For many, summer may be a great time to review and update digital and online content — including course content, websites, dissertations and social media — to meet the federal accessibility regulations set to go into effect April 2027. 

A variety of tools and support services are available to help instructors and others ensure that content is fully accessible.    

Additionally, the Office of Faculty Affairs is offering a series of virtual, workshops for instructors this summer. Held from noon to 1 p.m., they include:  

Learn more and register for the workshops on the Faculty Affairs website. 

University Ombuds Ada Emmett will retire from the role on June 30 after 24 years of service at KU, in both the Ombuds Office and as a faculty member in KU Libraries. 

Emmett was appointed University Ombuds in August 2022, after serving as acting University Ombuds beginning in January 2021. She joined the Ombuds Office as the part‑time Faculty Ombuds in July 2019. 

In preparation for her ombuds work, Emmett completed State of Kansas Core Mediation training, Restorative Justice training, and the International Ombudsman Association’s Foundation Training in 2020. In December 2018, she completed a sabbatical project, Sophisticated Forms of Cooperation, which shifted her focus toward how communities and diverse groups collaborate to address complex “wicked” problems. 

Prior to her tenure in the Ombuds Office, Emmett spent 17 years as a tenured faculty member in KU Libraries. Her research centered on the scholarly publishing system and issues of equity and access, and she co‑organized and co‑led KU’s 2009 effort to establish the first faculty Open Access policy at a public university. 

The KU Ombuds Office, established in 1977, serves every unit on the Lawrence and Edwards campuses and provides confidential services to more than 35,000 students, staff and faculty. 

Campus Insider will run a full list of 2025-26 academic year retirees in an upcoming issue. 

Known as “Band Mom” for her ability to balance care with responsibility, Leslie O’Neil is being recognized as a May 2026 Employee of the Month.   

Since 2012 O’Neil has been the band office manager for the School of Music. In that role, O’Neil supports three concert bands, the Marching Jayhawks and KU’s other athletic bands. She also provides administrative support to four faculty and two graduate teaching assistant conductors, as well as assists with the school’s scholarship awards.  

“Leslie is a collaborative and dedicated member of the School of Music, actively supporting its broad range of activities while maintaining a strong commitment to the band program,” her nominator wrote.  

Part of her duties include supervising a team of student employees, which her nominator said she does with care and generosity, “often treating them like family.” O’Neil is also a trusted and supportive presence for all School of Music students and ensemble members. 

Multi-tasking can be no easy feat, but over the past year, Robert Waller has essentially taken on the role of three positions with composure and precise attention to detail.  

For his thorough efforts, Waller has been selected as a May 2026 Employee of the Month. 

Waller is the interim business manager in the School of Pharmacy while also retaining a reduced role as a financial analyst in the Budget Office. Waller has primarily served as the school’s interim budget officer for over a year. In addition, he has recently taken on the assignments of the administrative associate in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology until the position is filled. 

“He took on getting a department completely caught up when a situation caused them to become backed up with work while maintaining his other jobs,” his nominator said. “These two jobs are both full-time jobs in themselves, so adding a third full-time job to get the department caught up is simply amazing.” 

Read more about O’Neil and Waller’s work on the Employee of the Month award winners’ website.  

The Dole Institute of Politics is partnering with Kansas Public Radio, 105 Live and Lawrence Music Alliance to host a lunchtime concert series every Thursday in June at the Dole Institute. The series will include area food trucks, yard games and free concerts featuring Kansas artists. The food truck will serve from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., and the free concert will start at 1 p.m. inside the Dole Institute. 

This series is part of the Dole Institute’s summer programming in celebration of America at 250 and the 2026 FIFA World Cup. 

Summer Concerts Series:

The KU Edwards Campus invites its staff and faculty to join a special edition of Grill in the Garden in partnership with the Office of Civil Rights & Title IX from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Regents Center Patio. 

Enjoy a summer afternoon with sweet treats from the Melt Box Ice Cream truck, including dairy-free options, while connecting with OCRTIX staff, catching up with colleagues and celebrating community in a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere. 

In honor of America at 250, the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics, the Watkins Museum of History, the City of Lawrence and Douglas County are partnering to celebrate the public servants who help the community thrive. 

The new Douglas County, Kansas Public Servants Past & Present Tribute Gallery will debut at Summerfest on July 4 and will honor current and former public servants from across Douglas County, including educators, first responders, military service members and veterans, city and county employees, university staff and faculty, and state and federal workers. 

Residents of Douglas County who are current or former public servants are invited to submit a photo and basic information about their public service through an online submission portal on or before June 20 to be included in the tribute gallery. Residents are also invited to submit profiles of family members or relatives who lived in Douglas County and were public servants at any point during their careers. Submission guidelines and requirements can be found on the project website: Douglas County Public Servants. 

The project is an opportunity to recognize the people who have helped serve, strengthen and shape the community across generations. 

Employee Wellness’ next Move-N-Learn will visit the Spencer Museum of Art's exhibition “Street Nihonga: The Art of Jimmy Tsutomu Mirikitani” from 12:10 to 12:50 p.m. June 18. Participants will meet in the museum’s front lobby.  

Kris Ercums, curator of global contemporary and Asian art, will give a gallery talk on the extraordinary life and art of Japanese American artist Jimmy Tsutomu Mirikitani. The exhibit’s more than 140 works – paintings, drawings, collage and mixed media – shed light on Mirikitani’s experiences and activism. Mirikitani, who was born in Sacramento, California, in 1920 and raised in Hiroshima, Japan, returned to the United States in 1940. He endured wartime incarceration as well as homelessness in postwar New York City.  

KU employees should register for the session through MyTalent. KU affiliates can email wellness@ku.edu to register.    

For those who can’t join the Move-N-Learn, the exhibit runs through June 28. The Spencer Museum is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday; and noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The museum is closed Mondays. Admission is free.

Join Central Bank for a free scam prevention presentation with Douglas County Sheriff Jay Armbrister from 5:30 to 7 p.m. June 18 at the Jayhawk Welcome Center. The presentation will cover how to spot today’s most common scams and keep personal information safe. 

Free parking will be provided west of the Jayhawk Welcome Center. Appetizers and refreshments will begin at 5:30 p.m., with the presentation starting at 6 p.m. Refreshments and appetizers will be provided while supplies last. 

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

Katie Batza, associate professor and chair of the Department of Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies, received a University Scholarly Achievement Award in the arts and humanities category. In the video above, Batza describes their work to understand health inequities experienced by LGBTQ+ communities.

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