Monday messages

December 17, 2003

Holiday Message

The holidays encourage us to count our blessings, and this last year has been bountiful for KU. As we exchange presents and relax with family, it is worth pausing for a moment to remember 2003. Such a pause has the added benefit of revealing why we take such pride in KU.

KU today has its highest enrollment in history--29,272--and there are more minority students in that number than ever before.

Academically, KU has never been stronger. Over 400 National Merit Scholars now study at KU, and our graduating students have been more successful than everat obtaining graduate fellowships, professional school admissions, medical residencies, and meaningful employment.

KU's faculty continue to demonstrate that we are home to some of the smartest, most creative, competitive faculty in the world. KU faculty in the Humanities and Social Sciences have again published prize-winning books and articles and secured prestigious national fellowships. Bala Subramaniam, Daryle Busch, and their Science and Engineering colleagues have been awarded the largest grant in KU history, $17.5M from the National Science Foundation for KU's Engineering Research Center.

Joan Hunt, Gunda George, Bill Narayan, Eli Michaelis, Dale Abrahamson, Jeff Aube, and many, many others, have secured over $50 million for Life Sciences research, contributing to KU's rise to 29th among public universities in federal funding in the Life Sciences. In recognition of this capability, the state of Kansas has funded construction of a Bio-Medical Research Building at the KU Medical Center, and a structural Biology Center on the Lawrence campus.

Our faculty and staff commitment to public service has been well symbolized this year by the success of the Dole Institute. Not only was the Institute's dedication in July a national event, attended by Governor Sebelius, Rudy Giuliani, Condoleezza Rice, Jimmy Carter, George McGovern, Senator McCain, Senator Bennett, and both Senators Dole, but the Institute itself-committed to the ideals of public service exemplified by Bob Dole-has become a statewide symbol for politics dedicated to making life better for all citizens.

Our student-athletes have had their greatest level of success since joining the Big XII, with the basketball team ranked high again following a Final Four season,the volleyball and soccer teams getting NCAA Tournament bids, and the football team going to the Tangerine Bowl, under Coach Mark Mangino's leadership. The swimming team was recently nationally ranked, and the track and field team competed successfully in the 2003 NCAA Championships.

All of this success on the field has been reflected in the classroom as well, where KU student-athletes had a 62% graduation rate, higher than that of the general student body.

Such successes should remind all of us of how quickly KU renews itself. A few months ago we went through the turmoil of personnel changes in the athletic department. We were able to hire Bill Self and Lew Perkins in that process, and their success speaks for itself. KU Athletics, like the University as a whole, have never been better.

Two years ago the KU Endowment Association challenged all of us with the largest fundraising goal in KU history, $500 million as part of a capital campaign called "KU First: Invest in Excellence." We reached that goal a year ahead of schedule, in November 2003, primarily because KU donors liked the work faculty and staff are doing and the direction the University is going. We are not done with this campaign, but it has had impressive success.

Forty-five new endowments for professorships have been established (with pledges for fourteen more) and $92 million has been given for new buildings on KU campuses. I am impressed, time and again, by how generous KU donors are to the University, and I am especially proud of faculty and staff support for KU First. Over 2000 of you have contributed.

The paradox here is that KU has entered the most successful period in its history at the same time that the state budget has been depleted. This poses the greatest threat to our continued success.

Looking ahead, finances are the only dark cloud on the horizon, which is why we have been pushing so hard in Topeka for faculty and staff salary increases. We are a people-driven enterprise, and we must find a way to fairly compensate loyal KU faculty and staff.

Two years ago, at the request of the Regents, KU submitted a five year tuition plan designed to improve KU and take it to the median level of funding of its peers. The first two years of this plan have been implemented with great success, and there is no question that these funds have enabled us to maintain KU's quality in the face of the loss of $27 million in state funding over the past two years. Using 20% of the tuition increase to support the most needy students has enabled KU to maintain the same student profile as in the past, while investing in on-line enrollment, new faculty, computer technology, student wages, graduate teaching assistant stipends, and other enhancements. Students have worked closely with the administration to ensure that tuition dollars result in qualitative improvements.

As we look at KU's future everything seems in place for a period of exceptional enrichment and growth. We are well along in our effort to establish KU as one of the 25 best public universities in America. The only thing that could hold us back would be a lack of state funding.

As 2004 begins and state officials struggle to respond to the state's needs, don't let higher education be forgotten. The only thing that could keep KU from achieving its goals would be for the State of Kansas to renege on its responsibility to be a contributing partner to a better university.

A successful public research university depends upon five key sources of human and fiscal capital:
1. A university administration acting frugally
2. Students paying appropriate tuition
3. Faculty and staff working at high productivity
4. Faculty and staff winning research grants and contracts
5. The state supplying base funding for the university

Together, this coalition between students, faculty, staff, administration and legislators can do wonders, as 2003 proves. If the partnership fails in 2004, we all have much to lose, especially the people of Kansas.

Bob Hemenway
Chancellor