AUGUST 2026

Greetings faculty colleagues,

The fall semester is just around the corner, and the Office of Faculty Affairs is excited to move back into our permanent space soon, as this summer's construction projects come to a close in Strong Hall. As a reminder, we are located at 145 Strong Hall — please stop by and say "hi" when you are in the area!  

We will soon welcome our new faculty colleagues to KU during New Faculty Orientation for full-time faculty. This two-day event takes place on August 17 and 18 and connects faculty with the key units that support teaching and research, provides resources on course design and research funding, and fosters professional development. On August 19, we will also host our first New Faculty Orientation for part-time faculty, providing them with the pertinent information they need to get started at KU. If you know of a faculty member who is new to KU, please share our New Faculty page with them and encourage them to register for orientation! 

This week we helped new associate deans, chairs, and directors acclimate to their leadership roles during New ADCD Orientation. This orientation provides an opportunity for new associate deans, chairs, and directors to learn more about their roles and the tools and supports available to them across the university. Beyond our fall orientations, we are finalizing the details of programs in our faculty in conversation series, our faculty workshop series, and within faculty leadership development. You will find more information on some of our upcoming programming below and in our OFA Engage newsletter later this month. 

We have also been busy this summer, training over 150 unit leaders across all schools, the College, the Libraries, the Office of Research, and Vice Provost offices on KU's first Faculty Collective Bargaining Agreement and facilitating workshops on policy contract alignment. In the coming weeks, we will host 2 condensed CBA training sessions for staff in HR, Finance, and unit administrative roles. Those who plan on attending represent over 15 units across campus. To support the work of aligning faculty policy to the collective bargaining agreement, we have awarded 41 policy development grants to academic units and offered 3 policy alignment workshops, with 7 additional workshops scheduled throughout the fall. I encourage you to join us for our upcoming policy alignment workshops if you are involved with unit-level policy revisions based on the collective bargaining agreement. Please refer to the Academic Labor Relations & Collective Bargaining section below for more workshop details.  

Last spring brought about many changes at the university, state, and national levels — through these changes, the Office of Faculty Affairs continues to support you in the important work you do.  As we better understand the ripple effects of these changes and what is required of us at all levels, our goal is to streamline and work smarter within our processes, freeing up more time for you to focus on your research, teaching, and service. Please continue reading on to see some of these efforts taking shape, and stay tuned in the coming weeks and months. We know there is a lot of work ahead of us, as we aim for sustainable long-term practices, but we are excited to approach this work collaboratively and with intentionality. 

Amy Mendenhall 
Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs 
Professor, Social Welfare 

Faculty Development Academies Week

Our annual Faculty Development Academies week took place May 18-22. We hosted deep dives into research & discovery, academic leadership, academic mentorship, accessibility & learning, global engagement, and more.
🔎🤝🎓 ♿🌎📝
Faculty Development Academies week always happens the week after spring finals. Hold the time now for 2027!

The Office of Faculty Affairs continues to update our Academic Labor Relations & Collective Bargaining page as we develop more resources. At the bottom of this page, you will find our upcoming Policy Alignment Workshops. Please join these sessions if you will be working on policy revisions related to the CBA. Each workshop will provide background on changes to policy requirements and the revision process, but there will also be plenty of time to workshop, so please invite a colleague to join! Upcoming policy alignment workshops include: 

All sessions align with our Suggested Policy Alignment Timeline and take place at Watson Library. 

Article 15 of the collective bargaining agreement clearly outlines faculty classifications, job series and titles at KU. The OFA has created a supplementary Faculty and Academic Staff Classification and Job Titles page to help leaders better understand classification types and make informed decisions regarding hiring, evaluation, and adherence to related policies. Additionally, Human Resources will be utilizing this information to update its Job Title Table.

