LATEST NEWS FROM THE HILL

KU names new dean of School of Engineering
KU has named Mary Rezac as the next dean of the School of Engineering, effective March 1.
MORE KU NEWS

First candidate for KU police chief: Transparency, accountability key to campus reform
For Terence Calloway, reforming a university police department takes a multifaceted effort, he said. He’s one of three finalists to take over as chief of KU’s Public Safety Office after current chief Chris Keary announced internally that he planned to retire this year.

Finalists for next chief of KU police to deliver community presentations
The search for the next leader of the University of Kansas Public Safety Office has narrowed to three finalists — all of whom will deliver campus community presentations this week.

KU rescinds mask mandate for Lawrence, Edwards campuses with exception of public transportation, health facilities
The University of Kansas will no longer require mask-wearing on its campuses — with a […]

KU to create police oversight board, implement mental health training following task force study
The University of Kansas will implement all 12 recommendations posed by a task force on […]

University endowments have started accepting cryptocurrencies as donations; KU is one of them
The endowment associations and foundations linked to U.S. colleges and universities most commonly take in donations of cash, stocks, art and land. But a somewhat unorthodox donation method is on the rise at some universities across the country, including the University of Kansas: cryptocurrencies.

Kansas contemplating $200M–$250M overhaul of law enforcement training center
Proposed modernization of the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center in Hutchinson at a cost of $200 million to $250 million would adhere to curriculum and instructional reforms necessary to prepare a new generation of public-safety officers, officials said.

KU lays out plans for mostly normal fall semester; vaccination plans still unclear
University of Kansas administrators this week told instructors that KU is planning to phase out most of the pandemic-specific course adaptations that have been in place for more than a year, starting in the fall.

Five of 6 state universities in Kansas, including KU, holding line on undergrad tuition rates
Five of six universities in the Kansas Board of Regents system Wednesday recommended no tuition increase for undergraduate students in the upcoming academic year. K-State outlined a new tuition and fee structure resulting in a 1.2% cost spike for students not enrolled in an online class.

KU professor’s memoir shares two decades teaching writing classes at Douglas County jail
In an upcoming memoir, “Words is a Powerful Thing,” Brian Daldorph, a senior lecturer in KU’s English department, reflects on 20 years of teaching a writing class at the Douglas County jail. He also shares works of more than 50 students he’s taught over the years.