A new football complex. A possible injection of state funds to fix old buildings. And a plan for predictable tuition rates.

The 30,000-student Kansas University starts the new year with a myriad of projects on the front burners.

“We’re in a situation where we’ve got the highest enrollment that we’ve ever had,” Chancellor Robert Hemenway said. “We’ve got the best freshman class that we’ve ever had, judging by standardized test scores. We’re in a position where KU has a lot of things going well for it. We want to make sure we maintain that progress.”

Fixing buildings

Facility maintenance is an issue that’s been on the table for years, waiting for some action. And many seem optimistic that this could be the year.

“I honestly do believe that this will be the year that the Legislature will address deferred maintenance,” said Janie Perkins, a member of the Kansas Board of Regents. “This is something that has needed some attention for quite some time. The only way we’re going to do it is by starting a little bit at a time.”

University officials say the state has not kept up with its duty to maintain the state-owned buildings on Regents campuses. And the lack of support has given rise to a backlog of more than $700 million in needed repairs, according to the Regents. The backlog includes more than $208 million for KU and nearly $76 million for Kansas University Medical Center.

Gov. Kathleen Sebelius has promised to address the issue in the upcoming legislative session, which begins Jan. 8. Her announcement encouraged university officials.

Partnerships, tuition, students

KU watchers should be on the lookout for further developments in the ongoing negotiations between KU Medical Center and KU Hospital and other hospitals in the region, including St. Luke’s. Hemenway said the ongoing talks will be a key area of focus for the university.

“I’d say that the major item that will be facing us in the first part of the year is the discussions about affiliations with hospitals in the region – both for the cancer initiative as well as the affiliation discussions that we’ve had with Kansas City region hospitals.”

KU is seeking National Cancer Institute designation for a cancer center, a move that would open KU to new funding and make cutting-edge treatments available to area patients.

With those efforts under way, KUMC has been exploring new alliances with Kansas City hospitals. KU Hospital, the primary teaching hospital for KUMC, has voiced concerns that the new partnerships could be bad for its business. And the hospital has proposed a $400 million new affiliation agreement with the hospital to remain the primary teaching hospital for KU and to be the lead clinical facility for the National Cancer Institute designation.

Representatives of all sides reported their progress to state legislators this month. KUMC and KU Hospital at that time said both entities would continue negotiating.

“They’re ongoing,” KUMC public affairs director Amy Jordan Wooden said of negotiations. “Change is difficult, and these are really, really complicated conversations that involve lots of moving parts. … We remain very optimistic that we will reach an agreement.”

Hemenway said: “What we’re looking for is a win-win situation for everyone involved.”

In other efforts, KU is expected to take a new “guaranteed tuition” plan to the Board of Regents this spring. Under the plan, undergraduates would have a set tuition rate for four years.

Supporters say the key is predictability.

“It’s a good thing overall for students,” said Ian Staples, a student and legislative director for the student senate. “It allows students, especially students who have to work, to know what they have to pay every year. There are no surprises.”

Transportation, construction

There will be more ways to go to and from KU’s Edwards Campus in Overland Park when classes begin for the spring semester. Johnson County Transit is launching a year-long test run of a commuter bus service linking KU’s Lawrence campus, Haskell Indian Nations University, Johnson County Community College and KU’s Edwards campus.

Beginning Jan. 17, the service will run from 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Friday. A one-way trip costs $2.50.

“We’ve certainly been receiving e-mails from students and faculty and staff,” said Susan Holt, assistant dean of personnel and business services for the Edwards Campus. “They all seem to feel like this is something they’ve waited for, and they’re all delighted.”

Holt said the service should be convenient for many, including international students who may not otherwise have transportation to commute back and forth.

Also in the new year, KU either will begin, continue or complete several major construction projects, including:

¢ The $57 million Kansas Life Sciences Innovation Center on the KUMC campus is expected to host a ribbon cutting Jan. 23.

¢ The $31 million Anderson Family Football complex is set to be completed for a July 2008 opening.

¢ The $16 million third and final phase of the Structural Biology Center on West Campus. The 45,000-square-foot addition is under construction and expected to be completed in December 2007.

¢ A $6.3 million addition to the Student Recreation Fitness Center, which will include four new basketball courts, racquetball courts, and an indoor track. Construction is expected to begin in March.

¢ The $4.5 million Multicultural Resource Center, which was delayed as KU officials worked to get the right design, is under construction and expected to be completed in August.

¢ The $3.5 million, 24,000-square-foot addition to Wescoe Hall has been under construction and is expected to be finished in March.

¢ An $850,000, 600-square-foot addition to Danforth Chapel is expected to begin in March and be completed by the start of the fall 2007 term.

¢ A remodeling project to the main level of Spooner Hall. The work is expected to begin in the spring and cost $360,000.

¢ KUMC executive vice chancellor Barbara Atkinson hopes to break ground in the new year on a new ambulatory care building. It would be a $60 million project.