I want to thank everyone for the calls, cards, letters and e-mails. No, I was not abducted by space aliens, kidnapped by KU's PR department or protesting the Lazer's format change. The reason for my absence was simple.
I was working.
I had to chase the regents through the Little Balkans for a couple of days. Caught a couple of them. I work strictly on catch-and-release. They, like me, have returned to their natural habitats.
Ah, it's good to be back on hillish Mt. Oread.
Here comes the secretary
U.S. Commerce Secretary William Daley is on a trade tour promoting the benefits of open international markets to local businesses.
Daley brings Trade Tour '99 to the Kansas University campus at 1:15 p.m. Friday.
The secretary will sit down in a panel discussion with students and faculty from the business and law schools and local and state businessmen and women. The media and the public are invited.
The community meeting is scheduled to take place in Alderson Auditorium in the Kansas Union. Lt. Gov. Gary Sherrer, the Kansas secretary of commerce and housing, is also scheduled to attend.
"A lot of people think that international trade doesn't affect them or see only the negatives," said Pat Woodward, U.S. Commerce Department spokeswoman. "He's going to talk about the opportunities."
24,999, 25,001, 25,002 ...
Right now, bean counters are working overtime counting those student-human types swarming all over the hill.
That can only mean 20th-day enrollment figures are due from the Board of Regents' office in Topeka. The regents are due to announce state university enrollments Thursday.
KU administrators don't expect much change in enrollment from last year, said Oread oracle Tom Hutton.
Dean Sally Frost Mason of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences said enrollment in the college, which has about 50 percent of the students, would be even and the professional schools are expected to show a slight increase.
Enrollment for fall 1998 was 25,155 for the Lawrence and Edwards campuses. Enrollment at the Medical Center was 2,470.
Hutton, whose title is not oracle but director of university relations, said the focus of recruitment at KU had been on improving the quality of students. The university will talk about increased test scores and the number of National Merit Scholars attending KU this year.
The National Merit Scholars have been called "the 101 Dalmations" by some because of their number.
The parade is when?
Yes, folks, in spite of the start time for Saturday's evening football game, the band day parade is at 1 p.m. Saturday through downtown Lawrence.
The parade starts at Seventh and Massachusetts streets and continues to South Park at 11th and Massachusetts streets.
The KU Marching Jayhawks will lead the parade, followed by the two Lawrence high schools. A total of 68 high school bands from Missouri and Kansas are expected to participate.
The chancellor's away.
Chancellor Robert Hemenway is out of town at something called Nuhsalgick. That's what they call it at Strong Hall; I'm not kidding.
Actually, that's an acronym for the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges. NASULGC is having a big meeting for university CEOs in Washington, D.C., Monday and today. Hemenway's there taking care of KU business. He also gets to hear a speech by one of his predecessors, former Chancellor Gene Budig, who now runs professional baseball's American League.
A special note for KU employees: This doesn't mean you can take the day off. Provost David Shulenburger is making the rounds, checking to see who's at work and who's not.
The list of those absent without an excuse will be the first thing Bob sees when he gets back to the office Wednesday.
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