photo by: Sara Shepherd

The University of Kansas College of Liberal Arts and Sciences must enhance both its research and its students’ experience — and effectively communicate those strengths to constituents and prospective students alike.

Those were key priorities outlined by new CLAS Dean Carl Lejuez Tuesday during his first “State of the College” talk, delivered to close to 150 attendees at Spooner Hall.

Lejuez, who was hired last fall and started at KU in February, is laying and embarking on plans for the college after meeting with more than 150 faculty and staff members and about as many students during his first months on the job.

A New Jersey native who came to KU from the University of Maryland, Lejuez also participated in KU’s summertime Rock Chalk Roadshow recruiting effort, visiting a number of western Kansas communities.

photo by: Sara Shepherd

“I had a chance to understand who we are, and understand what our issues are,” he said.

“There are some hard things happening. The liberal arts and sciences are under attack … there are parts of our state that don’t necessarily feel like KU is their university.”

Lejuez noted that although KU does recruit in places like western Kansas and Kansas City, Kan., those efforts sometimes come off as “tone-deaf.” Simply promoting KU as the state’s flagship or largest university can come across as elitist, he said.

More importantly, he said, KU’s college of Liberal Arts and Sciences should be spreading the word about the rich student research and other opportunities it offers, such as life-changing experiences and education that enables students to go back to their communities and make them better places.

Lejuez said that for the first time, there is a recruiter within the college to help get its message out.

“We do have a bit of an identity problem, and I think the way that we solve that is by being authentic,” he said.

In addition to building the college’s identity as a “student-focused research-intensive college,” Lejuez cited two other priorities: building “research infrastructure” as well as the impact of the college’s research, and supporting diversity, equity and inclusivity in the college.

Frequently citing specific faculty and their work, Lejuez said a strength of the college is how much its faculty teach. But that can leave them little time for conducting research and writing books. Lejuez said he’s working on establishing a research excellence grant to help enable faculty to take next steps.

Lejuez said it’s critical that students and faculty to feel included in the college. The college must build diversity in its faculty, help students realize there are others like them and address “systemic issues” that make some students feel unsafe on campus, he said.

The college has taken a major step, which Lejuez said he hopes will help establish practices other departments can use, in creating the position of associate dean of diversity, equity and inclusion. Jennifer Hamer, department chair and a professor of American studies and a professor of African and African-American studies, started in July and has developed a plan, Lejuez said.

Lejuez also addressed his college’s budget. He said his office had taken a 10 percent budget cut and that there and collegewide, he looked for strategic and creative ways to absorb it.

He said he understood that an inability to rehire positions after retirements, for example, can wear on faculty morale.

“It starts to eat away at that enthusiasm,” he said.