Fred Logan to receive inaugural Chancellor’s Distinguished Service Award

LAWRENCE — A longtime civic leader and higher education supporter is being honored with a new award to be given annually by the University of Kansas.

Fred Logan, a widely respected attorney and Kansas community and government leader, has been named the recipient of the inaugural Chancellor’s Distinguished Service Award for his notable service to KU and higher education.

“Fred Logan has been a tireless civic leader and higher education advocate for decades,” said KU Chancellor Douglas A. Girod. “More specifically, he has been a relentless advocate for KU and played a leadership role in many of our most important civic initiatives, particularly with regard to the KU Cancer Center. On behalf of the entire university, I want to thank him for his service to KU and congratulate him on being the recipient of the inaugural Chancellor’s Distinguished Service Award.”

Logan will be honored at this year’s Commencement ceremony May 14 in Lawrence.

“It has been my honor to serve in various civic roles during my career, and I have especially enjoyed the opportunity to assist the University of Kansas in its mission to educate students, serve Kansas communities and conduct research that improves the world,” Logan said. “My true passion has always been education, and I believe deeply in the power of public research universities like KU to change lives and improve our state. I am honored to be recognized by KU, and I hope this award will inspire others to serve their communities however they can.”

Logan began his career as an attorney in Johnson County and soon became involved in state and local politics. In 1987, he became state chairman of the Kansas Republican Party and went on to fill leadership roles in a number of service organizations throughout the Kansas City region.

In 1992, Logan was appointed to fill a vacancy on the Johnson County Community College Board of Trustees. He was elected by Johnson County voters to a four-year term in 1993 and served as board chair from 1994-97.

In 2008, he chaired the campaign committee for the Johnson County Education and Research Triangle initiative, which resulted in additional funding for the KU Cancer Center, the Kansas State University campus in Olathe and the KU Edwards Campus. He went on to serve on the Kansas Board of Regents from 2011-15 and was board chair from 2013-14.

In more recent years, Logan has served as chair of the Masonic Cancer Alliance Partners Advisory Board and was instrumental in securing additional funding for the KU Cancer Center. He is a member of the advisory board for KU’s Dole Institute of Politics and chaired the search committee that hired the Dole Institute’s new director in 2021. In 2020, he provided leadership in the creation of Kansans for Higher Education, a new Kansas political action committee that supports the state’s higher education institutions.

“Fred’s service to this university — and to higher education more broadly — cannot be overstated,” Girod said. “For as long as I’ve been here, Fred has been a person we could call on for advice or support or to ask him to play a leadership role for an important initiative. His answer is always ‘yes,’ and his leadership always leads to a terrific outcome for the university.”

Learn more about the new Chancellor's Distinguished Service Award.