This summer, KU will work to improve several parking lots and sidewalks around campus, which will require some to be closed or partially closed in the coming weeks. No major roads are expected to be closed this summer.

Several of the projects planned for this summer include: 

A complete and more detailed list can be found on the Provost Office website. 

Vital repairs and maintenance projects are scheduled this summer for buildings throughout campus. These projects, necessary to maintain the integrity of KU’s infrastructure, may cause some disruptions to those working in or near the buildings.

Several of the projects planned for this summer include: 

A complete and more detailed list can be found on the Provost Office website. 

This spring new leaders were elected for University, Faculty, Staff and Student senates, which work with senior leadership to represent and support campus constituents. The leaders have already transitioned or will transition into their new roles in the coming weeks.  

Judith Rosenbaum-Andre, associate dean for faculty affairs and administration in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Maine, has been selected as the next dean of the William Allen White School of Journalism & Mass Communications. Rosenbaum-Andre is also the chair of the Department of Communication and Journalism and a professor of media studies. 

As dean of the School of Journalism & Mass Communications, Rosenbaum-Andre will serve as its chief academic and administrative officer, leading the school through a rapidly changing higher education and media landscape. She will work with the community and other stakeholders to advance the school’s strategic priorities as well as strengthen its research, scholarship and creative activities. 

Along with ensuring fiscal, operational and accreditation stewardship, Rosenbaum-Andre will also promote innovation and academic excellence, lead fundraising and resource development, and help recruit and support faculty, staff and students. 

Rosenbaum-Andre will assume responsibilities from Scott Reinardy, who has served as interim dean since August. She will start her new position July 19.

Read the full article on the KU News website. 

The next KU Lawrence and Edwards virtual town hall will be 1 to 1:30 p.m. Thursday. Provost Arash Mafi will welcome guests Kyle Christian, assistant vice chancellor for government relations; Shelley Hooks, vice chancellor of research; and Cinnamon Blair, vice chancellor for strategic communications. 

Discussion will cover the latest in federal relations activities, updates from the Office of Research and a debrief of the recent nationwide Canvas platform outage. The program will be livestreamed and recorded for later viewing behind single sign-on.  

Members of the KU community can submit a question or comment for discussion through this online form.  

During KU's Employee Recognition Ceremony on Thursday, Yuki Watanabe and Charles Wooters received the Employee of the Year award, and the Family Strong Project was honored with the Team of the Year award. 

Chancellor Douglas Girod and Provost Arash Mafi honored the award winners along with employees with five, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50 and 55 years of service.   

The ceremony recognized the Employee of the Month awardees from the past 12 months and selected Watanabe and Wooters from that group to receive Employee of the Year. Each Employee of the Year receives $1,500, a reserved parking space for one year and a Jayhawk trophy. 

With federal immigration-related policies changing rapidly in recent months, Yuki Watanabe, assistant director of International Support Services, has helped her department and international students navigate those challenges. For her steadfast leadership and care, Watanabe was selected as a March Employee of the Month.  

Watanabe oversees six immigration advisors from ISS’s advising and compliance team. She ensures the university stays compliant with its extensive reporting responsibilities while also being supportive of the needs of international students.  

The past year has seen complex and rapid changes to international policies.   

“Yuki has continued to offer guidance on these issues and ensure that our international students stand the best chance of being able to arrive at KU, are set up for success in pursuing higher education, and maintain legal status while in the U.S.,” Watanabe’s nominator said.  

Read more about Watanabe’s work on the Employee of the Month winners webpage. 

Charles Wooters was selected as a June Employee of the Month, recognized for his exceptional thoroughness, attention to detail and professionalism in keeping the Lawrence campus secure.   

As supervisor of KU Lock Shop, a division within Operations’ Locks, Access & Security Technology Services team, Wooters oversees all key orders, lock changes and door hardware updates. He also provides support for all keypads, card readers and biometric readers used for electronic access control.  

“Charles has incredible in-depth locksmithing expertise and has consistently demonstrated the highest quality of professionalism in every capacity that I have worked with him over the last several years,” his nominator said. “He is a very hard worker who does not settle for acceptable but always strives for exceptional.”  

Read more about Wooters’ work on the Employee of the Month Winners webpage. 

Exemplifying collaboration at its best, the Family Strong Project — a five-year, community-driven initiative dedicated to strengthening the well-being of families across eight underserved Kansas counties — was named the 2026 Team of the Year.  

Led by the Achievement & Assessment Institute’s Center for Public Partnerships & Research, the project brings together service providers, community leaders and families to build a sustainable, connected system of universal supports. Through innovative tools, expanded access to vital services, and improved coordination across sectors, the team helped reduce substantiated child maltreatment by 40% and foster care removals by nearly 12%. 

