Kansas University has every intention of replacing Janet Murguia, the executive vice chancellor for university relations who resigned four months ago to lead the National Council of La Raza.

But not right away.

“I am deliberately not filling the position quickly,” said KU Chancellor Robert Hemenway.

Hemenway said he still was reviewing “all of the functions of the position to make sure they fit together in a cohesive job description.”

Plus, he wants to wait until after a study on how best to overhaul the university’s image is complete.

“I want the marketing plan in place so that when the new person is hired, he or she will go about executing it,” Hemenway said.

Job candidates

Hemenway said several people “of considerable talent and accomplishment” already have expressed interest in the position. He declined to identify the would-be applicants.

A national search will be conducted to find the person for the job.

Hemenway said he hoped to fill the position “by the beginning of the fall semester.”

Currently, Kevin Boatright, associate executive vice chancellor for university relations, is serving as interim executive vice chancellor.

“He’s doing a good job fulfilling the functions of the position,” Hemenway said.

Boatright said he didn’t know if he would apply for the job. “It’s difficult to say because at this point I don’t know what the job description is going to be,” he said. “So put me down as undecided.”

In the state’s political circles, many have assumed that Sen. David Adkins, a moderate Republican from Leawood and a staunch advocate for KU, decided not to seek re-election because he intended to pursue the executive vice chancellor position.

But Adkins, an attorney, denied the rumors. “I love KU,” he said. “But I am not a candidate for the position, nor would I accept it if offered.”

During legislative sessions, the executive vice chancellor represents the university’s interests in Topeka.

Though both legislative chambers have GOP majorities, Hemenway said the application process would not be restricted to Republicans.

“The university has people of every political persuasion,” he said. “There is no political litmus test for this position.”

But Sen. Mark Buhler, R-Lawrence, said a Republican likely would have an easier time dealing with legislators.

“Whoever they get needs to be a person who has ties to KU, who loves the university and who can communicate with that other world over there,” Buhler said, referring to the Statehouse. “It’s a world that tends to be highly Republican and, at times, highly conservative.”

Challenges ahead

Rep. Paul Davis, D-Lawrence, said the next person to have the job would face an uphill climb.

“There are more and more legislators who are not inclined to be strong supporters of higher education,” he said.

“And a lot of the conservatives choose not to see KU for all the good it does across the state; they see red herrings like the human sexuality-class controversy last year. They paint the entire university with that brush.”

Last year, Sen. Susan Wagle, R-Wichita, accused KU professor Dennis Dailey of showing pornographic videos and sanctioning pedophilia in his class on human sexuality. A university investigation later found the allegations to be without merit.