APRIL 2026

Greetings faculty colleagues,

We know that service is an essential part of a faculty member’s work, yet it is often overlooked and underappreciated. Service is extremely valuable to the students we serve, in strengthening our departments and programs, and in contributing to our university communities and higher education as a whole. The Office of Faculty Affairs recognizes the importance of service at every level, and we continue to find ways to cultivate a culture that celebrates its importance.  

In the fall, we were excited to announce the launch of the first Faculty Service Awards at the campus level. Now, we are equally thrilled to announce the first two recipients of this award: Joshua Arpin, assistant teaching professor in the School of Business, and Karen Moeller, clinical professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice—Congratulations! You can read our recent announcement to learn more about these colleagues and why they were selected to be the inaugural Faculty Service Award recipients. We’ve also included some of their “prize patrol” photos below! 

While the Faculty Service Award highlights only a small sample of the service taking place across KU, we know that service happens (seen or unseen) everywhere. In the Office of Faculty Affairs’ own work, we appreciate the time, thoughtfulness, and collaboration offered by our committee and advisory members, who help us move our processes and KU’s mission forward. Thank you to those currently serving on committees and groups that intersect with our work: 

We also extend our appreciation to faculty and university senate officers and members. This service work has substantial, lasting impacts on the faculty and campus community. Voting is now open for next year’s faculty senate elections through April 9. Please be sure to visit the Faculty Senate Elections site for more details, and be sure to vote!  

With gratitude,

Amy Mendenhall 
Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs 
Professor, Social Welfare 

Faculty Service Award Prize Patrol

Last month, the Faculty Service Award "prize patrol" presented Faculty Service Awards to Joshua Arpin, assistant teaching professor in the School of Business, and Karen Moeller, clinical professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice—Congratulations!

You will soon receive messages from the Provost Office and the Office of Audit, Risk & Compliance regarding federal regulation updates for Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act. These updates will require state and local governments to ensure all digital materials, including third-party tools such as Canvas, meet WCAG (web content accessibility guidelines), version 2.1, Level AA.  

KU continues to develop tools and resources to assist faculty in ensuring accessibility of their course materials. CODL has developed an extensive webpage that connects instructors to valuable resources created by the Student Access Center, KUIT, KU Libraries, and CTE. Later this month, a new digital accessibility page will also be available and will include support for creating digital content, FAQs, links to online trainings and resources, and Canvas course checklists to support the creation of accessible materials for Canvas. 

In preparation for summer and fall courses, the Offices of Academic Success, Faculty Affairs, CODL, and IT’s Academic Technology team will offer a variety of support for faculty, including: 

Electronic devices and travel outside of the U.S.

KU's Electronic Device Travel Policy specifies rules for accessing KU data and IT systems when traveling outside of the United States. For the protection of KU data and systems, electronic devices (e.g., laptops, computers, mobile phones) issued by KU, other than those issued by the Loaner Laptop Program, must not be taken outside the United States. Faculty members traveling outside the United States who wish to access KU data or IT systems must use the Loaner Laptop/Azure Virtual Desktop program. Answers to frequently asked questions about loaner laptops are available here.  

On Thursday, March 5, the University of Kansas and the United Academics of KU (UAKU) reached a tentative agreement on all articles of the collective bargaining agreement. Last week, UAKU members voted to ratify the collective bargaining agreement. The final step in the process will be a review by KBOR for final approval. Training sessions related to the impacts of a final agreement will take place over the summer for unit leaders. 

Tools and resources for policy alignment are being developed in anticipation of a finalized contract. One resource, Faculty Policy Development Grants, is already available for units to apply for. These mini grants are available to support unit-level policy alignment with the UAKU collective bargaining agreement. Any KU-Lawrence or Edwards academic department, school, or research center is eligible to apply. Proposals may be submitted by the unit leader or a designated representative from the department, school, or center. Priority will be given to proposals submitted by May 1. After this date, proposals may be considered on a rolling basis, contingent upon the availability of funds.  

Shutz Award lecture: Misty Schieberle, Ph.D.

Join the KU Office of Faculty Affairs as Dr. Misty Schieberle, Professor of English and recipient of the Byron T. Shutz Award for Excellence in Teaching, presents her public Shutz Award lecture, "Medieval Mysteries: Archival Challenges and Classroom Discoveries." The event is free and open to the public. A reception in her honor will immediately follow. Read more about Shieberle's upcoming lecture.

Monday, April 20, at 5:30 p.m.

