Members of the KU community are encouraged to submit care referrals for students, faculty and staff who they believe are struggling and may need care and support. Examples of when to submit a care referral include, when a member of the KU community is: 

Care referrals are not an emergency service and do not replace the need to call 911 or 988, which is the suicide and crisis lifeline, in situations with imminent safety concerns. A care referral following an emergency call can help connect the person with resources and support after emergency services have responded. 

More information about care referrals can be found online for students and faculty and staff.  

With the One KU initiative, many staff are finding themselves navigating the reciprocal campus. A collaboration shepherded by Jayhawks Elevate developed a document to assist staff in navigating the Lawrence and Medical Center campuses.  

The One KU Orientation & Resource Reference covers a variety of campus services for both campuses, such as system access, parking, safety and tours. The document can be found at the bottom of the Affiliates website as well as on the KUMC intranet. 

Last week, communities across the nation observed Fire Prevention Week. Joshua Zielke, code compliance coordinator and state-commissioned fire inspector, shared information from Fire Prevention Week organizers that could make KU safer. 

With the growing use of rechargeable devices — from smartphones to e-bikes — the National Fire Protection Association focused on the fire risks associated with lithium-ion batteries and how to use them safely. These devices are widely used on campus, and it is important to practice these tips both at home and at work. 

Buy Safely

Charge Responsibly

Recycle Properly

Learn more and access resources at firepreventionweek.org. 

Kelly Chrisman Jacques will be the next director of the University Press of Kansas, following an appointment by the UPK Board of Trustees, which is composed of provosts from each of the six Kansas Regents institutions. 

As UPK’s current assistant director and managing editor, Chrisman Jacques brings more than 15 years of experience in scholarly publishing. She oversees daily on-site operations of the Press, including the production of multiple publications each year, and manages a team of full-time staff, freelancers, interns and printing vendors. In 2023, she served as interim director of the Press. 

Chrisman Jacques will succeed Tim Paulson, who accepted the position of executive vice president and publisher of Andrews McMeel Publishing. His last day was Friday. 

Read the full announcement on the KU News website. 

Tammara Durham, vice provost for student affairs, has received the James J. Rhatigan Outstanding Dean Award from the National Association of Student Affairs. 

The award is given to a senior administrator who serves as the senior student affairs officer on their home campus and is recognized as collaborative, effective and inspirational by colleagues across campus. Durham will go on to be the Region IV-West nominee for the Scott Goodnight Award for Outstanding Performance as a Dean awarded by NASPA at the national level.    

For more than 14 years, Durham has served as the leader of KU’s student affairs division. She oversees student life, support and leadership programs, student auxiliary services and student-supported wellness programs.  

Her leadership has expanded housing and student services, established six new standalone departments within student affairs, and strengthened partnerships across campus to meet the evolving needs of students.  

The Office of the Vice Provost for Student Affairs coordinates and develops student support services and programs and serves as an advocate for student needs across the university community that contribute to overall academic success. 

The Big Event is currently seeking job sites for its fall event on Saturday. The Big Event is non-need based and accepts sites to receive free service from across the Lawrence community, including homes, agencies, businesses and parks.    

Here’s how it works:  

Employees have until Oct. 31 to participate in the State Employee Health Plan Open Enrollment for the 2026 plan year. This is an active enrollment, meaning all employees with current coverage or wishing to have 2026 coverage must enroll through the Membership Administration Portal (MAP). 

Please review the SEHP Open Enrollment Guide to review changes for 2026 and to select a plan. 

When logging into MAP, employees on the Lawrence and Edwards campuses should choose from the drop-down menu the "University of Kansas" and not the "University of Kansas Medical Center." KU single sign-on is required to access MAP.   

Phishing and stolen credentials are the top causes of data breaches worldwide, and KU employees are frequent targets. Scammers often impersonate colleagues, supervisors or departments via email, text or phone, creating urgency or requesting personal information. Recent examples include fraudulent job offers and messages appearing to come from university leaders requesting gift cards. 

