University Budget News
It lasted only 90 days, but the 2011 Session of the Kansas Legislature produced an abundance of good outcomes for the University of Kansas.
The Kansas Legislature pulled the plug on the first portion of the 2011 session today, with both chambers putting forth separate budget proposals and agreements on many major items of public policy. They will return the last week of April for the wrap-up session.
The Kansas Legislature has one week left before taking first adjournment of the 2011 Legislative Session. So far, there's not much work product to show for their time in Topeka. For the University of Kansas, the items of prime concern and interest are moving forward and we're optimistic that they'll be enacted or rejected as the case may be.
Chancellor Gray-Little testified about the importance of making investments in academic areas like health and engineering during an appearance before the Senate Ways & Means Subcommittee on Higher Education. She also outlined the research successes at KU that are benefitting the state.
It was a short week for the Kansas Legislature, with lawmakers only in session part of the week as they marked the "half-way" mark. Legislators are now taking a look at bills that the opposite chamber has debated and passed, making amendments and paving the way for conference committees to iron out any differences between the two.
Kansas lawmakers have reached the half-way mark in the 2011 Legislative Session, with a flurry of bills being debated on the floor of the House and Senate. The entire KU legislative agenda has advanced and even key pieces of the university's budget are making progress.
As the State of Kansas continues to grapple with budget shortfalls, this page will compile budget-related news and information of interest to the university. Weekly updates on legislative actions – some of which involve the budget – can also be found at the KU Government Relations page.
Universities directly benefit the economic health and general well-being of Kansas, Chancellor Gray-Little told legislators during a meeting of the House Education Budget Committee. She expressed support for the Governor’s recommended budget and outlined the ways KU can help Kansas return to prosperity.
Kansas Legislators had their first floor debate on spending priorities this week as they worked on the Governor's budget rescission bill (HB 2014) affecting budgets for the remaining five months of this fiscal year, which ends June 30.
The forecast was ice, then snow and then blowing snow with bitter temperatures. That might have led some to cancel appointments and stay home, but not Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little who spent many hours at the Statehouse this week advocating for KU.
There was no shortage of activity this week regarding KU's legislative agenda as lawmakers held hearings on three bills of interest to the university and budget committees in both chambers tackled (in very different approaches) this year's budget rescission bill.
Chairman Gary Sherrer issued a statement expressing the Board of Regents' concerns over a proposal made in the Kansas House to reduce employee salaries during the last six pay periods of FY 2011.
As we start the spring semester I want to invite you to attend the State of the University Address, this Thursday, January 27 at 4 p.m. in Woodruff Auditorium. This event will give us an opportunity to look at the major events of the past year, as well as to talk about the challenges and opportunities facing KU in the coming months.
One of the goals we have for KU is demonstrating the unique and crucial role KU plays in our state and the great return on the state budget investment we deliver.
The 2011 Kansas Legislative session began this week, with changes in nearly every element of state government underway.
Kansas legislators completed their work for the 2010 session this week, adopting an impressive number of policy initiatives and closing the budget gap without further harming funding for education.
The University of Kansas and KU Alumni Association joined with universities, colleges and alumni groups across the state to call on legislators to invest in the state’s future by avoiding further cuts to higher education.
As I wrote to you last month, we have been closely monitoring the budget deliberations in Topeka. One of the key dates in those deliberations has now passed and legislators are set to return to Topeka this Wednesday, so I wanted to update you on the current status of the state budget.
KU has joined with its fellow Regents universities to demonstrate the value of higher education to Kansas students, families and businesses. The opportunities provided by a college education, the educated workers we graduate and the research discoveries we make all enhance the economy and quality of life in Kansas. The attached handout summarizes the message KU is sharing with state leaders.
Chancellor Gray-little updates campus on where the university's budget and other priorities currently stand in the Kansas Legislature.
Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little testified to the House Vision 2020 Committee about the challenges and opportunities facing higher education, and the University of Kansas specifically. While budget cuts have created significant problems, KU is moving forward in areas that will help ensure Kansas is ready for the recovery.
In testimony to the House Education Budget Committee, Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little outlined KU’s positive economic impact, including the 6,000 graduates it educates each year and the 17 active Kansas companies that are based on KU research. She urged committee members to avoid additional cuts that would harm the state’s ability to be ready for an economic recovery.
In written testimony provided to the Senate Ways & Means Subcommittee on Higher Education, Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little outlined how $37.3 million in cuts and unfunded mandates have hampered KU’s ability to provide the educated graduates and research discoveries that will be critical to Kansas’ economic recovery. She urged legislators to avoid additional cuts that would further damage the university’s ability to contribute to the Kansas economy.
Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little testified to the Kansas House Appropriations Committee on how the state's investment in KU is leveraged into significant returns, both in terms of educated graduates and in terms of research discoveries that drive the economy and enhance Kansans' quality of life. She also discussed her priorities as chancellor and outlined some of the effects of recent state budget cuts.
