Academic Success Leadership Update

Dear Colleague,

I write with news of an important leadership update. Vice Provost for Academic Success Susan Klusmeier recently shared with me that she has accepted a position as Chief of Staff for DeAngela Burns-Wallace, who was recently announced as the new President and CEO of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. Susan’s last day with KU will be Sept. 15.

This is an exciting opportunity for Susan, as well as for the Kauffman Foundation. She has been an important contributor, partner, thinker, and leader during her time at KU and her work will have lasting impact. Through her various roles at KU, she was able to implement several advances that benefit both our students and our greater institution. Some of her many accomplishments include:

• Served as the campus lead for the Kansas Board of Regents partnership with the National Institute for Student Success (NISS) to improve undergraduate student persistence, retention and completion.
• Designed and implemented the KU Student Success Model, a framework outlining the student journey and barriers to progression and completion.
• Led realignment of undergraduate academic advising from a decentralized model to an embedded advising structure reporting through a single unit, Jayhawk Academic Advising.
• Launched the Student Pathways program, bridging academic and career advising support for undergraduate students.
• Established the Equity and Success unit within Academic Success to provide dedicated mentoring and programmatic support for students of color, First-Generation, and Pell-eligible students.
• Collaborated with faculty and KU Governance to establish policies that foster student success, including a Retroactive Medical and Compassionate Withdrawal Policy, Excused Absence Policy, Academic Field Trips Policy, and identified best practices for utilizing undergraduates in instructional capacities.
• Sponsored the Emergency Aid Network, a working group of emergency aid fund managers from across the university focused on establishing a common application for student emergency aid requests.
• Originated the Director of Tribal Relations role at KU to promote the Haskell-KU Exchange Program, build partnerships with Tribes, and foster community for Native American students.
• Re-implemented EAB Navigate – Jayhawk GPS – to provide ongoing application support, training, and interventions to provide in-time, proactive support to students.
• This fall, launched free, individual and group tutoring to students, and a renovated space in Anschutz Library that houses the Academic Learning and Writing Center.

Susan has been an important partner in our efforts to improve our student participation, performance and, ultimately, their success. I personally am deeply grateful to Susan for her leadership, advocacy and for her many successes in improving academic support for students, and I will miss her very much.

I will announce interim leadership and next steps for Academic Success in the near future. Until then, please take a moment to join me in sending Susan your best wishes and thanks for her dedication to KU and to our students.

Respectfully,

Barb

Barbara A. Bichelmeyer

Provost & Executive Vice Chancellor