A KU work group with expertise in childcare and early childhood development will begin meeting soon to identify possible solutions and high-quality options to address childcare needs on the KU Lawrence campus. The small group includes faculty, staff and administrators as well as a current student and a recent graduate student who understand childcare needs. 

Professor and Chair Katie Batza has agreed to lead the group and will work to set up opportunities for the KU Lawrence community and stakeholders to share concerns and ideas through live forums, email and an anonymous submission form. The group will also call upon the talents of KU faculty and staff with relevant expertise and work with campus and community partners to ensure that a broad range of opportunities are identified quickly. 

The work group will consider operating models and provide analysis that addresses affordability and access for students and employees; academic and research opportunities; financial sustainability; staffing and regulatory requirements; facilities; institutional recruitment and retention; liability concerns; and implementation feasibility. The goal is to have a report ready for the Chancellor's and Provost’s review early in the spring semester. Visit the Provost's Office website for a list of work group members and additional information.

KU will celebrate the 114th Homecoming, presented by Central Bank, this week with a host of activities. Highlights for faculty and staff include:  

View a full list of activities.   

More than 50 volunteers are still needed to support Friday’s Homecoming Parade. Student Affairs mostly needs volunteers to stand along Jayhawk Boulevard and Memorial Drive to answer questions and direct traffic.  

Several volunteers are also needed to drive dignitaries along the parade route. Drivers are required to have auto insurance and a valid license. 

Shifts will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday. Volunteers can sign up online. 

On Tuesday, Chancellor Doug Girod recognized 11 professors from the Lawrence and Edwards campuses for their excellence in the classroom at the University Teaching Awards ceremony at the Jayhawk Welcome Center.  

These KU faculty members train the next generation of experts who will go on to advance science, create art, develop therapeutic treatments and more. Learn more about KU’s transformative teachers.

The Office of Civil Rights & Title IX will host the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine’s 2026 Public Summit on Preventing Sexual Harassment in Higher Education on Wednesday and Thursday. The free summit will bring together higher education leaders, researchers, practitioners, students and community members to explore evidence-based approaches that strengthen institutional culture, promote accountability and foster communities of respect. 

The full agenda is now available for the summit, featuring sessions based on campus climate data, accountability and reintegration, respectful workplaces, prevention tools, sustaining prevention efforts, sexual harassment in research settings and more. 

To view the full agenda, learn more or register, visit the summit's website. 

Every member of the KU community can help a student feel supported. For those concerned about a student’s academics, behaviors or relationships, the Be Well at KU website shows how to reach out and connect students with resources, including Counseling & Psychological Services and Mantra Health. 

Submitting a care referral is another way to help. The Support and Care Referral Team will review the student’s situation and connect them with support. Care referrals are not an emergency service. If someone is in immediate danger, please call 911 or 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. A care referral can help connect the student with ongoing resources and support once emergency services have addressed immediate needs. 

To be even more prepared, faculty and staff are invited to join #JayhawksTalk, a suicide prevention training that builds confidence in supporting students through difficult moments. 

The Health Education Resource Office promotes healthy behaviors to support student wellness. One focus of HERO’s work is drug, tobacco and alcohol abuse prevention.

Faculty and staff are encouraged to share the following resources with students who may benefit from these programs.

Open Enrollment for the 2027 State Employee Health Plan and Optional Group Life Insurance will run until Oct. 31 for all university employees. Information can be found on the Human Resources website. 

The KU and the KU Medical Center benefits departments will host four more online open enrollment information sessions, which will provide an overview of the enrollment process, highlight benefit plan changes for 2027 and offer employees an opportunity to ask questions to KU benefits staff members.  

Remaining Open Enrollment Sessions: 

To register, click on the preferred info session above, which will go to the MyTalent portal. Registration is required to attend each online session. 

Employees with current coverage or wishing to have 2027 coverage under SEHP must enroll through the Membership Administration Portal (MAP). Review the SEHP Open Enrollment Guide to learn more about changes for 2027 and to select a plan.  

