| Del Shankel | |
| Interim Chancellor of the University of Kansas | |
| Term Start: | 1994 |
| Term End: | 1995 |
| Predecessor: | Gene Budig |
| Successor: | Robert Hemenway |
| Term Start2: | 1980 |
| Term End2: | 1981 |
| Predecessor2: | Archie Dykes |
| Successor2: | Gene Budig |
| Birth Date: | 4 August 1927 |
| Birth Place: | Plainview, Nebraska, U.S. |
| Death Place: | Lawrence, Kansas |
| Alma Mater: | Walla Walla College University of Texas |
| Spouse: | Carol Shankel |
| Children: | 3 |
Delbert Merrill Shankel (August 4, 1927 – July 12, 2018) was an American microbiologist and academic administrator. He served as the interim chancellor of the University of Kansas in 1994. Shankel, a microbiologist, was educated at Walla Walla College and University of Texas (PhD in Bacteriology and Biochemistry, 1959). He started teaching at the University of Kansas' Department of Microbiology in 1959. He retired in 1996 and was named professor and chancellor emeritus[1] [2] Shankel died on July 12, 2018.