Tuesday, January 20, 2009
He does everything from making sure students get to class safely when it snows, to overseeing a $600 million budget. The chancellor of the University of Kansas has a tremendous job, and right now the search has begun replace Chancellor Robert Hemenway, who has been our leader for 14 years.
The Chancellor is in charge not only of the Lawrence campus, but the Medical Center in Kansas City, Kan., a clinical branch in Wichita, and the Edwards Campus in Overland Park. This means on a daily basis he is making choices that affect 30,000 students and 13,000 faculty and staff.
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The University needs a new chancellor not only with extensive experience in teaching and higher education administration, but in the face of these interesting and economically downtrodden times, someone who will not lose focus of providing the faculty and students with the resources they need to be successful.
“The position is 24/7… Any decision you make has impact on students,” Hemenway said.
The University needs a new chancellor not only with extensive experience in teaching and higher education administration, but in the face of these interesting and economically downtrodden times, someone who will not lose focus of providing the faculty and students with the resources they need to be successful.
“There is no set model for the ideal successor,” Hemenway said. “Somebody who will be able to do the job their way while focusing on education. The priorities are to make an environment people can graduate in and become contributing members of society.”
The Kansas Board of Regents has elected Drue Jennings, former chairman and chief executive officer of the Kansas City Power and Light Company to chair the 18-member committee chosen to search for the next chancellor. Jennings also served as interim athletic director in the search that brought Lew Perkins and Bill Self to the University. Though this committee will be representing the faculty, staff, students and community of Lawrence, The Kansan Editorial Board feels these questions should be posed to potential leaders of the University.
Reader poll
What do you think should be the new chancellor's top priority?
- College affordability 55% 44 votes
- Student recruitment (i.e. National Merit Scholars) 10% 8 votes
- Faculty recruitment 11% 9 votes
- Sustainability/green initiatives 3% 3 votes
- Study abroad/international education 0% 0 votes
- Research/patents 5% 4 votes
- U.S. News & World Report ranking 7% 6 votes
- Other 6% 5 votes
79 total votes.
• What, if any, changes do you plan on making to the University within your first year here?
• What are your long-term goals for the University?
• How do you plan to make the education of students and provision of resources for faculty a priority while dealing with severe budget cuts?
• Hemenway said the hardest part of being the chancellor has been when his family ends up sacrificing. How do you feel about the time commitment and the sacrifices you will have to make not only for yourself but from your family?
• In October 2008, Chancellor Hemenway outlined six initiatives to guide the University’s mission, one of which was to make it a “global university that prepares its graduates for the competitive, global economy.” Do you feel this is a mission you will pursue as chancellor, and if so what steps will you take to achieve this?
• How do you feel about aggressive cost cutting and do you have ideas for where the University could reallocate funds?
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Who's On the Search Committee?
Continue here to read about the members of the chancellor search committee.
• How do you plan on furthering the goal of making the University a “greener” university that is environmentally responsible?
In the board’s opinion these questions will help the committee find the best potential candidate for the 17th chancellor at the University of Kansas.
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Comments
Editorial: What The Kansan wants to ask chancellor candidates
I find Mr. Jennings' ties with KU Athletics Incorporated a little concerning. Who is he going to hire: the person who promises to bend over backwards for the Dean of LA&S, or the person who promises to bend over for Lew Perkins, the man Jennings hired?
It's well known that Chancellor Hemenway has been a KU Athletics Inc. guy. Isn't it time for a Chancellor whose retirement project will be a book about teaching pedagogy instead of a book about the importance of athletics in the University (Hemenway's forthcoming book)?
I hope Jennings puts his ties behind him and hires a guy who cares a whole LOT more about increasing the quality of education than the Memorial Stadium attendance figures. If he doesn't, we may go another ten years before the leaks in the roof of Spenser Library are fixed.
Editorial: What The Kansan wants to ask chancellor candidates
Couldn't agree more. That's why we have the whole "smoke and mirrors" talk about hiring s.o. with a strong research background. Who gives a damn about previous research if all the next chancellor is going to do is cheer on Lew and Billy and Markie Mark? The only education that matters is of athletes who have to have spies (hired students) make sure they attend classes. I have witnessed athletes calling their agents (amateur athletes, my ass), while KU doesn't give me a bit of support.
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