Robert Hemenway’s life has been marked by accomplishment as an administrator, teacher and scholar.
As the 16th chancellor of the University of Kansas, he is the chief executive of the university, which includes the main campus in Lawrence, the KU Medical Center in Kansas City, Kansas, the Edwards Campus in Overland Park and the School of Medicine-Wichita, along with facilities in Garden City, Hays, Parsons, Pittsburg, Topeka and Yoder.
Under Hemenway’s leadership, a growing number of KU academic programs have received national recognition, and the achievements of faculty and students have cemented KU’s position as an international research university. U.S. News & World Report ranks 12 KU graduate programs in the top 10 nationwide and 26 in the top 25. KU’s graduate programs in city management and urban policy and special education are ranked first in the nation.
KU enrolls more Kansans than any other university, with 70 percent of its more than 29,000 students coming from the Sunflower State. The diverse student body is highly talented, with an average ACT score well above the national average. KU students regularly win the nation’s most prestigious awards, including Rhodes, Goldwater, Marshall, Fulbright, National Science Foundation and Udall scholarships. In intercollegiate competitions, KU students excel — the men’s basketball team was the 2008 NCAA Champions, the debate team ranked first in the nation for the 2007-08 season, the journalism program was first in the Hearst writing competition and the football team was the victor in the 2008 Orange Bowl.
Research at KU, a major source of Kansas economic growth, has climbed steadily, reaching $289 million in fiscal year 2007. The university’s No. 1 research priority is to achieve National Cancer Institute designation for the KU Cancer Center at the KU Medical Center in Kansas City. This designation will lead to superior cancer research and care for citizens throughout the state and region.
As a public institution, KU remains focused on working for the people of Kansas. KU doctors treat patients throughout the state, during medical outreach trips and via telemedicine. KU researchers measure groundwater levels in western Kansas, while law enforcement officers trained by KU’s Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center protect Kansans in every county.
Leaders of other universities recognize Hemenway’s administrative talents. In November 2007, he was elected to the 11-member executive committee for the Association of American Universities, an organization representing the nation’s most prestigious research universities. He has also served on the board of directors for the American Council on Education, the National Association of State and Land Grant Colleges and the NCAA Division I Board of Directors, which he chaired from 2002 to 2005.
Hemenway remains a committed scholar and teacher. He is known for his biography of African-American novelist Zora Neale Hurston, a “Best Books” pick by the New York Times in 1978 and a Quality Paperback Book Club selection in 1991. Hemenway also stays connected to the classroom, most recently teaching a 4 p.m. undergraduate English course.
Hemenway grew up in Hastings, Nebraska. Before becoming chancellor of KU, he served as chancellor of the University of Kentucky. Hemenway and his wife, Leah, live in the Outlook, the KU chancellor’s official residence. Four of the chancellor’s eight children are KU graduates. The Hemenways have seven grandchildren.
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