The University of Kansas is home to the state's only school of medicine. Not only is the University of Kansas Medical Center training doctors and nurses to practice medicine across Kansas, it conducts invaluable medical research to treat and cure diseases that impact Kansans.
The Medical Center strives to ensure that Kansans have access to high-quality health care. For more than 50 years, the preceptorship program has enabled third- and fourth-year medical students to work in hospitals and doctors' offices across Kansas, getting valuable training as well as identifying opportunities for work after they become doctors.
More than 142,000 KU alumni live and work in Kansas. KU's contributions to Kansas communities and quality of life are made by alumni in many important job sectors. The state's professional ranks, for instance, are enhanced by the presence of:
Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center
KU serves Kansas through the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center, which is part of the School of Continuing Education. KLETC directly trains the overwhelming majority of municipal, county and state law enforcement officers in Kansas and oversees, supervises and monitors the training of the remaining officers at seven authorized and certified academy programs operated by local law enforcement agencies and the Kansas Highway Patrol.
KLETC trains almost 300 new officers annually in basic training programs, and last year the KLETC afforded continuing education and specialized training to more than 2,500 Kansas officers at KLETC, as well as across our state at other training sites.
Kansas Geological Survey
The Kansas Geological Survey, operated by The University of Kansas in connection with its research and service program, conducts studies and research regarding water, oil and gas, geology and geophysics. The Kansas Geological Survey works in all 105 Kansas counties collecting, correlating and preserving information leading to a better understanding of the geology of Kansas, with special emphasis on natural resources of economic value, water quality and quantity, and geologic hazards.
Research at the University of Kansas has major implications for regional and statewide economic development. Externally funded research expenditures at KU have grown by 115 percent since Fiscal Year 1995, reaching $182 million in FY 2004. Few sectors of the Kansas economy can rival this performance. About 85 percent of these expenditures came from federal agencies in FY 2004. The $155 million in federal dollars brought into the state were dollars that would not otherwise have contributed to the state's economy. Each dollar spent directly on research will also circulate through the state's economy, indirectly generating additional income and employment. For instance, $15 million was paid to students from externally funded programs in FY 2004.
Basic university research may sometimes result in discoveries with commercial potential. Transferring technologies from research laboratories to the marketplace can have significant economic impacts. As of May of FY 2005, KU was reporting 33 invention disclosures, 38 patents pending, 54 active patents, 22 active licenses, 13 equity positions and 17 active start-up companies.
According to MIT economist Lester Thurow, the rate of return on public spending for research is nearly three times the rate for private industry. Says Thurow, "Put simply, the payoff from social investment in basic research is as clear as anything is ever going to be in economics." The links provided below provide specific examples of KU research contributions to Kansas economic development.
KU researchers strive every day to improve the physical and mental health of Kansas children.
KU's Life Span Institute provides key resources for Kansans of all ages who have special needs for assistive technology. A related program helps farmers who have disabilities or who need assistive devices to continue farming.
The University of Kansas, the Kansas Geological Survey and the U.S. Department of Energy are collaborating on the Tertiary Oil Recovery Project, which helps oil producers in western Kansas develop new ways to extract oil from the earth. One of these methods is carbon dioxide flooding, an effective and safe method for getting the most oil possible out of a field.
The KU School of Education's Institute for Educational Research and Public Service helps Kansas K-12 schools improve education and instruction. The institute provides assistance to Kansas schools and school districts. Support for students comes in the form of need- and merit-based support for students and research assistantships for graduate students. The institute can help faculty, school districts and communities with all aspects of the grant process, from finding suitable funding sources to evaluating the grant work in an accurate and appropriate manner.
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