New KU initiative recognizes community partnerships driving action across Kansas
LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas Office of Community Impact (OCI) has designated seven Community Impact Champions and 19 Community Impact Hubs for 2026, launching a new recognition effort to support community-engaged scholarship and elevate partnerships demonstrating impact and collaboration across Kansas.
OCI promotes collaboration between KU faculty, staff and students with organizations and individuals in communities working together to solve local and global issues through community-academic partnerships. The designations support and uplift that work for continued growth and sustainability.
“The Hubs and Champions initiative recognizes that improving the quality of Kansas is a shared endeavor,” said Nicole Hodges Persley, vice provost for community impact. “These partnerships bring KU’s collective strengths together to expand opportunities and contribute to a stronger Kansas economy.”
This year’s inaugural designees represent a broad network of KU and community partners that span community theaters serving Kansas City to health action teams across Kansas. Although they have different missions, each designee shares a united vision to connect people and positively impact communities.
“Community Impact Hubs and Champions exemplify the collaboration, trust and commitment that sustain community-engaged work and drive meaningful impact through community-university partnerships,” said Jomella Watson-Thompson, associate vice provost for community impact and professor of applied behavioral science at KU.
Designees were nominated by peers across the institution and reviewed through a process led by OCI using criteria grounded in the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification framework, recognizing excellence in community-engaged scholarship, learning, research and service.
KU Community Impact Champions
Community Impact Champions are individuals or groups from KU or the broader community who meaningfully influence Kansas communities and champion opportunities for collaboration with the university. The seven inaugural Community Impact Champions:
- Family Strong Community Collaborative
- KC Melting Pot Theatre
- Leadership Education in Neurodevelopment and Related Disabilities (LEND)
- Multi-Disciplinary Advocates and Researchers Group (MARG)
- Office of Rural Medical Education
- The Commons
- The Department of African & African American Studies
KU Community Impact Champions receive one-time $1,500 support.
KU Community Impact Hubs
KU Community Impact Hubs are groups, coalitions or physical spaces that engage at least five community partners and two or more KU units to advance community impact through sustained community-academic collaboration.
In this inaugural year, OCI focused on hubs affecting health across the state with demonstrable outcomes important to advance and sustain through community-KU partnerships. The 19 inaugural Community Impact Hubs for 2026:
- Kansas County Local Health Equity Action Teams (LHEAT)
- Barton County LHEAT
- Bourbon County LHEAT
- Crawford County LHEAT
- Finney County LHEAT
- Ford County LHEAT
- Geary County LHEAT
- Grant County LHEAT
- Johnson County Frontline Advocates for Community Equity (LHEAT)
- Labette County LHEAT
- Mitchell County RISE
- Montgomery County LHEAT
- RISE Cowley
- Sedgwick County Community Health Action Team (CHAT)
- Seward County LHEAT
- Shawnee County LHEAT
- Thomas/Sherman LHEAT
- Wyandotte County LHEAT
- Wyandotte County Health Department
- Youth Violence Prevention Center- Kansas City
Designated hubs receive $5,000 in support.
Designated Community Impact Hubs and Champions are eligible to apply for a Community Impact Strategic Partnership opportunity with OCI. For more information about the Community Impact Hubs and Champions initiative and the designee cycle, visit the KU Office of Community Impact website.