The passage of time has a way of embellishing memories. The size of the fish you caught grows; your walk to school becomes uphill — both ways — in the snow.

For Jayhawks, the memories of this past year will need no embellishment, as 2008 was one great year.

KU enrolled 30,000 students for the first time in its history and our incoming class set records for achievement and diversity.

Our faculty continues to grow more diverse and every day sees faculty and staff members recognized for their achievements with awards, grants, and other well-deserved honors.

We’re on course for the National Cancer Institute designation as a comprehensive cancer center and since 1998 we’ve more than doubled research expenditures to just under $300 million a year.

This past year saw a record number of donors provide financial support to the university, enabling a record number of privately funded scholarships.

And our teams continued to dominate the competition in debate, basketball, journalism, the arts, and countless other areas.

As you likely have heard, I have announced my intention to step down as chancellor on June 30, 2009, and return to teaching and writing. There is no good time to step down from a post such as mine, but doing so at a time of great success seems appropriate. KU is poised on the threshold of even greater achievements.

I will return to the classroom knowing KU is in excellent shape and ready for the challenges ahead. It has been a distinct honor to serve as the chancellor of this university for the past 14 years.

I go to work every day at an institution dedicated to the advancement of human knowledge. It is a noble enterprise.

But day upon week and week upon year, it has been the students, faculty, staff, and alumni of the University of Kansas who have made this vision a reality.

This year, these successes and this university belong to them.

Robert E. Hemenway