Universities across the nation designate many different titles for their head administrative position. At the University of Kansas, Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little fills this position. Gray-Little has been the Chancellor at the University of Kansas since the start of the 2009 school year. Her home, however, is North Carolina, where she served as a faculty member, a dean, and the Provost at the University of North Carolina before accepting the position at the University of Kansas. Her arrival at the University of Kansas as the 17th Chancellor is significant in that she is both the first female Chancellor and first African-American Chancellor.
While at KU, she has focused on advancing KU’s mission of lifting students and society far above by educating leaders, building healthy communities, and making discoveries that change the world.
On Tuesday Sept. 23, the Chancellor visited KU Hillel’s Beren NextGen Leadership class to speak to more than fifty student leaders about her recent trip to Israel this summer her views on leadership. This is the second time the chancellor has visited KU Hillel.
Gray-Little started by saying, “I think it’s really exciting we have an organization like KU Hillel.” She then described the time she spent in Israel where she visited: Jerusalem, Tel-Aviv, the Golan Heights and The Dead Sea. In particular, she said her time in Jerusalem gave her a “sense of this place in history.”
She continued to explain how the recent conflicts that erupted shortly after she visited gave her an appreciation for “the smallness and why things are so interconnected [in Israel].
“This was a very enriching and important trip for me,” she said. “One of the recurring themes in the trip was how to resolve conflicting clause and priorities between people or in a society.
She then proceeded to speak about leadership and how she feels it can be found in many different places.
“If you are in a leadership position with different values, you need to know what you stand for and a way to maintain your personal integrity,” she advised KU Hillel students.
She then opened the floor for questions. Brian London, KU junior, began by asking what Gray-Little’s best moment has been as a leader of KU.
“Finding ways to support our faculty and students to be excellent at what they do, that’s what has been the most enjoyable thing,” the Chancellor responded.
Hannah Caplan, KU junior, asked the Chancellor how she would advise students post college to “step up” in leadership positions.
“I think taking opportunities wherever you are, taking on additional challenges,” she replied. “Regardless of the position that you have you can show leadership in that position and you have to believe that you’re good enough to do it.”
After a 45-minute question and answer about leadership, Evan Traylor, KU junior, closed the discussion by presenting the chancellor with a small gift in light of the Rosh Hashanah holiday.
While at KU, she has focused on advancing KU’s mission of lifting students and society far above by educating leaders, building healthy communities, and making discoveries that change the world.
On Tuesday Sept. 23, the Chancellor visited KU Hillel’s Beren NextGen Leadership class to speak to more than fifty student leaders about her recent trip to Israel this summer her views on leadership. This is the second time the chancellor has visited KU Hillel.
Gray-Little started by saying, “I think it’s really exciting we have an organization like KU Hillel.” She then described the time she spent in Israel where she visited: Jerusalem, Tel-Aviv, the Golan Heights and The Dead Sea. In particular, she said her time in Jerusalem gave her a “sense of this place in history.”
She continued to explain how the recent conflicts that erupted shortly after she visited gave her an appreciation for “the smallness and why things are so interconnected [in Israel].
“This was a very enriching and important trip for me,” she said. “One of the recurring themes in the trip was how to resolve conflicting clause and priorities between people or in a society.
She then proceeded to speak about leadership and how she feels it can be found in many different places.
“If you are in a leadership position with different values, you need to know what you stand for and a way to maintain your personal integrity,” she advised KU Hillel students.
She then opened the floor for questions. Brian London, KU junior, began by asking what Gray-Little’s best moment has been as a leader of KU.
“Finding ways to support our faculty and students to be excellent at what they do, that’s what has been the most enjoyable thing,” the Chancellor responded.
Hannah Caplan, KU junior, asked the Chancellor how she would advise students post college to “step up” in leadership positions.
“I think taking opportunities wherever you are, taking on additional challenges,” she replied. “Regardless of the position that you have you can show leadership in that position and you have to believe that you’re good enough to do it.”
After a 45-minute question and answer about leadership, Evan Traylor, KU junior, closed the discussion by presenting the chancellor with a small gift in light of the Rosh Hashanah holiday.
Zahava Davis, KU sophomore, felt that the chancellor’s visit to KU Hillel was extremely important. “The Beren NextGen Leadership Class is all about being leaders in the community and the Chancellor is the epitome of a leader in the KU community. She is a role model for the types of things we should be striving to do.”
RSS Feed
