Monday messages

'Mankind was my business'

Dear Colleagues:

'Business!' cried the Ghost, wringing its hands again. 'Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence were, all, my business. The dealings of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!'

With that sobering statement to Scrooge, Marley's ghost sends a chill up the spine of his old partner, as well as every reader of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol since it was first published in 1843. Dickens was speaking to each of us, reminding us to think beyond our "trade" to our humanity.

The holidays are a time for taking stock, both of our work lives and the "common welfare." There are quite a few ornaments on KU's "tree" this year, and quite a few presents underneath it. Let me share with you some of the most recent achievements:

  • Ruth Anne French, a senior from Partridge majoring in political science, was awarded a prestigious Rhodes scholarship, the 25th KU recipient since 1904;

  • Two KU faculty, Mabel Rice and Jeff Aube, were elected fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in recognition of their outstanding research;

  • The Biomedical Research Center building at the KU Medical Center has begun to take shape, while at Lawrence the Structural Biology Center was dedicated, and work began on a Multidisciplinary Research Building - all much-needed additions to campus research space;

  • The KU First: Invest in Excellence campaign surpassed the $578 million mark this fall-including nearly $25 million from the KU faculty and staff family campaign-and should top the $600 million level by New Year's Eve, the official end of the largest private fundraising effort in KU history;

  • Fall enrollment was 29,590, the highest in our history, while KU research expenditures were also the highest in our history, one reason that KU has moved from 65th to 45th on the NSF list of Federal research universities;

  • The national Project DEEP (for "Documenting Effective Educational Practice") described KU as "an engaging public research university" and commended both KU faculty and staff for placing strong emphasis on the quality of undergraduate teaching and learning;

  • The Kansas Legislature approved the Kansas Economic Growth Act, including a Biosciences Authority that will be a major source of funding in the future for facilities, faculty and research;

  • New administrative leaders were announced at KU, including Barbara Atkinson, who will assume her new role as executive vice chancellor at KUMC on January 1, Paul Carttar as executive vice chancellor for external affairs, Kevin Corbett as president and CEO of the KU Alumni Association, Bill Lacy as director of the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics, and David Adkins as vice chancellor for external affairs at KUMC;

  • KU's self-study report for the North Central Association, a 300-plus page document prepared for the accreditation team that will visit January 31-February 2, was completed and submitted and the final report is posted on-line at -- a great team effort. You will be hearing more about this visit at the start of the spring semester; and

  • Regnier Hall opened at the KU Edwards campus, while at Lawrence the new Hall Center for the Humanities nears completion-both of them wonderful buildings the whole university can be proud of.

With that sobering statement to Scrooge, Marley's ghost sends a chill up the spine of his old partner, as well as every reader of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol since it was first published in 1843. Dickens was speaking to each of us, reminding us to think beyond our "trade" to our humanity.

So I end with best wishes for happy holidays to you and those close to you. May the "common welfare...charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence" all be our business in the coming New Year.

Sincerely,
Bob Hemenway
Chancellor