University Business Travel Policy updates

The University Business Travel Policy was recently updated after a review period to include updates to pre-approval submission requirements (with a new International section). Additional guidance added to the policy includes: 

Policy alignment resources related to the collective bargaining agreement 

When updating unit policies related to the collective bargaining agreement, please refer to our Policy Alignment Resources page for policy alignment guidance, checklists, templates, and quick references. We will continue to add new guidance documents throughout the semester, as well as online submission forms to submit your new or revised unit policies.  

New Faculty Mentor Groups

New Faculty Mentor Groups offer a place for new faculty to connect and share their experiences in a supportive community setting. Groups are open to any faculty member beginning their career at KU in calendar year 2026. 

Rock Chalk session: Wednesdays, September 9 | September 23 | October 7
9:00 - 10:15 a.m. 

Jayhawk session: Thursdays, September 10 | September 24 | October 8
3:00 - 4:15 p.m.

Strong Hall, 36 Conference Room

Faculty Learning Circle - Academic Productivity: Balancing Time to Get Things Done Series

Over several sessions throughout the semester, we will explore a productivity framework that supports behaviors that allow us to engage more effectively with our tasks and commitments, create more mental space, and focus on what matters most. Join Dr. Marilu Goodyear, Associate Professor in the School of Public Affairs and Administration and Coach for David Allen's: Getting Things Done, who will facilitate each of the FLC sessions and provide optional coaching sessions that will support you in applying the framework and concepts.

Mondays, September 14 | October 12 | November 2
3:00 - 4:30 p.m.
Strong Hall, 36 Conference Room

Online Coaching Dates (optional)
Mondays, October 5 | October 26 | November 9
3:00 - 4:30 p.m.

Wednesday, August 12: Leading the Flock, a bystander intervention training for all employees, complements the undergraduate training for students, “Jayhawks Give A Flock”.  Learn about recognizing sexual misconduct, navigating barriers to intervention, and develop safer intervention strategies during this session that takes place from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. over Zoom. Search "Leading the Flock" in KU's learning platform to register. 

Monday, August 17/Friday, August 21: Graduate students, postdocs, research staff, and faculty with any level of mentoring experience are invited to register for the BESST program mentoring sessions for undergraduate STEM students. Learn more about the BESST program here.

Thursday, August 20: Register by August 10 for the Center for Teaching Excellence's annual KU Teaching Summit. Christopher P. Long, University of Oregon Provost, will present the keynote, which will address how reimagining the university during this intense period of disruption requires heightened attention to what we value and how we apply those values in our teaching. 

Friday, August 21: The Office of Civil Rights & Title IX will provide an overview of executive orders, Dear Colleague Letters (DCLs) and resolution agreements that are reshaping civil rights in higher education. Learn more and register for this virtual session here. 

Various dates in August: Jayhawk faculty and staff are invited to help new and returning students connect with campus in various ways this month. Volunteer opportunities include:

Learn more about these opportunities on the Student Affairs Volunteer Opportunities page.

Monday, August 17: The Dole Institute seeks to support course enrichment using the Dole Archives’ extensive collections. All faculty and instructors at KU are welcome to submit a Mini Grant for Course Enrichment application for the fall 2026 cycle. Awardees will bring their class to the Dole Institute at least once during the award semester.

Monday, September 14: KU faculty are invited to apply to participate in the “Character Development at the University of Kansas: The IRISE Virtues Initiative.” The goal of this grant-funded project is to increase faculty support for teaching IRISE virtues and thereby contribute to the character development of KU students. Learn more and apply on the Character Development at the University of Kansas site.

Over the past academic year, the Office of Faculty Affairs has met with representatives in the School of Architecture & Design, School of Engineering, and College of Liberal Arts & Sciences to test out a new workflow process for Promotion & Tenure at KU. This pilot offers a new way to submit and track P&T files; however, required P&T materials for candidates and committees remain the same. We have met regularly to ask questions, get feedback, and test the workflow tool as it is developed. Faculty in the School of Architecture & Design and the School of Engineering, who are going up for promotion and/or tenure during the 2027 cycle, will utilize the workflow tool.  