To protect the KU community, it is important to "think before you click": verify the sender's email address, hover over links to view the actual URL before clicking, confirm that websites use https:// in the address bar and be cautious of urgent language or unusual requests. 

Get help and report suspicious activity: 

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, a great reminder that every click counts when it comes to keeping yourself and KU secure. 

KU will host prospective students and families at its annual Crimson & Blue Day open house on Friday. A record number of 3,000-plus attendees and guests are expected this year.

The event is an opportunity to showcase KU's facilities, services and academic programs to future Jayhawks. A friendly hello or offer to help those who look lost contributes to a positive impression of the university. 

Thank you in advance for helping KU make this a successful event by demonstrating to prospective students and families what it means to be a Jayhawk. Those with questions or concerns on the day of the event should text the Undergraduate Admissions Event Concierge line at 785-369-1865.

Faculty and academic staff are asked to encourage master’s and doctoral students nearing their defense and graduation to attend an Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Submission Workshop. The workshop will be held from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Oct. 23 in Watson Library, Room 455 or on Zoom.  

Co-sponsored by the Office of Graduate Studies and KU Libraries, the workshop will cover the process of submitting electronic theses and dissertations online at KU. More information can be found in the KU Event listing.  

Melissa Daggett has been named a September 2025 Employee of the Month for her exceptional customer service, attention to detail and initiative to help others.  

Daggett is an administrative assistant in Student Support & Case Management, first joining the university in 2023. In addition to general maintenance of the office, Daggett serves as the first point of contact for visitors and callers to the SSCM office, routing care referrals to and scheduling appointments for staff, entering data from assessment forms and maintaining care referral team notes.  

“She ensures that everyone in the office is taken care of and goes above and beyond her position description daily to help others,” a fellow team member said. “She talks with distressed students and parents in a way that provides them with a sense of calm and directs them to support.” 

Lucas Sapp’s dedication to his job as senior HVAC technician helps ensure students are comfortable where they live. For his behind-the-scenes efforts, Sapp has been named a September 2025 Employee of the Month. 

Sapp has worked for Facilities Services' HVAC department since 2021 and maintains large equipment, such as chillers and rooftop HVAC units, in scholarship and residence halls. He also has taken on additional duties as a technician in KU Housing, responding to service requests from students and staff.  

Sapp’s nominators described him as competent, effective and committed to doing the job correctly. In particular, colleagues noted Sapp’s initiative and determination in acquiring advanced troubleshooting and diagnostic skills. 

“Lucas has been under a mountain of work for years and is still here doing the work,” his nominators noted. “It shows his dedication to helping students have their best experiences.” 

Read more about Daggett and Sapp’s work on the Employee of the Month Winners webpage.   

In the second week of Movetober, KU Wellness is encouraging participants to move with their pets. As part of this week’s events, Mass Street Mutts, a program through the Lawrence Humane Society, will visit campus with dogs that are available to adopt. Join them for a walk at 12:10 p.m. Tuesday in front of Chalmers Hall.  

Those who can’t join in person can post a photo or story of a pet or shelter animal in the Movetober Teams channel.  

From Oct. 5 to Oct. 31, Movetober is a KU Employee Wellness initiative encouraging movements in all forms. Participants should log last week’s activity in the Movetober Weekly Tracker by noon today to be eligible to win prizes. 

KU Libraries will host its 2025 Open Access Week event on Oct. 21, featuring keynote speaker Michael Dougherty, professor and chair of psychology at the University of Maryland.  

His talk, “Aligning Incentives with Institutional Values: Reforming faculty evaluation to promote (and reward) scholarship for the public good,” will take place at 11 a.m. in Watson Library and is open to all. More information about the event is available online.  

An afternoon workshop will provide a hands-on opportunity to explore values-aligned approaches to faculty evaluation. The workshop will be from 2 to 3:30 p.m. in the library's Clark Instruction Center. Registration is required to attend the workshop.  

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.