Edward L. Meyen is a Professor Emeritus of Special Education at the University of Kansas. He began his KU career in 1973 as a professor, then took on various administrative roles from 1978-1996, culminating in his role as Executive Vice Chancellor of the KU Lawrence Campus. He once again returned to the faculty as a professor and later Co-Director of the eLearning Design Lab from 1996 until his retirement in 2015.

Meyen was born in North Platte, Nebraska and raised in Sutherland, Nebraska, moving to Derby, Colorado after his sophomore year of high school. Meyen attended Colorado State College, receiving his BA in Education and MA in Special Education in 1958 and 1959, respectively. He then went on to earn his PhD in Educational Psychology from the University of Iowa in 1968.

Meyen began his career as a special education classroom teacher, quickly moving into roles in the Iowa State Department of Education as project director and coordinator for a series of special projects between 1960-1966 that focused on the provision of education and services for people with disabilities. He then spent two years as an Assistant Professor and Director of Special Education at the University of Iowa before taking a position as an Associate Professor at the University of Missouri. Three years later, he moved to the University of Kansas as Chairman and Professor in the Department of Special Education. In 1978, Meyen began a career in central university administration at KU, beginning with a position as Associate Vice Chancellor for Research, Graduate Studies, and Public Service, moving through other roles that included Dean of the School of Education and finally Executive Vice Chancellor.

In 1997 Meyen returned to a teaching position and became Director of the Online Academy. In 2000, Meyen and his team from the Online Academy launched the eLearning Design Lab (EDL), a center focused on research and development of enhanced learning technology. Meyen remained Co-Director there until his retirement, and continues to work on EDL projects.