Skip redundant pieces
Oread

Initiative 2015 guidelines set, input sought from faculty, staff

Higher expectations for incoming students, greater diversity and a call for increased service to Kansas are among the recommendations of a strategic planning document released by KU.

Initiative 2015 was launched at the start of the spring semester. Its purpose was to identify issues and make recommendations in three main areas, each of which was assigned a task force: Teaching and Learning, Discovery and Innovation, and Working for Kansas. More than 60 faculty, staff and students from all KU campuses participated in the process.

"The topics we chose are the core of KU's mission," said Chancellor Robert Hemenway. "Cancer research is the university's highest priority. Initiative 2015 deals with other priorities that require attention prior to KU's next overall accreditation review."

The task forces produced recommendations in each area, along with background information and a rationale for each. The complete document is available online at www.ku.edu/~oirp/planning, along with a narrative report that summarizes the recommendations.

"We want feedback on Initiative 2015," said Hemenway. "This is a guide to KU's future. Over the summer, we will identify and prioritize short-term and long-term responses to the recommendations. We will develop budget figures and action plans and begin implementation in the fall."

The report includes a statement of desired characteristics for new students and a list of hallmarks desired for KU graduates. In addition, it calls for better defined learner outcomes and increased attention to teaching practices based on research. Other recommendations include greater financial support of graduate students, increased incentives for faculty and staff service to the state and a more strategic approach to university research and research infrastructure.

"There are important themes that run through the Initiative 2015 recommendations," said Hemenway. "We will have higher expectations of our students and ourselves. We will remain a public university that's accountable to all stakeholders. We will also develop and promote a stronger orientation toward service. Achieving these recommendations requires that we be more adaptable, more responsive and more innovative than ever before. Initiative 2015 gives us a roadmap for doing just that."

KU HISTORY:

One of KU's most recognized landmarks was unveiled on this day in 1924. The "Uncle Jimmy" Green statute that stands in front of Lippincott Hall, created by artist Chester French, honors KU's first law dean. James Woods "Uncle Jimmy" Green served as dean of the School of Law for 41 years. After his death in 1919, a group of law students and alumni, who referred to themselves as Green's "boys" commissioned the statue. French originally declined the request to create the statue but changed his mind after visiting KU and hearing stories of affection and commitment to "Uncle Jimmy." For more, see www.kuhistory.com.