Director warns
of possible budget cuts
Kansas Board of Regents Executive Director Kim Wilcox updated the regents Thursday on prospects for adoption of their budget request for fiscal year 2001.
Regents are requesting $707.1 million in general use funds, which includes money the regents institutions receive from students' tuition and in money from the state's taxpayers. The amount would maintain programs at their current level of financing.
Most of an increase of $47.3 million over this year is because of increases promised by the Higher Education Coordination Act, which gave the board authority over all of higher education.
The current services budget plus the Higher Education Coordination Act increases are all that can be hoped for, Wilcox told the board last month.
"It's even less optimistic now," he said Thursday.
"There is the very real possibility of budget cuts for the universities," Wilcox said.
If cuts are necessary, they would reduce the overall regents request by up to 6 percent for fiscal year 2001, which begins July 1, 2000.
Wilcox said Gov. Bill Graves remains committed to working for the $707.1 million the board wants.
"The message is they are forecasting income shortfalls," he said. "They are more certain those will happen. They're not sure what their magnitude will be."
The governor's budget office has said the state faces a revenue shortfall of at least $70 million.
Regents looking
for lobbying teammates
The Kansas Board of Regents is looking to work with the Kansas Chamber of Commerce and Industry in lobbying the Legislature next year, when state agencies face possible budget cuts.
Fort Hays State University President Ed Hammond raised the prospect with the board during its meeting Thursday in Pittsburg.
KCCI wants a well-educated work force, Hammond said.
"I hope you just don't approach KCCI to create a stronger lobbying force this fall," said Regent Jack Wempe.
Wempe and Regent Fred Kerr said the regents institutions should look for cooperative opportunities to create educational programs with businesses across the state.
Evolution ripples
over regents
The Kansas Board of Regents find fallout from the Kansas State Board of Education's evolution decision all around them.
Three faculty senates and two student senates have voted to condemn the school board's decision.
The regents Student Advisory Council is considering writing letters to local school boards about the decision.
The leader of the faculty senate presidents' council, Buddy Gray, told the board he was in Germany two weeks ago. He said when he told the Germans he was from Kansas, they asked about one thing -- the evolution decision.
The Carnegie Foundation has told Kansas State University, which is seeking two biology professors, that it will not recommend to young faculty to come to Kansas because high school graduates will be unprepared in science.
Regents asked questions about the individual incidents, but did not take any action.
Former Hayden staffer
to assist board
Sue Peterson, assistant to Kansas State University President Jon Wefald and who served as chief of staff during Gov. Mike Hayden's administration, will be helping the board prepare for the coming legislative session.
Peterson has been at KSU since leaving the Hayden administration in 1989. She is also director of governmental relations at KSU.
Peterson said she has no plans to become the board's permanent legislative liaison.
She is also the chairwoman of a committee searching for a permanent external affairs director for the board.
Peterson said she hopes that position will be filled by Dec. 1.
She earned a bachelor's degree from K-State in 1976 and a master's degree in public administration from Kansas University in 1982.
Board office expanding
Former Department of Education staffers who transferred to the regents' office this summer work out of what's called the regents' "south office."
They might not for long.
Regents Executive Director Kim Wilcox told the board bids are being requested for renovation of offices on the 14th floor of the Security Benefit Building in downtown Topeka.
The offices are across the hall from the regents' main offices.
The former Education Department employees still work out of their offices in the State Education Building, about seven blocks south of the regents' offices.
The "south office" could be closed by the end of the year, Wilcox said.
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