To the editor:

Your May 20 editorial (“No Veto”) clearly identifies the damage that may result from the unfortunate dispute between the Kansas University Hospital and KU Medical Center regarding the proposed affiliation of the medical center with St. Luke’s Hospital. Regardless of the merits of the arguments presented by both parties, this dispute clearly reveals the profound failure of the Kansas Board of Regents to exercise its constitutional responsibilities regarding the coordination of higher education programs in the state of Kansas. Because of the inability of the regents to mediate and resolve this issue, the Legislature and governor have been forced to act in a situation that should have been handled by higher education officials.

This is not the only area in which the regents have shown weakness and ineffectiveness. In my opinion, Kansas needs to place the Board of Regents under the authority of a professional higher education CEO, as has been accomplished in other states, such as Oklahoma. A chancellor of higher education with the appropriate credentials and experience would have reviewed and resolved the KU Hospital and medical center dilemma before it reached the current point of damaging both institutions.

This most unfortunate situation should call us into action to correct an obvious deficiency in Kansas higher education administration.

George M. Brenner,

Lawrence