Kansas University’s Wheat State Whirlwind Tour is back.

The tour that takes a group of KU faculty and staff across Kansas to learn more about the state they serve was canceled last year to save money. This year, Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little not only found private money to restore the outreach effort but plans to join the tour herself for the first two days before heading back east to attend a Kansas Board of Regents meeting.

About 40 faculty and staff are scheduled to visit more than 20 Kansas communities May 17-21. The five-day tour includes the site of the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility in Manhattan along with historical locations and lots of local color. It covers the state from east to west and gives tour participants an opportunity to get to know Kansas and her people a little better.

This will be the 12th Wheat State Whirlwind. It has been a fun and popular event, especially for faculty and staff who are new to Kansas, but it also serves a serious purpose in bringing KU closer to the state and people it serves. It’s great to see the trip making a comeback.