KU pivots on faculty dismissals

The chancellor of the University of Kansas said Thursday influx of federal relief funding to higher education allowed tabling of plans for possible use of a Kansas Board of Regents policy lowering barriers to dismissal of tenured faculty in response to budget problems.

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June 18, 2021 - 8:02 AM

University of Kansas chancellor Doug Girod, left, said KU was no longer contemplating use of a temporary Kansas Board of Regents policy easing the path to dismissal of tenured faculty to cut costs. Here he chats in Lawrence with Gov. Laura Kelly. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)

TOPEKA — The chancellor of the University of Kansas said Thursday influx of federal relief funding to higher education allowed tabling of plans for possible use of a Kansas Board of Regents policy lowering barriers to dismissal of tenured faculty in response to budget problems.

Doug Girod, chancellor of KU’s main campus in Lawrence and the Medical Center in Kansas City, Kansas, said financial uncertainties in January during the pandemic prompted KU to consider reliance on the board’s emergency policy. Federal COVID-19 relief funding has been “hugely helpful” as KU worked to make $33 million in budget reductions during the current fiscal year, Girod said.

“At this point,” the chancellor said, “we really do not feel that we’re going to need to use this temporary policy in Lawrence or at the medical center.”

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