Fall 2025: At a time of rapid change

It gives me deep pleasure to share our annual report each year, but this one feels especially meaningful. The demographics of our community and the breadth of international activity at the University of Kansas are impressive in their own right. KU is the only institution in the Great Plains that teaches 33 critical languages, and we are the only university in the region with four or more National Resource Centers. These centers serve the state, nation, and world, and they place KU among the top dozen institutions nationwide in area studies capacity and stature.

Our area centers are also an investment in Kansas. They attract expertise to the state and leverage it to our competitive advantage, while providing jobs and training opportunities for students who go on to pursue successful careers in Kansas and beyond. Together with our academic departments, schools, and international administrative units, they create intellectual magnets that draw global talent to KU. In this sense, we have become a network of networks—an asset that is as important as it is uniquely defining of KU’s role in the heartland.

At a time of rapid change across the state, nation, and world, it is deeply inspiring to see the diverse voices and perspectives that enrich our classrooms, research, curricula, and community engagement. This past summer saw the highest student participation in education abroad opportunities in the past five years, with many programs led by KU faculty on every continent. These experiences broaden horizons, build global understanding, and help students develop skills that last a lifetime.

The momentum has continued into the fall. We welcomed nearly 100 new faculty members from across the globe, including one who gave me the chance to use my Hungarian for the first time in two decades of working at KU. We also welcomed nearly 5,000 new students from Kansas, across the country, and around the world. Each of them brings unique perspectives and ambitions, and each is eager to take advantage of the opportunities KU provides. It is, as always, a season of hope and promise, a time when journeys begin and continue—often taking wonderfully unexpected turns along the way.

The stories we highlight in this report emphasize those journeys. They are possible because of the exceptional students who choose KU. They are possible because of the staggering breadth and depth of talent on our faculty. And they are possible because of the academic capacity KU has built across disciplines, connecting us meaningfully to the global context of our work. Within these pages, you will see how faculty members’ work is shaped by international perspectives, how students’ lives are transformed by academic and co-curricular opportunities, and how alumni carry KU’s global impact into their careers.

A common theme runs throughout: connection. KU is a place where people choose to care, to engage, and to lean in. It is an institution that inspires discovery, nurtures passions, builds expertise, and reminds us that each of us belongs to a global knowledge community that, working together, makes the world a better place.

I hope you enjoy this report. I extend a special thank you to the faculty, staff, and students whose work it reflects. And I am especially grateful to our generous supporters and donors. Your investment sustains KU’s international mission, empowers global initiatives, and ensures that our impact will continue to be felt across disciplines and communities for years to come.

Charles Bankart 
Senior Internationalization Officer & Vice Provost of Internationalization