawrence Farmers Market. 

The virtual session is from 12 to 12:45 p.m. June 11. KU employees should register through MyTalent and KU affiliates can email wellness@ku.edu to register.

KU has transitioned from using Ally to a new accessibility tool, YuJa Panorama, now integrated directly into Canvas. Panorama automatically scans your course materials and provides feedback to help make content more accessible to all students, including those who use screen readers, keyboard navigation or other assistive technologies. 

Whether you’re building a course from scratch or refreshing materials over the summer, Panorama can help you identify and improve files like PDFs, Word documents, PowerPoints and more. You’ll see accessibility indicators next to your content, along with suggestions for improvements. 

Learn how to get started in Canvas or check out YuJa’s instructor guide. 

Construction is expected to continue until June 9 along Irving Hill Road. The road will be closed from Engel Road to the east side of the Lied Center parking lot. Crews are repairing the portion of the road that leads up to the bridge. 

For the latest on road and parking lot construction projects, visit the Construction Information and Closures webpage. 

On May 17, thousands of KU graduates walked through the campanile and into David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. Experience the joyousness of KU Commencement with this video from KU Marketing, capturing the spirit and sheer celebration of the day.

James Saulsbury, postdoctoral researcher in the Biodiversity Institute and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, received the Research Postdoctoral Achievement Award at the University Research Awards ceremony. In the video above, Saulsbury talks about his research.

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