KU works for Kansas through its mission of educating our state’s future leaders, conducting cutting-edge research and providing services that benefit all Kansans.
We look forward to working with Governor Sebelius, the Kansas Legislature, and the Kansas Board of Regents to undertake initiatives that allow KU to further its mission.
Kansas is facing a shortage of math and science teachers, which is why KU is seeking state support for UKanTeach, an innovative effort that will allow students majoring in math and science to earn their degrees and teaching certifications in four years. This program is projected to double the number of math and science teachers graduating from KU – meaning 50 new teachers in the classroom each year.
KU is also educating the students who will become tomorrow’s leaders in a range of industries and fields. That’s why KU is seeking additional targeted state support for efforts to produce the engineers, health care providers, business people and other high-tech professionals our economy needs to grow. Additionally, to carry out our mission we support the Regents requested operating grant increase. KU has recently created a Four-Year Tuition Compact to help bring families predictability when it comes to the cost of college; but to ensure that tuition remains affordable and to meet the workforce needs of the Kansas economy, an increase in the KU operating grant is needed.
The fight against cancer remains KU’s top research priority and we seek to continue the state’s annual investment in the drive to obtain National Cancer Institute designation for our comprehensive cancer center. This will make new treatments available to the nearly 13,000 Kansans diagnosed with cancer each year.
Kansas faces a severe pharmacist shortage with six counties having no pharmacy and another 30 have only one. Even more startling is the advancing age of our pharmacists, where in several areas the average age is 59 years. This shortage places an incredible burden on patients and the pharmacists who serve them. KU is the only university in the state with a school of pharmacy and by expanding our facilities in Wichita and Lawrence, we can nearly double the number of pharmacists graduating each year and help address this shortfall.
The health of Kansans can also be enhanced through standardized insurance reimbursement for telemedicine, which will also reduce confusion among Kansas health consumers and providers. The University also supports efforts to increase funding for graduate medical education occurring in Wichita. Training primary care doctors is of critical importance.
The condition of university buildings and infrastructure remains a concern. The investment made by the governor and Legislature in 2007 is being put to good use making repairs to mission-critical infrastructure at KU facilities. But as Governor Sebelius stated at the time, that investment is only a down payment and we still have a long way to go until the maintenance backlog is eliminated.
A related issue is our ability to undertake construction projects with non-state funds, and we’ll again be asking legislators to ease the restrictions that currently require such projects to be approved through the capital budgeting process. Eliminating this delay will speed construction, reducing construction costs.
Talented faculty and staff make it possible to provide the best education to our students. New, talented faculty members can be recruited if the cap on the Kansas Partnership for Faculty of Distinction Program is increased to $10 million from the current $5 million. The Legislature created this program in 2000 to provide enhanced support for endowed professorships at Regents institutions. Forty-eight professorships at KU have been established through this program, and we’re asking legislators to expand this successful effort.
We’re also asking for elimination of the 60-day waiting period for health benefits for new employees. Beyond being a barrier to recruitment, this waiting period places an unnecessary burden on newly-hired employees and their families. Given the ongoing interest among Kansans in improving access to health care, we hope this waiting period will be waived.
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