I want to bring you up to date on the Regent's budget in the legislature.Ê Basically, our dilemma has not changed.Ê We still face a $1.6 million base budget reallocation to fund the budget's recommendations on salaries, OOE, and step increases.Ê The budget recommends $7.3 million in new expenditures but provides only $5.7 million in new appropriations.
Nevertheless, I feel there is a chance that funds can be found.Most people now understand the problem.I was heartened to see both the Senate Ways and Means Committee and the House Appropriations Committee acknowledge the issue in their reports.
One source of funds which has been discussed, and about which news stories have been written, is a possible return on over-paid FICA taxes in the Regents system.All I can report here is that this possibility is being explored but it is a bit of a long shot, and there are not guarantees it will materialize.It remains a possibility, and if it occurs, we should thank the Governor who authorized the Regents to explore it.
The FICA solution, however, even if obtained would only fix the budget for one year.The base budget deficit would still be there in the 2003 budget if steps are not taken to eliminate it.
I end the legislative part of this report with mention of the superb joint session of Senate Ways and Means and House Appropriations Committees last Monday.Senator Pat Roberts gave an eloquent plea for more funding of Kansas's basic research infrastructure at KU, KSU, and WSU.
I am optimistic that with the leadership of Chairmen Wilk and Morris, with support from Speaker Glasscock, Senate President Kerr, and Governor Graves, there may be a renewed focus on the need to support university research.
Tennis, swimming
Finally, let me add a note about a different kind of budget crisis that has recently been in the news.
The Athletic Director and the Athletic Department recommended to the Athletic Board that Men's Swimming and Men's Tennis be discontinued at KU.The Athletic Board unanimously endorsed the recommendation.
Naturally enough, anyone associated with these sports feels hurt and disappointed, even though everyone's scholarship is guaranteed to graduation. Both sports, particularly swimming, have a long tradition of both classroom and competitive excellence.
In my opinion, this is only secondarily an athletic issue.The primary consideration must be the university's mission.KU's academic mission must always come first, and it must be protected.If the athletic budget is allowed to run a significant deficit, the academic budget will be threatened.Many schools have been forced to bail out their athletic budget with subsidies taken from the academic budget.Athletics are important to KU, but the academic mission is more important.
The athletic department has reached a point where it is ranked 13th nationally in the number of scholarships given.Partly because of these costs, the athletic budget was projecting a million dollar deficit.I asked the Athletic Department to find a solution, and after an extended, difficult process, the Athletic Board recommended the discontinuance.
I don't believe anyone is totally happy with this hard decision, but no one has been able to find an alternative. To privately fund both Men's Tennis and Men's Swimming requires a $12 million endowment, or annual donations of $650,000 per year.Athletic revenues might be increased and the primary way to do so would be increased crowds at football games.Thus far, we have not accomplished that, but I am hopeful that this year will be an exciting season.
I love KU athletics, but I also ask the Athletic Department to accomplish a four-fold mission:
1. Play by the rules, both in recruiting and on the field.
2. Graduate student-athletes.
3. Compete for Conference championships.
4. Live within the Athletic budget.
In order to accomplish these goals any sport we participate in has to have sufficient support to be competitive.I am advised that this is not possible under the current grant-in-aid and expenditure budget spread over 20 sports.This is the reason for the cut to 18 sports, and it is not much fun for anyone.
It is interesting to note that most of the Big XII competes in 18 sports, and a number of schools have even fewer.I wanted you to know the larger issue of the university's mission that lies squarely behind the swimming and tennis decision
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