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Link of the Week:
KU scholars named 2025 Faculty of the Year by Kansas Board of Regents

As nonprofit organizations face increasing pressure to operate efficiently and adapt to shifting funding environments, many have embraced flexible labor — hiring contractors, temporary staff and consultants — to cut costs and expand capacity. But new research suggests that this trend may come at a hidden cost to both mission delivery and long-term sustainability.

Two studies by assistant professor Hala Altamimi (School of Public Affairs & Administration) and a colleague at Florida Atlantic University, examine how the growing use of flexible labor affects nonprofits’ operational effectiveness and financial outcomes. Using large-scale panel data from 2008 to 2018 on U.S. arts and cultural nonprofits, their findings challenge the dominant narrative that flexible labor is a win-win solution for strapped organizations. Read the full story.

The College Dean's Communications Team is looking for faculty doing interesting research to be featured in videos, social media, websites, blogs, and more. Help us elevate the amazing research in the College by sharing with us and the broader KU and Kansas communities. Interested? Fill out this quick form to connect with us.  

Harvard Radcliffe Fellowship 2026-2027
Harvard Radcliffe Institute is now accepting Fellowship Program applications for the 2026-2027 academic year. Applications in science, engineering, and mathematics are due by September 30, 2025. More information, along with the link to our application form, can be found on their website. 

International Affairs Advisory Board International Research Award
This award recognizes KU faculty who have provided outstanding leadership in international education through research and discovery efforts at KU. The award includes $1,000 in funding for professional activities and is financially supported by the KUIA advisory board. Award recipients will be invited to give a campus talk on their work in the spring 2026 semester. Nomination deadline: October 8. 

George and Eleanor Woodyard International Educator Award
This award recognizes full-time, tenured KU faculty on the Lawrence campus who have provided outstanding leadership in international education at KU. A $1,000 award is made possible by a generous endowment from George and Eleanor Woodyard. George Woodyard joined the faculty of KU in 1966 and was named KU’s first dean of international studies in 1989. The recipient will be recognized during the spring 2026 semester.  Nomination deadline: October 8.

Early Career Faculty Foundations Series: Fall 2025
Friday, Sept. 26, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The Office of Faculty Affairs has designed, along with partners from across various units at KU, a day of development sessions featuring topics in instruction and innovation, research and discovery, and professional development and learning. We have partnered with CTE to focus on your most pressing classroom questions and to offer best practices in thinking about course learning outcomes, with the KU Office of Research for grant development resources and to meet with colleagues from KU’s core research labs and research centers, and with campus experts to support you in working effectively with staff and students, whether you are in the classroom or lab, the studio or out on fieldwork. And the best part, we provide breakfast, lunch, and snacks! Registration required at link above.

Red Hot Research: Containers, Borders, Structures
Friday, Oct. 3, 4 to 5:30 p.m., Watson Library, 3 West
Hosted by The Commons, Red Hot Research brings together scholars from all disciplines to reveal overlaps and connections across areas of interesting and methodological approaches. The format of these sessions is inspired by Pecha Kucha, which features short, slide-based talks that introduce audiences to a topic. Each installment features researchers, speaking for six minutes each. Audience members are encouraged to connect with the speakers (and each other) during breaks. This series offers researchers at KU a venue for cross-disciplinary partnering and exploration.