The announcement of Chancellor Hemenway’s retirement in June 2009 came as a surprise and a shock to most of those who spend their days on Mount Oread.

He has led Kansas University since 1995 and has, during that period, changed the university in profound ways. When he leaves office, he will leave behind a campus that has been physically transformed by the addition of numerous new buildings, expanded research and new teaching facilities.

He has led the campus through many crises: budgetary shortfalls, straight-line winds, the loss of a beloved basketball coach, and even an attack by Bill O’Reilly.

Whether one is a fan of the chancellor or not, no one can deny his influence on the life of the university and the town during his tenure. He is one of the longest serving university leaders in the United States.

Now we must find a replacement. In spite of the ever optimistic press releases I don’t think that it’s going to be easy, nor do I agree with the calls for a national search. In fact, while often a national search is the best choice for finding a new leader for a major university, I believe that at this point in the history of KU and in the context of one of the worst economic downturns in modern history, KU should not seek a leader without substantial ties to the university already.

KU’s next chancellor is going to have an extraordinarily difficult time, at least for the first few years. The president of the Board of Regents has said that cuts in the range of 15 to 20 percent are possible. This level of budgetary reduction is potentially devastating to the university. No one without substantial experience with university budgets will be able to make these cuts.

Furthermore, whoever is called upon to fashion a strategic plan to make these reductions will need to understand KU at a profound level so that the plan is one that preserves the core missions of the university to the greatest extent possible.

The new leader will need to have both the strength to make cuts that will involve real hardships for some of the KU community but be able to do so with as much sensitivity as possible so as not to make those hardships even worse. Someone who does not know and love KU, someone who does not feel a deep commitment to KU cannot succeed in achieving these things.

The next chancellor cannot view the chancellorship as one step in a career. The next chancellor must be motivated to take the chancellorship in order to serve the university.

A second major reason why I believe that the next chancellor must have ties to KU and Kansas is because in these hard times and harder times to come, we need a chancellor who will not only be an advocate for KU, but will also understand that KU is part of a system and part of a state government whose purpose is to serve the people of Kansas. When the next chancellor deals with the budgetary challenges of the next few years, he must make his decisions not only in the best interests of the university, but also must make his decisions in the best interests of the state.

The regents universities have been competitors as well as collaborators over the years. The time, I believe, has come when competition must diminish and collaboration must increase. In looking for financial savings, the regents must play a strong role in looking for ways in which inter-campus cooperation and even consolidation can create systemwide economies. This is going to require an unprecedented level of cooperation among the regents universities and university leaders willing to do what is necessary, even if it means making sacrifices on their own campuses for the greater benefit of the system as a whole and, thereby, for the people of Kansas.

Finally, the new chancellor is going to have to be someone who can work with the myriad constituencies a chancellor faces and do so effectively from the first day he takes office. There will be no time for a “learning curve.” Our next chancellor must come into office with skills, experience and knowledge of KU and the regents system so that he may effectively lead the university from day one.

The chancellor must also understand Kansas politics, for the next chancellor must establish a close working relationship with the Legislature and the alumni to both protect KU and, to the extent possible, preserve its funding.

For all of the reasons above, I think that the regents and the search committee they appoint need to look close to home to find our next chancellor. The good news is that there are men and women at KU or with ties to KU and Kansas who will be willing to serve and will be capable of leading the university through the next few years without losing sight either of its traditions and history of excellence or of its aspirations to continue to serve the people of Kansas through its teaching, research and service missions for centuries to come. Kansas University is an institution that belongs to the people of Kansas. Whoever becomes chancellor becomes the guardian of that institution and, thus, a key part of the future of the university and the state. Let us hope the regents pick wisely.