It’s time for Kansas University officials and a number of Kansas legislators to take off their sparring gloves and come clean with the public about why lawmakers seem determined to stiff-arm the university’s requests for funding of high-priority projects.

Has KU done a poor job of emphasizing the importance of critical projects — to the university and the state — or are lawmakers unable to either understand or believe the seriousness of the requests? Or, possibly, do a number of lawmakers have a chip on their shoulders, don’t like KU and turn a deaf ear to its requests?

Is the current negative climate in the Legislature due to a lack of credibility and confidence in the honesty of KU officials, or is it the result of a long, ineffective effort by KU officials to build a climate of trust, credibility and confidence with Kansas lawmakers?

There could be, and probably are, other reasons, but that’s all past tense. These past differences need to be resolved, but actions earlier this week raise serious concerns.

One KU request was for $2 million to pay for an institute to develop new technologies and drugs in collaboration with pharmaceutical companies. This would be located on the Lawrence campus. The other request was for approval to start construction of a new $75 million to $80 million education building at the KU School of Medicine in Kansas City, Kan. The $2 million request was approved by the House Appropriations Committee on Thursday but was denied earlier in the week by a Senate subcommittee. The Senate Ways and Means Committee, which rejected KU’s medical education building funding this week, is scheduled to consider the $2 million technology institute request on Tuesday.

These requests were presented by senior, highly respected faculty members and administrators, not by professional arm-twisting lobbyists. These individuals knew what they were talking about and knew from firsthand experience the urgency of their requests. They also knew the dire consequences if lawmakers refused to approve the requests.

Apparently, the lawmakers thought the requests were hollow and the possible consequences outlined by KU officials were overstated.

One lawmaker tried to justify his negative actions in a Senate subcommittee saying KU’s enrollment numbers had dropped in recent years. That is accurate, but he also should be told, or know, that even though combined enrollment at KU and the KU Medical Center has dropped by 4.5 percent over the last five years, the number of degrees awarded at those campuses has increased by 13.4 percent! At Kansas State and Wichita State, where enrollment climbed by 4 percent over the past five years, the number of degrees granted climbed by only 7.3 percent.

Enrollment numbers may have been down at KU, but the number of degrees awarded increased — increased by a substantially larger percentage than at KSU and Wichita. Isn’t that evidence of efficiency and a positive payoff for students, the university and the state?

KU deserves better attention from state legislators and better attention and work by the Kansas Board of Regents. Do Kansans want a run-of-the-mill state university or do they want a true flagship institution with national- and world-class programs, faculty members and students? Such an institution would be a powerful asset for the state.

Just because KU has enjoyed a proud national record in past years is no guarantee the school will continue to merit this reputation. Recent actions and attitudes by some legislators could trigger serious negative effects such as KU losing some of its most talented faculty members.

There are a number of such faculty members who receive attractive, better-paying and prestigious job offers from other schools but who have elected to remain at KU. Will the growing negative treatment of KU cause some of these all-stars to make a move?

The actions and attitude of some legislators send a clear message that they do not believe the story presented by KU officials. For one reason or another, they do not like KU, they look upon the school as being elitist, and they may be jealous of KU’s past successes.

At the same time, KU officials have not done a good job of telling KU’s story and promoting its importance to the state. Notre Dame Provost Thomas Burish, a KU graduate, was in Lawrence recently and said “flagship universities” are “disproportionately responsible for educating the people of this country.” He added, “In a demonstrative way, KU represents the best of Kansas and its citizens and enables them to achieve their dreams.”

KU is Kansas’ flagship institution, but do state lawmakers realize or understand the importance of strengthening KU to enable it to become an even greater asset for the state?

Likewise, those serving as regents must do a far better job of being aware of the strengths and weaknesses of KU, as well as the other schools under their supervision. They need to have the courage to take those actions when necessary to help build the excellence of these schools. History shows regents have been in the dark relative to negative situations at KU in the past.

This writer can be accused of being a “homer” and biased in favor of KU. It’s an accurate description, but the fact is KU is not getting the support it deserves from state legislators. They are shortchanging the school and, in turn, handicapping the state. Failure to approve both a $2 million drug development institute on Mount Oread and funding for a new medical education building at the KU School of Medicine are two examples of shortchanging the state.

Do legislators realize that 89 Kansas counties have a shortage of primary care physicians, that Kansas ranks 39th nationally in the number of doctors per capita, that Kansas needs 285 new physicians each year to rise to the national average of physicians per capita by 2030 and that nearly 30 percent of the state’s current physicians will be lost to retirement and attrition over the next 10 years? Perhaps some legislators either don’t believe these figures or don’t see a need to correct these deficiencies.

There is a donor prepared to make a $25 million gift to help fund the new building at the medical school and a sound, realistic plan to finance the building was presented to lawmakers. This didn’t register with a sufficient number of lawmakers, at least one of whom said he didn’t believe the seriousness of the situation and perhaps others who, for one reason or another, just don’t like KU. These actions are sure to hurt KU and the state.

It’s a sad state of affairs. Kansas deserves better.