Description

The University of Kansas seeks an inclusive, collaborative and innovative leader to serve as vice chancellor for strategic communications and public affairs. Reporting directly to Chancellor Douglas A. Girod, this reimagined chief communications and marketing officer role will take the university's storytelling to a new level of inspiration, promote a differentiated brand through carefully constructed campaigns, and increase audience and community engagement. The vice chancellor serves as a key member of the chancellor's leadership team and works closely with the provost and the executive vice chancellor for the Lawrence Campus and the executive vice chancellor for the KU Medical Center developing and carrying out a strategic communications agenda that advances the university's status and aspirations, both internally and externally.  

The University of Kansas (KU) is the state’s flagship university, an R1 institution and member of the prestigious Association of American Universities. KU has five campuses to include the Lawrence campus, the Edwards Campus in Overland Park, and medical branches in Kansas City, Wichita, and Salina. KU’s residential campus is located on beautiful and historic Mt. Oread in Lawrence, Kansas, and offers programs at eight other locations across the state as well as online through Jayhawk Global. Home to nearly 100,000 residents, Lawrence is a vibrant and culturally-rich community and quintessential college town - just 45 minutes west of Kansas City and 30 minutes east of Topeka, the state capital. 

The vice chancellor will serve the marketing, communications and public affairs needs of the flagship's comprehensive enterprise with responsibility for primary internal and external communications and the integration of messages across all KU campuses, affiliates and partners. To this end, a key priority is to align university resources and communications strategies supporting and achieving leadership’s strategic objectives at the international, national, state and local levels. The vice chancellor integrates communications, strategic messaging and outreach to enhance coordination among those areas and to elevate the university's reputation and presence across all key constituencies, including the media, alumni, donors, policy makers, opinion leaders, community-based organizations and the business community. 

The vice chancellor must be a strategic thinker as well as media-savvy, and have a proven track record of leading an innovative, proactive and effective communications and marketing division that advanced an institution’s or organization’s brand and position in the marketplace. The vice chancellor will have thorough knowledge of marketing and communications best practices, brand and reputation management, public relations, crisis communications, creative development and new program marketing. The ability to communicate effectively with diverse audiences with proven success in developing traditional and digital multi-channel/multi-segmented messaging is essential. 

The vice chancellor will be an executive with humility and respect. A courageous and collaborative leader with a record of support and advocacy for individuals from diverse identities, histories, backgrounds and experiences is paramount. A Master's or professional degree is required. Preferably, the vice chancellor will begin the appointment no later than mid-September 2022.  

All applications, nominations and inquiries are invited. Applications should include, as separate documents, a resume and a letter of interest addressing the themes in the profile, available at www.wittkieffer.com.

WittKieffer is assisting the University of Kansas in this search. For fullest consideration, candidate materials should be received by Friday, July 8, 2022. Preferably, the vice chancellor will begin the appointment no later than mid-September 2022.

Nominations and inquiries can be directed to:

Melissa Fincher, Bree Liddell and Jenna Brumleve
KUStrategicCommPublicAffairs@wittkieffer.com

The University of Kansas prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, ancestry, disability, status as a veteran, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, gender identity, gender expression, and genetic information in the University's programs and activities. Retaliation is also prohibited by university policy. The following persons have been designated to handle inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies and are the Title IX coordinators for their respective campuses: Director of the Office of Civil Rights & Title IX, civilrights@ku.edu, Room 1082, Dole Human Development Center, 1000 Sunnyside Avenue, Lawrence, KS 66045, 785-864-6414, 711 TTY (for the Lawrence, Edwards, Parsons, Yoder, and Topeka campuses); Director, Equal Opportunity Office, Mail Stop 7004, 4330 Shawnee Mission Parkway, Fairway, KS 66205, 913-588-8011, 711 TTY (for the Wichita, Salina, and Kansas City, Kansas medical center campuses).