Kansas University Chancellor Robert Hemenway has affirmed his desire to remain head of the university for the remainder of his working years.
There have been rumors that Hemenway, KU's leader since 1995, was a candidate to be the next president of Indiana University. But Hemenway said Thursday that the rumors were false and he planned to retire from KU.
"I'm a Jayhawk for life," he said.
The rumors became public Thursday after a column by Jason Whitlock appeared in the Kansas City Star saying Hemenway had applied for the IU job, which was vacated Jan. 1 when Myles Brand left to become president of the NCAA. Hemenway, president of the NCAA Division I board of directors, was on the search committee that hired Brand.
Whitlock did not give attribution for his assertion.
"I was astonished to see that in Jason's column," Hemenway said. "It's an utter falsehood. I haven't applied for anything."
Whitlock did not return a phone message seeking comment.
Hemenway said a representative from Baker-Parker and Associates, the headhunting firm hired by both IU and the NCAA for their president searches, called him two or three months ago about the position because he had been nominated by a member of the search committee.
IU officials said they planned to contact about 300 people about the job before narrowing the field of candidates.
"I said I don't think there's any way I'd leave Kansas, and that was it," Hemenway said.
Hemenway came to KU in 1995 after serving five years as chancellor of the University of Kentucky's main campus in Lexington. He previously served as dean of arts and sciences at the University of Oklahoma.
Hemenway sought advice (4-10-03)
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