Along the way, we will continue to offer support and training for the faculty, committee members, and administrators involved in the pilot. Towards the end of the promotion & tenure cycle, we will solicit feedback to inform revisions of the tool as we prepare for a university-wide launch.  

If you are interested in learning more about the pilot process, please reach out to Faculty Affairs, and we would be happy to share our training resources with you. 

Reacquaint yourself with Faculty Insight: Faculty Activity Reporting, and how to easily update and track your productivity through our upcoming "How to at KU" sessions in partnership with AIRE. We are offering two sessions this fall on October 13 and December 8. Save the date and register now for the one-hour session that best fits your schedule.  

Based on feedback from our Faculty Insight User group and our institutional reporting needs, Faculty Insight has undergone many updates, creating a more user-friendly experience. More training and resources to help you get the most out of Faculty Activity Reporting will be announced soon. 

Becky Achen

Dr. Becky Achen helps students prepare for careers in entertainment, entrepreneurship, and the creator economy as director of the Professional Performance Program.

Beyond the classroom, she shares practical teaching strategies and resources with educators through her Prof Talk LinkedIn series and Prof Talk Pod on YouTube, covering topics like student engagement, AI in education, course design, and professional development.

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

Provost Mafi recently provided an update on recent state-level changes regarding DEI and CRT content in Kansas higher education. At this time, there are no legal or regulatory requirements that instructors make changes to courses, curricula, or instructional practices; however, it is important to stay in the loop on implementation guidance as it is developed. Please refer to the Provost's message for more details. 

International Support Services' website contains information for students on the new fixed admission period and the extension of stay procedure for F-1 and J-1 international students and scholars. Students and scholars who enter the U.S. prior to Sept. 15 will enter under the previous “duration of status” guideline. Students and scholars who enter or reenter the U.S. on or after Sept. 15 will enter under the new rule and will be given a specific date by which they must complete their program and depart the United States or take action to maintain legal status (e.g. extend or change status). This specific end date will be listed on their I-94 Arrival/Departure record and is listed as their “Admit Until Date” (AUD). Please refer to International Affairs' faculty and staff informational page for more information.

The University Core Curriculum Committee (UCCC) was highly productive during the 2025–2026 academic year. In addition to its routine responsibilities of reviewing student petitions, evaluating course proposals, and recertifying KU Core 34 courses, the UCCC supported several key statewide and university initiatives. These efforts included assessing student learning in KU Core 34 courses, offering faculty professional development opportunities focused on signature assignments, and providing guidance and resources in this area. The committee also played an active role in implementing Math Pathways and corequisite courses, adding courses to the systemwide transfer portal, and responding to the Kansas Board of Regents’ request for feedback on the implementation of the systemwide general education framework. The annual report provides additional details on the UCCC’s work.  

Keeler Professorship fuels KU collaboration on Mars simulant research

Steve Gurysh, associate professor of visual art, has been awarded the KU Keeler Family Intra-University Professorship for the 2026-2027 academic year.

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. 

Learn more about Gurysh's collaboration with professor and senior scientist of ecology & evolutionary biology, Benjamin Sikes. 

Six KU faculty members selected for 2026-27 Big 12 Faculty Fellowship 

Six University of Kansas faculty members have been selected to participate in the Big 12 Faculty Fellowship program during the 2026-27 academic year. Congratulations to Yoonjung Ahn, Sarah Cullinan Herring, David Earll, Sayvon Foster, Tiffany González, and Geoffrey Landman. Learn more about their plans for the upcoming academic year.

The Big 12 program allows tenured and tenure-track faculty on the KU Lawrence campus to expand their research connections within the Big 12 Conference through a variety of scholarly endeavors, which may include collaboration on projects, consultation with faculty and students, providing lectures or symposia, acquiring new skills or accessing unique archives or laboratory facilities. 

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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.