Photo Credit: Sharon Toulouse

Even before the World Cup began, Lawrence’s enthusiastic embrace of the Algerian soccer team and its fans was an international hit. News outlets and social media content creators from around the world reported on what they called an "unlikely love affair."  

One of the KU connections highlighted was the effort from members of the KU Marching Jayhawks to learn and play the Algerian national anthem before the team’s open practice at Rock Chalk Park, which drew together hundreds of Lawrence residents and Algerian fans. 

Reports also featured the collaboration among earthwork artist Stan Herd, the Lied Center of Kansas and Score Lawrence to create an image of the Algerian flag on a quarter-acre site behind the Lied Center. 

Media highlights: 

The Office of Faculty Affairs awarded 41 policy development grants to academic units this spring. The grants will be used to support the alignment of unit-level policy with the collective bargaining agreement between KU and the United Academics of KU. 

Under the terms of the agreement, which took effect April 15 many unit-level policies such as annual evaluation, promotion and tenure, and progress toward tenure review must align with the contract within one year. Ideally, faculty will utilize the policy grants, along with the additional resources, to not only meet the requirements of the contract but also incorporate changes that will benefit their units long term.

Additional Faculty Affairs’ resources include: 

Learn more on the Faculty Affairs website.

Steve Gurysh, river where footprints can be seen (2024). Mars Global Simulant (MGS-1), high density urethane foam, and fragments of floormats from a 1993 Honda Accord SE.

Steve Gurysh, associate professor of visual art, has been awarded the KU Keeler Family Intra-University Professorship for the 2026-2027 academic year. Established in the 1980s, the professorship supports faculty in their pursuit of collaboration across disciplines.  

Gurysh’s most recent sculptural and research explorations incorporate Mars Global Simulant (MGS), an engineered material that replicates the mineral profile of samples collected and analyzed by NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover.  

Through the Keeler Professorship, Gurysh plans to expand extraterrestrial simulant research through his partnership with Benjamin Sikes, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology and senior scientist at Kansas Biological Survey. Sikes’ research examines MGS to better understand species survival in nutrient-deficient soils under extreme Earth conditions.   

“This year’s recipient embodies the spirit behind the Keeler Family Intra-University Professorship by bridging two seemingly different fields and producing new discoveries and opportunities for the broader university community,” said Amy Mendenhall, vice provost for faculty affairs. “We are excited to see how this collaboration develops.”  

Read more about the collaboration in this KU News article. 

Last week Kansas Board of Regents recognized Gwen Bohling, KU associate vice chancellor for institutional research, with the 2026 Data Quality Award.  

Now in its 14th year, the Data Quality Awards serve to recognize institutions for excellence in the quality and timeliness of data submissions. Awards are given each year to the two institutions with superior ratings, honoring the dedicated professionals who provide institutional data to the board. Institutional research officer Laci Simon from Hutchinson Community College also received the award. KU was previously recognized in 2019.  

Data is submitted throughout the year to support a variety of purposes, including distribution formulas for state and federal funds, board and legislative agendas, research initiatives, federal and state compliance, and consumer information resources such as the Kansas Higher Education Statistics and the Kansas DegreeStats websites. 

Read more about the award on KBOR’s website. 

Student hourly employees may be eligible for an increase in pay due to performance, longevity, acquisition of new credentials or other factors. 

This type of increase is processed twice a year with the increase taking effect at the beginning of each semester. The fall semester deadline for submitting a raise request for student hourly employees is July 10. The pay increase will take effect Aug. 2. 

All increases must be recommended by the supervisor, funded and in alignment with the unit’s overall budgetary plans for fiscal year 2027, and approved by the unit hierarchy. 

Departments should forward a list of names and new hourly rates to the Human Resources’ Transaction Team. More details about the process are available on HR’s Student Hourly Compensation webpage. Contact the HR Transaction Team with questions. 

In celebration of the 2026 World Cup, the Lied Center of Kansas, Dole Institute of Politics and KU School of Music present the Sunday Jayhawk Jukebox concert series this summer. The community is invited to attend these free concerts; no tickets are required. 

Upcoming Concerts: 

Staff have until June 30 to complete their self-evaluation. Evaluations can be accessed in MyTalent under the “For You Today” section on the homepage or by selecting “Performance” from the drop-down menu. Step-by-step instructions for completing evaluations are available on the Human Resources website. 

Following staff’s self-evaluations, supervisors must submit their evaluations of direct reports by Aug. 28. Detailed instructions for evaluating and acknowledging performance reviews are available on the HR website. For questions, contact the Employee Relations team.

This spring during the University Research Awards ceremony, Chancellor Doug Girod celebrated some of KU's most outstanding researchers and their impact. 

David Slusky, professor of economics and chair of the Department of Speech-Language Hearing, received a University Scholarly Achievement Award in the social sciences and professional programs category. In the video above, Slusky describes his innovative research that examines the socioeconomic consequences of health policies in the United States. Slusky’s research helps inform evidence-based policymaking.

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