Take Your Professor to Lunch

KU is a big place, but that doesn't mean you can't get to know your professors. The College of Liberal Arts & Sciences wants to help by paying for you to Take Your Professor to Lunch.

Undergraduate and graduate students who have educational relationships with faculty members outside the classroom are shown to be more successful in their collegiate experiences. You can learn more about opportunities in your field through professors' research and experiences. Plus, professors who know you personally are better able to write recommendations for you and help you in your coursework.

For graduate students, lunch with a professor can be a great way to get to know a potential advisor or begin building the mentoring relationship with a new advisor.

Take Your Professor to Lunch is active during the Fall and Spring semesters, from the first day of classes to Stop Day.

How it Works

1. First, schedule a lunch time with the faculty member you would like to take to lunch (the faculty member must teach in a department or program in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences).
2. Then, fill out the application form at least a week before your scheduled lunch. Only students who are pursuing degrees in College departments or programs are eligible (this includes pre-professional majors, such as pre-law, pre-business, etc., and undecided students).
3. Within a week, you and your professor will receive an e-mail to let you know whether the lunch has been approved. If the lunch is approved, you will receive instructions on when and where to pick up your $30 lunch voucher. The voucher covers the student’s and professor’s meals and may be redeemed only at The Underground, The Market or the Crimson Café. Any amount over $30 is a personal expense.

Frequent Questions

• Groups: Students can go to lunch with a professor in a group, but the group can not exceed three students. Each student’s information must be included in the form below. Once approved, one student will receive a $30 voucher to cover one student’s lunch and the professor’s lunch; the other students will receive a $15.00 voucher each to cover their meals.
• Once per year: Students may participate in the Take Your Professor to Lunch program only once per academic year, no matter whether the student dines one-on-one with the professor or as part of a group. Requests are accepted from the first day of classes through Stop Day in the fall and spring semesters.
• Further Questions: If you have any questions about the program, how it works, or the status of your request, please contact Melinda Robinson at lyndjo@ku.edu or 785-864-7859.