Greetings faculty colleagues,

May is an exciting time of year! We are nearing the finish line of the semester, which provides time to catch our collective breaths and celebrate our accomplishments. Faculty recognition is built into the framework of Faculty Affairs and is a part of many of our processes. We know recognition is important to feeling included and valued as a KU community member, as has been highlighted in campus constituent surveys and discussions we have had with faculty. Our office has worked to elevate faculty recognition and streamline the awards process; additionally, so has the entire university. The Office of Research has bolstered its support for external awards through Robin Lehman, Director of Faculty Recognition & Awards, while the Chancellor’s Office formalizes the importance of recognition among our Jayhawk peers by hosting the University Research Awards and the University Teaching Awards every spring and fall, respectively.  

Right now, our office is wrapping up the selection process for University Teaching Awards. Faculty Affairs recently surprised five faculty members as a part of the William T. Kemper Fellowship for Teaching Excellence prize patrol, announcing them as this year’s awardees in the middle of classes and meetings. Stay tuned for an announcement out soon in KU Today and some fun prize patrol photos on our social media! In addition, the Bob & Kathie Taylor Excellence in Teaching, Ned Fleming Trust, Chancellors Club Career Teaching, Chancellors Club Teaching Professorship, Keeler Family Intra-University Professorship, and Big XII Faculty Fellowship awards will be announced later this spring. 

I would like to highlight the International Affairs Advisory Board International Teaching Award, which Faculty Affairs now administers with support from the KU International Affairs advisory board. With this transition, the nomination deadline for the International Teaching Award is extended to Friday, May 24, 2024. More details on the nomination process and a link to nominate can be found on this website. This award recognizes KU faculty members who have provided outstanding and sustained leadership in international education through their teaching, advocacy, and mentorship at KU, thereby broadening the student experience to be more inclusive of the world. 

In addition to the excitement of our University Awards, Faculty Affairs joins you in recognizing your departmental and student achievements. We hope you find the time to congratulate, celebrate, and maybe even indulge in some cake with your colleagues and students this season; we have a lot to be proud of!  

Amy Mendenhall 
Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs  
Professor, School of Social Welfare  

The Office of Faculty Affairs (OFA) leads initiatives and provides guidance in the areas of faculty advancement and recognition, faculty relations and policy, and faculty development and growth, centered on our values of care, community, and equity. Please provide us with feedback on these initiatives and values for the 2023-2024 academic year by completing this short survey. The survey will remain open until end of day, May 31 and should take 5-10 minutes to complete

The Office of Faculty Affairs is partnering with the Faculty Senate Standards and Procedures on Promotion and Tenure (SPPT) to complete a campus-wide tenure policy audit. This audit will ensure that the promotion and tenure policy on file and published in the KU Policy Library for each unit is current and has been reviewed and approved by SPPT.  

Faculty Senate Rules and Regulations (FSRR) Article VI requires that all promotion and tenure criteria developed by units must undergo mandatory review by SPPT when originally developed and when updated or revised. Please note that the purpose of the SPPT Committee review is not to evaluate the substantive P&T requirements in the policy, which are defined, of course, by each unit/department/school. Rather, the SPPT review is focused on assuring that all faculty going through the P&T process are benefiting from the uniform safeguards of fairness and transparency established in FSRR Article VI. Any changes to promotion and tenure criteria must be submitted to SPPT by the first Friday in October to ensure fall review and the first Friday in March to ensure spring review.      

May 2
4 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Watson Library, 3 West

Hosted by The Commons, Red Hot Research introduces researchers to the work of their colleagues; prompts questions within current research through the perspectives of many disciplines; and develops collaborative research teams as a result of overlapping interest & expertise.

This special Red Hot Research event will feature research highlights from the 2023 recipients of the Keeler Family Intra-University Professorship.

KU Faculty Development Academies are day-long intensives, focused on a particular topic, giving faculty time to delve deep and develop a core capacity in a chosen area. Participants are welcome to register for as many dates as they'd like. More details about each day can be found on our academies week website.

Creating Public Impact with Your Research
May 13 from 9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Global Engagement
May 14 from 9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Academic Leadership
May 15 from 9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Graduate Student Mentorship
May 16 from 9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Writing to Publish
May 17 from 9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

All Academies days will take place in the Jayhawk Room at the Kansas Memorial Union, with the exception of May 17, which will take place in the 1502 Building conference room and pod spaces. 

Breakfast, lunch and snacks provided for each day. Please register by Monday, May 6.

August 19
Adams Alumni Center

We have outstanding, award-winning faculty at KU, and we are excited to welcome new members of our faculty community. Whether you were unable to attend spring orientation or will begin your career at KU in the fall, our New Faculty Orientation is a perfect way to get the academic year started!

More details and communications will be sent to current new and incoming faculty regarding not only orientation, but other programming and details to help you get acclimated to KU - stay tuned!