Kansas Union, Big 12 Room 

Sabbatical Leave Annual Open Meeting

The Provost's Office will hold its annual open meeting via Microsoft Teams on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. for all interested faculty members to discuss the preparation and review of Sabbatical Leave applications. 

Meeting participants are encouraged to ask sabbatical questions in advance. More meeting details and a link to provide questions can be found on the Faculty Affairs Sabbatical Leave website. 

Wednesday, April, at 3:00 p.m.

Online via Teams

KU Faculty Development Academies Week

Plan ahead now for Faculty Development Academies Week. 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. They take place every May, the week after finals week. Participants are welcome to register for as many dates as they’d like.

This year, choose days related to Research and Discovery, Academic Leadership, Academic Mentorship, Accessibility and Student Learning, and Global Engagement. Register for as many dates as you'd like to attend!

Monday, May 18, through Friday, May 22

Kansas Union (Friday's session takes place at Watson Library)

Wednesday, April 8: The KU Employee Wellness Fair takes place from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Kansas Union Ballroom and will feature wellness resources, free chair massages, live music and free catered food.

Thursday, April 9: Join the Office of the Provost's final TGIT of the academic year from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Hawks Nest on the first floor of the Kansas Union. Faculty and staff are invited to pause and take time to visit with colleagues across campus and enjoy complimentary snacks and beverages. RSVPs are encouraged for planning purposes. 

Tuesday, April 14: The next Collaborative Research Luncheon will be focused on rural health. The luncheon takes place from 12 to 1:30 p.m. in the Malott Room of the Kansas Union. It will feature a panel of experts, table-based conversations, and networking opportunities. Visit the Collaborative Research Luncheon webpage to register and save dates for future sessions. 

Tuesday, April 14: Join colleagues and campus leaders in celebration of KU research during the University Research Awards. This event is open to the entire community and takes place at the Jayhawk Welcome Center at 6:30 p.m. Registration is requested. 

Monday, April 6: The Office of Faculty Affairs is accepting applications for the 2026-2027 Senior Administrative Fellows. The Senior Administrative Fellows program allows a small group of competitively selected tenured faculty to explore administration. 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 higher education. Learn more about the program, schedule, and apply by April 6 at this link.

Monday, April 20: The One KU Collaborative Research Awards provide seed funding to launch or strengthen innovative, interdisciplinary research partnerships between KU Lawrence/Edwards and KU Medical Center. Proposed projects must have at least one investigator from each campus. Learn more and apply.

Monday, April 20: The One KU Research Pivot Awards are designed to help KU researchers explore and align novel ideas with new opportunities and build internal capacity to maintain research momentum when their usual sources of external funding in a given topic area have become unavailable. Learn more and apply.

Tuesday, Sept. 15: The Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program 2027-28 competition is officially open! The program funds research and teaching opportunities in countries around the world. Applications are due Sept. 15, 2026, by 4:00 p.m. The following resources are great places to learn more if you are interested in applying:

Brian Lagotte

Brian Lagotte has spent more than a decade mentoring students and has turned their hard work into something bigger. He founded the Kansas Undergraduate Journal of International Studies (KUJIS), giving students a platform to publish their research and share it beyond the classroom.

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 Spring 2026, Summer 2026, and Fall 2026 calendars on the Registrar’s website.   

Vice Provost Mendenhall joined Charli Bankart, Vice Provost and Chief Internationalization Officer; Kyle Christian, Associate Vice Chancellor for Federal Relations; and Matthias Salathe, Senior Vice Chancellor and Chief Research Officer, during the most recent Provost Town Hall, which took place on Thursday, March 26. Vice Provost Mendenhall shared updates on collective bargaining, our recent Faculty Service Awards, resources and support for Title II compliance, and our upcoming Faculty Development Academies week. If you missed the town hall, please review the video at this link.  

The Finance Shared Service Center is hosting monthly virtual office hours for KU faculty, staff and students. SSC staff will answer questions about purchases, travel and nontravel reimbursements, P-Card receipt submissions and other topics. The next office hour session takes place on Friday, April 24, from 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Access office hours and learn more on the SSC Office Hours site. 

Congratulations to K. Christopher Beard, Jianming Qiu, and Michael Wolfe on their induction into the 2025 class of AAAS fellows! Read more about these scholars and why they were selected for this highly prestigious recognition.

Designate a course as service learning or social awareness through the Center for Service Learning. At KU, the Center for Service Learning tracks service learning course experiences across undergraduate programs. Instructors teaching service learning courses should notify the CSL of their course's existence by submitting the course for official designation. Learn more about service learning course components at this link. 

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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. 2026.