DECEMBER 2025

Greetings faculty colleagues,

As we near the end of 2025 and the fall semester, it’s important to take a moment to celebrate your successes and the impact you have made, as well as make plans and set goals for navigating the path and changes ahead.

As we look ahead, it's especially beneficial to reflect on your successes, especially when preparing for upcoming annual evaluations. The Office of Faculty Affairs offers annual evaluation resources to help you reflect, set meaningful goals, and make the most of your annual evaluation process. Additionally, Associate Vice Provost Meagan Patterson and Dea Follmer, Director of the Center for Teaching Excellence, recently shared insights on Student Surveys of Teaching and how to leverage student feedback for continuous improvement and documenting your teaching efforts. Please feel free to utilize this Faculty Idea Exchange recording as an additional resource when reflecting and setting goals. 

The OFA is here as a resource for you when thinking about what’s ahead in your career. As you plan for the spring, please explore some of our upcoming opportunities to help you achieve your goals:  

More details on these offerings can be found on our Faculty in Conversation page. 

And save the dates now for May 18-22, our annual Faculty Development Academies week. This week will offer deep dives and interactive engagement on global engagement, academic mentorship, academic leadership, and research and innovation. Registration will open in early spring. 

Lastly, we hope you can stop by our space in 36 Strong Hall today and tomorrow for Faculty Finals Fest, where our only agenda will be celebrating you and all you do! Stop by between 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. to celebrate you and our community of colleagues while you relax and recharge before finals week. 

We look forward to seeing you! 

Amy Mendenhall 
Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs 
Professor, Social Welfare 

AAAS Fellows gathering

On Nov. 17, KU American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Fellows met with university leaders and research administrators in an inaugural gathering to facilitate conversation about future research potential and strengthen collaborations across all KU campuses. See more photos from the event and find more details on the gathering in our Instagram post. 

Graduate student mentoring policy

In July, after soliciting feedback from the campus community, the Office of Graduate Studies published its Graduate Student Advising and Mentoring Policy. The policy was put in place to set core expectations and clarity of roles among all units, while allowing for flexibility in advising models.  

As part of the policy, departments will be required to create a Graduate Student Handbook by July 1, 2026. The Office of Graduate Studies has created a Graduate Student Handbook guide, which may be accessed in the OGS Research Hub on Teams. If you have any questions on the graduate student mentoring policy or the handbook, please reach out to OGS’s Policy Coordinator, Corinne Butler (cebutler@ku.edu). 

The University and the United Academics of KU (UAKU) continue to meet at the bargaining table this fall. Most recently, tentative agreements have been passed on recognition, use of the area director title, financial exigency, academic program discontinuation, and shared governance. In total, there have been 47 negotiating sessions, with 126 University proposals/counterproposals, 132 UAKU proposals/counterproposals, and 21 proposals with tentative agreements since collective bargaining began. Several more sessions are scheduled for this fall. Keep track of proposals and agreements made on our Collective Bargaining Updates page.  

TODAY & TOMORROW!: Faculty Finals Fest

As we near the end of the fall semester, the KU Office of Faculty Affairs understands that finals can be a stressful time, not only for students, but also faculty. Ensuring students are equipped with the knowledge to be successful in their coursework takes time, careful planning, and a lot of energy. To recognize these efforts and to celebrate all that faculty do throughout the semester, we invite our faculty colleagues to our annual "Faculty Finals Fest," an open house event with snacks, informal networking, and a few fun, low-key activities to help you recharge before finals week. 

Drop in: Wednesday, December 3 + Thursday, December 4, from 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.

36 Strong Hall

Graduate Mentoring Workshop Series

The Graduate Mentoring Workshop is presented by the Office of Graduate Studies and the Office of Faculty Affairs. It is informed by the foundational elements of the Entering Mentoring Training provided by the Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research (CIMER) and tailored to support our KU community. This training focuses on four key areas: setting and aligning expectations, effective communication with mentees, using Individual Development Plans (IDPs) in your mentoring practice, and supporting your mentees in developing resilience, self-efficacy, and independence.

All sessions present the same content. Please register for the date that best fits your schedule:

Thursday, December 11, from 11:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. SESSION FULL!
Thursday, January 15, from 11:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Friday, March 6, from 11:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

All sessions take place on the Lawrence campus; lunch is provided

Faculty "How to at KU": Supercharge your canvas course

Kick off the spring semester with a revamped Canvas course designed for enhanced student engagement and “supercharging” the learning experience! The Office of Faculty Affairs invites all faculty to join us for “Faculty How To at KU: Supercharge your Canvas course” this spring.

From those new to Canvas to our campus pros, there is always something to learn about optimizing the use of this tool. This event will be held virtually, so you can join us from anywhere!

Friday, January 9, from noon to 1:00 p.m.

Online via Zoom, registration required

Faculty Writing Circle: Spring 2026

The Office of Faculty Affairs invites you to join together with your colleagues for our spring 2026 Faculty Writing Circle. Whether you want to make progress on a longstanding writing project, conceptualize and plan out a new idea, design materials for a course, or finish a manuscript, our Faculty Writing Circle can help you commit time this spring! We know that teaching, grading, mentoring, and service can push writing to the margins. In this supportive space for concentration and focus, you can dedicate time to your writing without interruption. Bring any writing project, a laptop, and a charger – we’ll provide the snacks!

Wednesdays | February 11 | March 11 | April 15 | 3:00 to 5:00 p.m.