AAC&U is providing a free webinar titled, “Building Flexible Instructional Design Infrastructure for VE/COIL,” that focuses on institutional structures for disseminating and supporting pedagogical best practices in guiding Virtual Exchange and Collaborative Online International Learning (VE/COIL) projects. The webinar takes place May 2 from 9 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. Click on the webinar link above to register.

Join the KU Alumni Association and the Office of the Provost for TGIT this Thursday, May 2 from 4-6 p.m. at the Jayhawk Welcome Center Pub! This free event includes light snacks, 1/2 price drinks, giveaways and networking. Please register at this link if you would like to attend.

Join CTE for an afternoon of celebration, inspiration, and community at the Kansas Union Ballroom on May 3 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.

We will have a short program at 3:30 p.m. Before and after that, you will have an opportunity to view more than 60 posters. These posters have been developed through CTE’s Ideas to Action program, Course Transformation Grants, Faculty Seminar, and Course Design Institute program, as well as our co-sponsorship with IDRH’s Digital Jumpstart program. The posters showcase course and curriculum transformation strategies and results from the 2023-24 academic year.

Questions? Contact Judy Eddy at jeddy@ku.edu 

The 2024 Summer Conference will be held on June 14 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at KU’s Edwards Campus in the BEST Building. This year, we are exploring “Education in an AI World.” Iconoclastic thinkers in education will discuss the rapidly-changing educational landscape during TED-style “EduTalks” on the exciting opportunities and complex challenges offered by artificial intelligence. The event will include “AI Playground” activities in the afternoon, with opportunities for hands-on experience with a variety of AI tools, and ample time for Q&A and networking. An in-person American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter will be provided.

Find more details on this event at this link.

While summer is definitely an opportunity to take a breath, restore, reflect, and revitalize, for many it is also an opportunity to turn to those projects you are excited to make progress on. NCFDD has two great ways to help and support you throughout the summer. You might consider signing up for The Buddy System to find an accountability partner and perhaps peer mentor, or engage with their dynamic discussion forum, where members connect, share information, offer peer-mentoring, problem-solve, and celebrate each other’s successes.  

How to access these resources? Log in to your NCFDD account (remember, it is free!) and either request your buddy match or click to peruse the discussion forums. KU's NCFDD institutional membership -- jointly sponsored by the Office of Faculty Affairs and the Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging -- allows you to enjoy all member benefits at no cost to you. 

Senior Administrative Fellows

The Office of Faculty Affairs seeks nominations and applicants for its Senior Administrative Fellows program. Applications are due by Wednesday, May 1, 2024, and must include a current CV and a letter. Once all applicants are received, the Office of Faculty Affairs will reach out to department chairs (or deans if the applicant is a department chair) for an endorsement. More details on the application process and a link to the application can be found on this website. 

Senior Administrative fellows allows a small group of competitively selected tenured faculty to explore administration. Each cohort works together for approximately four hours per month. Fellows learn more about KU and administrative roles, engage in self-reflection and assessment of their own leadership styles and preferences, and consider possible pathways of leadership in academia. 

International Affairs Advisory Board International Teaching Award 

In the spring of 2024, the International Affairs Advisory Board International Teaching Award was recognized as part of the collection of University Teaching Awards administered by the Office of Faculty Affairs. With this transition, the nomination deadline for the International Teaching Award is extended to Friday, May 24, 2024. Nominations must include a letter of support; a résumé or vitae for the nominee; and up to six statements of support from KU colleagues, students and/or partners abroad. More details on the nomination process and a link to nominate can be found on this website. 

International Affairs Advisory Board International Teaching Award recognizes KU faculty members who have provided outstanding and sustained leadership in international education through their teaching, advocacy, and mentorship at KU, thereby broadening the student experience to be more inclusive of the world. The award includes $1,000 in funding for professional activities and is financially supported by the advisory board of KU International Affairs in recognition of the faculty member’s ongoing efforts to internationalize their teaching and create transformative models that inspire colleagues to engage in the internationalization of their own curricula and instructional efforts. 

Research-Intensive Course Mini-Grants

KU’s Center for Undergraduate Research is now taking applications for Research-Intensive Course Mini-Grants to support faculty interested in incorporating larger research and creative projects into their undergraduate classes.   

Recipients of Research-Intensive Course Mini-Grants will: 

The complete application questions are viewable via the application link. Please visit the Undergraduate Research website to learn more. Recipients will attend a 1-hour workshop over Zoom at the beginning of August before the fall semester starts (exact date and time TBA). If you have questions or would like to discuss possibilities regarding the grant for your course, please reach out to us at cur@ku.edu. 

The Office of Faculty Affairs recognizes Dr. Eugene T. Parker III for his contribution to better understanding faculty and student interactions, through two newly co-edited books! Parker is an associate professor of higher education administration in the School of Education and Human Sciences.

Read more about Parker's research and co-edited books in this recent KU News release.

Below are a few reminders regarding Student Surveys of Teaching for Summer 2024:

Please see AIRE's resource page for additional information here.

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