Getting by with a little help from our friends

KU research administration community | March 2020

Across the University of Kansas, people are rising to new challenges every day as we navigate a world and workplace jarred by the 2019 novel coronavirus. The research administration community is no exception.
 
Staff powering every facet of research administration have been working tirelessly to support KU’s research mission during this unprecedented time:

• Beyond sustaining their normal level of service to KU researchers and scholars, they have become overnight experts on new policies and procedures and provided related guidance to their customers.
   
• They have kept deadline-sensitive projects on track in the midst of moving their workstations home with little advance notice.
   
• They have carried computer equipment for colleagues and offered peer tutorials on telework resources like Skype, Zoom and Microsoft Teams.
   
• They have checked in on one another to keep morale high – even organizing virtual social events where teams can see each other’s remote work setups, meet pets and children, and bond over new, shared realities.
   
• Building managers have left no stone unturned to ensure everyone has the resources they need to work remotely, and custodial crews have shown incredible care in adding extra cleaning practices to optimize community health and safety.

So rather than single out one individual as the Unsung Hero for March 2020 – which feels, to many, like the longest month in recorded history – we want to acknowledge the entire research administration community. Thank you for supporting one another and this university while quickly adapting to change.