General information on Optional Group Life Insurance Enrollment can be found on the KPERS website. To enroll, employees must complete the online form and email it to the KU benefits office at benefits@ku.edu for processing.   

Beginning today KU Information Technology is rolling out additional security measures for Duo Multi-Factor Authentication to better protect users from cyberattacks.  

When using Duo as part of KU’s Single Sign-On (SSO), most users will not notice a difference when accessing systems such as Canvas, Enroll & Pay, HR/Pay and KU Anywhere VPN. However, users may see increased security when traveling, using a new device or attempting to log in from a new or infrequently used location.  

If Duo detects unusual or high-risk activity when users sign in through SSO, Duo Push and hardware tokens will be disabled. Instead, one of the following verification methods will be required:  

When additional authentication is required, instructions and verification options will be displayed on the login screen. If further assistance is needed, faculty and staff can contact their department’s IT support staff or the KU IT Help Desk at ITHelpDesk@ku.edu or 785-864-8080. 

In the third week of Movetober — the KU Employee Wellness movement challenge — employees will explore how movement is often easier when done with others, including pets.  

On Tuesday, Mass Street Mutts will return to Jayhawk Boulevard with adoptable pups. The program through Lawrence Humane Society allows volunteers to take shelter dogs out for a day of adventure. Participants can meet in front of Chalmers Hall at 12:10 p.m.for a group walk with the dogs. 

Here are other ways to participate this week:  

The KU Bales Choral Society will join Prometheus: An American Vocal Consort for “A People United: The Human Spirit in Song” Thursday at the Lied Center. 

Prometheus is a 16-voice professional chamber vocal ensemble affiliated with the Choral Arts Alliance of Missouri and is directed by R. Paul Crabb.  

The concert will be at 7:30 p.m. in the Bales Recital Hall. A free-will donation will be taken. 

The Bales Choral Society is made of up KU faculty, staff, alumni and students. It is directed by Wolfgang Reisinger, visiting professor of organ and church music at KU

Bales was founded in the fall of 2024 by the KU School of Music’s organ and church music program. Members help build community across all segments of the campus and provide choral music students with real ensemble experience.  

This will be the first time that Bales has performed with an outside choral group. 

University Distinguished Professor Erik Perrins will share his most recent research, which tests the limits of what is possible in radio signal transmissions from deep space, for his inaugural distinguished professor lecture. 

Perrins will present “Finding the Signal in the Noise: The Hidden Magic of Error Correcting Codes in Deep-Space Radios” at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 11 in Beren Petroleum Conference Center of Slawson Hall. He will use the recent Artemis II test flight to illustrate how deep-space mathematics can translate into practical communication.

Individuals can register to attend the lecture. A recording will be shared on the Office of Faculty Affairs website.  

Perrins currently serves as the chair of the KU Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science and was named a University Distinguished Professor in 2024. In 2023, he received the Outstanding Service Award from the IEEE Communications Society’s Communication Theory Technical Committee.   

The Betty Grimwood Thanksgiving Host Program is seeking faculty, staff and community members to welcome international students into their homes for Thanksgiving on Nov. 26.  

Sharing a meal and holiday traditions gives students an opportunity to experience Thanksgiving away from campus while hosts get to know members of KU’s international community. For many, this will be their first experience in an American home. Applications are due to International Support Services by Nov. 6.  

Learn more about hosting an international student on the International Support Services website.  

The Office of Civil Rights & Title IX invites faculty and staff to the next installment of the Belonging @ KU series: "Exploring Gender Identity” from 11 a.m. to noon on Oct. 29, virtually via Zoom. 

Together, panelists will explore gender as a social identity and related experiences. The event speakers are Kara Nishimuta, a clinical assistant professor and licensed psychologist from the KU Medical Center's Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences; Kyle Velte, associate dean and professor at the School of Law; and Beck Baumler, KU alum and doctoral candidate at the University of Texas at Austin.  

Registration is required. 

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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.

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