Watson Library, 4th Floor, Graduate Student Study Space

Faculty Learning Circle: Associate Professors Preparing for Promotion at Mid-Career

Are you an associate professor planning to go up to full professor in the next 1-2 years? Join the Spring 2026 Faculty Learning Circle offered by the Office of Faculty Affairs! This series is designed as a supportive, practical space for faculty to prepare for their promotion review.  Across this FLC’s three 90-minute sessions, which will be facilitated by Lisa Wolf-Wendel and Megan Greene, you will:

Thursdays | February 12 | March 12 | April 12 | 2:00 to 3:30 p.m.

Strong Hall, Room 36

Thursday, Dec. 4: Employees are invited to celebrate the holidays and reflect on the year with Chancellor Doug Girod at the Chancellor's Holiday Reception from 3:30-5 p.m. at the Kansas Union Ballroom. The Intergenerational Choir will provide entertainment, and door prizes will be awarded. Free parking will be available in the Mississippi Street Garage.

Thursday, Dec. 11: Join the Office of the Provost for its final TGIT of 2025 from 4 to 6 p.m. Dec. 11 at the Hawks Nest in the Kansas Union. The event will provide an opportunity for faculty and staff to connect and enjoy complimentary snacks and beverages.  Enjoy some much-deserved relaxation before winter break. RSVPs are encouraged for planning purposes.

Friday, Dec. 12: Collaborative Research Luncheon No. 5 - Food + Water Security. The luncheon will feature panelists A.Townsend Peterson, Belinda Sturm, Magger Wagner, and Sam Zipper; table-based conversations; and networking opportunities. Register at this link.

Early March: Faculty and academic staff of the University of Kansas are encouraged to submit applications for Sprints Week 2026, a five-day intensive collaboration with KU Libraries that enriches research and teaching projects and provides financial support - a $1,000 stipend - for selected participants. Applications are open now through March 2, with all applicants notified by the end of March. 

Monday, Dec. 15: The Chancellor’s Office is now accepting nominations for the 2026 University Scholarly Achievement Award. Up to four mid-career faculty will be awarded and recognized during the spring University Research Awards ceremony.

Monday, Feb. 2: The Office of Faculty Affairs is accepting nominations for University Teaching Awards, including the Chancellors Club Teaching Awards and the university-wide excellence in teaching awards. View all teaching awards details and criteria at this link. 

Monday, March 2: The Office of Faculty Affairs is accepting nominations for the Keeler Family Intra-University Professorships and the Big 12 Faculty Fellowships. The Keeler program provides one semester free of departmental responsibilities to enable faculty to engage in substantive exchange and interaction with faculty members in another discipline that will result in the development or expansion of ongoing interdisciplinary research and teaching collaboration. The Big 12 Faculty Fellowship Program offers all tenured and tenure-track faculty the opportunity to travel to Big 12 member institutions to exchange ideas and research.

Vitaly Chernetsky

Vitaly Chernetsky, Professor of Slavic, German and Eurasian Studies was recently recognized as a 2025 KBOR Faculty of the Year! Nominations for this award are selected by the faculty senates at the state universities and awarded by the Regents.

Dates to be aware of and share with students

All dates above apply to full semester courses. Some deadlines may exclude certain schools and colleges. See the entire Fall 2025 and Spring 2026 calendar on the Registrar’s website.   

Based on SST Task Force recommendations, several enhancements are underway for KU’s Student Survey of Teaching. These changes will be in place for the spring 2026 semester and include: 

Please look out for a communication from the Office of Faculty Affairs later in December, outlining more details. 

New Faculty Insight tutorials available

Analytics, Institutional Research & Effectiveness (AIRE) has updated its Faculty Insight Learning Center tutorials. You can access these resources through the Faculty Insight SharePoint site by clicking on the “KU Resources for Faculty Insight and Academic Analytics” link on AIRE’s Academic Analytics page. Once you’ve accessed the KU Academic Analytics Resources SharePoint, click on the Faculty Insight Tutorials tab to see new Video and PDF Tutorials. 

Over winter break (Dec. 25-Jan. 1), the KU Office of Research will be closed. All proposal documents with deadlines between Dec. 25 and Jan. 2 must be submitted to Pre-Award Services by Wednesday, Dec. 17 to provide sufficient time for proposals to be submitted by Dec. 24. The Office of Research requests 2 – 3 weeks for proposal preparation and 5 days for proposal review. Please let them know if you’re aware of an early January proposal deadline. Please reach out to your Office of Research contact as soon as possible for other general questions regarding December or early January business.

The Finance Shared Service Center (SSC) is hosting monthly virtual office hours for KU faculty, staff, and students. These drop-in sessions are an opportunity for real-time, personalized support from the SSC leadership team. Members of the KU community can join a Microsoft Teams call where they can get assistance on a range of topics, including, but not limited to: making a purchase, requesting travel reimbursements, submitting p-card receipts, or navigating the Finance Service Portal.

Upcoming office hour dates:

More information can be found on the Shared Service Center office hours website. Meeting links can be found on a secure SharePoint site linked from there.

The Wingspan’s peer academic coaching (PAC), supplemental instruction (SI), and tutoring programs are seeking additional peer academic coaches, tutors and SI leaders for Spring 2026. PACs, SI leaders, and Tutors have access to extensive on-the-job training and flexible work hours. Tutors, along with writing consultants, have the additional benefit of earning their College Reading and Learning Association (CRLA) International Tutor Training Program Certification to become certified and advanced-level tutors and consultants. All Wingspan peer educator jobs are student leadership roles at KU that help promote academic success and persistence using a peer-to-peer approach.

Faculty and staff can direct potential PACs, SI leaders, and Tutors to apply at:
PAC Employment | Wingspan: Center for Learning and Writing Support
SI Employment | Wingspan: Center for Learning and Writing Support
Tutor Employment | Wingspan: Center for Learning and Writing Support

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