Additional document: Update on deferred maintenance projects provided to the committee
In addition to the beginning of spring classes, this week also marked the start of the 2010 Legislative Session. State leaders face serious budget challenges, but I was gratified to hear Governor Mark Parkinson begin the session on Monday with a strong endorsement of the benefits universities provide to Kansas.
Chancellor Gray-Little recently reported on steps KU has taken to streamline operations and practices to ensure the university is operating in a cost-effective manner. She cited savings from a legislated change in purchasing rules that have already totaled $1.76 million, as well as another $1 million in annual savings through consolidation of library purchases.
KU held its fifth brownbag legislative forum in July to discuss the state budget situation with members of the KU community.
As the State of Kansas has tackled the ongoing budget crisis, one budget-cutting option that has been considered by state policy makers is the furlough.
The University of Kansas has not yet needed to implement a furlough. We do not anticipate needing to do so in the current fiscal year (FY2010), though it does remain a possibility for FY 2011 or beyond if the economy continues to struggle.
On Wednesday at noon in Alderson Auditorium in the Kansas Union, KU’s leadership will hold a budget forum to discuss how the budget crisis is affecting KU, and what they anticipate will happen with the budget for the remainder of FY 2010 and for FY 2011.
Kansas Board of Regents Vice Chairman Gary Sherrer and Regents President and CEO Reggie Robinson spoke with business leaders in Lawrence about the direct connection between an educated workforce and economic growth. They discussed how 22 of the 30 fastest growing occupations in the United States require some sort of post-secondary education, and how budget cuts at universities will have consequences for the economy. Their presentation is available at kansasregents.org.
LAWRENCE- University of Kansas Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little issued the following statement today in response to budget cuts announced earlier by Kansas Gov. Mark Parkinson:
This week, Gov. Mark Parkinson will announce additional allotment cuts to the current budgets of all state agencies, including KU and other Regents institutions. The cuts are due to a $235 million shortfall in state revenues so far this year. It would be the fifth round of cuts in state funding since January 2009. In this message, Interim Provost Danny Anderson describes what governor’s announcement will set into motion on the Lawrence campus and describes the process KU will follow to make the cuts and protect core activities.
As the State of Kansas continues to feel the effects of the national economic downturn, many are wondering how the state budget crisis has affected KU - and what to expect going forward. These FAQs provide answers to a variety of questions about the state budget and KU.
The University of Kansas Medical Center is cutting staff and straining its long-term ability to pay physicians as it deals with state budget cuts. But it's full speed ahead toward its No. 1 priority.
KU Med, the University of Kansas' medical research and teaching arm, has taken a roughly 12 percent cut in state financing - about $14.2 million - within the past year as the state has dealt with plummeting revenue.
The more than $36 million in cuts and unfunded mandates that the University of Kansas has had to make during the state budget crisis will affect students and the Kansas economy, Interim Chancellor Barbara Atkinson told legislators today. She testified to the Legislative Educational Planning Committee during the panel's hearing on the effects state budget cuts are having on K-12 and higher education.
KU held its fourth brownbag legislative forum in July to discuss the state budget situation with members of the KU community.
University of Kansas officials have announced two new technology contracts that will save hundreds of thousands of dollars a year over older information infrastructure purchasing and cable television arrangements.
As you may have read this weekend, the state's new revenue forecast indicates very challenging times ahead for the Kansas economy. This forecast changes the budget situation faced by state agencies and universities.
University of Kansas Chancellor Robert Hemenway issued the following statement in response to legislative passage of a state budget that reduces higher education funding by slightly more than 7 percent for fiscal year 2010.
Like you, I have been closely following the discussions in Topeka regarding the state's budget crisis and how it will impact the University of Kansas.
University of Kansas Chancellor Robert Hemenway today told 125 faculty and staff attending a budget forum that economies and cooperation universitywide will be necessary to protect academic and research functions in the face of a projected $8.4 million cut in state funding this year and an anticipated $19.2 million cut next fiscal year.
On Tuesday, Governor Sebelius issued her recommendations for the current and FY 2010 budget years. We are still analyzing the impact on KU, but clearly the state's poor economic condition has led to budget cuts to higher education.
After saving nearly $7 million through conservation measures taken since 2001, the University of Kansas now is contracting with a firm to find additional energy efficiencies on campus with a particular focus on upcoming deferred maintenance projects.
In September, I wrote to you about a request from the State of Kansas to cut 2 percent from the current Fiscal 2009 budget. The request for cuts came as a worsening economy clouded the state revenue picture.
As every Jayhawk knows, the 2007-08 academic year was filled with victories and accomplishments by our students, faculty and staff.
As you all know, the United States is currently experiencing an economic downturn. While the Kansas economy has benefited from high commodity prices and has not been hit as hard by declining home prices, budget forecasters in Topeka remain concerned about the revenue outlook for state government.
University of Kansas students saved an average of $25 on textbooks for the 2007-08 academic year because of improvements made by KU Bookstores with help from the Textbook Task Force.
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