“From the outset, this team pursued a bold, human-centered vision — one grounded in the belief that when systems work together, families and communities are strong,” employee recognition committee member Deanna Goscha said during Thursday’s celebration. “Rather than focusing on temporary fixes, they set out to build sustainable, community-driven solutions designed to endure."

Accepting the Team of the Year award, and pictured with the provost and chancellor, were, left to right, Priya Vanchy, associate researcher; Meghan Cizek, assistant director; and Kaleena Erwin, research project manager. Additional members of CPPR’s Family Strong team are Jared Barton, CPPR director; Kaela Byers, adjunct researcher; and Jennifer Welch Buller, research project manager.  

Other teams nominated for the 2026 Team of the Year included: 

More information about the Team of the Year and the other nominees can be found on the Employee Recognition Ceremony website. 

Nominating employees for the Employee of the Month award is a great way to recognize exceptional university staff members and show appreciation for their contributions. The deadline for the next round of submissions is June 1. 

Winners receive a $750 award, a surprise visit from a member of the Provost’s leadership team and become a candidate for the 2027 Employee of the Year Award.   

Eligible nominees must have a half-time or greater appointment in a regular, ongoing position with one year of service at KU or a recognized affiliate. Nominate a colleague using the online nomination form.

Required maintenance is being performed on the KU network, which will disrupt wired Ethernet and Wi-Fi service in all Lawrence campus buildings from 4 a.m. to 7 a.m. May 18 and May 20. KU Information Technology has also scheduled backup workdays on May 22 and May 27-29, which will be used only if necessary.    

The downtime will not affect security camera systems or devices using a cellular connection for network connectivity. 

Although the network will not be down at a given location for the entire timeframe, those with processes or systems that require an uninterrupted network connection during this period should contact their IT support team or the IT Help Desk at 785-864-8080 to request any needed assistance. 

Through KU’s institutional membership in EDUCAUSE, KU faculty and staff have access to reduced-cost AI instruction and micro-credentials.  

Beginning this week, online programs are available in Teaching with AI, AI for Instructional Design and AI for Higher Education Staff. EDUCAUSE will offer multiple sessions over the coming months. Most courses feature five modules to be completed in a two-week period. The programming takes about 5-6 hours to complete and costs $195 per person. To register for any of these programs, one first needs to set up an EDUCAUSE account using a KU email address. 

Bulk registrations are also possible for KU offices or departments. Please reach out to Chief Information Officer and Vice Chancellor Ed Hudson, edhudson@ku.edu, or Kirsten Lanpher, klanpher@ku.edu, for assistance with group registrations. 

EDUCAUSE advances the strategic use of technology and data to further higher education. It provides a variety of professional development experiences, both face-to-face and online, that address the learning and networking needs of the higher education community. 

Beginning at 6 p.m. Sunday, steam will be taken out of service across Lawrence's main campus to allow crews to perform critical maintenance. The boilers will turn back on at 8 a.m. May 22, but it could take a while for the boilers to produce enough steam to reach all buildings after the start-up. 

During this outage, occupants in buildings throughout the main campus should expect a loss of hot water, cooler-than-usual building temperatures, fluctuations in humidity, and loss of steam in autoclaves, cage washers and other equipment that use direct steam. 

For a list of affected buildings, refer to KU Operations’ email from April 16. 

As part of Mental Health Awareness Month, the KU Office of Mental Health and Wellbeing will take a closer look at the Employee Assistance Program by sharing real experiences from KU employees who have used it.  

The office hopes to give employees a clearer picture of what the EAP offers, how to get started, and what happens after they make contact. 

Throughout the month, the Office of Mental Health and Wellbeing will share a few short employee stories about what reaching out was like. Complete the sign-up form to subscribe to the May email series, as well as the office's monthly wellness newsletter.

The Provost Office communications team wants to hear from faculty and staff about their thoughts on Campus Insider. Share what information is most useful for you and your colleagues and what items you wish to see in Campus Insider.

Please take five minutes to answer a brief survey that will help the Provost Office staff plan and develop content that keeps you informed. Your responses will remain confidential. 

The Kelce Brothers Book Club has picked Misty Heggeness’ book “Swiftynomics: How Women Mastermind and Redefine Our Economy” as one of two May picks. Heggeness, associate professor of public affairs and economics, will discuss her book on the Kelce Brothers’ Substack channel at 7 p.m. Wednesday.    

To join the chat and access the Zoom link, subscribe to the Kelce Brothers Substack.   

Your KU email account is the official channel for important university communications.

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