January 18, 2002

Contact: Lynn Bretz, University Relations, (785) 864-8866.

Chancellor reorganizes core administrative staff

LAWRENCE -- University of Kansas Chancellor Robert Hemenway today announced senior-level organizational changes designed to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of his core administrative team.

He based the changes on recommendations provided last fall by the Pappas Consulting Group, a nationally known adviser to universities and nonprofit organizations in the areas of strategic planning and procedural analysis. The Pappas Group used as a reference the 1995 report from the KU Campus-wide Task Force on Administration and Reengineering.

The organizational structural changes in the chancellor's office will better enable the chancellor to focus on key issues, including KU's strategic direction; planning; academic quality; external relations; the university's fund-raising campaign, KU First; and relations with the Board of Regents.

"This reorganization assigns additional duties and rearranges responsibilities so that we can be more efficient and productive," Hemenway said.

"The bottom line is, these organizational changes do not add any administrative costs to the university, and they should make us more responsive and effective."

The changes announced today are as follows:

 • David Shulenburger, provost, becomes the executive vice chancellor and provost for the Lawrence campus. The title change clarifies his position as both chief academic officer and chief operating officer.

 • Reggie Robinson, counselor to the chancellor, becomes chief of staff. In that position, he is responsible for scheduling and coordinating daily activities of the chancellor and key staff, monitoring initiatives, assisting with communications, managing the flow of policy issues through the office of the chancellor and serving as the chancellor's liaison with the Lawrence community. Mary Burg remains the chancellor's executive assistant.

 • Theresa Klinkenberg, university director of administration, becomes chief business and financial planning officer. She is responsible for organizing, overseeing and monitoring KU fiscal planning, and she serves as the principal budget contact for financial authorities and the public. She also prepares final documents for the state's budget process, a responsibility formerly held by Marlin Rein, who recently retired as university director of budget and governmental relations.

In University Relations, the chancellor also announced staffing changes that will enable the unit to better fulfill its mission in the areas of strategic communication, marketing, public relations and governmental relations. Changes announced today are as follows:

 • Kevin Boatright has been named associate executive vice chancellor for university relations. Since 1992, he served in university relations with the University of Wisconsin system in Madison, Wis., most recently as assistant vice president.

 • Lynn Bretz has been named director of university relations, with responsibility for news and public issues, graphic design and communication services. She had been interim director since 1999.

 • Linda Luckey has been named assistant to the executive vice chancellor for university relations. Since 1996, she served as assistant to the dean for advancement in the KU College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

 • Margey Frederick has been named director of visitor services and special events. Frederick became KU's first visitor center coordinator in 1998 and later served as associate director for admissions and scholarships. She previously had been a program assistant in the chancellor's office responsible for campus tours.

Bretz, Boatright, Luckey and Frederick report to Janet Murguia, executive vice chancellor for university relations.