University of Kansas Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little speaks to the University Senate on Oct. 6, 2016, in Green Hall.

University Senate leaders at the University of Kansas are now on the record stating they don’t want a secretive search and interview process to determine their next chancellor. On Tuesday, the University Senate Executive Committee approved the following position statement to be shared with the Kansas Board of Regents, the body that directs the search process and hires state university CEOs. The Regents are meeting today at Fort Hays State University.

We, the members of the KU University
Senate Executive Committee, feel it is
essential for the new Chief Executive
Officer of this institution to have
the opportunity to interact with the
people they will be serving and
supervising. Accordingly, there must
be open, public presentations and
question-and-answer sessions for each
finalist.

Moreover, we urge KBOR to include, in
the search committee, elected
representatives of the Staff, Student,
and Faculty senates of the University
of Kansas. Only in this way can we
insure that all stakeholders on campus
have a voice in the process. And it is
crucial that the students, faculty and
staff, as well as community leaders,
play a vital role in selecting the
next chancellor — especially in light
of the challenges of weapons on
campus, and achieving greater
diversity, equity and inclusion.

We thank the members of KBOR for their
consideration.

KU Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little announced in September that she would step down after the 2016-17 school year. An article I wrote a few days after her announcement (click here to read it) talks more about the search process, which Regents representatives have indicated will almost certainly be “closed,” meaning no names will be shared publicly until the next chancellor accepts the job. Gray-Little was hired, in 2009, through a closed search process.

photo by: Sara Shepherd

University of Kansas Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little speaks to the University Senate on Oct. 6, 2016, in Green Hall.

• This week at KU — homecoming: It’s homecoming week at KU. In case you missed it, this Heard on the Hill post from Friday has the main event details. To help your homecoming spirit, here are photos I took of a few of this year’s sign competition entries.

photo by: Sara Shepherd

The 2016 University of Kansas Homecoming theme is Rock

photo by: Sara Shepherd

The 2016 University of Kansas Homecoming theme is Rock

photo by: Sara Shepherd

The 2016 University of Kansas Homecoming theme is Rock

photo by: Sara Shepherd

The 2016 University of Kansas Homecoming theme is Rock

*
• I’m the Journal-World’s KU and higher ed reporter. See all the newspaper’s KU coverage here. Reach me by email at sshepherd@ljworld.com, by phone at 832-7187, on Twitter @saramarieshep or via Facebook at Facebook.com/SaraShepherdNews.