Survey Opens Wednesday

On Wednesday all university support staff and unclassified professional support staff will receive an email to participate in the 2025 Docking Institute Employee Satisfaction Survey. This survey provides comparative data for the six Regents universities in Kansas and focuses on topics related to employee satisfaction.

When last conducted in 2022, the survey was completed by 54% of KU staff and used to identify four areas of focus that drove work and initiatives across campus and all levels of leadership.

Staff Senate strongly encourages staff's participation in this completely confidential survey. Once the survey is complete, aggregate data will be shared with each institution and the Kansas Board of Regents. KU Staff Senate will work with administration to present the findings to campus and identify priorities that will be addressed in the coming years. The data collected from this survey will be crucial to working toward change on our campus and statewide. 

If members of the KU international community have immigration questions, it is imperative to refer them to immigration advisors in International Support Services or Human Resources. ISS supports international students and visiting scholars, and HR supports KU-sponsored international employees.  

Both offices are closely monitoring federal immigration changes and have been sharing relevant information with international students and employees as well as visiting scholars based on their specific visa status.  

These immigration experts can provide the most recent information on what to do to keep visas in good standing, what to know about possible travel risks, how to respond to immigration-related inquiries and what documents to carry both in Lawrence and when traveling.  

Additionally, Legal Services for Students is available to make free, certified copies of original immigration documents for anyone. Immigration-related advice, counsel and referrals are available for students in this office as well. 

Beginning today, Concur Travel Requests will follow a revised process announced on March 12. The revised process will improve traveler safety for international trips while also building more accountability and efficiency into the travel request process.  

Here are the key changes: 

For more information, refer to Travel Services’ March 12 email and the KU Travel Program website.

Congratulations to the four professors elected as 2024 American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) fellows. This distinct honor within the scientific community places the four honorees among the 33 AAS fellows who are active faculty members across KU campuses. 

This year’s fellows: 

The 2024 class of AAAS fellows includes 471 scientists, engineers and researchers across many disciplines. The fellows are recognized for their scientifically and socially distinguished achievements. 

Eligible employees accrue 176 hours of vacation leave each fiscal year. A regular, full-time employee who has been actively employed for the duration of FY 2025 will reach the maximum 176 hours on the 22nd pay period, which is April 25. These employees will not accrue any more vacation hours for the remainder of the fiscal year.   

Eligible employees will resume accumulating vacation leave on the first pay period of FY 2026, which is July 3. Sick leave accrues every payroll period and does not have a maximum. More information can be found on the vacation accruals information sheet (.docx). 

Sudip Parikh, CEO of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and executive publisher of the Science family of journals, delivered an address to KU faculty, students and academic leaders on March 26.

His remarks included an overview of the goals for science and technology developed by the VAST task force. He also discussed how he and other leaders are advocating for support of the goals among lawmakers and ways in which individuals can make a difference.

A video of his talk, introduced by Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Barbara Bichelmeyer and Chancellor Doug Girod, is available to view.

Thursday

KU employees can learn life-saving skills in a Heartsaver CPR and AED training, sponsored by the American Heart Association. The training is from 8:30-10:30 a.m. Thursday at the Watkins Health Center in the first-floor conference room. During the two-hour training, participants will review and practice with a video, as well as perform hands-on skills under the guidance of AHA-certified instructor Heidi Garcia.  

Once participants successfully complete the training, they will receive a certification card that is valid for two years. The course costs $55 and can be invoiced to participants’ departments with supervisory approval. Those who would like to attend the training but have concerns or questions about the cost, please reach out to Jeffry Stolz at jeffreystolz@ku.edu.  

Register On MyTalent 

April 9

KU faculty, staff and affiliates are invited to focus on their health and wellbeing at the KU Faculty and Staff Wellness Fair from 10:30 a.m.–1 p.m. April 9 in the Kansas Union Ballroom.  

The fair will have booths representing local wellness organizations, live music from KU musicians, free healthy snacks and door prizes. The event is a chance to explore health and wellness resources on campus and in the community, learn more about local organizations and opportunities to get involved, and connect with colleagues and wellness partners.  

For more information and to add the event to your calendar visit the Employee Wellness website.  

Due to the low volume of questions submitted over the past week, there will be no virtual town hall for the Lawrence and Edwards Campus today (the afternoon of March 31).  

Questions about the impact of state and federal activities and rulings can be submitted through this anonymous form. Also, please take a moment to read the Chancellor’s March 25 message to faculty and staff and submit any questions you may have. 

We anticipate the next virtual town hall will be at 4 p.m. April 7. You can watch previous town hall recordings, hosted behind single sign-on. 

April 30

The Sexual Assault Prevention and Education Center invites the campus community to observe April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month and participate in Denim Day. Here are several ways you can take part in the event. 

KU IT is implementing a new process for non-Microsoft apps in Teams to protect university data. All third-party apps (free or paid) now require pre-approval through the TDX Technology Procurement Request process. Once approved for one user, most apps will be available campus wide. Higher-risk apps and custom-built apps will be reviewed individually. If you try to install an unapproved app, you’ll see a pop-up with a link to the request form. For help with the form, contact your technical support team or send an email to itcsc@ku.edu.

This update is part of a broader effort to improve Teams security and functionality. You can read more about the changes in this article. 

The Web Services team is now using the TDX platform for service requests, making it easier to submit detailed requests and track their progress. Visit web.services.ku.edu to access the new TDX landing page, where you can submit web service requests. While the Web Services team no longer accepts tickets via email, TDX offers clear, structured options to help the team understand your needs and respond more quickly. For non-web IT support, such as password resets or Duo assistance, or if you're unsure if your request requires web services, contact itcsc@ku.edu. 

Members of the KU community are invited to the annual University Research Awards at 7 p.m. April 9, at the Jayhawk Welcome Center. This event is an opportunity to highlight the outstanding research happening across our Lawrence and KU Medical Center campuses and to celebrate this year’s research awards winners. 

Please RSVP in advance to assist in planning efforts. Appetizers and drinks will be served. 

KU Marketing has shared 2025 Commencement templates, which departments across campus can customize for their recognition ceremonies. The templates include PowerPoint slides, event covers and recognition certificates and come in a variety of file formats.  

The templates align with KU’s new brand, “Towering Toward the Blue,” which was launched earlier this year.  

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

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 is a public institution governed by the Kansas Board of Regents.