As a Canadian who had been working in Britain for five years, Teresa MacDonald knew little about Kansas when she was hired by Kansas University last year.

She’ll get a crash course in state history, geography and demographics starting Friday.

MacDonald will be one of 42 participants on this year’s Wheat State Whirlwind faculty and staff tour, which is returning two years after being eliminated by budget cuts.

“This is a great opportunity to see Kansas,” said MacDonald, education director at the Natural History Museum. “You can read about it, but it’s not the same as seeing a place.”

The six-day, 1,500-mile tour begins Friday with stops at the Kansas Speedway, Fort Leavenworth and Atchison.

Other stops during the tour include Monroe Elementary School in Topeka, the world’s largest hand-dug well in Greensburg, a saddle-making shop in Palco and the Garden of Eden in Lucas.

For the first time, the tour is making a stop in southwest Kansas, in Liberal.

KU administrators decided to re-instate the tour because it is both an effective outreach tool and a way for faculty and staff to learn about the state, said Margey Frederick, director of visitor services.

“It’s a classroom on wheels,” Frederick said. “It’s a great opportunity for faculty and staff to get out around the state and get to know each other better.”

This year, 81 people applied for the tour. It’s geared toward faculty and staff who are relatively new to the university.

“It was record turnout,” Frederick said. “This is the first year we had to turn people away. It’s become so popular.”

A complete list of participants and their itinerary can be found at www.wheatstate.ku.edu.

MacDonald said she was hoping to get ideas for outreach for the Natural History Museum from Kansans throughout the state.

She’s also looking forward to seeing things like the hand-dug well, which she said were unique to Kansas.

“I always think those things are fascinating,” she said.