HomeThe Dole Institute

Robert Hemenway 16th Chancellor of the University of Kansas

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 and chief operating officer for the university, which spans the main campus in Lawrence, the Edwards Campus in Overland Park, the Medical Center in Kansas City, Kan., and its clinical branch in Wichita.

Hemenway's administrative talents have been recognized by leaders of other universities.Hemenway serves on the board of directors of the American Council on Education, one of the nation's largest higher education advocacy groups. In 2002, Hemenway was elected to chair the 18-member NCAA Division I board of directors, a position he will hold through January 2005. This appointment follows two terms as chairman of the board for the Big 12 Conference.

"I know that I am extremely lucky to have someone like Chancellor Hemenway leading our University," said KU head basketball coach Roy Williams. "He truly has a great concern about the entire University, and this includes a great concern for the athletic department. He has been a great help to our program from a recruiting standpoint as well as the normal great support he gives our program and me personally. I appreciate his concern and know that it is vital to us and our success."

Since coming to KU in 1995, Hemenway has streamlined KU administration, made the university more student-centered, and overseen KU's growing national reputation. Under his leadership, KU has been a Top 10 public university in enrollment of National Merit Scholars for four of the past five years. KU faculty netted a record 11 Fulbright fellowships in spring 2002 and a nation-leading five National Endowment for the Humanities fellowships the previous year. Research funding, a major source for state economic development, has climbed steadily, reaching a record $243 million in 2002.

In Kansas, Hemenway has performed a complex balancing act, positioning KU as a major player in the movement to make the Greater Kansas City area a national center for life sciences and information technology, while at the same time forging stronger connections with the rural counties of western Kansas.

"To me, both Kansas and Kansas City are filled with opportunity," Hemenway says. "KU wants to be a better partner to the entire state."

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 still teaches a 7:30 a.m. undergraduate English course most semesters.

The chancellor and his wife, Leah, live with their son Arna, 14, in the Outlook, the KU chancellor's official residence. Their son Zach is a sophomore at KU, and two of his six older children have KU master's degrees. Leah Hemenway is an English instructor at KU. Chancellor and Mrs. Hemenway also have three grandchildren.

— Courtesy KU Office of University Relations

• More on Hemenway