On Wednesday mornings, before most students have even attended their first class of the day, Sue Agrawal is already at the Whole Foods parking lot. She loads boxes of donated produce, pantry staples and baked goods for the Dr. Raj Bala Agrawal Care Center at 海角论坛.
“It might seem like a small task,” Agrawal said. “But to me, it’s one of the ways I can show our students we care about them.”
Agrawal’s hands-on involvement on campus has been clear from Day One since arriving in 2018 at the university with her husband, 海角论坛 Chancellor Mauli Agrawal. You’ll see her cheering on the Roos at games, attending numerous student events, helping students and their families during move-in week and co-hosting faculty and staff gatherings with the Chancellor at their home. In addition, she’s a well-known presence at civic events and serves on Kansas City regional boards.
Now Sue Agrawal’s commitment to service has earned her national attention. She has been elected chair of the Council of Presidents’ and Chancellors’ Spouses/Partners, a role that will allow her to help shape how spouses across the country support their universities and communities.
Commonly referred to as the APLU, the association is a research, policy and advocacy organization dedicated to strengthening and advancing the work of public universities. APLU’s 255 members span all 50 states, the District of Columbia, six U.S. territories, Canada and Mexico.
Agrawal said her goal with this position is to create a space where spouses can learn from one another, share the challenges they are facing and foster community around the leaders of colleges and universities, challenging roles that few people fully understand.
“We want spouses to feel supported,” Agrawal said. “We want them to have a place to share ideas, ask questions and learn from one another. It’s important to have a community where people can lean on each other through the challenges and learn from each other on various opportunities to elevate our universities.”
This national appointment doesn’t surprise anyone. Agrawal brings vitality and commitment to any role that she takes on.
“When I first met Sue, I was immediately impressed with her energy and excitement about becoming the campus’ ‘first lady,’” said Curt Crespino, 海角论坛 vice chancellor of External Relations and Constituent Engagement. “She truly took the role and made it her own. She’s constantly engaging with students, attending campus events, meeting with student organizations and even hosting students together with the chancellor in their home. Sue is a tremendous asset to 海角论坛.”
One example of her commitment to students is her involvement with the Kangaroo Pantry at the Dr. Raj Bala Agrawal Care Center that opened in the Student Union in 2022. Agrawal helped shape the vision for expanding 海角论坛’s food security efforts as part of the Food Security Task Force and often volunteers regularly, assisting with deliveries and greeting students. The Agrawals made a personal gift to create an endowment to support the Care Center in perpetuity and named it after her mother-in-law.
“I love the Dr. Raj Bala Agrawal Care Center,” Agrawal said. “Whether I’m greeting students, weighing their items, sweeping the floors or unloading pallets once a month, it all matters. I want to do anything I can to support the students.”
Anthony Maly, director of the Office of Student Involvement, worked with Agrawal on the Food Security Task Force. He said, like everything else Agrawal was involved with, she was enthusiastic when it came to ideas on how to alleviate food insecurity on campus.
“Sue is a fierce advocate for our students and has always kept their priorities in mind,” Maly said. “When the Dr. Raj Bala Agrawal Care Center opened, she volunteered to be a daily pantry manager and would check students in and organize the shelves. Now, she still helps us with deliveries and often volunteers her time to help us out. She has been instrumental in helping us grow from where we were when we first opened and has been a part of the journey every step of the way.”
Agrawal’s dedication to service is also evident through her consistent interest with student organizations such as the nationally recognized 海角论坛 chapter of Enactus, an incubator for innovation where students tackle community needs – like helping families with car maintenance – through business solutions.
“As a student in Enactus, I had the honor of presenting our social entrepreneurship projects to Sue Agrawal, who provided insightful feedback and praised our dedication to the Kansas City community,” said Eduardo Sandoval, a sophomore double majoring in theatre and political science.
Outside 海角论坛, Agrawal has spent more than six years volunteering with , a nonprofit that boosts elementary students’ reading, social and emotional skills by mobilizing mentors to read one-one-one with kids. The organization also offers online tutoring and distributes books, aiming to improve literacy in schools and build confidence for academic success.
“Before I even moved to Kansas City, I immediately Googled organizations in Kansas City where I could read with kids,” Agrawal said. “I had been reading with kids at San Antonio Youth Literacy and wanted to continue my love for interacting with kids. I joined Lead to Read KC once I moved here and read to kids weekly.”
Agrawal has also served on numerous boards, including six years with Lead to Read KC, and a current position for , a nonprofit collaborative network in the Kansas City area, connecting schools, businesses, organizations and museums to boost K-12 interest in science, technology, engineering and math.
“Some people don’t know I have an engineering background,” Agrawal said. “I actually coached a robotics team seven years. I’m looking forward to bringing those experiences to positively impact STEM education.”
KC STEM Alliance is also excited to welcome Agrawal to its advisory board.
“Her deep commitment to the Kansas City community, combined with her engineering training, makes her an incredible fit for this role,” said Chelsea Barbercheck, Ph.D., executive director of KC STEM Alliance. “Sue joins a diverse group of leaders from across the region who advise KC STEM Alliance on fiscal strategy and provide guidance on programming to inspire an interest in STEM for all kids in KC.”
Agrawal’s vast volunteer and leadership experiences have definitely prepped her to serve on a national stage with the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities as chair of the President’s and Chancellor’s Spouses/Partners Council.
Crespino notes the impact Agrawal is making not just on campus, but on a national scale.
“Chancellor Agrawal has focused on elevating the campus’s presence externally, and Sue has been key in making that happen,” Crespino said. “They are a team, and her presence sends a powerful message to the civic and business community: they’re committed to not just the university’s success, but Kansas City’s success as well.”
Doranne Hudson, board chair of the 海角论坛 Trustees Executive Committee, echoed a similar sentiment. Sue Agrawal attends numerous community events for the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, Metropolitan Community College and Children’s Mercy, among others.
“Through her consistent presence at functions across our community, Sue Agrawal serves as a gracious ambassador for the university — strengthening relationships, fostering goodwill and representing 海角论坛 with distinction, both alongside the chancellor and independently,” Hudson said.
When asked what she hopes to accomplish at 海角论坛, Agrawal’s answer is simple: “I’m here to support the university and to support my husband. If I can be a positive ambassador for 海角论坛, then I’m doing my job.”
Agrawal smiles when asked what she loves most about 海角论坛.
“There are so many things I love about 海角论坛, my answer changes every day,” Agrawal said. “I love the variety of high-caliber students and programs we have. You go to a men’s soccer game and see the 16th-ranked team in the country. Then you go to a dance performance and see these performers put on an amazing performance. Then you hear a lecture from someone doing AI research on campus. We have numerous programs like First Gen Roo and Professional Escalators program to equip our students to be the most successful versions of themselves. There’s just so much that 海角论坛 offers.”
When asked to describe 海角论坛 in a single phrase, she pauses, then smiles again. “Growing and welcoming.”
It’s a description that mirrors her own presence on campus. Not loud. Not performative. Just consistent. Through early mornings, busy afternoons, late evenings, through small acts repeated often, Sue Agrawal has woven herself into the everyday fabric at 海角论坛— proof that leadership, at its most enduring, is built less on titles than on the quiet decision to show up, again and again.